Get to Know: Erica Wilson of FOUND Jewelry

For all of our local Savannah shoppers, you're no stranger to seeing our jewelry case filled with Erica Wilson's amazing creations. FOUND jewelry has been a Paris Market staple for a while now, so we figured it was about time to pay Erica a little visit in her studio & find out a little bit more about how she got into jewelry designing. Keep scrolling to see what she had to say & also check out the images we captured of her space (we were in love with all of the beautiful natural light)! 

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I am married and have three children, ages 16, 14, 10.  We have lived in Savannah for 17 years.  

How did you get your start as a jewelry designer?
My good friend, Paula Danyluk, thought I would like jewelry making, so one year she bought me a “starter kit” filled with beads, tools and treasures.  I was hooked immediately!

Can you tell us a little bit more about your process? How do you find all the of different, unique pieces that go into each completed piece?
I am a scavenger. I am constantly looking for unique “found” objects to incorporate into my jewelry. I love bones, horns, antler tips, pretty much anything that fuses nature with wearable art. I have even gotten my family hooked. We take boat trips out to the barrier islands and search for treasures quite often.  

What is your favorite part about creating jewelry?
I get very inspired when I find new objects, whether it be something vintage or something from nature. My favorite part is probably the design aspect. 

Erica's pieces are available in-store & online!

Get to Know: Christine Hall

Christine Hall has been a long time friend of The Paris Market family so we couldn't be more excited to finally be featuring her & her photography on the blog. Although we have a few of her striking black & white marsh photographs gracing our walls here at the store, what Christine is mostly known for is her beautiful fine art portraiture. And after owning and operating a photography studio for over 15 years, Christine definitely knows a thing or two about making beautiful portraits. We recently had the chance to catch up with Christine & pick her brain about what it's like being a working photographer in today's world. She certainly had some great things to say so keep reading below to check out her answers, as well as see some of the stunning images from her portfolio. And be sure & stay tuned to the blog, because next week, Christine is going to take over the blog for a day & share some images she's made featuring products from the store! You definitely don't want to miss it!!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I came to Savannah from Palm Harbor, Florida in 1993 to attend SCAD and then graduated in 1997. I have always loved photographing people, and spent a lot of time in the darkroom in high school. I started photographing people I waited tables with and my business has grown from there. It started with word of mouth since nobody had websites then, and I just kept working on referrals. Many clients I started with, I still photograph today. 

What is your first memory of using a camera? 
I remember having one when my friend won a trip in a limo to school. I probably was around ten and I was so excited.

When did you know that you wanted to pursue photography as a career?
I decided in high school to go to art school. I originally started out wanting to be a nurse, thinking that maybe I couldn't make a living as an artist, but then I sold a few art pieces to people I didn’t know and I just really loved it and knew I had to go to art school.

You’ve been out of school for a while now so you’ve had many years of experience as a working artist. What would you say is the hardest and, or most important lesson you’ve learned since graduating? 
I struggled for many years trying to find my place as an artist/business person. My constant question to myself was whether or not my photos were art or if they were just pretty photos of families. I think I have been able to merge both creativity and what people want to document of their families. I believe I have been able to attract people who love art and want me to show them in an creative way. The business side has been my biggest struggle and also realizing you have to know your numbers and run it like a business and hire the right people. And did I mention know your numbers: very important. 

What is your favorite thing about what you do?
I enjoy meeting new people and seeing the same families every year. I have seen kids grow up. You become very sentimental and you feel like a part of their family. The relationships I have formed over the years are so special to me. I have been through happy and sad times with families and photography has let me experience things and places I would have never otherwise experienced. 

What do you see as the biggest challenge of being a working artist & what are some ways you try to overcome it? 
The biggest challenge is balancing three kids, one who has special needs, and a business. I am not sure that there is a true balance, but I know my art helps me express my struggles and happiness, and my family keeps me grounded. 

What inspires you? 
Other artists inspire me: Katherine Sandoz, Troy Wandzel, Sally Mann (of course, really who doesn’t she inspire), Marcus Kenney. Artists who think outside the box and are always pushing themselves to be better artists.

Check out Christine's website to view more of her amazing work! 

Get to Know: Meredith Anne Sutton

One of the things we love the most about being located in Savannah is all of the amazing local artists, especially because that means we get to fill our shelves with their beautiful hand-made products. And although we don't like to play favorites, we are especially enchanted by the work of local jewelry designer, Meredith Anne Sutton. "Her style uniquely balances industrial & feminine influences & reflects her enamoring of found objects, including vintage pieces, architectural finds & hardware procured from old furniture. Sutton’s work is highly romantic & takes inspiration from literature & poetry, as well as structural relics. With an aesthetic that is at once clean, ornate & bold, Sutton works with mediums of sterling silver, 18k gold, bronze, & acrylic to present pieces apropos for the most discerning & mature woman to the chic young trendsetter." So naturally, you can see why she fits right in here at The Paris Market. We recently had the chance to visit Meredith in her studio & find out a little bit more about her process as a jewelry designer. Keep reading below to get to know Meredith Anne Sutton!

Working at her desk

Look familiar? ;)

How did you get your start as a jewelry designer?

When I began my studies at SCAD, my focus was Graphic Design. During my sophomore year, I was at a friend’s house who was majoring in Metals & Jewelry. I will have to say, I owe it to her because if I hadn’t seen all the cool things she was making, I wouldn’t have been inspired to use one of my electives for an Intro to Jewelry class. Two weeks into the course, I switched my major. From then on, I knew I would be a jewelry designer. 

What is your favorite medium to work with? 

Pretty much any kind of metal, but recently I have really enjoyed working with brass. It makes a great price point for my work & I love the contrast I can create with patina. 

In addition to working as a jewelry designer, you also work at Service Brewing Co. Can you tell us a little more about what you do there?

I am the creative marketing director. I handle all the creative direction for the company’s identity. I work with our graphic designer, writer & illustrator for our labels, merchandise, & other media outlets. I also designed the tasting room & curated the Tap Handle Project, a collection of 22 tap handles all created by artists.  

Piecing together a cuff 

Soldering

Filing the edges of a completed cuff

What is your favorite part about what you do in both of your professional roles? 

Being creative, working with other artists/designers & passing on a product that makes people happy. I mean, jewelry and beer… it doesn’t get any better than that. 

What do you see as the biggest challenge of being a working artist & what are some ways you try to overcome it?  

Finding the time to do everything. I think every artist’s biggest challenge is time. I am constantly making lists, establishing daily deadlines, & have learned to bring in help during the holidays. I have had many sleepless nights just to make sure I meet those deadlines. 

What are your main sources of inspiration, particularly when starting a new jewelry piece?

Lately, it’s been the material. I think that is where it all starts. Whether it’s the metal or a found object, the idea takes shape as I create the piece. 

Studio details

From behind the artist's desk

This Just In: Strawberry Moth's Summer Pennants

Hot off the press and just in time for the summer, we've just added an adorable new collection of camp inspired pennant flags to our shelves! Crafted by one of our favorite local artists, Jessica Duthu of Strawberry Moth, each flag is screen-printed with water based, eco friendly ink on vintage cotton fabric. Pennant measures 15" long and is the perfect gift for hanging in the home, cozy bear den, or nursery. Grab a flag today and kick off the summer season in style!

Available at The Paris Market.

FOUND jewelry

Our current jewelry case newcomers are a collaboration between local designers, Erica Wilson and Holley Jaakkola. Their line FOUND jewelry does justice to its name by incorporating both natural elements and vintage findings into each piece. From pops of unexpected color to classic simplicity you will fall head over heels for FOUND jewelry just as we have.

  

Unearth the unique pieces of FOUND jewelry, currently available in our accessory showcases. To learn more about Erica and Holley's collaboration visit their Facebook page here. 

 Brighten up your Spring wardrobe with a selection of unique accessories, now at The Paris Market!

Artist Spotlight: Simoni Trapsioni

The Savannah creative community is thriving and one local artist's work shines bright through these rainy February days. Originally born in Greece and currently a professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Simoni Trapsioni weaves a colorful web of illusion and satire with her paintings. Here, at The Paris Market, you can see a selection of Trapsioni's work on display. Here captivating collection of paintings have been in exhibitions all over the world and continue to gain merit with collectors and the artist community.

Statement of the Artist

Through my self-portraits, I record my life's journey in my images. In this process of self-discovery, I attempt to find new and effective ways of representing my mind's conjures, my experiences of the past, my perception of the present, my thoughts, my dreams of the future, the perplexities, the influences and mystery of the unknown in my life. Through my use of symbolism, material, color and composition, I try to convey these elements with total disregard of any temporal continuity. 

As a participant and an observer in our contemporary world, I continually receive stimuli, which my sub-conscious processes into encoded and cryptic images. It is these images that are finally deposited by my conscious mind onto my painting surface. I frequently paint the female figure, mostly myself, because I happened to be born as a woman and I experience the world though my female body. I sometimes use bees wax because it parallels my human existence. Like my own life, it is so volatile. It embodies many states: solid and permanent when cold, liquid and fluent when hot, light and smoke when burned. Sometimes, I place paintings in paintings as inserts, in an attempt to capture the idea that the two images or ideas are at the same time separate and related. Painting provides me with the external means for an internal search.

I do not like to provide the viewers with any direction. My paintings attempt to make subtle statements, which I hope will raise questions in the mind of my viewers, not provide any answers. I expect my paintings to awaken within my viewers, messages which are interpreted based on their personal experiences.

Visit here to see more of Trapsioni's work and be sure to stop by The Paris Market to see her enchanting paintings for yourself! 

In-House Artist Spotlight: Lily Lewin

We have the privilege to work alongside a community of talented individuals here at The Paris Market. 

Photographer and Local Artist, Lily Lewin, has entranced us with her hauntingly beautiful imagery, which you can see currently gracing the walls of our store. 

We sat down with Lily and asked her what makes her creative clock tick in this Paris Market Artist Q  & A.

Q: What most influences the ideas behind your work?

A: I have always been intrigued by the Victorian curiosity of Naturalism and the mania for cataloguing flora and fauna, but they were a pompous lot and I prefer taxidermy through the morbidly irreverent lens of Edward Gorey. The nineteenth century embraced death and created elaborate rituals of mourning, living with their ghosts for a whole season, pinning bits of plaited hair into lockets, covering mirrors, writing poems. And of course their photographs... I love those solemn daguerrotypes and their stiff poses. I also adore Southern folklore and old Spanish sayings. 

Q: Tell us a little about your process? Favorite materials you use?

A:  I've been experimenting with printing on vellum and then conjuring up fire and water as a final cure. But really it's been about the treasure hunt in our courtyard, finding all sorts of lovely creatures- dragonflies, cicadas, the skeleton of a leaf- and compiling them. Sometimes I'll visit a friend's cabin where there are marvelous trophies from a long ago hunt- a sneering boar's head, pheasants in flight, a snake skin fanned out on the wall. And of course Paris Market has all sorts of goodies! 

Q: What’s the most indispensable item in your studio/creative space?

A: my journal and my magnifying glass. 

Q: What is your favorite thing about the art of photography?

A: My dear I can't draw and so it's instant gratification! 

Q: What international art destination do you most want to visit?

A: Int'l art destination... My charming husband is taking me to Sicily to see the catacombs for my birthday this year. And I love the Prado, I go every year to see their Renaissance portraits, and if I could I would play hide and seek at night in Deyrolle's in Paris among the stuffed zebras and giraffes. 

Q: What’s your favorite place to see art locally?

A: Simoni Trapsioni's art studio. She is such an amazing painter!

Q: Do you have any current projects you are working on? Plans for the future?

A: Learning how to work with encaustic wax.

To see more of Lily's photography, check out her photo blog, Ojobox, and don't forget to stop by and view her pieces on display at The Paris Market.

Artist Spotlight: Love Lane Designs

Love Lane Designs byline is "Handprinted with Heart", and if you know Lane Huerta or have bought her products you would agree that this phrase sums her up perfectly. Lane's creations fuse vintage design and edgy functionality. From linens to pillows to larger custom pieces, her work will brighten any home with a unique blend of kitschy themes, classic patterns, and polished craftsmanship. We are proud to have worked with Lane on a multitude of products here at the Paris Market. Her recent mention in the local paper have her fans and her friends even more enamored with the world of Lane Huerta and her "Handprinted with Heart" creations.

For more about Lane and her work visit here.