It seems like every profession has a contingent of people who rally against it. Lawyers have a bad rap. Car dealers. The list goes on and on.
I have even had people tell me to my face – while standing in my business – that retailers are the worst. They are “greedy bastards” just in it for the money. “No ethics.” “Stickin’ it to the little guy.”
That’s not what I do. That’s not what my sister does. And that is not what the amazing and dedicated artists we represent do. Their desire to be in their studios perfecting hand craft makes it so that all of us can enjoy affordable art in our homes and on our bodies.
That dedication and happiness was seen in our store this past Saturday, the first of four such Saturdays in “ARTober”. Rachelle Pulkilla wowed us for hours with her work – sparks flying at times! – and her spirit. She is a metalsmith and jeweler and each piece is unique.
Somewhere in the middle of her time with us, I heard little voices I recognized, and there stood our friend Kari Heybrock and her three children. They were thrilling to watch as they took in what Rachelle was doing and making. Her oldest, a seven-year-old, was asking very detailed questions. They help their mother in her studio occasionally, and this next Saturday we will be watching Kari make her magic with molten glass, two torches, precision and grace. She’s brought her studio to STUFF before, and we are ecstatic to have her back.
What blows me away is that, at every one of these events, artists we represent come out and support the other artists while they are “in studio” with us. To say the customers love it would be an understatement.
These are the weekends I live for. The ones where it all comes together … where we all come together. This is why I do what I do for a living. There is nothing greedy about it.
p.s. You can find out more about Kari, Rachelle and ARTober right here.
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I just love this post! Your dedication to hand craft is so passionate and real, and it keeps me inspired.
When I first discovered my medium I was in the 8th grade and we were also learning about world history, about the first cities, like Mesopotamia, and how before money everyone had a skill to contribute to the greater good. I loved to imagine myself as a citizen of an ancient city (my son loves dinosaurs, ancient history must run in the family) and I told my parents that if I was a Mesopotamian that I would have been the village potter.
Since then I have met many potters with this same passion for their craft, that making a functional object from clay fulfills a need to provide function and beauty to all. I am so thankful for people like you to share the joy, and explain why hand craft is such a commodity, because it is our humanity.
Across cultures, across continents, hand craft is the common connection, whether in clay, metal or any other medium, crafts provide the vehicle to sustain the society. In the most primitive examples these items help to store food, but more deep down these items provide cultural stories to connect people to one another. Thank you so much for your passion for this ancient ritual in our modern world.
Amy:
We are all in this together, and as a team we are unstoppable! Thank you for reading our blog and for sharing in the STUFF adventure. We are having fun, aren’t we? Your second to the last sentence of your note says it all.
– sloane
Thank goodness that you spoke your mind! It makes me wonder what that ‘customer’ does for a living!
You and your sister are generous in spirit and soul and for real. It was such a fun day and this moment you captured was a delightful one. Kari’s children asked very sophisticated questions. They are obviously around art and it is near them. They and their mama are darling. Hope this weekend is fun for all. Thank you!
Rachelle: It was a great day and they are truly some of my favorite Saturdays of the year. So glad you were a part of ARTober this year. -sloane
art work is work
True, Ms. Pertalion!