Artistic Portland houses a wide variety of great local art, including ceramics, glass art, painting in various mediums, fiber arts, sculptural pieces in various materials including wood, metal, and found objects, as well as pretty much everything in between. In other words, if you're looking for some pretty fabulous art, look no further than Artistic Portland!

You can also find a beautiful array of jewelry at Artistic Portland. Full time jewelers currently showing at Artistic Portland include Becca Paisley, Beth Jones, June Martin, Laurel Swetnam, Leslie McMillan, Petra Woodworth, and Susan Hunter. Michael Barley and Dolores Kueffler also show jewelry as well as other mediums at Artistic Portland.

Becca Paisley is our newest jewelry artist at Artistic Portland. Becca Paisley Designs is the jewelry line she created after having fallen in love with the art of metalsmithing. She is inspired by raw metals and tools used to transform a flat piece of metal or a wire into a carefully constructed adornment. She uses traditional, contemporary, and experimental metalsmithing techniques. Her styles range from geometric and minimalist to organic and intricate. The process of adding bold texture, colorful patina or a bright finish to her jewelry could be described as solving a creative riddle. There always seems to be one right answer.

Beth Jones is the creator behind Delicate Filaments. All of Beth's jewelry is designed and hand fabricated by her. She describes herself as loving to work with metals and gemstones of all kinds to create something beautiful and unique, something that is an expression, or even, an extension, of herself. Ever since she was a child she has loved collecting rocks, fossils, shells and weathered old glass pieces from the shores of Lake Huron to Vancouver Island and the Oregon coast, and every other country she's had the good fortune to visit. Beth's work is intricate while also sturdy and substantial. 

MOTH & TWIG mosaic jewelry was created by mosaic artist, June Martin. June's work consists of various materials including tile from Morocco, glass from Italy, bezels from Mexico and Turkey, as well as bezels cast closer to home, in Port Townsend, WA. June uses an array of tools to meticulously create tiny mosaics that she then carefully sets into jewelry bezels. She finds the small work meditative and rewarding. Each piece is unique and she doesn't often plan out her designs, further enhancing the organic feel of her work. She's in love with color, texture, and shape, all elements that can be found in abundance in her pieces.

Speaking of color, you'll find no shortage of vibrant colors and contrasts in Laurel Swetnam's exquisite polymer clay jewelry. Laurel also creates small decorative items using polymer clay. Laurel first started working with polymer clay when she worked as a family therapist. She would use the medium in sessions with her clients. This evolved into the creation of her jewelry line entitled Sequels. Laurel is particularly intrigued with millefiori cane work as she loves patterns and the exploration of symmetry and diversity of organic forms such as pods, anemones, and flowers.

Another relative newcomer to Artistic Portland is Leslie McMillan of McMillan Metals. In Leslie's work you will find how she transforms silver, copper, and brass into wearable art. According to Leslie, manipulating and hammering metal grounds her. You'll see that her pieces have a subtle simplicity influenced by the shapes, colors and the textures of nature.

Recently Leslie trained with Master Momoko Okada in the ancient art of Japanese silver leaf. Production of gold and silver leaf dates back to the 15th century. Today 99% of gold and silver leaf is produced in Kanazawa, using traditional methods of pounding a small amount of metal into whisper thin sheets. The leaf is so thin that even a tiny amount of static electricity can cause it to tear. Along with silver leaf, Leslie uses traditional silversmithing techniques such as; soldering, forging and casting in fabricating her work. Leslie has also expanded her metalwork to include the fusing of high kt. gold to steel which results in a free form and highly textured design. I

Petra Woodworth of Purely Petra is a jewelry designer living in Portland. Petra has been making jewelry for over 20 years. It was love at first sight when her daughters took her to a bead shop on that long ago day. Over time she taught herself the techniques needed to create her unique and beautiful pieces. 

Many of Petra's designs are inspired by "Steampunk" - antique machinery...meets modern day science...meets Victorian romance. Most of her designs are one-of-a-kind and she uses a wide variety of materials from sterling silver to found and recycled objects like old keys and dominos.

Susan Hunter of Bodie Design Studio creates elegant silver jewelry that can be worn everyday or to special occasions since her pieces translate well to a multitude of settings. Learn about Susan's touching journey into the world of jewelry making. Not only does Susan work in sterling and fine silver, but you can also find her latest creations in 14kt and 14kt gold filled! She also incorporates various stones into her jewelry such as blue topaz, chalcedony, amazonite, and sapphire to name a few. Susan also makes fun pet charms from copper! She is truly talented and versatile.

One of the most appealing qualities of polymer clay as an art medium is the fact that artists can mix any color under the sun from three primaries, black, white and maybe a touch of metallic pearl or gold for sparkle. Although I drool over tools as much of as any artist, I love the simplicity of being able to mix all the colors of the rainbow from 5 blocks of clay. Since my monkey brain gets in the way of traditional meditation, I turn to color mixing when a dose of tranquility is needed.

Here are the primaries in Kato Clay, my preferred brand, and a handful of the dozens of colors on my worktable that I’ve mixed from those primaries.  

I’ve always loved the art of combining colors and, of course, try to remember how to recreate favorite colors I’ve created. In July, however, I learned that there is so much more to color theory and systematic color mixing.
 
Along with 11 other professional polymer clay artists, I recently attended a 6 day workshop called “Color Intensive” taught by two color wizards, Lindly Haunani and Maggie Maggio. Maggie and Lindly are both experienced teachers in demand all over the world as well as renowned polymer artists. Their shared passion for color generated their collaborative book Color Inspirations (2009), which is a classic in the field for polymer artists. Maggie calls her approach to teaching “21st century color”; the red-yellow-blue primary system we learned as children has ceded to magenta-cyan-zinc yellow primaries. During the class each participant learned a bit about the science of color, then dived into a systematic approach to color mixing, learning how to create an individualized color palette that reflects the artist’s voice and that hangs together beautifully. 
 
We started by mixing color scales from each primary pair (strings of beads on the left), then tweaked one color by creating a “pivot” deck by adding muds. Muds in this case are mixtures of the three primaries, plus possibly a little black and white.  I mixed several variations of mud for the colors I was considering, and then chose one particular mixture to be my “mixing mud”, a warm brown (more yellow, less blue and magenta). My pivot color was a yellow orange (on the top of the tiles on the right below). The result was luscious variations on my original hue created by adding various qualities of my mud along with pinches of yellow, blue, magenta, black and white. Because I learned a systematic way to vary the pivot tile color, I can catalog and recreate my colors in the future. It’s way more effective that writing down color recipes.

Here’s the coolest part. Once you have created your mud for a palette, adding just a pinch to any other mixed color unifies the aesthetic. Here’s a photo of a pair of earrings and a necklace made with a lot of the variations in my orange pivot deck, plus a few more darks and lights for contrast.  Mud magic!

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I joined Artistic Portland about one month ago. After retiring from my full time career one year ago I knew the co-op would provide me with companionship of other artists along with a space to show my work.
 
What is your background?
I am from Buffalo, NY and lived on the east coast until my husband and I moved to Portland 20 years ago to escape the snow. I am one of seven children and when we all get together it is loud and joyful. I have been married to a wonderful guy for 37 years this August and together we have owned 4 Newfoundland dogs (not all at once). I worked as an accountant/financial analyst for over thirty years before retiring.   

Why do you do what you do?
I have created some form of art work since childhood. It is simply a part of my nature. As an adult I have dabbled in many art forms; raku pottery, silversmithing, oil painting, photography, but once I began working with glass I knew that I had found my forever medium. I love the translucence of glass, the color, the reflective quality and the fact that it can be manipulated to create anything your mind can dream up. I actually purchased my first piece of fused glass about 30 years ago and now it has been almost 15 years since I took my first fused glass class and I have never looked back.  
 
Describe yourself in one word? Why that word?
Curious. I love to keep learning. My favorite question is "why?" It always elicits great information about anything being discussed. 

Where do you create?
I have a studio in the lower section of our house with several stations to perform the different processes that I employ to create my glass art.

What motivates/inspires your work?
Together with my innate need to create, I am inspired by colors and shapes. I prefer to work in primary colors for their boldness, their cheerfulness, but really any bright color will do. I'm also fond of geometric shapes of all kinds. The clock line I am currently making has both of these elements. Looking at the glass art work of other artists to see how they are using the medium is also very inspiring. This often spurs me on to try new technique.

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
 I make sure to be in my studio every day. It may only be for five minutes to straighten up, but I find being surrounded by my creative materials motivates me to want to work.   

What is your favorite piece you have ever created?
Any piece I make using pattern bars has great appeal for me. Pattern bars are a separate process of layering different colors of glass in such a way that when they are fully fused they curve into beautifully striated masses. Slices of these masses are then incorporated into an overall design and fully fused again.

What do you like to do when you are not creating?
When I am not creating I love to travel the world. I have been to every continent except for Africa and the Antarctic (so far). I love meeting people, exploring their customs, trying the food. It is a great way to keep learning and expanding my mind and perspectives.

I'm a big fan of quotes, in particular, art quotes. I'd like to share some of my favorites along with images of the artists quoted. Have fun! Be inspired! 

I imagine that everyone who sells art gets stuck from time to time. Your stock of successful products has to be replaced, but your chaotic workspace overwhelms you. On one corner of my studio table there are five half-done projects. Yikes - time to focus! Other times you carve out a little time to create new designs, but your 

muse takes a hike and you feel uninspired.

Here’s my motto.  When the muse takes a vacation, it’s time to retreat - not retreat as in run away, but retreat as in step back, refresh yourself and take time to play.  I am most grateful to have the opportunity to do just that every August when a group of professional polymer clay artists gather in the awe-inspiring northern Rockies to spend a weekend together.

Each artist generally chooses to explore something new during the week which pushes a bit beyond her comfort zone. Jewelry artists sculpt, color zealots work only in black or white, sculptors use clay as pointillist painting medium or artists collaborate. I crafted a series of large pods, using millefiori cane work (which I do) and oil painting (which I don’t do). Bonnie Bishoff, a maker of extraordinary wearable art,  used polymer clay to create this 2-D textured painting. 

Energy is augmented, and the workroom thrums from early morning to the wee hours. As punctuation to the studio work, individuals demonstrate techniques, spontaneous “seminars" (marketing, teaching, social media) spring into life,  and critique groups form. Artists share other skills - one polymer artist is also a photographer who shares tips. There’s lots of storytelling and jokes by a couple of masters, reminding us all not to get too serious!  I’m way too introverted for that, but I  bring my guitar and play classical music each night. Maybe best of all, there are myriad lovely, deep conversations during our week-long slumber party. 

There’s time for walking around the gorgeous northern Colorado landscape, sketching or taking photographs. I love doing that by myself so I can process the heady brew of group experiences. The combination of solitude and camaraderie is my secret sauce. Some artists are fed by the group synergy and create amazing new pieces. I know I’ll never be one of those, since I work most productively in the quiet of my own studio. However,  I always leave the mountain with a notebook full of drawings and ideas, a ton of photos and an eagerness to get back to work since I know the muse will have returned.
 
I am most fortunate to have my amazing August retreat as a time to reset and re-energize. Best of all, it has taught me a “retreat” strategy we can all use any time: take a walk, sketch what you see, and play! 

How long have you been a part of Artistic Portland, and what appealed to you about joining the Co-op?
I've been a member for about a month now! I wanted to join a co-op to meet other artists and have a consistent way to get my work into the public eye. 
 
What is your background?
My background is varied. I have no formal training as an artist. I have a degree in Theater with an emphasis in costuming. But for the past 13 years I have been a stay-at-home mom.  Prior to being a mom I traveled around the world to about 40 countries and lived in Japan for three years. I've always been inspired by nature. And have always had a fascination with color.  

Why do you do what you do?
I like painting and creating because there are endless possibilities. Every painting and creation is unique and I never tire of doing it.  
 
Describe yourself in one word? Why that word?
Multi-passionate. I call myself multi-passionate or a multi-potentialite because I'm never going to be "one thing." I have many interests, many passions. When I finally stopped trying to fit myself in a box, I started to fulfill my full potential. 

Where do you create?
Mostly in my kitchen at a work table that sits under an east-facing window. 

What motivates/inspires your work?
My work is nature and color inspired. I love texture. I love mixing colors and color gradation. I use dried and pressed leaves, plants and flowers in my work.

What kind of creative patterns, routines, or rituals do you have?
I'm not very routine. I wish I had more of that. I often paint at night when my kids have gone to bed. I do a lot of creating when my kids are around.  

What is your favorite piece you have ever created?
So far, my favorite piece is called 4000 Feelings. I spent about a week on this 11x14 water color. I layered grasses and lace-leaf maple leaves in reds, pinks, purples, gold and black. It looks like two trees, one tall and strong and one being blown around by a storm. In the strong one, a face started to emerge, so I spent a great amount of time creating the detail in the face. And the one being blown about became a woman with long hair who is upside down in the tree.  It represents what was going on in my life at the time. 

What do you like to do when you are not creating?
When I'm not creating, I'm landscaping. I have a small landscaping business. Since moving to the PNW I've become obsessed with plants and flowers. I also like to go on nature walks. I take macro photos of flowers and plants, as well. I spend time with my three kids: Quinn (13), Wyatt (9) and December (6).  We like to play tennis, swim, cook, watch movies and go on adventures. I also love food and wine!  I'm a bit of a bakery addict.  

As a mosaic jewelry artist who sells at various venues including Artistic Portland, I find I am often trying to keep a balance between staying on top of trends while also satisfying my need to create art that stimulates me. For example, I love working with certain color palettes such as turquoise, orange, and ocher. I call this my Mediterranean palette and find myself gravitating toward this palette often because, well, simply put, the combination of those colors makes me feel happy!

Perhaps it's selfish of me to create art that makes me feel good rather than focus predominantly on trends or what other people fancy. For this reason, I try to find a balance between what I love to create and current color and shape trends, though admittedly, I tend to lean toward the former.

To be fair, I tried an experiment about a year ago where I focused on creating mosaic jewelry pieces that aligned closer to then current jewelry trends. I created pieces that did not bring me much joy. The color palettes, though on trend, did not excite me while I was creating them and some of the bezel shapes seemed too trendy to me. In short, I did not stay true to myself. I veered too far to the "trendy side" and lost my voice in the process. Not surprisingly, these pieces did not sell for quite some time. One of them in fact was stolen at a show! Though I normally feel a loss when one of my babies, er, I mean, pieces is stolen, in this case I remember thinking "good riddance!" I was happy that the thief did not have very good taste! 

The moral of this story, at least from my perspective, is that I need to stay true to my design aesthetic while occasionally tempering this with trends. I have learned that if I experience joy while creating a piece, that joy will shine through, thus hopefully making the piece intriguing to others, while if I create a piece that feels commercial and uninspired, that piece languishes, longing for a home.

Many artists who sell in wholesale markets or in multiple venues have “lines” of designs. Others, including me, rarely repeat designs, always making one-off pieces. So I have to remind myself from time to time that working in series is an important part of a creative practice. Redundancy can strengthen the artist’s individual voice- not the same thing done over and over again in exactly the same way, but rather concepts improved and tweaked in different yet interconnected ways. It creates a recognizable style, which is important for refining one’s artistic voice.  

By creating multiple pieces around the same idea, we are helping the audience understand what our art is all about;  pattern or intent is evident, so viewers can get a sense of who you are. The process is not about repetition, but rather about being able to explore, investigate, examine or address particular themes, compositions or concepts in progressively deeper and more meaningful ways than is possible by making just one or two.  

And then there’s the sheer aesthetic pleasure, because a cluster of similar pieces looks fabulous! Above are a group of my bowls from 2017. When I make millefiori cane designs, I first choose a palette and mix clay, then I create a series of canes using my mixed colors, finally combining the patterns in different ways to make pieces.  Each of these bowls is unique, yet they clearly belong together as a set.  Every new iteration is an exploration, and inevitably the last pieces are  more interesting and more refined that the first.

Each summer, I have the privilege of attending an invitational retreat of fellow artists who work with polymer clay. The highlight of the week is an exchange of pieces. We have made pendants, bowls, totems, and beads among other things. The group decides on general guidelines and each artist creates about 25 similar versions of the same piece. Voila! A yearly experiment in working in series!
 
Sometimes a series varies by just a bit of color, like these Chinese inspired carvings of artist Nan Roche, one of the founding mothers of understanding polymer clay as a fine art medium. Other times,  a series can explore variations on a theme. Here are Katie Way's totems, both made for the same swap. Katie’s differ quite a bit in color and texture, yet are still easily identifiable as a set.  

​For my contribution to the totem exchange, I was inspired by the wonderful designs of the aboriginal Tiwi tribe.  Like the bowls, each one differs slightly from the group, and, as always, I improved as I worked. The experience of working in series has been valuable for me as a learning experience -  prototype, make samples, discard failures, reevaluate and refine!