It was a sunny and clear summer day last weekend when I met my first online friend, Britta, (using the app Bumble BFF) and the experience could not have been better. We met outside the Fort Mason Center for the Arts & Culture, Festival Pavilion, where we hugged and she produced some tickets to the annual American Craft Show, San Francisco. We were both hungry, so we headed straight towards the back of the old hanger for some food. The caterers were mostly sold out, but we shared some tomato bisque while we surveyed the expo, filled with more than 225 artists, from above. We wandered along the booths, stopping here and there to chat with the variety of craftspeople selling furniture, clothing, home décor, and jewelry.
Logan Louis’ work immediately stood out to me through his use of reclaimed items mixed with new metal work. I also loved his tactile way of displaying the items – with worn in craft paper and random words to describe the pieces – he names them the first word that comes to mind. Logan explained to us his idea of “subliminal consumption” through his art, and how he interpreted it through his jewelry.
Johanna Sprague is another artist who uses reclaimed material in her work. Some of her sculptures reminded me of the late Louise Nevelson, a comparison she really enjoyed. Her self-titled wall jewelry was quite unique – one piece included what looked to be a Kumiko pattern, which reminded me of the ancient tree of life symbol. Her piece with the charred vine and driftwood is pictured with the artist in its reflection.
The pieces that stood out to me architecturally were by Julienne Beier, Kris Marubayashi, and Melissa Finelli. The nest-like objects Julienne Beier creates using flax and stones connected me to some ancient yearning inside. The combination of the lightly sculpted and temporary flax protecting the stone was a profound statement I’ve continued to think about. She also had some lovely plexiglass frames wrapped in linen and wax, with dark fabric barely distinguishable behind the frame. Melissa graciously allowed me to take close up shots of her work – I loved the pendants with tiny rounded rectangles protruding from the concave surface and her hand-drawn dividers and text. Kris produced some elongated ceramic pyramids for the show – which he lighted to emphasize the exciting surfaces.
I asked Johnathan Simons where he found the technology implemented in the majority of his work and he said the Inside-Out Tongs® is based on an old woodworking technique that he was able to improve upon (and patent). All manner of wooden chopsticks and tongs get their spring by rotating the two ends 360 degrees – where they magically become bouncy! After you have finished using them, he developed a way to make them completely flat upon closing. The pieces were lovingly made and I picked up a unique pair of charred spaghetti serving forks to bring home to my parents in a few weeks.
It was exciting seeing Anna M. White again after being in total awe of her work upon several visits to her studio in Historic Savage Mill, Maryland. Her impeccable weaving of clay with the tiniest stitches is inspiring – and in her piece Urchin I identified a play of simultaneous creation and destruction I have often used in my own architectural work. In her new collection, she loosens her weaving technique to replicate spiders’ webs out of clay! Where she chose to apply gloss really helps evoke the imagery of morning dew upon a spider web, interestingly contrasted against slightly overlapping sections of a broken bowl.
I couldn’t resist asking Tracy Lebenzon if he’s the calligraphy brush equivalent of Ollivander selling his one-of-a-kind wands when he handed me a brush to try on the magic paper for testing. He chuckled and replied sometimes the brush he hands someone turns out to be the perfect one for a customer, but he stands by all his brushes and they would all be great fits. The brushes were incredibly well-crafted from various types of animal hair for the brush and stick and bamboo for the handles. I ended up buying two of the smaller ones for detailed calligraphy.
Even though the arts and crafts consumer market is not quite what it once was in the Bay Area, craftspeople and artists are embracing new and old techniques and testing the limits of what materials are capable of. It was a pleasure to spend my Saturday afternoon chatting with such talented individuals – and meeting a new friend!
