ANTHER KILEY MFA 13 GD

CARDKITS

Based in Providence, RI

*Emerging Artist Award Winner, 2019

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

I currently divide my time between teaching in the Graphic Design Department at RISD, doing freelance graphic design work, and developing Cardkits, the line of toys I am exhibiting at RISD Craft. Although only my freelance design practice directly applies a classic set of graphic design skills, all of these activities are enabled by my graphic design training. My Cardkits project, in particular, was shaped and framed by the ideas I explored in my master’s thesis at RISD. My thesis research explored the intersection of utopian spaces, play, and aesthetics, and Cardkits exist exactly at this intersection.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

The direct inspiration for Cardkits are the elaborate toy cities I built for myself as a child. I grew up in an artistic family without many commercial toys, and started building my own when I was around 9 years old. Eventually I had constructed an entire miniature world, in elaborate detail.Like many children’s toys, my world functioned as a safe, bounded spaces where I could freely explore aspects of my environment that fascinated me—urban spaces, infrastructure, and all the visible and invisible systems that make the world tick. These systems, and their artifacts and aesthetics, have always been my real inspiration, both then and now.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I’ll be sharing pre-production editions of Cardkits, my line of children’s toys, along with prototypes of kits that will be available in the future.Cardkits combine the hands-on rewards of traditional build-it-yourself toys with the appeal of creative world building. Each kit consists of a set of printed and pre-cut card stock parts that assemble into one element of a miniature world. The kits assemble quickly and easily, and once assembled, are full of interactive moments that invite play. Cardkits are ethically and environmentally responsible toys. They are produced locally, in RI and NH, using sustainably sourced paper, and are 100% recyclable.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

This year has been an experiment in re-balancing my practice. Previously, I had been teaching full time and co-directing a design program. It was a rewarding position, but also utterly consuming! I struggled to integrate my position as the director and representative of a design program, with an eccentric personal practice that was not directly engaged with hot button conversations in the field of graphic design. I’m now teaching part time, freelancing occasionally, and working on my Cardkits toy line all the time. It’s a situation that has allowed me to apply myself to all the aspects of my practice with new energy and authenticity. I’ve relinquished some financial and schedule security, but the rewards have been worth it.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

Yes! Cardkits debut with a show at World’s Fair Gallery in Providence on Saturday September 14, followed by a Kickstarter launch on Tuesday, September 17.

Sign up for the Cardkits email newsletter: cardkitstoys.com

Follow Cardkits on Instagram: @cardkits

To see more of Anther’s work, visit cardkitstoys.com.

Juliane Gorman 84 TX

Felt Happiness

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

When I attended RISD, we studied many interesting textile techniques, but we didn’t do feltmaking. However, as students, we were fortunate to have access to a treasure room filled with fantastic wool fibers. Serendipitously, one Saturday night, a friend and I made ‘freestyle felt.’  Knowing the properties of wool from our Fibers and Dyeing class, we knew that agitation and temperature cause wool to shrink. So, we experimented by dancing and throwing snow upon on it. As if trying to tell me something, I felted a hat which looked like a rooster.

After that all that fun, I promptly forgot about feltmaking. For my degree project at RISD, I made over-sized, sculptural mask-headdresses out of found-objects, cardboard, wire, and hand-painted silk fabric. No felt and not exactly practical.

Following graduation, I spent much time trying to figure out ‘what I wanted to do with my life.’ Eventually, I received my MLIS (Masters in Library Science) and worked for a database company and at public libraries. Then, life intervened and figuring out what I wanted to do became less important. I merely did what needed doing because now I was the mom of a couple of tiny people.

Finally, a few years shy of my 50th birthday, I rediscovered feltmaking.  After purchasing a felted bracelet at a craft fair, I thought, “I need to learn how to do this!” So, I went to the library and ‘Fabulous Felt Hats,’ a book by Chad Alice Hagen, jumped into my arms.

As they say, ‘the rest is history.’ I started making hats and now cannot stop. As I create hats, each one inspires me to make the next one. Hence, the creative thinking process that I learned at RISD, continues. Best of all, I now know what I want to do when I grow up!

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

There are three aspects that I love about making felted hats: the transformative power, the practicality (it’s warm!), and the not-quite-necessary element of whimsy.

Unlike other creative endeavors, millinery requires a human to complete it. A hat without a wearer is incomplete. Moreover, when a person tries on a hat, it comes alive. It grows and becomes more magnificent as headwear and face interact. Additionally, a hat surprisingly appears to change when worn by a different person. This transformation of both what I make, and the wearer is one of the most rewarding aspects of my practice.

The second rewarding aspect of making work from felted wool is that my hats are functional. As you know, wool fibers insulate and therefore my hats are warm. Additionally, my pieces are easy to care for – just hand wash in cold water. After all, soap and water are part of my feltmaking ‘tools.’

Lastly, I love creating a wearable that has a bit of whimsy to it because it brings a smile to the wearer’s life.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

Surprisingly, anything can inspire a hat. Inspiration can be as obvious as needing to make more of a popular hat style, such as cloches, which have sold well. Other times, hat inspiration comes from the usual suspects – nature, such as oak leaves or watermelon rinds.

Or inspiration can come from more unusual sources. For example, when I moved to Pittsburgh six years ago, I was amazed by how many bridges the city has – 446!  Additionally, it amused me to see the preponderance of black and gold decorating the town to ‘honor’ the local sports teams. Most of all, custom orders bring unexpected sources of inspiration. One of my favorite custom orders was a request for a beret inspired by Gustav Klimt’s “The Kiss.”

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

Typically, I work by making a small series of hats based around a theme. As I get bored quickly, the number in a series is quite limited – usually, seven at the max. Hence, what I will be bringing to RISD Craft is slightly an unknown!

Nonetheless, within my work, there are two ‘lines.’ First, there are my more ‘conservative-looking’, everyday-chic hats that you could wear to shovel the driveway or go to the shops.  Secondly, there are my more extravagant, fantasy hats that you could wear to parties or festivals. Of course, you could wear a fantasy hat to shovel as they are also cozy! And who is to say what can and cannot be worn?

As RISD is a fantastic art school that welcomes the unusual, I will aim to create extra-exciting, one-of-a-kind hats.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

The majority of what I make is destined to be shared and sold on my website and at craft fairs. However, this year, I managed to submit two over-the-top, Art Hats to two international hat events. In the Spring, my Vegas Creamsicle Headdress, an over-sized peach-colored floral hat, was part of an exhibition at London Hat Week. In July, my ‘Long and Winding Road’ wizard hat was part of the annual BeanieFestival in Alice Springs, Australia.

To see more of Juliane’s work, visit felthappiness.com.

ASHLEY SCHWEBEL 10 ID

Design WhatHaveYou

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

I studied Industrial Design at RISD, but in my studio practice I make jewelry, as well as sculptural work and paintings. The foundational ethos and workflow of the design process that I learned while studying Industrial Design, I utilize throughout my creative work, including my more “fine art” work that I create.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

Working with concrete is an inspiration in itself. So much of our everyday world is made from concrete, not only buildings and infrastructure, but designed objects as well. I studied architecture before I came to RISD, so I’ve always been inspired by buildings and structures and working with concrete I look at a lot of brutalist buildings, and concrete infrastructure. Also, I draw a lot of inspiration from just living, working, and being in an urban environment.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I’ve recently been experimenting with different colors and incorporating new, different semi-precious stones into my jewelry pieces. I love the interplay between the natural stone and the produced or cast “stone”. The surface texture that comes from pairing the natural stones with the concrete is really satisfying.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

Earlier this year I had one of my concrete and steel art pieces included in the group show “Fresh Faces” at the Abigail Ogilvy Gallery in Boston. I also just did an interview with Boston Voyager Magazine.

To see more of Ashley’s work, visit designwhathaveyou.com.

ANNA BOOTHE 81 GL

Anna Boothe

Based in Zieglerville, PA

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

For the body of work I’ve been building for a number of years, I’ve been inspired by the general notion of compassion,….how to achieve and practice it, as well as how to create icons that both capture my perception of it plus to design “tools” that provoke it. Fodder for this investigation also comes from my research into Buddhist iconography and objects different cultures use to promote reverence, protection and “luck.”

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I’ve spent several decades as both a PT and FT educator and then as a curator, all the while doggedly maintaining my studio practice. About 4 years ago, I took the leap into being a full-time freelancer and now support myself from the sales of my work (galleries and trade shows), commissions and some private and workshop instruction. What’s different is that when I had a regular paycheck, I had more freedom to explore making the sculpture I feel most passionate about. Now, because I solely rely on my work for income, I’ve modified my focus to create work that’s more “accessible” conceptually and more affordable, while relegating the more conceptual stuff to lesser time slot. It’s ALWAYS a shot in the dark what will happen financially, but so so wonderful and heartening to be practicing what I preach.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or relevent news you’d like to share with us?

My most recent news is the receipt of the “Best in Glass” award at the Smithsonian Craft Show in April. It was my first time participating in this show. And, I have an exhibition coming up in 2021 at the Racine Art Museum (WI) – a large glass and mixed media installation created with my collaborative partner, NYC area sculptor Nancy Cohen.

To see more of Anna’s work, visit www.annaboothe.com

SARAH LEE 16 IL

GOYANGII

Based in Long Island City, NY

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

During the final lap of my undergrad experience at RISD, I focused on illustration for children–whether it be through story books or novel pattern and textile designs. Through my professional career, I have continued to pursue children’s product design from stationery to baby apparel. In my personal creative practice, I’ve merged the whimsy of my illustrations with humor that I more closely identify with.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

Like many of my peers, I lead a dual creative life. First and foremost, I am a designer breathing life into a brand’s vision and voice for the company I work for. I take care of the majority of my needs through this position. My need for routine, mentorship, fulfillment and paying bills. Once all is done with the day job, I find solace in coming home and finding joy in creating just for myself and my loved ones. Living in New York is tough, but it’s great to be able to have some leftover money at the end of the month to put towards producing my own tangible products. All that I’ve garnered from school and my work place, knowledge or finances, I’ve funneled into my personal creative practice. They are dual lives, but I live with both symbiotically.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

Animals, animals, animals! With the increasing sharing culture online, I’ve never been more inspired by all the silly photos that people share of their pets or animals seen in nature. And what can I say, I love meme culture and how new age dada it is. A lot of what I create are reactionary to the things I come across in my day to day browsing.

To see more of Sarah’s work, visit www.goyangii.com

TIMOTHY EATON-KOCH 09 IL

Timothy Eaton-Koch Illustration

Based in Riverside, CT

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

I have always enjoyed painting buildings and architecture in my work. I was very fortunate to spend a full academic year studying and working in Rome at the RISD European Honors Program at the Piazza Cenci. I truly did live in a museum for nine months. I learned about the architects, designers, and monarchs who built, rebuilt, and repurposed Rome since its founding. Today, part of my work is painting watercolor renderings of proposed buildings to real estate development interests, branding agencies, and architects. My time spent in Rome sketching and observing the rich architecture and built environment helped me along the way.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

I really enjoy being able to create imagery or artwork that someone can relate to and even smile.  When I deliver a commission or finished piece of artwork to a client, and they’re face lights up with excitement, which makes me feel great.   I take pride in being able to create a unique work of art or design that the client cannot find by just doing a photo search on the web.  The same can be said for my architectural renderings – I enjoy helping a client imagine what a finished building or landscape will look like when completed.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I’m fortunate to be able to teach art as well as work professionally in my studio. I’m a part time Visual Art teacher at Stamford High School in Stamford, CT. My typical day starts with two or three high school art classes in the morning and then I work in the studio on a painting or commissioned piece in the afternoon. Although this requires a lot of planning, I appreciate being able to get out and interact with students on a daily basis. Leaving the work while I teach forces me to step back and reevaluate on my return. Add to that, my students can add some comic relief on days when I’m not fully engaged in painting.

Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?

The Louisa Gould Gallery on Martha’s Vineyard is representing my Vineyard inspired fine art landscapes for exhibition and sale for the 2019 season. In addition, The Ocean House Resort in Watch Hill, RI is featuring my Plein Air artwork during the weekend of July 13-14 where I will be painting on the resort grounds. I will also return to Ocean House September 21-22 to illustrate in Plein Air the RI & CT Unified Sports Special Olympics Croquet Tournament.

To see more of Timothy’s work, visit www.teekartworks.com

JESSE BOULEY 09 AP

Jesse Bouley

Based in Lowell, MA

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

My current creative practice is driven almost entirely from my time spent at RISD. After graduating, I missed situations where you were prompted with a problem or challenge and then given total freedom to address the issue at hand in your own way. I was unable to find anything like this in the corporate working world. Trying to find the creative environment that I was missing led me to my current situation. I have taken a low-stress full time job outside of the design industry and opened a studio where I am able to work through any creative idea that I have with the same freedom that the RISD environment offered. This has allowed me to keep passion and motivation in my work because I only focus on projects that are exciting to me. It has also pushed me to experiment with many new skills and media that I don’t think I ever would have encountered in a traditional working environment.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

I am currently using my studio to work solely on projects of my choosing and then offering what I make for sale in the shop at the front of my space. This is a very different experience from punching in and getting paid to bring someone else’s idea to life. It feels great to work as a designer and be given a client’s design problem and then work with them to come to a solution that they love. Working this way is rewarding but it usually comes with restrictions and compromise due to the client’s opinion, budgets or bottom lines. The final product isn’t usually exactly what you would’ve chosen or what you wanted to do as the designer. The most rewarding aspect of my current creative work is when anyone at all is interested in what I’m doing. I am making things that I want and that I like and just presenting them to other people. There is nothing more satisfying that connecting with a customer or even just a viewer who is excited about something that you made that is 100% you without compromise or direction. As an artist/designer this is really motivating to me.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

My line of leather and textile items have been my current passion for the passed couple years. It started with a project to create my version of a waxed canvas and leather backpack and it has developed into a small line of leather and waxed canvas products. I have been working through the products in this line slowly and refining them over time. I have an idea for something I want, I teach myself how to make it, I live with it, then I remake it based on my own critique of the original. I have not taken any of these items outside my studio to offer them to the public so I am excited to receive feedback at RISD Craft.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I removed the challenge all-together. I have specifically chosen to work full time outside of the creative industry to pay the bills. When I worked creatively full time, I found that much of the joy I derived from creating was missing and I also found that I was too drained and unmotivated to work on inspiring projects after work. So I made a choice. My current secular position has taught me extensively about business and business management but it leaves me creatively hungry. There are many days where I’m counting down the time until I get to punch out and go work another 6-8 hours in my studio on something that I’m passionate about. I am also personally not always creatively motivated. Since my studio doesn’t carry the burden of paying my bills, I can give it a break when I need to and use my free time to do other things until I feel inspired to work again. Working this way has ensured that all of my projects are done with passion and nothing is forced or rushed through just to meet a deadline or get paid.wer

To see more of Jesse’s work, visit his Instagram

TRACYE CHIN MUELLER 80 GD

TCMfeltDesigns

Based in Providence, RI

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

RISD taught me to always think outside the box and I rarely turn down a commission even if it something I have never made or have no idea how I might actually put it together. I always have faith that I can figure it out in a creative way!

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

My most rewarding aspects of my work is when a customer requests a very special item or items for me to make, whether it be for a special occasion like a wedding, or a piece that will remind them of a beloved pet. The response when they receive the items makes all that hard work so worthwhile!

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

My inspiration comes from the natural world around us and my love for all living creatures.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

I am always excited to share my needle felting kits because I know how excited I was when I made my first sculpture. Many people do not think they can make anything like this, but my kits are designed for this person in mind, and I have never had a customer who said they did not enjoy the process or the final product. I often get a photo from my customers of their final product and each one is lovely!

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I tend to be a perfectionist, okay I am a perfectionist, and especially with needle felting, you can spend more time than you should on each sculpture. I have to remind myself constantly that the piece is done and to put down my needles.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I do want to share that this is the first year my daughter and I will both be in the RISD Craft and I am very excited! My daughter is a 2014 illustration graduate and she helped me when I was in the show a few years back and last year I helped her when she was in the show. We also have a business together called Minnow & Moss, which will again be featured at her display. We are asking to be placed next to each other because we still want to share this experience together. Nothing makes this mother happier than creating beautiful art with her best girl!

To see more of Tracye’s work, visit his Etsy page

GARY HEISE 83 PT

Gary Heise Watercolors

Based in West Milford, NJ

How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?

As a graduate of RISD’s Painting Department, I bring my skills and experience as a 21st Century painter to my approach as a landscape watercolorist.

Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.

My main theme in painting has been my personal experience of the American landscape. My main inspiration of subject matter is the area where live – the highlands of Northern New Jersey, a semi-rural watershed of hills and streams along the western edge of the Hudson River Valley. I feel an affinity with the 19th century painters that drew inspiration from the same landscape, including Jasper Cropsey and George Inness. My inspiration also comes from traditional Chinese landscape painting, from the monumental ink paintings of the Northern Song Dynasty (10th-12th centuries) to the works of Zhang Daqian and Huang Binhong of the 20th century.

What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?

For over twenty years I’ve been working on merging my love of Chinese ink and brush painting with my focus as a contemporary American landscape watercolorist. I feel that every year my work has matured creatively in this pursuit. It is especially rewarding to see my work appreciated and cherished by friends and collectors.

Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?

Frankly, I’m always most excited about my most recent work. An artist’s life is a life of journey and discovery. As of this writing, I have recently completed a set of the Four Seasons. Each painting measure 27 x 18 inches and incorporates an imagined arial view of the landscape in each of the seasons.

How have you dealt with the challenge of maintaining a creative practice that feeds your soul but also helps pay the bills?

I am lucky to work in an environment that is very supportive of me and my work. I work with considerate, creative friends at the Westwood Gallery in Westwood, NJ, where I’m able to use my skills as a creative designer. Finding the time and energy for my own painting has always been a challenge, but now that my children are grown, my wife and I have more time for our own personal pursuits, such as painting, music and hiking.

To see more of Gary’s work, visit www.ggarrettgallery.com