Vendor Interview- Fernworks
Tell our readers a little bit about yourself and your work.
Well, I grew up in rural NC and spent a lot of time there collecting little odds and ends that I found on our farm like nests, feathers, interesting clumps of dirt, moss, leaves, twigs, bugs, etc. I had quite a collection! I guess I continue this tradition, in a way, with my line of jewelry and paintings. I studied at the University of NC at Asheville and moved to Seattle in 2002. My husband, son and I recently moved back to the Asheville, NC area to be near family. I miss Seattle terribly though. I want to move back! :)
I love small things. My work encases tiny painted scenes and found ephemera such as leaves, twigs, grass, thorns, bird bones, wasp nests, feathers, and lichen into resin. Each piece is individually hand painted with toothpicks and tiny brushes, embedded in layers of resin, then cut and polished into delicate, dreamlike 3-D landscapes populated by birds, bears, foxes and other creatures. Each one is completely unique!
I show work in about 20 stores and galleries throughout the US and abroad, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Seattle Art Museum Store, and G. Gibson Gallery. You can also find my line of jewelry at various indie craft shows throughout the country like the Renegade Fairs in Chicago, Brooklyn, San Francisco, Austin, and LA, Crafty Wonderland in Portland OR, I.C.E. in Atlanta, among others!
What are some sources of inspiration for your work?
Birds and ornithology, dioramas, road trips, trails, botany, reliquaries, old maps, iconography, miniatures, landscapes, weather, marching bands, tea, snow, tundra, autumn, dirt, farmy locales, ancient history, old-fashioned things, relics, owl pellets, old photos, geology, small mammals, dreams, Indian henna art, and fires....
What's the best thing you did with your summer?
I got to travel the central CA coast for 10 days while participating in the Renegade Crafts Fairs in San Francisco and LA. So pretty!! We went through Big Sur and slept in a treehouse. I also found tons of neat stuff on the beach to put in resin! :) Big fun!
Are you showcasing anything new at the winter UCU show?
Yes indeed! I have a new line called the "Totem Series" which combines painted resin scenes with bits of feathers, antlers, bones, etc. I also have some neat-o cufflinks for the fellows out there along with lots of new necklaces, earrings, rings, and tiny paintings!
What are you most excited about for UCU?
Just to be back in lovely Seattle again with old friends, amazing crafters, and all the great people who have supported Fernworks over the years!! Can't wait!
