AIRLIE ANDERSON
Airlie Anderson
[2000, Illustration]
Based in New Jersey
Airlie Anderson’s RISD Craft Gallery
Airlie Anderson is an award winning author-illustrator of over a dozen books for children. Her publishers include Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Child’s Play International, and Dover. She uses gouache on watercolor paper to create bright, painterly illustrations. Her gold medal winning picture book MOMO AND SNAP ARE NOT FRIENDS was selected by Hearthsong toys for a plush toy line. Her new picture book, NEITHER, was released this February to excellent reviews.
From NEITHER’s Publishers Weekly review: “Anderson’s candy-colored palette and adorable cast of creatures reflect a spectrum of states of being, creating a book that works as a resource for conversations about race, blended identities, gender norms, and more.”
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
I keep a sketchbook with me at all times, and draw just to exercise that muscle and to have fun. It doesn’t have to be a long drawing session, just anything that keeps my hand and eye connected. Book ideas come out this way, too. In the studio, I always start with a wash of color. Working off a glaringly white sheet of paper has never worked well for me. A wash of color is a very important ingredient. I also meditate when I can. It seems to wipe the slate clean and to allow me to think about what’s really important. Or not think about it.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Each year at RISD had a profound and distinct effect on my current creative practice. Foundation year gave me my drawing chops: hours upon hours of figure drawing, failing and failing until something clicked. I use those fundamentals every day — use ‘em or lose ‘em. During sophomore year we honed in on our major, and I chose the illustration department. To be a children’s book illustrator was always on my radar, so my lessons during this year directly influence what I do now. I still hear my teachers’ words in my ear, almost twenty years later. “Hear that voice saying ‘ehh, that’s good enough,’ ? said illustration teacher Oren Sherman. “That is the devil speaking.”
I was lucky to be part of EHP, and spent my Junior year in Rome. That’s when I learned how to live life. I can’t make good art if I’m locked in the studio, hiding from the world. Loosen up! Eat! Experience some culture and history! Then get back to work.
Senior year was all about refining my ideas for the future, experimenting with what would become my favorite processes, for crystalizing my vision. It still had a long way to go, of course. And Harry Potter was just coming onto the scene. It was a beautiful time for me, spent gazing out the studio window at Providence going about its business, at Waterfire with its wistful music. I miss that time in my life.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Books! Reading is essential. Walking into a book store and smelling the books usually gets me out of a creative rut. I read every type of book from children’s literature to adult non fiction. Books are a kind of magic for me.
I’m inspired by the colors and textures of nature. Drawing outside has a tonic effect, especially if I’m feeling cooped up.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
My new book published by Little, Brown. It’s called NEITHER and I’m very excited to share it with the RISD community and beyond!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I was recently featured as a guest blogger on LGBTQ reads, talking about my book NEITHER and its gender-fluidity:
I was also a guest on podcast One Bad Mother, discussing NEITHER:
And NEITHER was featured as a Springtime Read as well as a Pride Month selection at Barnes & Noble.
To see more of Airlie’s work, visit airlieanderson.com
JUDI GOUDREAU
Judi Goudreau
[1991, Illustration]
Based in Pawtucket, RI
Judi Goudreau’s RISD Craft Gallery
This year will be my twelfth making my small expressive sculptures of animals. I try my best to capture each dog or cat’s most endearing quality or characteristic in clay. Each figure is formed from a fist size piece of clay. Using breed specific images and my own memories of my friends, families, and my own pets as a guide. All my sculptures are custom glazed and fired in my studio in Pawtucket, RI.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Observation, observation, observation! Knowing how my subjects move and interact with each other is the best tool to bring to the table.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Studying in the illustration department at RISD I was encouraged to try to keep the gestural quality in my drawings and paintings. In my current work this gestural skill is invaluable, it brings life to my sculptures. I strive to bring out the character traits and personalities of the different breeds of dogs and cats that I create. I know I have succeeded when I make you smile.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
It all began when I was sharing a space with a ceramist, I picked up some clay and had fun. I created dogs for my friends and family after my first dog, Conner, died. Making these dogs I used memories of him and found sharing the little sculptures made me smile. I still enjoy making others smile with them.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am working on creating a line of pet urns that can be customized to suit the client. They are a beautiful way to honor your furry family member.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
My first solo show this August: the opening was August 2nd, with viewing hours August 3-5 at One Buzzards Bay Avenue, Woods Hole, MA.
To see more of Judi’s work, visit judigoudreau.com
ColorQuarry
Amanda McCorkle
[1998, Graphic Design]
Based in Providence, RI
ColorQuarry’s RISD Craft Gallery
From enchanted forests to underwater seascapes, ColorQuarry, an award-winning design studio hailing from Providence, RI, creates customized one-of-a-kind paper goods fit for the avant-garde. Inspired by the birth of her daughter, Amanda set out to create something that captured the essence of each client’s unique & individual joy. Pairing the centuries-old craft of letterpress printing with her classical training as a graphic designer, Amanda works with her customers to ensure each hand-printed piece is its own mystical nugget of art.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Some of my most important practices aren’t practices at all… I find I sometimes get my best ideas/inspiration while I’m just out doing other things! I’ll see a random piece of typography that creates a spark of an idea, or a couple of colors I’ve never seen together, and pull out my sketchbook to write it down!
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I spent my time at RISD doing a lot of hand drawn sketches before taking my ideas to the computer. I still do a lot of hand drawing before I get to the computer to create my custom stationery pieces!
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I love children’s books from the sixties & seventies! I also LOVE all of the old WPA posters from the thirties & forties– they are design perfection.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I’m excited to have new silk screened posters. Usually i just carry letterpress stationery & small woodblock prints, but this fall I will also have posters!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I recently designed & illustrated the book cover for Tenemental, a funny novel about a single woman owning a triple decker house in Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood. It was chosen as one of Oprah Magazine’s Summer’s Best Books!
To see more of Amanda’s work, visit colorquarry.etsy.com
M. BENJAMIN HERNDON STUDIO
M. Benjamin Herndon
[2016, MFA Printmaking]
Based in Providence, RI
M. Benjamin Herndon’s RISD Craft Gallery
My prints and drawings feature abstract imagery in the vein of Minimalism, but with a tendency toward organic, natural forms. The drawings are handmade graphite paint and silverpoint on watercolor paper, and appear like solid masses of black until they’re illuminated, at which point they reveal rippling textures caused by hundreds of individual silverpoint lines and/or polished graphite fields. The prints carry these concerns into their medium-specific qualities, such as lithographic tusche or the vibrating line of characteristic of drypoint.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Experimentation within my self-assigned-parameters of materials and processes is always a guiding feature in my work. For me, the question “what will happen if…” is often what sustains my creative pursuits, and has lead to exciting discoveries as well as inevitable dead-ends.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Many of my drawings and prints that will be available during Craft come directly from processes I first discovered through research as a graduate student at RISD and have since been refining. As a faculty member in the RISD printmaking department, I find some time when not helping students to make a few prints of my own in Benson Hall.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I’m always inspired by the interaction of nature with the built environment, such as the geometries created by sunlight moving across architecture, and mossy stonewalls in forests. These visual indications of time are calming and meditative, as well as being formally interesting and often beautiful. I also find great inspiration in the history of art, particularly 20th century Minimalism and many centuries worth of Japanese design and architecture.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I’m looking forward to my first solo exhibition of paintings this fall at A R E A Gallery in Boston.
To see more of Benjamin’s work, visit mbenjaminherndon.com
LINDA MAGI
Linda Magi
[1977, Jewelry & Metalsmithing]
Based in Rochester, NY
Linda Magi’s RISD Craft Gallery
Interesting design, expert craftsmanship and attention to detail can transform ordinary materials into special objects. I follow this concept as I craft cotton yarn, maple twigs, semi precious stones, silver and other materials into jewelry that redefines the meaning of preciousness.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Observation and the analysis of what I have observed is an important part of my creative process. Sometimes it is the observation of the world around me and at other times it is the observation of the parts that I have made for my jewelry. I always have parts laid out on my workbench and I am constantly playing with them and thinking about how to put them together.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My time at RISD laid a good foundation for what I do now. Especially significant are the long hours spent working in the studio experimenting, trying out new Ideas and developing my jewelry making skills. Being surrounded by others working in the studio was also an important part of the experience. I learned a lot by observing their processes, successes and mistakes.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Inspiration can come from anywhere. While cleaning up brush and cutting down maple saplings at my cottage in Canada I was fascinated by the organic twists and turns of the branches. Taking inspiration from a bench my grandfather had made and my knowledge and admiration of Adirondack style furniture I decided to try incorporating twigs into my jewelry.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Elements I have crocheted using cotton thread have been part of my jewelry for a long time. Only recently have I started experimenting with crocheting, knitting and other fiber techniques using fine silver wire. I will be showing earrings and necklaces using these techniques at RISD Craft.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I was recently a guest on the Graphic Ear program on WAYO 104.3 fm radio talking about making, my jewelry and influences, including my time at RISD. Listen to the podcast here.
To see more of Linda’s work, visit lindamagi.com
MARTIN MCDERMOTT
Martin McDermott
[2016, MFA Ceramics]
Based in Jamaica Plain, MA
Martin McDermott’s RISD Craft Gallery
My artistic practice is rooted in the creation of abstract sculptural forms inspired by objects found in nature. I investigate the borders where contrasting formal languages converge: geometric and sensual, raw and refined, emotional and analytical. I look to the canyons, caves, and cliffs in the rocky landscape of the American West, where I grew up, as source material for much of my work. My current interests include the history of land use, development, and preservation.
I choose to work with clay because of its deep literal and metaphorical connection to land. The dynamic processes of shaping, building, drying, and firing mimic geological mechanisms, while the accumulation and subtraction of material encourages the emergence of unexpected sculptural forms. The natural, intuitive gestures of the hand in soft clay meet the geometric, analytical cuts in the surface. Additional layers of meaning are added through the use of slips and glazes.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The two most important practices in my creative process are experimental mark-making for idea generation and glaze testing. Many of my ideas for new works grow out of the process of making a current piece. It might be a mark that is make or a form I see in a developing work that sparks the idea for a new sculpture. Being present in the process and open to new discoveries is essential for me to continue my creative momentum. Glaze testing is the other area that is fundamental to my process. I create hundreds of glaze tests each year, searching for and refining my recipes for particular surface effects.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Many of the ideas and themes I’ve explored in my work over the past two years were developed in my time at RISD or grew out of seeds planted during my time in the graduate Ceramics program. The conversations I had with other students, faculty, and visiting artists were so rich and fertile that they are still bearing fruit in my creative process today.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My main source of inspiration is the junction between human construction and the natural landscape. I’m particularly interested in areas where this junction creates an uneasy tension. An example of this is the strict grid system for laying out roads which was applied most evidently in Western areas of the U.S. The areas where the grid meets the natural topography of the landscape can create feelings of serendipity, tension, and can feel absurd at times. My experience of these areas growing up in Colorado had a profound impact on how I see the landscape and on what I find interesting.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Over the past year, I’ve been working on a series of small sculptures that I can my “Ore Series.” These works take inspirations from gemstones, crystals, and geodes and use brightly colored glazes to highlight and enhance their forms. I hope to share several of these at RISD Craft this year.
To see more of Martin’s work, visit martinrmcdermott.com
MATHILDE
Claudia Middendorf
[2005, MFA Graphic Design]
Based in Pawtucket, RI
Mathilde celebrates the sustaining power of beauty and comfort in daily life. These European-inspired heirloom quilts and throws are made of carefully curated natural materials; imported linen and 100% cotton sourced in the U.S.A. With each washing, the fabric becomes softer and the intricacies of the pattern work and texture more apparent. I focus on quality, a respect for the timeless power of the handmade, and hold firm to the belief that reconnecting with beauty and comfort will keep us more balanced and in good company with our hectic world.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
I plan the layout with great care. The stitching of every quilt and throw is mapped in a way that emphasizes their texture and I’m keen on the way the character of each piece is enhanced after each washing. It’s like wearing your favorite pair of jeans–after each wash, they just get softer! I’ve always collected blankets and throws–I like how functional and beautiful they are, and I am very interested in using natural materials such as 100% linen and cotton. These are designed for layering in all seasons, as they are very breathable, and entirely machine washable.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I was trained as a graphic designer, but my true joy is working with linen and creating functional heirloom quilts and throws that can be used every day. My studies had started by looking at patterned language. I’ve taken that concept further by using it with textiles. I love the tactile quality of the fabric and designing how scale changes work with different patterns. The surface designs are intricate yet simple—a blend of influences, subtle references to structure and line elements.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My great-grandmother was a French-Canadian seamstress. I have two of her aprons she made for my mother and I admire her simple attention to detail. I’m also a architecture enthusiast and I enjoy walking around the east side of Providence and looking at how builders constructed details on old houses. You can see the window and roof line references in my work. Like them, I focus on quality, a respect for the timeless power of the handmade, and believe that reconnecting with beauty and comfort will keep us more balanced and in good company with our (sometimes) hectic world.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
This is the first time I will be introducing these heirloom quilts and throws in a curated fair. I’m proud to be part of the RISD community. I have many friends that are also participating and I’m excited to be part of this incredible array of artists and designers.
To see more of Claudia’s work, visit mathildehome.com
RA HA JEWELRY
Julia Sullivan
[2010, Printmaking]
Based in Providence, RI
“RA HA” can be translated as “Sun Flesh.” The precious metals and stones it is made from become a part of the body and elevate the wearer. RA HA Jewelry is designed and created in Providence, RI and worn around the world.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
These earrings are made by hand, either carved from wax or essentially “drawn” with wire. I use needle nose round and flat pliers to shape each piece by hand from wire. This allows me to create curves and angles that are unique in jewelry.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I view my earrings as wire drawings and wearable fine art sculptures. At RISD majoring in Printmaking combined my interests in drawing, metal working and photography. Jewelry is a different way of combining these interests. My background in drawing and this process driven technique gives my jewelry a unique style that incorporates linear mark-making and two dimensional imagery.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Inspiration for RA HA Jewelry is drawn from natural forms, botanical, animal or human. Many are inspired by leaves and plant parts and some by the celebration and power of the female form among other things.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
This year I will be sharing a new line of jewelry inspired by botanical elements incorporating precious metals as well as powder coating techniques.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
This year RA HA Jewelry was a recipient of the 2018 Providence Design Catalyst Grant from DesignxRI. I have been featured in press including Vogue España and Providence Business News among others. Additionally RA HA Jewelry has expanded sales across the country and the world.
To see more of Julia’s work, visit rahajewelry.com
GLAZE
Akeem Glaze [2012, Industrial Design] +
Stephanie DelVecchio [2012, Industrial Design]
Based in New York, NY
We create lifestyle products designed with distinct attention to detail, and an emotive experience in mind.
We launched our studio, glaze, in 2017 and our first product introduction was a handmade wooden matchbox. It is a statement piece for the home, and an art object that amplifies the experience of striking a match. We make each matchbox by hand with wood sourced from American lumberyards. Our process begins with cutting all wooden components to precise dimensions, and assembling and sanding each box down to a perfect tolerance. We then finish each matchbox with clear polyurethane, buff the exterior, paint the interior, apply a striking surface, and stuff with custom cut matches.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Our attention to detail is of utmost importance in our product creation process. Every decision we make in regards to form, color, material, etc tells a story and is designed to create a unique emotive product experience.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD has taught us to approach our projects as artists, and to execute them as designers. At RISD, we learned the fundamentals of form and the importance of implementing design thinking into problem solving. As Industrial Design majors, we also learned how to work with our hands and hone our craftsmanship, which is imperative to what we make today.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Nice cars, beautiful beaches, and good music. We combine Palm Beach with the Northeast, so we look at both lifestyles as our main sources of inspiration for colors and materials. Akeem filters everything through what he has coined the “comfy country club lifestyle.” Traveling and escaping our day-to-day is also important to keep our minds fresh and to spark new ideas. We live right next to the Botanical Gardens in Brooklyn, and even a brief escape from the city to spend an hour in the garden always triggers inspiration.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
We are most excited to share our U Candle at RISD Craft this year. It is a hand-poured, dual-burning, 100% white beeswax candle that is secured in place with a hand-polished brass holder. It is a play on form, and a reinterpretation of how a conventional taper candle is secured – from the top-down instead of from the bottom-up. We are also very excited to share our two new matchbox additions – Birdseye Maple and Purpleheart.
DOVECOTE COLLECTIVE
Helen Quinn
[1991, Textiles]
Based in Queens, NY
Dovecote Collective is a collaboration between printmakers Ondine Crispin and Helen Quinn. Ondine works primarily with woodblock and linocuts. She is in awe of the perfection of the natural world, especially birds. Helen makes ink drawings that are then made into silkscreens. She prefers creatures of the sea, monsters and alchemical imagery. Together they make textiles for the home as well as fine art prints.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
It takes quite a bit of time, but I love looking at disparate things and then combining them in a kind of salad of imagery. Everything informs us and I find that it is about sifting through sources and experiences to see what sticks. Drawing in a sketchbook and photographing with my phone are quick and helpful when walking down the street or going to a museum. Then back in the studio, cutting paper and drawing with ink often come next, followed by silkscreening in a rented studio space. I often put the finishing touches on prints with gouache so they become one of a kind in the end.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
Yes! I first learned to silkscreen at RISD on the wonderful, long tables in the textile department. Also, the Nature Lab continues to be a source of inspiration. Drawing in the Nature Lab all those years ago laid the foundation for so much of what I still do- observing nature and combining the attributes of different creatures.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Lately I have been looking at masks, masquerade balls, photos of crowds of people protesting, and the paintings of masked crowds by 19th century artist James Ensor. After playing with silkscreened images of crowds, I have recently started to concentrate only on the masks and stacking them like the totem poles that were were made by Northwest Indian tribes of British Columbia and southeastern Alaska. I love the verticality of the stacking. It seems like another kind of crowd and the prints together are starting to become a taxonomy of the different characters. (The images below are silkscreen on paper with gouache and collage.)
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
At RISD Craft, my collaborator Ondine Crispin and I will have silkscreened textiles for the home featuring creatures of the sky and sea. We will also have fine art prints of birds, underwater scenes and my new, strange mask prints.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
In May 2018 I will be going to a residency in Oaxaca, Mexico to study the Zapotec sculptures from the archeological site, Monte Alban. The residency is called Poco a Poco and I am really excited about this trip. I think the feathered head dresses and the large jewlry on the figures will be interesting to add to the masks I have been working on.
To see more of the work from Dovecote Collective, visit dovecotecollective.com