Maria and her husband knit, crochet and sew wearable art, collectible bears and soft, safe stuffed animals for children. Everything is made by hand, from start to finish. The yarns are selected carefully for their sustainability (bamboo), breathability (cotton), and long lasting warmth (wool/silk/alpaca blend). After knitting the yarn into a hat, many of the toques have special designs which are hand embroidered on them e.g.: the caterpillars, butterflies, ladybugs, cherry blossoms, bee antennae, or tassels. Maria also crochets leaves, pea pods, and rosettes. Joy and comfort are the qualities and emotions they hope to stir up with their knitted wear.
The jointed bears are for all the adults that never grew out of collecting teddies. They have beautiful glass eyes, new and vintage fabrics, and truly unique expressions. Two decades ago non-jointed bears,bunnies,kittens and monkeys were added to the collection. Machine washable and perfect for children, stuffed with hypo-allergenic polyester fibre fill and eyes secured with safety lock backings. For an even younger set Huggables will stand up to all the adventures a toddler will throw at them with their outstretched arms and hand-embroidered smiles just waiting for a hug.
Since I (Maria) was a young child I have enjoyed creating, especially sewing my own dolls. From making their clothes out of any scrap fabric I could find, to knitting teddy bears with lopsided smiles, I have found so much joy in creating little critters. The stuffed animals I create today are much more refined than those early editions but one thing remains: the joy they bring.
]]>Medium: Textile
Location: West Vancouver, BC
Member Since: 1974
Sue McDermott began learning the rudiments of several crafts while studying Occupational Therapy in Great Britain in the 1950s, including classes in weaving, pottery and woodwork.
Recently, the advent of grandchildren has rekindled her interest in knitting. She uses either hand-spun or machine-spun natural animal fibres with an emphasis on novel colour combinations created by hand-dyeing. Her knitwear is colourful but never loses sight of one of the basic principles of good design: functionality. They are made to never shrink and the colours to never run when worn or washed.
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Sophia Kim
Medium: Ceramics
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Since: 2017
Sophia Sohyun Kim is Korean Canadian ceramic artist who lives in Vancouver Canada. She developed 'Birch inspired functional ceramics' in 2013. Her Oak street studio was featured on 'In her studio' magazine 2021.
My fascination on tree barks started while taking pictured of Birch, Oak and Cedar trees in Pacific Northwest. I was mesmerized that they all seem to have scars on their barks and try to tell their stories. By brush painting porcelain slip over red stoneware clay, I can create tree bark look and tell the story.
]]>Hidden Gem Jewellery Studio makes fine jewellery in the scenic Fraser River Valley. My designs are inspired by my natural surroundings and best described as fluid.
]]>Medium: Paper
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Since: 2005
My work begins with an armature of wire, often on a framed wood panel. Newspaper and paper pulp are my basic materials for building the form with other papers sometimes added to the surface. Most pieces are finished with acrylic paints and varnish. Care - like all art, please keep out of direct sunlight. Most pieces can be dusted with a soft dry paintbrush.
I grew up near the North Shore mountains in Vancouver, British Columbia. Then, dogs, cats, children roamed the streets, parks, and beaches unleashed and largely unchaperoned. People and animals were personalities of equal importance in our child world. I draw on these memories of my fellow travellers and on constant observation when I try to portray the soul or character of my subjects in papier mache. I am intrigued by the mysterious relationship we have with animals. The mystery being that while they are our closest kin in this universe, we can only imagine what they are thinking and feeling. I studied fine arts at Concordia, U.B.C., and Emily Carr College of Art and have been working in papier mache since 1990. I take commissions for any subject, specializing in animals and portraits of pets.
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Atelier Ken Claude Lambert Inc.
Medium: Jewelry
Location: Vancouver, BC
Member Since: 2011
Ken Claude Lambert has been creating exceptional jewellery for more than a decade. His designs celebrate the inherent beauty of natural materials—diamonds, gold, silver, coloured precious stones, fine woods, and vitreous enamels—bringing them together in intriguing and innovative ways.
KCL Atelier draws inspiration from textures, technologies, techniques, and more to create a series of signature collections. Embodying sophistication, the spirit of innovation, and extraordinary craftsmanship, these limited-edition pieces are distinctive expressions of creativity.
]]>I was born in Nelson, BC, raised in Vancouver, and started working in clay in 1973, as an owner and manager of large pottery school.
From 1979 – 1982 I attended Emily Carr. In 2005 I went back for a BFA. I have been working out of my garage, selling, and exhibiting, while raising 4 children.
I use earthen-wares, and mid-temperature red and white clays. Everything is made as either slab or solid-hollowed.
There is a lot of attention to detail, using my own sigilattas, or coloured slips to enhance the carved surfaces, I am passionate about clay as an art material because it has been clay objects, past and present, that have provoked my most profound aesthetic experiences.
I work with the imagery of women, men, babies, and dogs – all domestic icons. I use these images to describe or illustrate something; a state of mind, a play-on-words, a situation, or a thought.
Some of the work 'functions' as jugs or vases, and some of the pieces are sculptural, declarative one-of-a-kinds. I use clay in an eclectic manner, always changing.
The pieces may vary in imagery, one from the other, but if the handling of the clay is observed it can be seen to be made by the same hand.
The intent of my practice is to observe, with a sideways glance, the most familiar figures around us, nudging the observer to see them in a different context. Click on below image to view full size.