1. How did you get your start in the handmade community? 

I got my BFA from Colorado State University in 2012 and have been working in the arts ever since. I was mainly working with drawing and installation mediums and showing in galleries. Last summer I found myself without a studio for the first time and had just welcomed home my first baby so I decided it was time to explore a new medium. Embroidery became a clear avenue because it is essentially drawing with thread. I wanted to learn and perfect a simple craft so I took up embroidery and quickly became addicted. 

2. What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

There are a lot of embroidery artists working right now. My work is unique in that it's specific to Colorado. I focus on the landscapes, plants and animals that occupy our land in an effort to better understand this land. My work is also a lot more minimal that some embroidery artists. I love to use negative space to amplify the focus on my subject. 

3. What or Who Inspires you?

There are two people whose works I come back to over and over again in my pursuit of understanding of our land; Wendell Berry and Andrew Wyeth. Berry's writing is grounded in understanding the functions and beauty of cultivating our land and working with it instead of against it. Wyeth's paintings are mainly landscapes, but what makes his work important to me is that it's all focused mainly on one place. We live in a culture where it's more normal to move around from place to place, school to school rather than becoming anchored with the land and family we've come from. In my life, I seek to find beauty in the staying in one place and Andrew Wyeth's paintings show how studying one place for a length of time produces an insight and beauty impossible to fake. 

4. What is your creative process like?

I usually begin with my sketchbook. I'll create a few sketches and ideas for my hoops and then transfer them to fabric. 

5. What is the coolest artistic tip you have ever received?

It might be more "practical" than "cool" but someone once told me to find a way to make your work sustainable in your day to day life and stick to it. 

6. What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

I will have a few holiday themed pieces such as ornaments, and a bulk of my work will be studies of the plants and animals of Colorado. 

7. Where can we learn more about you?

The best way to stay up to date is to follow me on Instagram: @olandercoembroidery 

or check out my Etsy shop: www.etsy.com/shop/olanderco

1. How did you get your start in the handmade community? 

I got my start designing women's attire and a few accessory items. I was involved with Fashion Denver, participating in many fashion shows and events, I sold my work through ETSY and several local Denver boutiques. Now after taking some time out of the game and re-focusing my collection I have realized that my love of leather & bags is strong enough to fuel its own exclusive line, and brazen was born. 

2. What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

My pieces reflect an aesthetic of unusual beauty, by combining my own original embroidered artwork with the textures and patterns of luxury textiles, leather and fur. I am able to create not just another piece of fashion, but a piece of fashion that compliments its owner's own unique beauty and personality, inspiring one to indulge their own brazenness, boldly and without shame.

      3. What or Who Inspires you?

I grew up in a family of artists, and was exposed to all kinds of art from a very young age. From taxidermy to fashion design, my inspirations have a large range. What is a constant inspiration to me are things that are uniquely, sometimes even strangely beautiful. 

4. What is your creative process like?

Sometimes imagery sparks the process, other times it might be a beautiful piece of fabric or leather.  Either way, one thing brings ideas for the other. I love the contrast between light feminine details and the masculine weight of leather hides, so balancing those two is always the most exciting part for me. 

5. What is the coolest artistic tip you have ever received?

'What it means to the artist and what it means to the audience do not always have to be the same thing.'

6. What can we expect to see from you at Jackalope?

Beautiful combinations of luxury textiles, leather, fur, embroidered artwork, all wrapped up in gorgeous functional bags of all sizes, as well as smaller giftable items such as key chains, aprons, sleep masks, book marks and throw pillows.

7. Where can we learn more about you?

www.brazenthreads.com

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
My style has this duality to it-- there's the finished pieces that are polished and elegant, but there's this whole messy behind-the-scenes that goes into the making process that I absolutely love. I like my work to feel natural and fresh and inviting. I'm a Taurus, and very home-centered, so I want my viewers to feel comfortable in my space and for my art to be something calming that they would enjoy living in or adorning their space and self with. 

I love the work of both Egon Schiele and Ana Mendieta, as well as the writings of Italo Calvino and Gabriel García Márquez. I think each of them has something unbelievable and magical about them that carries over into their work, and I strive for each of my pieces to have a little bit of magic in them as well.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
The handmade quality-- there's a repetition of process and a part of myself that goes into every piece. I'll spend hours crafting by hand, whether it's embroidering or woodworking, until I get every last detail right where I want it. There's a meditation in the stitching and the sanding-- and I want my viewer to experience it. So much of our everyday is now digital or exists in this intangible universe and I think there's something truly unique about owning something handmade and special.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
My ultimate muse, of course, is mama nature. I'm outside-- whether it's hiking or camping, in the woods or at the ocean, every chance I get. And this translates into my work-- I source local and organic materials and I'm always looking to the landscapes and the animals I surround myself with for new ideas. The animal world has been a huge catalyst for my artwork. Oh, and my dog-- he's kind of like my cheerleader and just being around his energy is always inspiring and motivating me to work and be better.

When do you feel the most creative?
All the time. I'm not sure it is something that ever turns off for me. I especially feel it being outdoors, but I can justbe going about my day-to-day, and I'll see something or find inspiration wherever I am. Hands down, my favorite is to wake up early and just work in studio all day. There's this sort of "creative high" I get from just being in my space and working with my hands-- like I'll get so lost in what I'm doing that I have no concept of time. It's the best feeling.

What is your creative process like?
Messy, experimental, a lot of trial and error and then going back and refining. I get so into making new things that I'll have four or five different projects going at the same time. I love being busy and I'm always reading or taking classes to learn new skills or processes.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
A had a teacher once tell me to keep making art until it's all you do. And especially when you're sad, or feeling self-conscious about your work-- that's when you have to force yourself to look at it and work on it the most. Art is easy when you're happy and feeling inspired, but life isn't always that way. And some of my best work, truthfully,  has come out of my darkest times-- all of that emotion it comes out in your work and if you embrace it, and power through it, I've found you can make some really beautiful stuff from it.

Where can we learn more about you?  
www.peyote-coyote.com 
And if you have social media you can follow me @la.peyote.coyote on instagram.

How would you describe your style?

I’m not sure that I can name my style. So many art movements and cultures inspire me. I’ve always felt that I’m a very intuitive maker. I go wherever the art takes me. Often I complete a design and the final piece looks very different from my original notes and sketches. People that see my work in person sometimes tell me that my work has an art deco or tribal feel and as long as the costumer has a connection to the pieces I’m totally ok with that.

When do you feel the most creative?

In the dark! I feel that my best ideas come to me when I’m laying in bed at night. I toss and turn thinking of all the how’s and why’s of a design. I get so excited to get a sketch out on paper but am too lazy to actually get up and do it. I eventually fall asleep and if the idea still makes sense to me the next morning, then it’s a winner.

What is your creative process like?

I start of new designs with a really loose sketch that consists more of notes than actual drawing. I usually don’t do many detailed drawings by hand; I’m more of a digital designer. When I’m working on a new design I use my sketches/notes and build the design by adding and subtracting elements. I follow my gut and have to keep many things in mind as I design because stitching onto wood isn’t as forgiving as stitching into fabric so a lot of planning goes into the designs. Once I feel good with the design I start building and drilling a prototype. Then once my wood panel prototype is ready that’s when I actually start thinking about threads and colors. The final step is stitching and I finally get to see the design come to life.

When people see my work in person they assume that the embroidery phase is the most time consuming, sometimes a piece does take hours to stitch but what takes the most time is building and drilling each design. It’s a long and detailed process but a true labor of love. Completing each piece brings me joy and pride.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?

It’s not a tip but a quote by Saul Bass, “I want to make beautiful things, even if nobody cares”. It keeps me motivated to create for me and no one else.

Any special item you'll be releasing or sale you'll be doing at the fair that we should tell people about?

I didn’t participate in any spring or summer fairs because I wanted to focus on producing new designs. So there will be many new and limited pieces to see at Jackalope holiday market. Plus, I always do a small price mark down on all my pieces for craft fairs.

Where can we learn more about you?

I’m most active on Instagram @GracyDesignAndCraft but you can also find me on facebook/GracyDesignAndCraft and on twitter @GracyDesign