Los Olivos Makers includes some of the best-known names in fine crafts and design that are living and working in the Central Coast. In a region known for boutique wines, these makers bring a unique element to the community and another great reason to spend time in our valley. Join us to meet these makers and see live demonstrations of their work.
Michelle Castle, Graphic Designer, Honey Paper, 2933 Grand Avenue, Suite E, Los Olivos, honey-paper.com
Michelle Castle is a California-born designer and illustrator who creates her own line of stationery sold exclusively at her boutique, Honey Paper in Los Olivos. Her fascination with maps, botanicals and really anything combining text started at a young age and led to her career as an invitation producer. Recently, she taught herself watercolors to create her own line of maps and botanical prints. She is constantly experimenting with images, text and paper to create unique items. At her store, Honey Paper, Michelle hand selects and imports a high quality, curated selections of stationery, gifts and papers from around the world.
Kristen Cramer, Ceramicist, Global Eye Art Collective, 2935 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, geartco.com
Kristen Cramer is a self-taught ceramic artist, her main body of work is wheel thrown porcelain that is painstakingly hand-painted and hand-carved with repetitive patterns. Each season she also creates limited edition pieces reflecting new ideas and experiments. Her store, Global Eye Art Co., features her work and brings in many more artists in a tightly curated all-handmade design and gift store. At Meet the Makers in Los Olivos Kristen will give wheel throwing demonstrations between 1-3 on the hour for about 10 minutes. Following each demonstration onlookers can sign up to try their hand at wheel throwing.
Diane Dorsey, Fine Jeweler, R&D los olivos, 2446 Alamo Pintado, Los Olivos, randdlosolivos.com
Original, passionate and trained in a range of artistic disciplines, Diane - and her work - is a study in balance. With a BFA concentrating in painting and architecture and an MA in Art Education, Diane’s jewels are informed by a technician’s knowledge of form and balance as well as an artist’s eye for scale and patina. Her private studies with Master Goldsmiths and Master Silversmiths refined a passion for jewelry-making discovered while crafting assemblage pieces from antique beads and objects found on world travels. Diane is a dedicated member of Ethical Metalsmiths and creates her work with the stewardship of this planet first and foremost.
Vicky Valdes, Leather Artist, Artisans Gallery, 2432 Alamo Pintado, Los Olivos, artisansgallerylosolivos.com
Vicky Valdes is a designer by heart, born and raised in Mexico City. Her medium and passion is leather and pearls. A resident of The Santa Ynez Valley since 1994, she has for the past ten years created many varieties of handbags, clutches, freshwater pearl jewelry, bracelets and belts. Her Craftsmanship reflects her cultural diversity in the shapes, colors and styles of her designs. You can find them in her boutique Artisans Gallery, a former silversmith shop, now the home of her creations. For Meet the Makers Day, she will bring an assortment of leather bags to demonstrate the process of hand stitching or whip stitching leather goods.
Christina LoCascio, Painter, Los Olivos General Store, 2900 Grand Avenue, Los Olivos, losolivosgeneralstore.com
Artist Christina LoCascio has created an art form reflecting her appreciation and passion for wine - she literally paints with wine on paper! Her paintings reveal a wine narrative in the form of vineyards, grape clusters, and wine bottle portraits as well as figurative subjects that bring to life the emotional experience of savoring a glass of wine. Christina currently lives and maintains a studio on her family’s vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley, a source of continuous inspiration. At the Los Olivos Makers Event Christina will demonstrate her wine painting techniques and invite guests to make a wine painting of their own.