IT'S ALRIGHT

Heidi Anderson

Heidi is an artist from Seattle, Washington, who currently lives on Vashon Island, WA. She attended the San Francisco Art Institute where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2002. She has been a ceramicist since 2012.


"I work in ceramics making hand built pots sculptures and vases using a technique called Nerikomi using different color clays to inlay patterns designs and narratives with the clay itself. I also make figures called Protectors which are wheel thrown and then formed and sculpted with added embellishments individually cut from clay. I use the color of the clay as the main decorative element in my work; colors that lend themselves to the California landscapes and desert scapes that I deeply love. I use a variety of earth-toned clays; from deep browns and reds to light speckled off-whites.


My work is constantly evolving and draws upon many influences; from fine art to folk art and the everyday handmade. I’ve come to see my figurative work in sculpture as modern day folk art. There is no single definition of what folk art is, but the definition that resonates with me most is as defined by the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico: Folk art is “of, by, and for the people; all people, inclusive of class, status, culture, community, ethnicity, gender, and religion.” I deeply identify with this definition, and believe that it speaks to the Protector people that I make.

I like to think of my Protector people as spirit beings; that serve as an emblem of the importance of nature and our relationship to it, and the sense of connection and appreciation that I derive from being in nature. I see them uniting the animal and the spiritual, as well as the earthly with the mystical. 


My love of nature translates into a vocabulary of personally relevant, but universally recognizable symbols that embellish my figures: leaves, flowers, birds, rainbows, mountains, water symbols, triangles, dots and abstract lines. The braids I that have   become a signature on many of my protectors create both a pleasing graphic pattern, as well as being reminiscent of the indigenous Peruvian women and nature loving bohemians. I believe in drawing from the ancient and universal well of symbols and spirituality to bring these expressions into our daily life."

Wyatt Hersey

Wyatt Hersey is a self-taught illustrator and painter residing in Santa Cruz, CA. His work utilizes a printmaker’s graphic sensibility and combines with a love of folk art from around the world to create work that is simple yet striking. His paintings, cutouts and mural work  explore narratives of relational ecology, deep ecology, and ecological consciousness. His background as a wildlife biologist and nature connection mentor greatly informs his work as a visual artist, as does his belief that art is an essential expression of the goodness of humanity. Wyatt loves biking, is an avid birder, is learning to surf and spends as much time as possible outside. 

Michelle Valigura

Michelle Valigura is a sculptor, with a primary focus on ceramics. Her background in film production design and stop motion animation, paired with her love of mid century design have built a foundation for a strong sense of color and aesthetics that can be seen translated in her work.  She has licensed her work to Disneyland and other art brands. She has exhibited her work, lectured and taught workshops at galleries, museums and universities worldwide. In 2019 Michelle moved back to her roots in the Pacific Northwest where she opened Basalt studio that functions as her working studio and showroom in downtown Cannon Beach Oregon.