Art Star

Hi there! My name is Vanessa and I am the maker and designer behind Xenia Studio, my handmade jewelry collection based here in Philly. Xenia is my middle name and choosing to use it as the title of my jewelry line is a reflection of how personal each design and piece of jewelry is. Xenia Studio was officially born January 2018 out of my quest to find unique jewelry that wasn’t fast fashion but was still affordable.

My primary focus is making statement earrings out of polymer clay, an extremely lightweight and versatile material with limitless color and shape possibilities. I’m inspired by combining and contrasting elements of nature with modern design, whether that is by pairing an earthy color with a geometric shape or a bold color with an organic form. I meticulously craft my earrings from start to finish- starting with mixing different colors of polymer clay together to create a unique shade, cutting the shapes out, then sanding and assembling the finished baked pieces.

At the core of each piece of jewelry is the contemplation of everyday wear- how will these earrings look in an office setting, on a date, or a casual day out? I want to create versatile pieces of jewelry that are unique but still wearable in any situation. I hope that by doing so I can provide a small step towards cutting out fast fashion and make buying handmade more accessible.

You can find my earrings locally at Downerss boutique in Fishtown, shop Miss Demeanor in South Philly, and Lobo Mau clothing at Bok Studios. I sell primarily through my Etsy shop and also have my earrings stocked in several out of state stores. I started selling at local craft fairs and markets this spring and they have quickly become one of my favorite things to do. I am so excited to sell at the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar November 17-18th and I hope to see you there!

Find Xenia Studio on Etsy, Instagram
and at the Holiday Art Star Craft Bazaar 

All you have to do is play and you will discover wondrous things. That’s how I discovered what you are seeing in these photographs. In year one of grad school I had no idea what I was going to end up doing so I just played and experimented with everything I had around me. I did have a few underlying wants and limitations that pushed me in this direction though. First, I have always wanted to work with glass since I was a little girl because my 2nd cousin was a phenomenal glass artist. I remember we had a piece of his that was a rainbow with two clouds and wind chimes hanging in our kitchen window. Apparently this had a very big impact on my art, because every medium I have ever touched, including digital 3D rendering, shares many of the enchanting qualities of stained glass. Funny enough, I actually got a grant to start glass blowing in grad school, but tore a tendon in my leg at the same time and couldn’t meet the physical demands that this activity required. Fortunately this limitation led to me creating what I call my ‘cells’. I call them cells because each round disc that has a center reminds me of a cell and I am kind of obsessed with biological forms. When I build with the cells to create a larger sculpture I call it a ‘synthetic organism’.

(The cells before they are dry. Everybody says they remind them of candy dots!)

So how did I discover this material through play? Because of my love of glass I am attracted to any and all materials that are translucent, transparent, colorful, and have the ability to be layered. There was a lot of glue laying around my studio so somehow I just started drawing with it. I remember that I would usually draw detailed biological forms with the glue. At around the same time I was exploring how to get people to interact and get involved in the art making process. I would draw on the ground with the dyed glue and invite people to peel the drawings off the ground and place them on a blank wall. Watching these glue drawings transform from a 2D material into a 3D material when it was peeled off the floor was also very inspiring.

(A couple larger pieces hanging out on my sliding glass door while I was preparing to install on the windows of the UICA in Grand Rapids)

On the day my cells were first made, I was trying out a new material and drawing the same kind of complex biological forms and then the idea to just make a dot struck me out of nowhere. You see, I always used to overcomplicate things and my art was incredibly packed with hand drawn detail. I had no clue how a dot was going to be interesting at all, but I just went with it. The next day when I came back to see how everything dried I immediately went for the more interesting forms, but when I finally peeled that simple dot up and held it in my hand a rush of ideas came a pourin’ in! From then on I poured my attention into what I now call my ‘cells’ and slowly they evolved from ‘2D’ drawings into the big beautiful glass-like synthetic organisms that they are today.

(Detail from window at the Urban Institute for Contemporary Art)

Since then I have covered museum windows with them, made a large diorama for the International Auto Show, and installed sculptures made with them in medical centers. Now I am putting this zen, easy to build with, and might I say enchanting material into your hands.

(Detail from the windows at the UICA)

(Bioscape diorama at the International Auto Show in the Lincoln Pavilion)

At the Art Star Craft Bazaar on Mother’s Day weekend I am so incredibly excited to share the joy of making these sculptures that have almost all the beauty of glass without all the heat and years of practice! What a better gift for your mom than to be able to do something she surely has not seen or done before! It is so simple to do, all you have to be able to do is press your thumb and your forefinger together! And once you make your piece you can stick it on any surface that the sun shines through and watch it illuminate! I will also be hosting Zen Glass (what I am currently calling this workshop) and Color Flow workshops out of JJL Studios at the 1241 Carpenter building throughout the summer where you can come in and build larger pieces and maybe even a chandelier! If you sign up for our mailing list at this event you will get a discount on our future workshops and also be the first one to know about them!

Click here to watch a timelapse video of me making a synthetic organism.

Find Jessica Joy London Studios Online here  and on Instagram

Hi there, my name is Lindsey and I’m a potter in Brooklyn, New York. My functional ceramics line is called Little Bear Pots, named after a frightful encounter with a black bear in a wilderness area of West Virginia, which I slept through.

I create pieces that play with patterned surfaces, craters, and spikes–each piece is meant to remind us of vulnerability, like a fruit covered in thorns. Outside of my ceramic life, I do research for documentaries on social justice issues.

My home and studio are based in Red Hook, Brooklyn, which is a neighborhood filled with boxy warehouses, roll-top gates, and uneven cobblestone streets. It feels like a small village at the edge of the world, yet within spitting distance of downtown. I am fortunate to have studio space at Supersmith, a warehouse that has been converted into a workshop. When I walk out of my studio, I’m on a catwalk that overlooks a full-service woodworking area, a metalshop, and private studios with people working with 3D printers and poured concrete. The scene here has a real tip-of-the-hat to quality craftsmanship and forward-thinking design concepts, and I’m endlessly grateful to call these folks my creative community.

When I first started making ceramics about twelve years ago, I drew a lot of inspiration from indigenous ceramics traditions, particularly those of West Africa and Central America. I think some of that inspiration is still evident in my work in my love of shifting triangular designs and black-and-white surface decorations. I like how these traditional artists drew inspiration from their surroundings, even in subtly, almost abstract ways.

Over the past few years, I’ve been drawn more to my direct surroundings–the overlapping squared-off textures of the city blocks surrounding me. Squares, stripes, and triangles facing off against simple tower shapes with concrete-like textures. I’ve also been playing with animalistic spines in these rough, pockmarked textures; I like to think these objects are like hardened city-dwellers, rejecting touch and yet making you work for their affection.

This will be my second year at the Art Star Craft Bazaar, and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you!
Visit Little Bear Pots Website and follow her on Instagram