鈥淥ne of the things that drives my art is the desire to protect beautiful places,鈥 said . An accomplished San Juan Island artist and newly published author, Nancy鈥檚 work does so by showcasing simple pleasures 鈥 often found tucked among awe-inspiring sights.聽
Read moreTheir work has been called 鈥榩etable鈥 art. While the initial base of island wood tends to be rough and splintered, the finished products are buttery smooth. They can be found in kitchens, offices, and wardrobes. Made by San Juan Island artists, River and Luna Wylde, these colorful pieces are as intriguing as they are functional.
The pieces range from charcuterie boards to tables and earrings. They make coasters, which are always a crowd-pleaser, and stunning sushi trays. Their Pride charcuterie boards are rainbow masterpieces, and their keychains are elegant and distinctive.
Read moreIn today鈥檚 screen-filled world, the opportunities to flex creative muscles with tangible objects can feel few and far between. But there鈥檚 a special magic when we let go of the digital mockup and allow our minds to wonder, 鈥榃hat if?鈥 To experiment with colors and stencils. To make something completely unique.
That鈥檚 exactly the kind of experience Andrew and Emily Youngren offer at At their boutique San Juans printing chain (they have locations in both Orcas Island鈥檚 Eastsound and San Juan Island鈥檚 Friday Harbor) they sell a host of pre-printed and design-your-own clothing.
Read moreOn the western horseshoe of Orcas Island, where the cell service is spotty and the rolling farmland is studded with forest groves and rainwater ponds, Zackarya Leck turns iron to playdough in his 2,000-degree forge. A bespoke blacksmith, his weathered hands coax salvaged junkyard scraps into new forms 鈥 some functional, some sculptural, all stunning.
His work can be found as far east as Maine and as high as the Colorado Rockies. However, the bulk of his mastery is scattered throughout Orcas Island among large public art installations and private homes. Most prominent are Zackarya鈥檚 70-foot kelp-inspired sculpture, installed at the Orcas Island Ferry Terminal, and his slide that is part of the Playground-on-the-Green at the heart of Eastsound.
Read moreWith seawater and sunshine, Brady Ryan produces roughly 20,000 pounds of salt a year on San Juan Island.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a manufacturing component to every business and there is to ours. But there鈥檚 also this magical side. Seeing the crystals first appear when nothing was there just a few hours earlier, it鈥檚 incredible,鈥 explains Brady Ryan, founder of .
Read moreLisa Lamoreaux didn鈥檛 plan to become an artist. But in many ways, she just always was.
Her passion for mixing and matching designs began as just a little girl. Obsessed with buying greeting cards, Lisa Lamoreaux spent hours rearranging them on the wall of her bedroom. Tired of the pinholes, her mother turned the entire wall into cork, giving Lisa the freedom to easily create new designs as her collection grew and her vision expanded.
Read moreOriginally Published September 9, 2014 | Updated March 13, 2022
Some places are just places. They鈥檙e dots on a map to which you can drive, fly or walk. Other places are experiences. Rich and vibrant, they are filled with the essence of souls who came before you. The old souls whose wisdom and skill 鈥 whose life 鈥 was responsible for the very walls which mark the spot.
How two local artisans support island agriculture through the Slow Fiber Movement.
There’s a rural beauty to Lopez Island, a slowness that鈥檚 earned it the nickname 鈥楽lowpez.鈥 This is thanks in large part to the generously flat terrain, where gently rolling hills are studded with farms and speckled with artisans. While the locally grown offerings are diverse 鈥 including beef, pork, and berries 鈥 the quaint 29.5 square-mile agricultural community is perhaps best known for its sheep.
Lopez Island wool products, in particular, are heralded throughout the United States and beyond for their exceptional quality and beauty. This is in no small part thanks to Maxine Bron- stein and Debbie Hayward, founders of Island Fibers.
In a small converted garage, roughly six miles southwest of Friday Harbor, you鈥檒l often find Paula West covered in clay.
A Connecticut native, she came to San Juan Island in 1990 (by way of New Hampshire, California, Oregon, and Canada). It was here that she met her husband, Joe Cooper.
Walking into Studio 45 Glass on Lopez Island is like falling down the rabbit hole with Alice. It鈥檚 a world of color, where possibilities are only the beginning and art feels like it is created from thin air.
After traveling the world working and studying glass art in Italy, New York and Germany, owner and master glassblower Rahman Anderson returned home to Lopez Island, where he grew up. He wanted to put down roots and settle on his family land where he has now built his own home and grows a garden.