La Solis

Lastenia, Jewelry Designer

Umbrella Earrings

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself.

LS: I am Lastenia , a crafty mother and furniture consultant, a dreamy girl who is passionate about the small details of daily life, I love to create things and devote spaces with an original twist.
My son has been coming with me on this adventure of life every day for 14 years and gives the magic touch to my existence ...
We live in a beautiful place located in a small town in the west of Austria, with two very naughty cats.

PCC: What do you create?

LS: My creations are outstanding, irregular, and singular, and have a unique charm, I make jewelry pieces for people who like to be different.
Each Piece has its own personality and they are all made with lots of energy, love and passion.
I make silver wire jewelry, mostly wrapped.
To do these pieces, I use materials that I find when I go out for a walk in the woods or the mountains, or bring something home from a trip, mostly beach-stones or shells and other magical things I am attracted to. I also use gemstones and polymer clay.

PCC: What made you want to become an artist/fall in love with your craft?

Spiral Drop Earrings

LS: I was lucky to grow up in a family of people who love life and nature, with much love and dedication to craft and work.
At an early age I discovered that my hands can feel and express emotions through the materials that are available to me in nature. The colors, the flowers, the sun, the moon - everything is like music to my eyes and inspiration for my hands.
The peace I feel when I'm doing a project is what gives me the certainty to continue doing so.


PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use?

Designing

LS: To do my creations I usually use materials that I find in nature. I really like strange fusions, so I try to combine materials in pure or rustic style with details like river painted natural stones, gorgeous beach stones and shells, gems or polymer clay. I combine them myself with wire.
My favorite material is silver or copper wire. I most like the ease with which it can be molded and woven to give each piece a finish with an intense delicacy.

I am a spiritual person and believe in things like energy and love, so I look that fire, earth, water and air are always present in my creations, to form an original and unique magic.


PCC: Where do you sell your jewelry?

Spiral Drop Earrings

LS: I present my creations at weekly markets and am also dedicated to making custom creations for private customers and friends.
It was my family and friends who encouraged me to take a look at etsy, where I found an even more interesting way to open up to a lot more people.
My growth process is a little bit slow right now, but I have faith that everything will be okay. I started a couple of months with no idea how my small business would be, but etsy is giving me very good results, a lot more than I imagined ...

PCC: What are you passionate about outside of your art?

Silver and Amethyst Necklace

LS: I love simple things in life, I like to have breakfast with my son and talk about deep subjects for hours. I love gardening, mountains, sunsets, board games, good songs, our fireplace, cats, bikes, hiking, and being surrounded by people that warm my heart and put a smile on my face.
I would also like to travel around the world and see what else is out there: magic places, lovely people and many cultures.

PCC: Anything else we should know?

LS: Life is a wonderful gift, which is even better if you use your time on something creative and cultivate your skills in whatever you enjoy doing.

Hope you enjoy and thanks for stopping by my site !!


PCC: Links to shops, blogs, social media, etc.

www.etsy.com/shop/LaSolis

www.pinterest.com/lasteniasolis/

www.facebook.com/handmadebylasolis


More Jewelry from La Solis that we love.

Spiral Turquoise Earrings

Silver and Coral Necklace

Spiral Necklace

Triangle Jade Earrings

Silver and Carnelian Necklace

Native Earrings

Beach Stone Jewelry

All designs are the property of La Solis and may not be copied.

Lookin for Light

Mandy Tucker, Photographer

Wild Tree Secrets

PCC: Tell us a little about yourself. 
LFL: I have taught high school visual arts for 20 years, specifically Photography and Advanced Placement Art History. I earned my BFA in Photography, worked in various realms (portrait/retouching/commercial/fine art gallery) of the photo industry, before deciding to back to school to earn my teaching credential.


PCC: What do you create?
LFL: I create photo-based art. I love to experiment with mixed media. I also enjoy ceramics, learning to quilt, jewelry making, and drawing.

PCC: What made you want to become an artist?
LFL: I think I was born an artist. It just takes a lifetime to evolve into who we are meant to be.

PCC: Tell us about your process. What materials do you use?

Path to the Sunset

LFL: My process is ongoing… meaning I first try to be an observer of my environment as well as attentive to what is going on in the world. I try to continually learn. Many "things" interest and influence my creative process. I try to keep notes, and ongoing lists regarding idea seeds that I can go to when I have any opportunity. I also walk a lot--so I'm always looking, especially at trees and light (haha--sounds funny I know), but I am truly drawn to tree forms, textures, lines and leaves as well. I am also very conscious of light. Most often when I have captured an image that I am excited about, I immediately edit in PhotoShop which often leads in many different directions including montages and mandalas… I use my iPhone, canon 6D, go pro, film camera---whatever gets my idea realized.



PCC: What Advice would you give to someone who wanted to make a living as an artist? 

Tree Writhing in Waves

LFL: In terms of making a living as an artist I think one has to be practical along with being wildly creative---and an extremely hard and smart worker. I guide my students to get an art education first---master the craft, which usually means lifelong education. Practical skills are also necessary in order to pay the bills: record keeping, business knowledge, customer service, marketing, tech skills and social media. I don't think I am far enough into my etsy business to guide as an authority. I have the luxury of an art teaching job to pay my bills, while I wade through the waters of etsy. I can see it has great potential, but like most things it takes education in your area of expertise, perseverance---strong work ethic, and eagerness to learn from people who are successful---and it's dynamic, constantly changing, so to be successful one must keep up the pace and not be fearful to dive in.

Endless View from Cape Perpetua II

PCC: Tell us what you’re passionate about outside of your art?
LFL: I am super passionate about my abolitionist efforts---anti-human trafficking. I attempt to support International Justice Mission. It's hard for me to comprehend the injustices occurring in 2015 with an estimated 22 million humans enslaved! (Mandy donates 100% of all digital download proceeds to IJM.)
I also rescued two pups in June which has left me completely exhausted… along with being married (27 years) to a woodshop teacher (and high school sweetheart) with two beautiful daughters, a nurse and the younger one a senior in college to be a special education teacher.
Lastly, I have a little trailer that I love travel and camp comfortably!


Links:
https://www.etsy.com/shop/Lookinforlight
www.lookinforlight.com
https://www.pinterest.com/lookinforlight/
http://instagram.com/lookinforlight63/

Other work from Lookin for Light that we love:

Journey Down a Country Road

The Bachelor and Three Graces

I learned from a Shadow of a Tree

Hope and Light

Tree Mandala

All images are the sole property of Mandy and Lookin for Light and may not be copied or used without her permission.

Summerwood Charm

Emily and John, Jewelry Designers

PCC: Tell us about yourself.

Chechen Wedding Band Set

SC: My name is Emily, and I am currently an English major at a University. Reading, writing, painting, and pyrography are some of my passions- aside from making jewelry of course!

PCC: What do you create?
SC: At Summerwood Charm, we make rings, necklaces, and bracelets that are hand fashioned from rare and exotic woods, precious metals, and semi-precious stones. Our jewelry is made from- and inspired by- nature!

PCC: What made you fall in love with your craft?
SC: I was in Ireland for my birthday just last year when John, my boyfriend, presented me with a ring that he had crafted all on his own. As we are both artists, we fell in love with the idea of starting a business together. It's amazing how a simple piece can capture the beauty of nature so wonderfully.

Deer Necklace

PCC: Tell us about your process/What materials do you use?
SC: Bentwood Rings are just that- thin layers of bent wood. Our necklaces are made from hardwood, and all of the inlay designs are hand-carved by myself. Malachite and blue Mother of Pearl are by far my favorite materials for inlay!




PCC: What advice would you give to someone who wanted to pursue making a living with their art?

Glow in the Dark "Butterfly Cacoon" Necklace

SC: Presentation is key, both online and off. Clear, flattering pictures will get someone such a long way! For online sales, it is imperative to have a full inventory. This way, you will be more easy to find and you will look more well established as an artist. Selling offline is a bit more tricky- make sure to have your pieces displayed nicely. For example, our Jewelry stand was always set in soft greens and browns to accentuate the pieces that we offered. If the goal is to get consignment offers in, try to dress professionally and have a detailed description of your product laid out for you before approaching a shop owner. Business cards are super important in this process. Most of all, don't get discouraged! No matter how great your product is, it will always take time to gain admirers- so enjoy the process and keep improving! 

Giraffe Necklace

PCC: Where else can people find your jewelry?
SC: Since we are college students, John and I primarily sell online. We do have our products in a few local stores- NEST in Berlin, Md. and Enza's in Salisbury, MD are among them. We used to have a display at our local Third Friday art events, but we've picked up on sales like crazy since, so we're usually just working on orders! 




PCC: What else do you love to do?
SC: I love fairytales and tea, and generally staying home to read! On occasion I play piano, but not as much as I used to. There are just too many things to do!

PCC: How can we find you?
www.etsy.com/shop/SummerwoodCharm
www.facebook.com/SummerwoodCharm


Other jewelry from Summerwood Charm that we love:

Fairie Lantern

Fern Ring

Maple Ring with Blue Mother of Pearl 

Lotus Necklace

Padauk and Mother of Pearl Ring