Art Feature - Sea Dream Art

I discovered Cari of Sea Dream Art when she posted a new mixed media painting on Etsy. The image was the neatest of the ones that scrolled across the page, so I clicked and ended up exploring all that her etsy store has to offer - vividly colored, multi-textured images that exude passion. Right away I knew that I wanted to interview her for this feature story. Cari was kind to answer my nosy questions and allow me to share a bit of her work and story here.

"Art is my life. It always has been," Cari says. She started creating art in high school with acrylic paint and over the years incorporated different media by experimenting. Her Sea Dream Art images now use wood, sand, rocks, inks, paper, glue, and any thing else that happens to achieve the look she's aiming for. She finds inspiration in the work of other collage artists. "The multiple layers of color, text and images make my imagination go wild. Just the way turquoise blue vibrates next to vermilion still gives me goosebumps!"

That color combination excites me too. Her piece "Creation" (above) juxtaposes just those colors with the addition of a bold hand floating between the yin and yang of the sun and moon. It's my favorite of her images. Cari says she has created and recreated Creation many times over. "It is an image that continues to surface from inside me and into my work... One day I want to paint it on the door of my studio. Right now the original piece hangs there."

And, I'm thinking this would be a gorgeous painting for the door of my office! The hand in the middle reminds me so much of the hands of fatima I saw all over Tunisia. The spiral motif finds a place in the art of numerous cultures. A Jungian psychologist would say such images spring from the collective unconscious we share as human beings. Such art can symbolize how the cosmos and psyche are intimately connected.

"I draw inspiration for my work mostly from the spirituality of different cultures," says the woman behind Sea Dream Art.

"That connection to things felt, but unseen continues to move and fascinate me. Poets, writers and musicians are great sources as well. A great song or poem can wrench a painting out of me quicker than anything else. Most of all I hope my work can help the viewer make that connection to the great mystery. I feel we are conscious and aware for a reason. Maybe one day our human connection to the divine will cause a shift that will make beautiful things happen here on our planet. I hope I live to see it."

Though she recognizes her work "isn't going to save the world from global warming or cure cancer or stop wars," Cari sees it as her calling. "I live for the hours that are mine alone with the canvas."

Although she enjoys working alone, Cari creates art in her studio The Factory in Albuquerque, NM in the company of artists (Ren Adams and Ken Murakami) she happened to meet through etsy.

"We are like minded souls living the dream," she says of her artist companions, all three of whom make a living from their artwork. "It's not always easy. Trying to make a living on selling your work is difficult and can be defeating. Art is a luxury item and sales can be sporadic to non-existent at times." Isn't that the truth. I think it's inspiring to find artists who create art and also run a successful business.


The theme that runs throughout Sea Dream Art is "Love, first and foremost. For me love is the most powerful energy in the universe.... It is the essence of who I am as a woman, artist, human being."

Of all the images that she has created, Cari says her favorite would have to be Hope (left).

"The image came to me in a vision when I pleaded to the universe for direction," she adds. "I will never part with the original, but the prints of Hope are probably my biggest seller. She speaks to different people for many different reasons."

Thank you Sea Dream Art for sharing your hope for peace, your beautiful vibrant art, and your story with us!

All images copyright SeaDreamArt.

Stocking Stuffers for Women in Science

When I stumbled on the necklaces made by Uncorked at etsy, I was immediately struck by her clever re-use of laboratory supplies. If you have girls and women in your life who love science, these necklaces would be a great addition to their stocking this year. I would love to have one of these necklaces (the one with the family of mountain gorillas on it) myself. There are more than 50 different designs to choose from. I know you'll be able to find something you like too!

I asked Uncorked what prompted her to start making them. She said she has always loved to re-purpose things in her home and classroom (she teaches 6-8th grade science).

She has used test tubes as carrying cases for vitamins, in spice racks, and as push pin holders that hang on her bulletin boards. As for the necklaces, "One day with a regular test tube order I received a better grade of cork than what I was used to. The cork felt unbelievably cool and smooth to the touch and looked so beautiful that within seconds I was imagining my uncorked line!" she says.

Uncorked calls herself a "mad scientist" in her profile on etsy, so I asked her about what that phrase means to her. "I am the kind of scientist that gets "mad" when people think they cannot be scientific and artistic at the same time," she said. I completely agree. Science requires imagination, passion, originality, and an ability to think outside the box and improvise - all traits usually associated with artists. Uncorked has successfully combined her love of science and art with her test tube line.

When I asked Uncorked about what prompted her to start selling her creations on etsy, she told me that she "was trying to get some crafty girls in my school interested in the science fair by offering them a new category for the most creative project. The girls were all etsy addicted, and when I got home that night and googled it, I was quickly addicted, too!" It sounds to me like she learned about Etsy from her students. Neat!

In addition to teaching science, Uncorked teaches photography classes. Just as she encourages her science students' love for art, she introduces her photography students to the beauty in science. "I am determined to get my photography students to see the beauty in tesla coil, exploding glass and, yes, cork! And I am equally determined to get my computer students to see the beauty in their binary numbers!" she says.

Clearly Uncorked is passionate about what she does. "As a scientist I am continually inspired by the things I do not know. When a student asks a question in a way I had not thought about, I get excited. When I hear something I am unfamiliar with, the researcher in me kicks into high gear. I love to google! I am also a born skeptic so I love to experiment," she says. She also strikes me as a natural artist. "I have been an artist all my life. College was kind of a crossroads where I choose science as a career because I knew the art would always be there for me." Gotta pay the bills!

Her "uncorkedUCATION line" is designed specifically for girls to inspire a love of math and science.

The cork she uses in her pieces is a renewable resource (as are the glass test tubes). Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree.

She says the cork she uses "is grown in managed forests in Portugal and Spain where the bark is carefully harvested, once every nine years, in a centuries-old tradition with hand tools and without fertilizers or pesticides, a process that ensures the forests will remain undamaged."

The photo on the right shows what a harvested and still alive cork oak tree looks like. I passed through a forest of them in Tunisia, and they are amazing trees. The WWF has an excellent page devoted to the conservation of these unique Mediterranean forests.

My First Interview

Through my etsy networking I've met some friendly artists, who like me, are trying to turn a fun hobby into a paying venture. Every month I will feature one here and use an interview format. It might be a little rough at first, as I am not a trained journalist, but ha! I have some great vicarious experience to draw on :-) thank you Sleyed!

Shi, a jewelry designer who joined etsy about the same time I did, kindly volunteered to be my first interview subject.

My favorite piece from Shi: The Beauty Within, A Multi-
Gemstone Chakra Pendant. It's made with garnet, fossil stone, yellow jade, unakite, sodalite, amethyst, and quartz. The pendant is wrapped with sterling silver wire and priced very well at only $25.

1) How long have you been making jewelry, and how did you get started?
I started making jewelry after a combination of things happened to me, a car accident that left me with a back injury and homebound for awhile that I had to find a hobby, next my favorite bracelet broke then began my jewelry repairing and creating venture almost 4 years ago.

2) Is it your full-time job? If not, what do you do for a living and what strategies do you use to manage both?
I could only wish I could commit all of my time to my jewelry. During the day I’m a loan clerk at a local credit union and during the night I’m a wife, mom (of twin 16 year old boys) , a human pet to 2 Great Danes and 3 cats, then last but not least a jewelry designer. Between work and my family the only time I have really to work on my jewelry is after everyone is in bed. Then it’s “me” time, I turn off the tv, put on my favorite music then let the creative juices flow.

3) How did you first find out about etsy?
I heard about Etsy after reading a post in “Crafty Vixens” on Tribe.net. I used to sell on the other “E” site, but I wanted a more personal venue to sell my wares in.

4) You work with semi-precious gems and silver, so I'd guess that's your favorite material. Am I right? Do you have a favorite piece of jewelry that you've made? If so, tell me more about it.
You’re right, it is my favorite material to work with and wear. With so many color choices in the gemstones I can make anything to go with whatever outfit I have. My favorite piece is something that I have just recently created using a Goddess charm that I’m waiting for a copyright on. While I was listening to a new release by my favorite band, Woodland, I had a sort of vision for this necklace. After I made it, I posted it for the band to see….well they loved it and asked if I could make two for the lovely women in the band. It’s kind of a proud mama moment…I was honored.

5) What do you like most about making jewelry?
Honestly I truly enjoy the creative outlet that it offers. I like learning about the healing properties in the stones then creating a piece with those properties in mind.

6) What, if anything, is frustrating about it?
I think the most frustrating part is just not being able to dedicate the time that I would like to it. I’m envious of the people that can do that, but I’m also happy that they’re in a place that allows them to have that freedom. It’s always wonderful when our dreams come true. In time mine will come true too.

7) Finally, what inspires you?
I’m inspired by music, my dreams, the natural beauty of the stones that I work with, but mostly the beauty, both inside and out, in the women that I'm blessed enough to have in my life.

Sea Breeze Earrings - Another wonderful piece of jewelry created by Shi.