Making Things Right
I love the interpretation of this phrase. Firstly, making things the right way– with care, concern and passion for your inspiration. But also doing the right thing by drawing attention to the craft and detail in objects that makes them special.
As I make the most of yet another rainy day, Garden and Gun magazine, a new favorite, made it to the top of the pile with a feature on the “Best of the South”. Now I am a Southern girl at heart. Growing up in Rhode Island has not stopped me from loving low-country cooking, marrying a guy from Charleston, SC, practicing Mint Julep recipes in honor of Derby Day and picking up a slight drawl during every visit.
The artisans below were featured last January. Forgive my lateness posting this. You have no idea how huge the stack of magazines in my house is!
Lichty Guitars
In Tryon, NC, former home builder Jay Lichty had a dream, literally, about changing his profession to making instruments. After learning a few tricks of the trade from Wayne Henderson, his new business has taken off. He tells G+G “This feels like what I was supposed to do when I grew up. I still have a lot to learn, but that’s how it is when you try to make something nice and make it by hand. Everything you make is it’s own thing. With each one you learn something. There’s a lot more to making a good guitar than working with wood. ”
How amazingly beautiful is this? Can you look at it without imagining your own rockstar moment?
Holler Design
One of my good friends in college, Shana, was from Tennessee and had a limitless supply of dirty jokes about living in a holler. My retelling of these jokes was painfully unfunny- and I haven’t given the holler much thought since I stopped trying to replicate Shana’s twang and deadpan delivery.
However, Holler Design, is putting our some exciting twists on the classics. The husband and wife team of Matt and Melissa Alexander craft these piece son the farm in Lascassas, TN where Matt was raised.
In their words, “Here we focus on creating objects and spaces that are regionally influenced and culturally significant. Our work embodies a core of southern values, including resourcefulness, self-reliance, and just plain old ingenuity.”
Jason La Ferrera
http://www.neatorama.com/art/2010/06/11/jason-laferrera/
Jason’s profile only says “I spent a lot of time doing math, writing code, and photoshopping” but he’s obviously more talented than that. He’s made his digital art personal and meaningful by working with vintage maps from the areas where his wildlife subjects are indigenous. The giclee prints are nostalgic without kitch.
So many talented designers are waiting to be discovered and I can’t wait to hit the road and introduce them to Ellery + Irons. (And sometime soon I hope to figure out formatting wordpress. Stephanie is now 3,000 miles away and I a hopeless. Sorry for the layout above!)
Ellery + Irons 