indie find of the moment - surlymermaid

shop name : surlymermaids art therapy

shop address : www.surlymermaid.etsy.com

synopsis : what is created & sold in our shop is done for our therapy, i.e. mental health

our info : we are emmy lou & scott rogers. we live in boise, idaho, usa. we were just married at the end of january, this year! so we're still newlyweds....(life is grand!) i am lucky enough to be able to do as i please, which is code for i don't have to work because scott likes me to be home. up until february of 2007 i was an international flight attendant for united airlines & i lived part-time in san francisco, california, & part-time in boise, idaho, & too much time out of hotel rooms all over the world! so with all of my free time i'm able to pursue my interests & hobbies, which are mostly art related.

our favorite materials :

for scott it's photography. all of the photographs on our etsy website are his - literally, the photographs for sale, as well as everything that's displayed were lovingly photographed by my husband! he can work magic with a camera! & me, well, i like it all = beads, glass, found art, i could on & on, but i'll contain myself.

the transformation process :

for scott's photographs it's mostly nature that has done the majority of the transforming of the subject matter. we just work with mother nature on the lighting, which isn't as easy as i originally perceived it to be.
& for me, emmy lou, for my jewelry i like a wide variety of color and texture. i don't want to create anything too typical or safe. yet i want what i make to be worn. for my fused glass pieces, i waiver between pieces like my mardi gras series, that actually have some forethought & planning in them, to other pieces that are found art - generated by scraps of the other artists at the glass studio i work at. i like the concept of found art a lot!

inspiration : the notion of a stranger liking what we've created enough to pay money for it! that's also flattering-

the first thing we made : for both of us, we're pretty sure it was refridgerator art of the highest child caliber for our moms! that or mud pies.....

new & exciting : we've just completed a mosaic class, so the next subcategory for our etsy site will probably be mosaics we've been working on. stay tuned.

favorite item : that changes with the temperature. it'd probably be creations by other artist that make us laugh outloud, or the really amazing creations that some people crank out & just make you go slackjawed with awe. etsy has some incredibly talented people selling their wares.

sneak peak / horizon : more than likely, a few mosaic goodies, & more vintage items.

why people should buy handmade :

because uniqueness should still be an attribute that is held up as something to be admired & aspired to. that the walmartization of america will actually do long term damage in so many areas, included the areas of art & art appreciation. handmade goes way back regarding human beings, (think cave drawings,) so it should never be taken for granted, regardless of technologies advances & capablities.

Visit the shop for more items, and photography!

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