Vendor Profile #9: Laura K Watson

Tell us about your creative work and what we can expect to see at Handmade Hamilton. 

    I am a drawer, writer, embroiderer, and printmaker. At Handmade Hamilton, I’ll be selling cards, postcards, zines, paper dolls, and prints, made with digital printing as well as more traditional forms of printmaking like silkscreen. In my writing, drawings, and prints, I tend to focus on the minutia of my daily life, but I like to mix it with elements of folklore or magic.

What are some of your favourite podcasts or music to listen to when you create?

    If I’m struggling to get through a print run when I’m screen-printing, I like to put on Kate Bush’s album, The Dreaming. It has so much wild energy and I love picturing Kate Bush making that when she was so young with this incredible level of confidence.

What are your favourite books?

    I couldn’t choose just one or two so I made a list of ten.

1. We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

2. Here - Wislawa Szymborska

3. Everything by Jane Austen

4. Everything by Kazuo Ishiguro

5. Tess of the D’Ubervilles - Thomas Hardy

6. The Gorgeous Nothings - Emily Dickinson (a beautiful collection of her handwritten poems on envelopes and scrap papers)

7. The Witch’s Handbook - Malcolm Bird (a children’s book from 1984 with no narrative or real information but amazing, amazing illustrations)

8. All the Harry Potter books

9. Everything illustrated by Arthur Rackham

10. The Colossus - Sylvia Plath

If you have any advice for any emerging artisans what would it be?

    I think that if you want to be able to make things as your full-time or part-time job, you need to treat it like a job. Keep a regular work schedule. Have a designated work space. Set deadlines for yourself. But I also think this has to be balanced with a certain level of flexibility that allows you to be creative. You don’t want to become a production line. You want to make things that are exciting to you. Sometimes this means getting an idea at midnight, working on it all night, and throwing off your whole schedule.

http://www.laurakwatson.com/

https://www.instagram.com/laura.k.watson/

Vendor Profile #7 : Eleanor Rosa Felt

Tell us about your creative work and what we can expect to see at Handmade Hamilton. 

We use a high quality wool blend felt and 100% felted products to create unique botanical felt flowers, felt succulents, and home decor.   We also have a line of fun and whimsical felted pet "rocks" called "Stone Softies" where we let our creativity and imagination run wild.

What does your creative process look like?

Suzanne loves to garden and is a self-professed plant nerd.  From this perspective, we try create botanically-correct plants in the medium of felt.  We have two daughters who provide a huge source of wild and crazy ideas for our Stone Softie friends.  The whole creative process is a family affair, and we all share a lot of laughs as our creations come "alive"

What inspires you to create the work that you do?

We are environmental scientists and this is an excellent outlet to allow our creative sides to flourish.  We love to see the joy that our products bring to the faces of so many people. 

What are some of your favourite podcasts or music to listen to when you create?

Suzanne is currently listening to a podcast called Serial by This American Life and Mike has A Charlie Brown Christmas by the Vince Guaraldi Trio on a constant loop.  We also love Ray LaMontagne, The War on Drugs, Tom Petty and George Michael.

https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/EleanorRosaFelt

https://www.facebook.com/EleanorRosaFelt/

https://www.instagram.com/eleanorrosafelt/

Vendor Profile #3: Gordon Leverton - Artist

What does your creative process look like?

Because my subject matter largely consists of buildings and straight edges, I draw a grid onto the canvas with pencil and use a ruler to sketch out the drawing. I then block in the colour until i've covered most of the canvas - that way I can tell if the composition is working and whether I need to change certain colours. Then, i continue the long process of layering the paint until the painting is complete.

What inspires you to create the work that you do?

In my neighbourhood there are many alleys and laneways, which afford a unique view of people's houses. I love the angles of sunrooms, fences, back additions etc and how they co-exist with their surroundings. 

What are some of your favourite podcasts to listen to when you create?

Anything from sports radio (when i want my brain to turn off) to This American Life or Democracy Now. My current fave is I Don't Even Own a Television, which is a podcast about bad books. There's also a great WKRP podcast called 

Hold My Order Terrible Dresser, which is about so much more than the 70's TV show WKRP in Cincinatti and has an ex-Hamiltoian as co-host.

What are your favourite books?

I can't shut up about books and music. Besides the classics, I have to say that Angela Flournoy's The Turner House, HHhH by Laurent Binet and anything by Roberto Bolano are my current favourites. 

And music! Currently loving much of the African soul and disco re-issues coming out lately. Also a big spot in my heart for roots reggae. I DJ at the Lounge at Casbah on the last Wednesdays of the month and you'll find me behind the counter at Epic Books on Locke St!

Gordon Leverton's Website

https://www.facebook.com/GordonLeverton/

Instagram: @hamiltonartist

Twitter: @hamiltonartist

Vendor Profile #2 - Milo&Ben

Milo&Ben is a collection of my illustrated characters. While some are needle felted,  some are stuffed hand sewn animals. Needle felting is a time-consuming, labour intensive process that allows for a lot of detail bringing each doll to life. It is similar to sculpting in that you can create any shape you want.  Each animal is made carefully and with lots of love. 

Milo&Ben Shop

Instagram

Tell us about your work and what we can expect to see at this years Handmade Hamilton?

My work is primarily needle felted creations. All the animals are based on my illustrations. I am bringing my most popular Patrick penguins as well as my new line of felted mobiles and felt wreaths. 

What does your process look like?

My process involves sketching the animal until I’m happy with the way it looks. It must convey a certain personality so that the final piece comes to life.

Tell us some of your favourite things about Hamilton?

Hamilton is such a vibrant city! Always welcoming and supporting of small business and the handmade movement. Milo&Ben and Makeology have always felt welcomed and supported. 

Melissa is also the founder of Makeology, an excellent craft show that is happening on November 19th!  Be sure to check it out!

Makeology

Vendor Profile #1 : Bailiwick Studios

Bailiwick Studios

Tell us about your work and what we can expect to see at this years Handmade Hamilton?

I am a printmaker working with lino block and primarily in black and white. I’ve branched out this year to include small, unique home décor pieces. You can expect block printed holiday ornaments and cards, upcycled animal planters and a variety of original art prints.

What does your process look like?

My process is SO scattered these days because I am very busy chasing my 11 month old around! It’s difficult as a creative to only have these small windows of time to work on your art, but it is very important for me to be present when its family time so developing that balance has been very important. Printmaking, although takes time, can be a nice mindless activity sometimes! 

Tell us some of your favourite things about Hamilton? 

Hands downs, the sense of community. Not only amongst artists and makers, but between local business’s.  

Many makers listen to podcasts.  Do you? and what are some of your favourites?

I just recently started and love it! I listen to How I Built This, Revisionist Historyhttp://revisionisthistory.com (among others) but I am currently obsessed with Being Boss!  

INSTAGRAM - @bailiwick.studios 

FACEBOOK - facebook.com/thebailiwickstudios/

Vendor Profile #8: Lyer Lyer Soapcraft

Tell us about your work and what we can expect to see at Handmade Hamilton. 

I’m a soapmaker, mostly. I have a range of vegan soap, felted soap (technically vegetarian), and laundry butter. I’ll have some other fun, non-soap stuff… I love to create products that I want to use – cleaners and skincare products that include sustainable, clean ingredients.

What does your creative process look like?

Most of what I do – creatively or no – can best be described as a series of “happy accidents” (thanks, Bob Ross!) I generally have an aesthetic goal in mind when I start working; but, one of the things I’m always sharing with my soapmaking students is that soap does what it wants, sometimes. Soapmaking is about envisioning a process and a result… and then accepting the outcome, and loving it because, if nothing else, it’s soap J

I do a lot of soapmaking demonstrations, and I love walking into those with a loose plan, and letting the group sort of drive the process. We’re bound by the rules of chemistry… but there is also an opportunity for a huge “what happens if we….” element in the process. That’s the best part.  

What inspires you?

My daughter. This project was actually her idea – a social purpose business, whose purpose is to funnel resources to community/charitable projects. She never ceases to inspire me with her unwavering belief that all it takes to change the world is the decision to change the world.  

  

What do you think is the next big trend in craft?

I *hope* it’s a continuation in the development of maker spaces where skill transfer happens. I love sharing those creative skills with people. It increases accessibility of craft and fine art forms in a way that doesn’t ever devalue them. There is so much goodness and value in coming back to a place where we use our hands, hearts and brains to see the world differently, and to engage with other people in direct, concrete, micro ways.

Fave local makers?

Oh my gosh… all of them, for different reasons… Some of my faves…I love Laura Konyndyk’s watercolours, because they never fail to make me smile; I love Dear Edna aprons, Charlotte & Stewart dolls; Jim Poling’s gorgeous woodcraft; Batavia by Sil’s bags are great... I’m continually blown away by the wealth of creative talent in Hamilton. It sounds trite, but there really is something to make everyone happy being made in this community.

Lyer Lyer Soapcraft