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Handweaving and designing textiles for clothing and the home has been my joy since 1970. Now, in a studio overlooking hayfields and woodlands in the central Maine highlands, I design, weave, and finish scarves, shawls, clothing and accessories for the home.
With a formal education in art, I have focused my attention on the interplay of colors and patterns in woven fabric.The pieces displayed here are only a portion of my work which includes one of a kind garments, as well as traditional weavings. Marketed under the studio name of Jones Limited, my products can be found across the United States in shops and galleries as well as selected craft shows.
For me, watching yarn transform into fabric before my eyes is exciting. For over 40 years I’ve been handweaving fabrics for clothing, table linens, yardage, rugs and anything I can imagine. Using looms that are easy to work with and yarns that are new and exciting or traditional standards, when the fabric comes off the loom and finished, there is always a sense of accomplishment. Please take time to view some of what I have made in the past and what I am weaving now.
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Julie had a job at a popcorn store about 35 years ago when she was in high school. She never lost her love for flavored popcorn. In 2008 she told her husband, Paul, about her summer job, and they created their business plan together! Julie’s background was as a hairdresser and salon owner, and Paul’s background was in business management. They both believe that there is no better way to learn how to run a business than to run a business! Paul and Julie find inspiration from their co-workers and all the great customers that come into their stores!
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For my 13th birthday I asked for an oil painting set and was lucky enough to receive it; unlike the drum set I requested a few years later. Art instead of music; I can say that was probably a kind twist of fate because now I create objects of beauty instead of who knows what horrors of sound I might have inflicted on others.
I am the first one in my family to obtain a 4 year college degree. I was pre-med, then changed to fine arts, then had to get a job and eventually wound up as a computer programmer until finally landing back here in the arts. I went from Wall Street to Rural Route and have never been happier. I do not regret a thing. Everything I experienced and learned helps me today.
What drives my creativity? Why do I do what I do? Where did I study and what awards have I won? These are the things I’m supposed to tell you in a bio but I probably won’t. I will say that I am largely self taught, that I created many ugly things along the way, that I fail all the time, even after 22 years. Creativity is innate in each of us; sometimes it finds an outlet in cooking, building, singing or in fishing. For me it is in creating with color and light.
Warm glass is an amazing medium to work with; the technology is growing and what was once unobtainable financially is now as easy to get as a toaster. New techniques are unfolding all the time and ancient techniques can be revisited. Glass is an ancient magical material with endless possibilities and dichroic glass is a newish material impossible without 20th century technology.
Nature offers boundless inspiration in form and color. She stills the mind and soothes the soul and if you are lucky will whisper in your ear and play the muse. I look to my garden, the fields and forests for inspiration. The combination of ancient techniques, modern technology and the artistry of nature is where my passion blooms.
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Christopher Hastings Confections crafts award-winning, Maine-made and inspired chocolates and candies, using local ingredients and small-batch artisan techniques. We draw our inspiration from the rich food history and taste traditions of Maine to produce stunningly delicious and truly decadent confections that put a little bit of Maine into every tasty bite.
We’re small-batch artisans — we don’t make thousands of chocolates every week, like those ‘big box’ candy shops. Instead we artfully hand-craft smaller batches of our chocolates as we need them, keeping a regular menu of our most popular chocolates while sprinkling in a seasonal assortment of confections and chocolates we create specifically based on the availability of quality local ingredients.
Because we are small-batch, we’re incredibly nimble — and welcome special orders or requests. If you have a special someone to woo, an upcoming corporate or personal special event, or run a business catering to those seeking the very best tastes the great state of Maine has to offer, we’d love to work with you to make your life more delicious.
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I have traveled across the USA over the last 40 years from Maine to Texas to California and back to Maine again. I have always taken classes and workshops in each location with my most recent experience being right here at Haystack and Maine College of Art. All that experience has led to diverse interests when working with clay. My inspiration comes from many different sources. Architecture, fabric design, and nature are just the beginning. The fire that turns soft clay into a finished piece fascinates me.
Seven years ago I decided to turn my avocation into my vocation. Although I loved teaching, I decided turn pottery into my full time adventure. I have never looked back, each day continues to be a new discovery.
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We are a small family farm living in the Western Maine Mountain. We produce craft maple products in small batches. Ensuring the freshest and most delicious maple products for your enjoyment. We also offer tours of our farm and supply our products wholesale to restaurants, farm stands and more.
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From humble beginnings renting space in a friend’s barn to set up her kiln and wheel, Mary Kay Spencer has been a working potter for more than 30 years. As owners and artisans of The Potter’s House in Litchfield, along with her husband, Jeff, she crafts fine, colorfully hand painted stoneware pieces that please the eye and feel good in the hand.
Mary Kay believes in putting the “FUN” in her functional wares. Taking inspiration from walks in nature and time spent in her garden, Mary Kay treats each piece of her pottery as a canvas, using a rich palette of colorful glazes and a fine hand to render watercolor style, impressionistic paintings on clay. These joyfully produced, individually hand-painted works are intended to bring a smile or evoke a happy memory. Her garden series of pottery is available on a wide range of items – bowls, mugs, platters and decorative vessels. She has a special fondness for creating bowls, “so wonderful to make, wonderful to hold”, and cups. “Your first cup of coffee in the morning should be a joyful, positive experience … which colorful mug shall I use today? As I always say, “It’s not the coffee, it’s the cup!”
In addition to creating her garden pottery, Mary K’s work as an artist continues to evolve. Her current work uses bold colors and oxides to create pieces that incorporate digital photographs and decal work into her traditional pottery, mixing classic organic forms and shapes with modern lines and rich details achieved through an inventive manipulation of images and patterns.
“I always felt there was something very organic about working with clay, always felt that it was healing. Being with, working with dirt is very healing. It is cosmic. There is a connection,” she says. “Maybe I have been a potter throughout all of my lives.”
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I am a Maine native, born and raised in the Maine Highlands and MidCoast regions. I attended the University of Maine at Machias. I majored in Fine Art and graduated with a BA in 2001. After a couple years in education, I began a career in land surveying. This took me to Connecticut for a while, but we’re back for good! I have a wonderful wife and a houseful of great children.
Over the years, I never gave up drawing. On a dare, I took part in Inktober in 2016. I never really used ink much before. Graphite and charcoal were my preferred media. But the ink seemed to pull me in. Before long, I was drawing more and more and using a wider variety of inks and tools. It occurred to me that I could draw portraits of lobster boats by commission. I began to offer this service that Fall. The response was immediate. And all of this on a dare.
I have always loved the Maine Coast. My family has roots that run deep in Maine, and especially along the rugged coastline. Drawing scenes of places I love so dear has been a pure joy. And the photos fishermen send me to work from are always inspiring.
My work has attracted not only fishermen, but others who love the ocean have pleasure craft. I have drawn for folks in Illinois, Alabama, Florida, California, and beyond. And fisherman from Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nova Scotia, and Alaska have connected with me for commissioned work. Each finished drawing is my new favorite. Each one had a challenge that I had to figure out. Each one has been a pure joy.
And again, it was all on a dare.
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Woodcarver, Father, Organic Gardener, Musician, Photographer, and lover of all things handmade! This just about sums it up about me.
CarvedWoodenSpoons.com is a new adventure brought about by a few people in my life who said I should be selling my wooden spoons online. So, in 2013 I opened an Etsy shop and this website to sell my handmade spoons.
I perfect my art of wooden spoon making in my studio neighboring my organic garden, wild field, brook, and mixed hardwood forest in Brunswick on the coast of Maine. Many of my custom hand embellished designs reflect shapes found in nature. From tree to timber, I find that hidden spoon within each piece of wood. My spoons have travelled to admirers in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Australia, and South Korea.
The process of hand carving a spoon hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. I use traditional, as well as, more modern methods in my spoon carving, and have developed a style unique to high-end heirloom quality woodwork. I believe in creating beautiful and functional works of art. For me the creative process comes alive when I can mix the imagination of my mind and heart with the work of my hands. I use a multitude of tools and techniques to create the perfect kitchen utensil.
Join me on my exciting spooning adventure! I’ll be blogging about the techniques and methods I use in making quality wooden kitchen utensils. I’ll be sure to keep my Blog interesting and full of colorful photos. Be sure to sign up of for my monthly newsletter for exclusive coupons, fun cooking recipes, and a behind scenes look at making utensils.
Thank you for your support,
Jason Weymouth
Owner – Carved Wooden Spoons
Brunswick, Maine
