Shannon Lewis
Abstract artist Shannon Lewis organizes her paintings around the idea of space. “I’m interested in liminality, the spaces between things,”
Mel Stiles
Look closely at Mel Stiles’ jewelry and you’ll see the traces of the architect she once was. “A lot of my designs are more contemporary, more modern and use bold color combinations,” she says. “I’m very interested in composition and form and the function of the material, which I think comes from working as an architect.”
Stiles, a Pennsylvania native, received a degree in architecture from Pennsylvania State University in 1996 and moved to Phoenix, Ariz., where she discovered jewelry-making. “I took my first class in silversmithing in 1998 and started making jewelry at home,” she says.
Tom Cantwell
When Tom Cantwell bought a sewing machine, he had no idea that it would lead to turning leftover and vintage fabrics into one-of-a-kind curtains.
Michael Olfert
Most people sand the paint off salvaged wood. Artisan woodworker Michael Olfert, on the other hand, makes sure the paint stays on.
Stephen Adams
When mixed-media sculptor Stephen Adams moved from San Francisco to Oregon six years ago,it changed his art.
Faryn Davis
Faryn Davis started making jewelry three years ago by accident. “I was working on shaping a larger resin piece and an interesting sculptural bit came off,” she says. “I put a hole in it and started wearing it as a necklace and people began asking me about it.”
Ed Beacham
In high school shop in Eagle Point, Ore., master clockmaker Ed Beacham spent a lot of time making boats to sail on the Rogue River. “The shop teacher wanted me to make something other than racing boats,” Beacham says. “He told me my assignment would be to make a grandfather clock.”
Jamee Linton
When artist Jamee Linton moved to Portland five years ago, she chose the Rose City without visiting it.
Alan Flashing
Most children build forts and hideouts in their backyards, but when blacksmith Alan Flashing was 13, he built a forge. ”I wanted to make my own knife blades,” he says. “So I built a forge in our garage and backyard.”
Dane Wilson
While Dane Wilson’s painting called Andy’s Island looks like trees reflected in water, it’s more complicated than that. The trees and their reflection are the barcodes of books about Andy Warhol.
