I read an article today about the Heartworks Stitching Club, a community of craftswomen in Capetown, South Africa, that really struck a chord with me. The club was formed five years ago to empower local craftswomen, who today create pieced bears, pillows, hearts and tablecloths. What struck me was the distinct visual language these women have created, a language that is exuberant and childlike, with a masterful sense of composition.

The collaborative nature of handwork in textiles has led to so many similar developments of visual languages by groups of craftswomen. At the absolute opposite end of the spectrum in terms of style from the Heartworks Stitching Club is the work of Amish quiltmakers, which I recently had the pleasure of seeing at the DeYoung Museum in San Francisco.

From a faith that embodies the principles of simplicity, humility, discipline, and community, this group of Amish women have created quilts which transform humble fabrics into complex expressions of color and abstract form.

What is it about quilting bees, stitching clubs, knitting circles, and weaving communities that emboldens and empowers women to develop a collaborative language with singular voices? Often lumped into the potentially demeaning term of “women’s handcrafts”, the truth is that textile arts clearly enable women to express themselves and join forces to create work which is meaningful, and greater than the sum of its individual parts.

Popdog by Mitch Levin and Susie Levin

If I was asked to describe the work environment of my dreams, I would immediately conjure up a light-filled space filled with vibrant people, stimulating art, and dogs. (Yes, dogs, as I have found that dog-friendly workplaces help to break the tension and keep people grounded.) Imagine my joy at walking into the reality of that workplace, the offices of the Level Playing Field Institute
in San Francisco.

LPFI is a non-profit organization dedicated to fairness: to removing barriers to fairness in higher education to the economically disadvantaged. They help talented students be better prepared for success in higher education and the workplace through scholarship, mentoring, internship and peer counseling programs. What they are doing is so encouraging and life affirming.

Knoop I by Josh Urso

Upon walking in to the offices, one is immediately greeted by one or more dogs, dogs who come to the office everyday and who clearly run the place. These rambunctious characters have many art dogs surrounding them, including “Pop Dog” by Mitch and Susie Levin, which graces the large conference room wall.

Wherever you turn within LPFI’s offices, there is art, all of it extremely tactile. At the entry gathering spot, rather than a traditional corporate coffee table, the founders have placed a Josh Urso “Knoop Table“, letting you know immediately that this is no cookie-cutter sterile office experience.

Autumn Rust Canopy by Tim Harding

Tim Harding’s voluptuous pieces silk pieces adorn one office wall, providing color, texture and the suggestion of the importance of creativity in the workplace.

With a name like Artful Home, we tend to talk a lot about art for the home for obvious reasons, but visiting the LPFI offices made me wonder why more companies don’t see the value of bringing original art into the workplace. Most of us spend more of our waking time in our offices than in our homes, and the benefits to the soul of being surrounded by art most certainly have productivity benefits to the workplace.

The Dog Park II by Jane Troup

Would you like your dog featured in a work of art? Artful Home is holding a search for up to twenty dogs to be included in Jane Troup’s next painting. If you or someone you know has a photogenic pet, please:

• By March 15, post a picture of your dog on our Facebook fan page
• Email a copy of the picture to dogs@artfulhome.com
  (If you don’t use Facebook, you can simply email the picture.)

Artful Home and Jane Troup will pick the winners by March 22. If your dog is selected, we’ll contact you with instruction for pictures of your pet from specific angles.

Don’t miss this chance to have your pet featured in a work of art. If you don’t have a dog but know someone who does, please let your friends know by forwarding this email on!

Cupcake Pendant Speckled by Carolyn Tillie

I have recently returned from Baltimore, where I had been invited to speak at this year’s "Synergy 2" conference, a conference dedicated to artists who work in polymer clay. What’s polymer clay? You might know of it as "Fimo" or "Sculpey", a medium which has the incredible qualities of intense color possibilities, tremendous plasticity, and ease of curing. Because of its association with children’s art, it is a medium that is not always taken with the degree of seriousness it deserves, as I saw well at this conference. I was exposed to the work of dozens of artists, from fantastic to surreal, elegant to playful.

We are fortunate at Artful Home to represent artists who show off the wide range of possibilities in polymer, from the tiniest, most intricate work to large scale pieces. The most common application of the medium is jewelry, because of the ability to create exceptionally tiny details in color and form. Carolyn Tillie’s"Speckled Cupcake Pendant" shows off the artist’s ability to create a perfect miniature object.

Sun and Shade Wall Hung Cabinet
by J.M. Syron & Bonnie Bishoff

Far less common is the use of polymer clay in the furniture by J.M. Syron and Bonnie Bischoff. The "Sun and Shade Wall Hung Cabinet" has veneered doors covered in patternwork created in polymer clay. Pattern is created using a combination millefiore and marquetry techniques, techniques borrowed from glassblowing and furniture making! The pearlescent, opaque and translucent claysare combined with the mastery of a painter.

One of the newest polymer clay artists on our site is Sue Savage, whose use of the material shows yet another approach. In her "Sue Earrings", Savage uses an almost freeform painterly style, showing a looseness and abstraction uncommon to the medium.

As with all newer materials, polymer clay is going to continue to take time for people to appreciate it, as it does not have the same name recognition as porcelain, gold or glass. However, the beauty that artists have shown they can create with it makes it worthy of your consideration. I know it has mine!