Friday, July 06, 2012

Featured Artisan: Catarionna

Tell us a little about yourself!

My name is Catherine Somerlot, and I am a jewelry designer, photographer, digital artist and web & graphic designer from Cleveland, Ohio.



Source

How did you start creating your artwork, and how long have you been doing it?
I taught myself how to make tatted lace about 3 years ago, at a very chaotic time in my life when I needed to find a bit of calm (and a reason to occasionally get away from my design work in front of the computer!). When I was a little girl I would make friendship bracelets out of embroidery floss, so tatting naturally became very appealing to me. Learning wasn't easy...but I practiced and practiced the double stitch for a week, and by the second week I was flying! Since then I've been designing my own elegant, intricate pieces that I incorporate into my jewelry.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I am inspired by myth, folklore and literature, specifically Celtic and Greek myths. At the time I'm writing this, I'm in Northern Ireland exploring the arts and crafts industry which is quite vibrant here. Ireland has a rich history with lace making, and I've enjoyed learning a bit about how certain types of Irish lace are made. I also love the "vintage" aesthetic of the Victorian-era, which is when tatting became a popular craft.

Source

Is there anything else you would like to share?
This year I started an arts collective with my partner in Northern Ireland called Autumn Arts & Crafts. At the moment it's just the two of us combining our various skills to collaborate on new work and products to sell at craft fairs, but we hope in the future to let it grow into a craft shop, studio space and organization that takes other artists in. We strongly believe in handmade craft and supporting independent creative businesses, so hopefully we'll be able to make this dream become a reality. I am writing about our journey on our blog, http://autumnartsandcrafts.blogspot.com

Extras:






0 Comments:

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...

Share

Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Stumbleupon Favorites More