What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?
I crochet and knit with metals which is a very unique/rarely used technique when it comes to jewelry. Though the technique has been around (for probably thousands of years!) my take on it is a bit unusual: I play around with a-symmetry and imperfections in my designs, as a way to embrace the beauty in ‘mistakes’. I will often start with a crochet/knit pattern and then start experimenting outside the structure of the pattern, which makes for an original artistic design. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
pider Webs, Japanese Boro Quilts, Alchemy, Nature, Physics, Geometry, Architecture… I often hike in Griffith Park, and observe the intricacy in nature, which is very inspiring. I also find that when I let the materials and the hands do what they want, inspiration or design follows!

When do you feel the most creative?
At night! When I am relaxed and don’t have to deal with any stress or daily activities.

What is your creative process like?
I turn on music, or an interesting podcast or a documentary, set up my tools and materials, get comfortable and start working. Usually taking some ‘stretching’ breaks every hour or so. Listening to something helps me to enjoy the process without over-thinking it. 

Where can we learn more about you?
On my website: www.janjoonjewelry.com you can view images of my work and there are links to interviews/posts with me. You can also follow me on instagram: @janjoonjewelry & come meet me in person in Jackalope Art Fair this fall!

How would you describe your style?  

Our style is natural, eco-conscious, rugged and earthy. Above all, Benjees is for the explorer in all of us who chooses to take a road not traveled. Benjees was founded by Aussies now based in West Hollywood, CA. 

Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to? 

I'm inspired by innovative visionaries like Thomas Edison and Elon Musk.

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

'Benjee' is the name of our border collie, who is the four-legged CEO of Benjees Eyewear. He's also from Australia, like the brand's founders (along with me and my wife). Starting off as an optometrist in Sydney, I've been in the eyewear industry for 15 years now, and Benjees is the first sustainable wooden eyewear brand in the US started by an eye doctor. So we're pretty unique in that regard.                                                                                                                                      Also, no two pieces of bamboo and wood are ever identical, so each pair of Benjees handmade sunglasses are truly one-of-a-kind. And our bamboo range of eyewear is so light that they float on water.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?

Being in and around nature inspires us. We're lucky to have the ocean, forests, mountains and snowfields all around us here in California!

Where can we learn more about you?  www.benjeeseyewear.com

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
I love the work of Dali, Mark Ryden and Faberge. It's fantasy meets reality. Surrealism meets everyday life. I think of my animals and my floral work as my own enchanted forest, where the creatures might talk to me and fit in my hand.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
I love nature and animals. It sounds a bit cliche, but it is truly where I get my energy from. On a bad day, there is nothing better than coming home to my dogs: Denzel Washington and Niles. I look at their smiling, loving faces, and everything is ok! Growing up, my family went camping in the woods a lot and my father would tell us stories of magical tree nymphs with flowing hair and hard working dwarves looking for colorful stones. Today, when I see a plant, I can see the nymph that might play on it or the fairy building her home in a nearby flower. When I see a gemstone, I feel like a gnome that discovered a treasure. And when I see a squirrel, I wonder what it is thinking and doing and what it would be like to befriend it.

When do you feel the most creative?
I am a night owl. Morning time means lots of caffeine and traffic and sleepy people that should really be in bed but are running around pointlessly instead. But at night, everyone is calm, nature is a little quieter, phone is not ringing and I can make some tea, turn of some 90s music and work in my studio. Some of the best ideas come around at midnight and next thing I know, the sun is coming up and my husband is getting up to go to the office!

What is your creative process like?
When making new animals, I look at a lot of pictures. If I can get my hands on the actual animal, that's the best thing. Like when I was making the English Bulldog, I had my sister's bully Winston, around and he was a great model, I could poke and prod and figure out where all the wrinkles should go! But it's harder to get my hands on a Unicorn or an Angler Fish... That's where photos, drawings, sculptures and even children's toys come in. Seeing how other artists have interpreted the animal and comparing it to images of the real thing, helps me capture the essence of it, the look and the personality alike.

Where can we learn more about you?  
You can always follow ERS Creative on Instagram where I post my thoughts and inspiration about art but mostly just what I'm doing at the time. You will see a lot of pictures of my dogs and my gardening efforts!

How would you describe your style?
I love the idea of taking a traditionally formal piece and bringing some humor to it.   It is really about revitalizing these beautiful vintage plates, altering them to be a bit more fun and contemporary.

What inspires you?
The juxtaposition of highbrow classicism with a sense of humor is the greatest influence in my work.  I am definitely inspired by pop culture, anthropomorphism and classic antiques.

What is your creative process like? 
Chaotic and Messy

Where do you source your plates from?
Sourcing the vintage and antique plates is really fun.  I get to shop antique stores, thrift stores, estate sales etc.  Each plate is then designed to match one of my mixed media portraits or pop culture portraits

What does a plate have to have in order to be used by you?
Most of these vintage and antique plates are truly amazing.  They have been hand painted, hand embellished with gold gilded, they may have enamel details or hand moulded.  This type of craftsmanship is rare today and nearly extinct in the plate making world.

Why plates?
his idea of the Altered Antique Plates started because my mom was an avid antique collector and dealer. When she retired she began getting rid of lots of stuff, in that "stuff" was many old plates. Some of which were old portrait plates with demure ladies posed in proper positions and big fluffy dresses. They were all beautiful with hand painted details, gold accents, and delicate porcelain but in reality they did not exactly match my modern, urban style. So, were they useless? No, I must make them cool again.... atlas the idea began.

Shop BeatUpCreations at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on November 7th and 8th at Central Park in Old Pasadena.

How would you describe your style?                                                                                                  

I have heard my style described as clean and utilitarian. I agree.  Elegance, and refined '70's styling also come to mind, for those were my formative years and a lot of the things that I idolized came from that era. 

Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?                                                

In my 14 years of leather working experience, the majority of that time has been working for other designers, so I really try to stay away from being influenced from other designers/artists as much as possible. It's a challenge to wipe my visual slate clean, and approach the ancient, simple, yet challenging medium of leather in a new way.

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

What I feel makes my work unique and truly my own is the marrying of raw edged heavier leathers, with very fine leathers, deerskin being one of my favorites. While that in itself may not be unique, as there are other leather designers incorporating that same contrast, I feel what truly sets my work apart is the meticulous construction of the pieces, and the heightened focus of the shapes I want to present, regardless degree of difficulty or thicknesses of material. I truly obsess about every stitch and pour all my attention and passion into every piece I make, and I personally craft every leather item we sell.

Where can we learn more about you? 

At our store in Eagle Rock, online at http://www.ommleather.com/ and @O_MLEATHER on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

Shop O&M Leather at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on November 7th and 8th at Central Park in Old Pasadena.

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to? 
I still look up to some of the big ceramic artists, Tom Coleman, Matt Long, Tom Turner, John Britt, and Frank Massarella, who taught me.  I feel as if my style in an amalgamation of how their work inspires and intrigues me.  With each session of production I feel as if my work becomes more and more refined.  I love to pair that refining process with new shapes, new glazes, and new design ideas.

What is your creative process like?
There are two distinctive processes that provide me with a nice creative flow.  Music and/or podcasts can inspire me any number of ways.  It allows me to concentrate with a tempo or rhythm.  They other process is silence which allows me to focus solely on feeling of being centered. 

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received? 
You have to have the ‘fire’ inside you to be serious about being a professional potter.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I feel as if I have a relationship with the clay I use.  When you've thrown hundreds, thousands of the same or similar shapes, there is an intuitive representation of form.  Over a few years I've refined every minute detail within the process.  My work is unique in the very fact that my hands create every individual piece, every handle, etc.  I love creating work with passion and I believe the attention to detail enriches each piece. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration? 
Looking at what other artists are creating is a good source of inspiration.  For design, I like to imagine what would enhance certain experiences involving clay.  Colors and shapes depending on any particular kind of salad, shape and thickness of a ramen bowl, the perfect coffee mug for a very specific set of hands, a properly constructed fermentation jar.  

I feel most creative in the early morning.  Waking up early gives me a sense of isolation, you don't tend to hear cars, or people walking around.  This solitude allows creativity to be uninterrupted as the repetition of throwing inspires rhythm and flow.   

More about me on my website: jeffreyryanmay.com      Which has links to other sites with more information.

How would you describe your style?  Are there any artists / designers that you particularly look up to?
My style has evolved a lot over time. I’m currently finding myself drawn to more modern, minimalistic design than ever before, particularly as it applies to home décor and fashion design.

I have so many favorite artists. Even when I was primarily a painter, my favorite artists were usually sculptors like Anish Kapoor, Anthony Gormley and Cornelia Parker.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I tend to work in traditional mediums like oil paint and plaster; materials which wouldn’t be considered unique. However, the ideas are unique and individual to me. I always strive to make something I’ve truly never seen before, but now, more than ever, within a contemporary design context.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
I will always be most inspired by nature; it’s the one connecting thread that has remained constant in all of my work. I love looking at landscape photography and contemporary takes on landscape painting. I’ve spent a lot of time on Pinterest in the last year. It’s such a great source for fine art and design imagery. I also frequently visit popular art and design blogs like ‘The Jealous Curator’ and ‘This is Colossal.’

When do you feel the most creative?
When I’m alone with my thoughts, listening to great music.

What is your creative process like?
I’m a big believer in going out and finding your inspiration. It’s always out there waiting for you. I can’t just sit around hoping an idea will pop into my head. I believe you have to look at as much as possible, constantly sifting through imagery until something begins to speak to you.

Where can we learn more about you?  
Follow me on instagram or facebook: 
instagram.com/waterstonesucculents
facebook.com/waterstonesucculents

Shop Waterstone Succulents at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I began creating natural jewelry years ago, when my husband's family decided to sell their beloved cabin above Poudre Canyon. I looked for a tangible way to hold on to the memory of the property, and began collecting small, beautiful artifacts that, when placed together, reconstructed a story about the cabin and what it means to be nourished by a place. 

Since then, I have used my craft as a way to polish my experiences in nature --juxtaposing materials possessing their own, divergent stories to create a piece with a single, unified future. I have seen that everyone finds their own meaning in these pieces--whether through attachment to the physical locations housing the raw materials, the sentimentality of a kind of wood or stone, or the mere tying together of different histories. Thus, each piece is as unique in form as it is in meaning.

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
A good, old fashioned walk in the woods is the best inspiration, but particularly when I have a thought-provoking book by my side. Nature writers like John Muir, Wallace Stegner, Ellen Meloy, and Terry Tempest Williams have a way of illuminating the seemingly mundane aspects of our relationship with the world and making them instrumental to our understanding of it. My work operates in similar ways, encouraging both me and the wearer to reconsider what we know and feel about our natural surroundings.

When do you feel the most creative?
Walking in the woods outside my house in Breckenridge is the surest way to get me excited about creating. I love finding gnarled pieces of deadfall and wondering about the grain patterns that lay inside. Any time I'm out collecting lichens, too, I am anxious to be back in my shop, pairing them with new woods to see what makes each specimen come alive in a new relationship. The process of creating is equally exciting, allowing me to pair wood and lichens based on their complementary organic patterns.

Where can we learn more about you?  
My website, www.thelichenist.com, is a great way to learn about the materials I use and why I get so fired up about them. Follow me on Tumblr @thelichenist to gain insight into my daily inspirations and creative process.

Shop Lichenology at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

We are a mother daughter business and also have a pet bakery! We make all natural gluten free treats for you dog or cat!

How would you describe your style?  
We offer modern, contemporary styles for our pet feeders. Clean and simple lines.

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
We offer numerous different size feeders so we can custom fit to the height of your pet. As our pets age this is particularly important due to instability and arthritis but elevated feeders also aid digestion.

What sort of things inspire you?
Going for walks and hikes with our dogs, especially when we can make it to the ocean. 

When do you feel the most creative?
In a quiet room, with my pets and beautiful bouquet of flowers!

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
Be original and purposeful

Where can we learn more about you?
www.trendypet.com

www.sweetpeakitchens.com

Shop Trendy Pet at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.

How would you describe your style?  

My stuff appeal to turtles, mostly. Humans like the stuff sometimes too, but most of the time it's just because they want to show their turtle the work because they know the their turtle will enjoy it. 

What do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own? 
I think maybe the fact that it appeals so much to turtles is pretty unique. 

What sort of things inspire you?  Where do you look for inspiration?
I am inspired by the realization that if all of this doesn't work out I will be completely screwed, as I don't have any real skills in the workplace. That inspires me to keep doing this well.

When do you feel the most creative?
Probably in the morning and late at night. It really depends on the day. The creative ebb/flow is really inconsistent. I really just try and capture the artistic flow whenever it hits.

What is your creative process like?
It really depends on the project. But I would say coffee and exercise play a big role in stimulating my creativity and keeping me engaged and productive.

What's the coolest artistic tip you've ever received?
Probably to just keep making stuff and turn off the fear and insecurity. It will never be as good as you want/envision, so the pressure is off, in a way. I enjoy just creating and having fun with it all.

Where can we learn more about you?  
My website, www.mountainvsplains.com, would give you some more insight perhaps. 

Shop Mountain vs Plains at Jackalope Art & Craft Fair on July 25th & 26th at EXDO Event Center.