Meet Etsy Artist: reflectionsoflight

"I've been creating as long as I can remember," Sharilyn admits. "I've always got my fingers into something." Creativity has always been a "need" for her, not just a passion. "Photography is one of my first loves," she explains. "In planning an upcoming trip I am very excited about the photo opportunities I am going to encounter." Although she has worked for years in education, she recently shifted focus to her art, which she aims to make functional as well as aesthetic. Painting ceramics has been the perfect combination for her. An avid hiker and lover of the outdoors, nature often inspires her - as with the beautiful bamboo sushi set. "A country girl at heart, anything in nature is beautiful and appealing and I love to represent a small part of that in what I create." In fact - that is why she named her shop Reflections of Light. "Perhaps I can take a small piece of the beauty of nature and reflect it in something I make." Please check out her shop: http://reflectionsoflight.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: NotJustaVase

Four years ago Brian remodeled the bathroom and decided to paint art for the walls. "I ended up painting three canvases that I was really excited about," he says. That planted the seed for his foray into painting and digital art - and few weeks ago he opened his Etsy shop after a friend recommended the site. "I have always been interested in using my creativity," he admits. "I have spent the bulk of my adult life working in retail as a visual merchandiser." He has also been an avid photographer and began playing with Photoshop a few years ago. "All of this is like evolution and it leads me into this phase of my life." He finds a lot of inspiration in mid-century design. "There is so much from that era that I absolutely love: architecture, graphic design, interior design, fashion, and the advances in technology also shaped so much of the design aspects," he explains. "I like the clean and simple lines represented with this era of design. I also think that Asian influenced art is a great compliment to this. Especially the bold rich colors." Still working full time as a merchandiser, he follows his artistic passions on his time off. "It is a hobby now, but eventually I hope to make it more...I am getting my feet wet with Etsy and long term I hope to open a little boutique to sell my art along with vintage items, small home accessories, and tabletop items." He reminds us all to "believe in (ourselves) and (our) art." Please check out his shop: http://notjustavase.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artists: RavenstoneTiles

RavenstoneTiles is a collaborative effort between artist Laura Reutter and web designer/glaze maker Tim Taylor. They've been working professionally as a tile team since 1999, using their personal website as their major source of income. They have also sold on Ebay, are are just now dabbling with Etsy. I was lucky enough to stumble across this gorgeous bamboo set recently. Many of their pieces reflect a zen like tranquility, but they are also inspired by the Arts and Crafts movement and the Art Nouveau period. "Nature, trees, and landscapes are also sources of ideas," they explain. Laura has had a lifelong love affair with clay (35+ years), but only began making tiles 10 years ago. "This is a job, or was, until the recent economic crisis hit," she manages to joke. "Sales are really slow right now and we're looking for other work to tide us over," she admits. They are excited about the opportunities on Etsy and are enjoying the community it offers. Please check out their shop: http://ravenstonetiles.etsy.com/

-Wendy Baylis

Dharma Designs

http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: joanschaumburg49

Joan may have started as a painter 30 years ago, but her latest endeavors into fused glass caught my eye. Working with fellow Etsian HendersonWoodCraft, she has created a beautiful zen furniture line including an end table and matching shoji screen. Each piece showcases her gorgeous hand painted bamboo glass panels - and would make a perfect addition to any home. In fact, she sells many of her creations at a local Asian import store. She also makes glass jewelry and is an exceptional painter and muralist. Please check out her shop: http://joanschaumburg49.etsy.com/
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com/

Meet Etsy Artist: margotbianca

While finishing up her printmaking studies Margot created a functional line of batik "to take my mind off of my thesis on the weekends." After graduating she discovered selling her beautiful wares was a great addition to her income. "Making pieces that are small, inexpensive, useful and appeal to a wide audience is key to a production line," she explains of her creations. She definitely focuses on her eccentric artist side, too; "I like to keep my schedule flexible, to avoid having to take a job that gets in the way of me making new work, traveling for shows and residencies, and the other schedule-disrupting activities that are inherent to life as an artist." She enjoys the fact that making functional art is a nice break from fine art. "I can learn a lot about color interaction and the nature of different fibers when I'm not being uptight about creating work with content. The repetitive nature of creating a functional line frees my mind up to consider solutions to dead ends or visual problems in my drawings, prints, project proposals or plans for installations. It also helps me practice not getting offended and frozen by negative responses to my work. If someone doesn't like a batik dishtowel, who cares?" She finds inspiration everywhere - from ambient light, color, lines, and good food." Even a few of her dreams and a cup of coffee or two has influenced her colorful work. Each batik is made with antique Indonesian stamps "that were themselves created by hand." She explains, "the stamps were made to help crafters create less expensive textiles for the European market at the turn of the century. So the designs have this strange mix of Asian aesthetic, made for a European audience. I've collected these beautiful objects from auctions, estate sales, junk stores and collectors." She has painstakingly cleaned and repaired them, learned how to use them, and now creates her earthy, functional art with them. "Figuring out how to use each one is like a little puzzle: some of them were designed to interlock, others are smaller parts of a larger intricate design, and some are still mysteries. It's a great challenge for me to find out how to to give them a new life." Please check out her shop: http://margotbianca.etsy.com
-Wendy Baylis
Dharma Designs
http://dharmadesigns.etsy.com