OUR ARTISTS
Adam Yusuf
Ceramic & Pottery
Hi. My name is Asaf Yusuf. I live in Istanbul / Turkey. I am an interior architect. My job made me start this business.In addition I attended lots of workshop about leather, ceramic, concrete and glass etc.Therefore I learned a lot of informations about designing leather, concrete, ceramic tiles, glass materials thanks to my department. Also I’m interested traditional things. I have sold them everywhere of Turkey. Now I want to sell these pieces to all over the world from Turkey. As you know, ottoman Turkish style tiles, ceramics very famous in the world so I make my products as I learned from my master teachers.
Some of Adam's Artworks
Alex Wojtowicz
Tree of Life Pendants
I am a Polish, spiritual, and queer Libra, social worker, avid camper, volunteer, crafter, sister, partner, daughter, and friend.
Forests have always provided a safe space for me to explore and connect, which gave life to greater self-awareness and love. For me, trees symbolize strength and resilience, and I created hand-held representations of that with my wire tree pendants. May they provide grounding energy and act as reminders of growth and healing for the recipient.
Some of Alex's Artworks
Carmeline
Crystals & Gemstones
Life, for me, has always needed to be experiential. Even as a child, I didn’t want to just hear or read about something, I wanted to experience it. I wanted to know Life at its depth, see the essence of everything. The poetry that I write is about what inspires me, what gives me insight into Life’s experiences and some of its mysteries.
I write because I want to be a part of enriching and enhancing Life. I feel art makes a contribution because it lasts forever. Poetry is an art form that is portable. I also have a practical nature, so I like the portability of poetry. A poem does not have to be hung in a museum or be put on a shelf in a library; it can be carried with us as a companion-at all times.
Ila Zala
Body Artist
My name is Ila Zala and I am a body artist. I have been doing henna tattoos since 2020 and have started my journey with permanent tattooing as well. I am available to be booked for one on ones, parties for birthdays, bachelorette, weddings , prom and more.
If interested in my service please contact:
Sacred Ground
847-749-3922 and ask for henna by ILA
Henna tattoos, or more traditionally known as mehndi, is a form of temporary body art originating from India. The paste is made from the henna plant and has been used for centuries.
Jane Nassano
Fine Art
With a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Arizona State University and a specialization in graphic design I started my career as a graphic designer for the City of Los Angeles for 2 years. After owning and operating my own graphic deign firm for several years in Laguna Beach, CA., I then moved to the island of Barbados in the West Indies and opened a neon sign company for which I did all the signage design. My move back to the states brought forth a shift in my career from graphic design to fine art, when I began painting in soft pastel. I created photo-realistic florals, figures, architectures, horses, portraits and landscapes in soft pastel and watercolor for nearly 25 years.
I now scour thrift shops, junk stores, antique malls and just the alleys in my neighborhood for anything old, metal, rusty or broken, to create a body of work full of angels and crosses, flowers and vases, creatures, stories and symbols in both wall hangings and sculptures.
This form of creating art helps me feel as if I’m doing my part for the betterment of the world, recycling and repurposing with materials that have been discarded or may have ended up in a landfill had I not found them. I also have a whole lot of fun creating this way!
Janel
Crystals & Gemstones
Janel has had a passion for creativity all her life. It began when her Grandmother taught her to crochet at age 6.
Since crystals and gemstones have been part of her life for over 10 years, she now includes wire-wrapped gemstone jewelry. She chooses gemstones individually that not only are beautiful, but also feel good and benefit body, mind and spirit. Creating one-of-a-kind jewelry designed for every price point and personal style is her passion along with teaching about the properties of crystals and helping people choose gemstones and jewelry specifically for themselves or as special gifts for others.
Julia
Enthusiast and a Seeker
Julia Velonis Degan (@mclilj) is an enthusiast and a seeker. A respected educator with a Master’s in Education, a Major in Political Science, and a Minor in Sociology. Julia spent the early part of her career in advertising sales and marketing. In addition to being a music fan, Julia writes lyrics, raps and DJs under the name MC lil j. Her podcast Rap on Tap is available on all platforms and many of the MC lil j songs that are referenced in this book are featured on the show. Julia is a wife as well as a proud and loving mama of two children. She counts the family pet Jinx the Dog (@jinx_is_awesome) as her best friend and muse. Julia does service work as part of her recovery program and is crafty in her spare time. Julia grew up on the northside of Indianapolis attending Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church and currently resides twenty minutes outside of Chicago
Kate Kent
Nurturing Spirits
I have always had a connection to Gaia, (the Earth’s energy force), it is a part of who I am, who we all are; there is a symbiotic flow between us and our planet. When we slow down and get in touch with that essence, we can begin to understand how to sustain our lives and our planet through the wisdom of our ancestors and the bountiful abundance offered to us from our living world; everything we will ever need surrounds us.
This connection began my interest in herbs, plants, natural healing, and health. Whatever I am creating in my kitchen, whether a pot of herbal tea, a salve for a bug bite a nutritious meal for family and friends, I prepare it mindfully and with intention, using minimal natural ingredients that have purpose and love infused into their creation.
I feel grateful and blessed for the intertwined connection I am developing with our planet and all she has to teach us. I will continue to share that knowledge in the products I create, the teachings I offer, and the continued growth and development of my relationship with Gaia through my business and motto Nurturing Spirit.
Some of Kate's Products
Featured Products:
• Lip balm
• Facial scrub
• Relaxation oil
• Body butter
• Milk bath
Linda Strickland
Fine Art Photography
As a pianist, a photographer, & a poet, I have sought peace & solace through different avenues. Being outside in nature always completely restores me. One day I started to bring a camera along with me, on one of my long walks. It was a way to record all the beautiful things I was so blessed to see.
Some of Linda's Artworks
Lindsay
Angel Globes Artist
Hi I’m Lindsay. I was born and raised in Philadelphia and moved out to Illinois in 2016. After many attempts at getting clean from drugs, I finally found myself and my spirituality. I have always been an empath and it made sense why my emotions have always been so hard to handle and why I masked them. November 2021 I completed Reiki 2. I started making my angel globes shortly after. I love making my globes and seeing my creations come to life. I put so much love and energy into them and hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Maria A. Rodriguez
Author of From Barriers to Bridges: A Treatise
Maria A. Rodriguez, author of From Barriers to Bridges: A Treatise, is a clinical social worker turned Evolutionary Revolutionary. She loves to share the enlightening and empowering pieces of wisdom that help us improve ourselves, our relationships, our lives, and the social systems around us.
Maria serves as a healer, teacher and circle leader in her counseling practice, Sacred Spaces, Inc, and through the Sustancia School of Wisdom, Leadership & Social Change. She feels fortunate to raise her two daughters in this local area with her husband and adorable pup, Hazel.
Maria's Book
Melissa Meier
Painted Rocks
My name is Melissa Meier. I’ve been painting rocks since the 2020 lockdown and absolutely love it. It started with friends and family admiring my many rocks on the dining room table. From there it has become a bit of an obsession for me. One of my first rock commissions was a patio stone with the Pink Floyd logo on it! As more people saw it, I started to get more requests for patio stones and painted rocks.
Mandalas, dotting and glitter paint are some of my favorite things to use on rocks.
I went to Columbia College and graduated with a B.A. in graphic design. I’ve worked in the printing industry doing design and prepress my entire career. I love doing anything creative, from invitations and birthday signs to big heads for graduations.
Thanks for your interest in my work.
Some of Melissa's Artworks
Metal Art Wall Decor
Metal Art
We are a small company with 6 employees.all the way from Romania, Europe. I worked a long time ago with my husband on cruise ships. We grind all our products by hand, burn them and check each piece before packing either me or my husband, to make sure that everything that goes out of from our workshop it is in the best possible condition. All our decorations are beautiful and unique in color due to the process of burning the metal. Each piece of metal behaves differently when burned.
Some of Our Metal Artworks
Moe Lubatti
The Carpenter
Moe grew up in Chicago. Self taught carpenter. Worked in a cabinet shop and for the union and the movies. He has been a carpenter for over 40 years. Now he enjoys using his skills to make urns for pets.
Some of Moe's Artworks
Ruth Sikes
Photography & Assemblages
Ruth G. Sikes is a self-taught photographer and assemblage artist whose photographic images and assemblages have been seen in juried and invitational group shows locally, regionally and nationally. Her photos have been published in numerous trade magazines and annual reports.
One of her guiding influences is the zen-like philosophy of wabi-sabi – beauty that is “imperfect, impermanent and incomplete” and she often depicts objects or scenes that are overlooked, or old and dismissed as unimportant.
At the core of her creative “being” is her assemblage work. (Assemblage: A form of art involving the assembly and arrangement of unrelated objects and materials.)
Using a variety of found objects and textures, her visions, dreams and fears are realized in these self-contained worlds. Because she is not a trained artist, she works from emotion with one simple rule – if it feels right, it is right.
Ruth and her husband, Stuart, reside in Chicago and are the parents of five children and grandparents of ten. Her family members are her favorite and most patient photo subjects.
Some of Ruth's Artworks
Ravens
Possum-and-Cicadas
Squirrel-with-Eyes
This-is-the-way-the-world-ends
Sally Bacon
Rare Jewelry
From death comes life. Sally Wright Bacon began beading after the tragic death of her youngest son. In her hands, the awesome beauty, strength and authenticity of her materials has given birth not just to a unique collection of handmade jewelry, but to her own spiritual rejuvenation as well.
She is one of the rare jewelry designers whose work reflects no single style – it is driven, not by the latest trends, but by her own unique sense of color, shape, texture and pattern. She takes risks with her materials and composition. Her work can be wild and outrageous, sweet and feminine or a bit edgy. Her pieces are an expression of her own free spirit!
Utilizing an eclectic collection of both recent and ancient beads and crosses, Sally has also creates unusual and inspired Beaded Rosaries. Each rosary symbolizes that mystical linkage between the physical and the spiritual, the present and the past, the human and the divine. In 1995 she was commissioned to create a rosary for Pope John Paul II.
Her one-of-a-kind personal ornaments are as individual as the women who wear them.
Some of Sally's Artworks
Hand blown Glass Beads & Sterling Silver
Turquoise & Sterling Silver
Purple Quartz & Spiney Oyster
Crystal Quartz
Stuart Sikes
Assemblages
I am a retired trial attorney who has been making jewelry for 50 years.
My greatest interest is in the use of natural objects such as bone, antler, horn, lava, granite, coral, turquoise, wood, silver, copper, brass, pewter and leather.
As I construct a piece I open myself to allow the piece to tell me how it wants to be made. I simply arrange the materials and move the tools to accommodate the needs of the design.
There is always a moment in the creation of every piece where balance is achieved. It is the moment when all of the energy is at rest. I need to recognize that moment- and then it is done.
Some of Stuart's Artworks
