This Just In-spiration

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the people behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Kyle Haines, the artist behind our new Magnetic Motion Lamp.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I’ve always wanted to do my own thing. I have a “I want to be my own boss” type of mentality. I saw a way to do that by creating something unique. I used to only see myself as a “maker,” but know I definitely consider what I do to be an art. I’m proud to be the first person to create colored ferrofluid and now the first person to create a ferrofluid motion lamp. I enjoy pushing the boundaries of ferrofluid. I feel like it would be a disservice not to.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?

The look of amazement in a person’s eyes the first time they see my work. I believe that brief moment is what holds the true value.

Ferrofluid is a strange thing. I believe a healthy reaction to it is, “How is this possible?” I’m a science geek at heart and an avid learner, so I love this reaction. The truth is ferrofluid is nothing new. It’s been around since the 1960’s and has many applications that the average person just never gets to see, such as the manufacture of computer chips. It’s a great example of how we can break the mold using clever science.

No known material is actually magnetic in the liquid state. Ferrofluid is comprised of solid nanoparticles of magnetic material coated in a surfactant. The surfactant keeps the nanoparticles from agglomerating and have a very high affinity for the liquid carrier fluid the particles are dispersed in. This causes them to pull the fluid molecules with them when they move. These nanoparticles are so small that gravity can’t pull them out of the solution, and they stay suspended. All of this creates the illusion of a magnetic liquid. But really, it’s just a bunch of tiny magnets suspended in a liquid.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?

Lots of experiments. Ferrofluid everywhere. It’s very messy. I tend to go back and forth observing different experiments, then walk around in circles mumbling to myself, trying understand what I’m looking at. I’m sure I look like a crazy person. Sometimes, as I’m doing other things, an idea will come out of nowhere and I’ll just drop everything and rush off to put it to the test. I apply the scientific method to my process, but also practice a lot of trial and error.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

Other than the ferrofluid itself, no.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think they would say?

Hopefully, something like “Cool,” “Wow,” or “How does it work?”

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

“I know there’s a way.” I often say this to myself before I’ve found the actual way. I just have to remind myself that it’s there and I need to keep looking.

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the people behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Jill Rikkers, the artist behind our new Hand-Forged Cheese Set and Hand-Forged Serving Pieces.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist?

I was always making things as a kid. Anything creative and always busy putting things together. I grew up on a farm in New York so keeping myself occupied was part of that lifestyle.

What’s been the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artist?

The most exciting thing about creating wonderful pieces of art is seeing it come to fruition. To start from a thought and or conversation, to a drawing and a piece of paper, and go on to an actual 3-D piece of art for someone is truly a wonderful feeling.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?

A typical day for me is always different. My work consists of blacksmithing and forming the heads and polishing and riveting. So depending on my mood, that’s which process I dive into for that day.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

I have my grandfather’s anvil that I use and think of him all the time when I look at it. It’s key in my production and reminds me of a hard working man I admire so much.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think they would say?

My work appeals to all ages. My little niece just brought a set of my serving pieces into her first grade class for show-and-tell last week. So I think everyone enjoys them. And being a girl making these is also a good eye-opener for many people, especially the young ones, to see it is a possibility for anyone to do this.

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

The act of creating keeps me motivated. I have to make something every day or it’s not a complete day for me. I’m a bit addicted to the creative process.

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the people behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Mike Whitehead, the artisan behind our gorgeous new handmade Cast Iron Pans with Coil Handles.

When did you know you wanted to be a maker?

I’ve just always been happiest making, growing, or fixing something. In kindergarten I would bring scrap wood to school every day and build clunky wooden models with it in our little shop corner (can you believe they gave hammers and nails to 6 year olds?). In high school I took every art class they would let me. In college I was both the newspaper and yearbook photographer.

What’s been the most exciting thing about becoming a professional artisan?

Easily the most exciting thing is being able to really collaborate with others and dedicate myself to it full time. Making cast iron cookware is incredibly complex and labor intensive. It takes so many additional people and skills that you get exposed to along the way. I am always learning something new whether its pattern making, graphic design, or machining.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?

I haven’t had a typical day yet! I spend most of my time surrounded by vintage cast iron cookware while developing and testing new designs. If I’m not doing that I’m in the workshop obsessing over tiny manufacturing details. Our team works in an old WW2 machine shop with high wooden ceilings, natural light and a tiny view of Portland’s Willamette River.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

Yes, I keep an old Kennedy silver half-dollar that my 95-year-old godfather specifically gave me as a pocket piece when he was still alive. It’s one of the early heavy silver ones and even in the middle of winter it feels like a smooth river stone in the sun. I absolutely love how metal ages. It reminds me to slow down and take care in whatever I’m doing.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think they would say?

They would get very excited and say, “This is where pancakes come from!”

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.”

–Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)

Our makers never fail to motivate us, encourage our creativity, and fill us with inspiration. So, when a new design enters our assortment, we’re always excited to learn more about the people behind the product.

What gets an artist going and keeps them creating is certainly worth sharing, and every great connection starts with a simple introduction. Meet Chris Dimino, the artist behind our new Keyboard Waffle Iron.

When did you know you wanted to be an artist/artisan/maker?

I’ve been drawing since I was 3 and I started making additions and scenery for my existing toys that would enhance the world I was creating during play. I made things for years and had more fun doing this than anything else.

I found a great home for my skill set at the School of Visual Arts where I was able to create some of my best work, including the original Typewriter Waffle Iron. After graduation, I worked in virtually every field of design which has provided me with a valuable skill set for creating in 2D, 3D, and motion/animation. I am now circling back to what I’ve always enjoyed the most: making things. After receiving countless requests over the years from people asking if my original Typewriter Waffle Iron was real and for sale, I decided to further develop the idea and make it a real, functioning thing. The Keyboard Waffle Iron is the start of what I hope will be many creative products to come.

What was the most exciting thing about becoming a professional maker?

The idea for The Keyboard Waffle Iron has been with me for over a decade. I actually didn’t expect this, but when I held my first sample in my hands and used it, I really loved it! So the most exciting part for me is seeing that feeling translate to customers and reading their comments/emails saying that they love their KWI.

What does your typical day in the studio look like?

Each day is different with new inquires, new business opportunities, new fires to put out, and new relationships to build. Around these things I work on existing opportunities, fires, relationships, and development of the brand and future of the product. I definitely keep busy.

Is there a trinket, talisman, or other inspirational object you keep near? If so, what is it and what does it mean to you?

I have an old drafting table that was given to me by a close family friend when I was 10 years old. It’s the place I’ve created my best work and sitting at it brings me to that younger version of myself when playing and creating were my only concerns.

Imagine you just showed your work to a kindergartener for the first time. What do you think they would say?

My guess is they would say, “Cool!” or “What’s that?” They would likely recognize the keyboard pattern for sure but maybe not know its purpose as a waffle iron. I’m going to go with “Cool!”

What quote or mantra keeps you motivated?

I have two of them, both Latin:

Ut sementem feceris ita metes — “As you sow so will you reap.” (Cicero)
and
Audaces fortuna iuvat — “Fortune favors the bold.” (Virgil, The Aeneid)