Emily Nickel.

Sprout.

Emily's stamped ceramic earrings.

Nesting.

The glorious JAnice and her hand-knit sweater.

Hannibal has become a little arts community drawing people working in all kinds of mediums from big cities all over the country. The folks who land here all have one thing in common: they fall in love with the old houses and buildings and have a need to make one or two or three of those place their own! The renovations made to formerly condemned or maybe just forgotten spaces has turned some of these buildings into works of art themselves.

The studio in the house that Janice and Joachim (re)built.

My focus is on the garden. Every bit of lawn I see as potential veggie, flower or fruit plots. We’ve put in a lot of native plants as well – including hazelnuts and paw paws! Plants and natural themes have always been a major inspiration in my work, but outside of the studio, or really, just downstairs from my studio, I am particularly interested in where the plant world intersects my taste buds.

Having lived for years in cities with wonderful restaurants, I never thought I could adjust to a town without Indian food! But in those cities, I worked all the time and ate out all the time because I never had time to cook. Now I cook all the time. My Swiss boyfriend eats only the crustiest of breads and I’m proud to say I’ve mastered it. I make my own paneer and naan when I crave Indian, fresh mozzarella to go with those heirloom tomatoes we’re growing, sorbets from local fruits, homemade pastas, and every pie crust is all butter. Special occasions get an entire day or two devoted to cooking for a single dinner (eight hours in the kitchen yesterday!), and amongst my friends, I am the dessert queen.

So though I never knew I wasn’t a city girl, it took me moving to this little river town to find out. It’s a wonderful and growing little community here and if you’re ever in town, I’d love to show it to you. Poppy field trip, anyone?!

Sheila, her dazzling smile and her dazzling turquoise.

A sampling of Sheila's work - stone, coral, and wood.

My favorite stone is turquoise. This love affair began when I first visited New Mexico; I saw it everywhere and it took my breath away. It evokes the beautiful sky in New Mexico, the fierce and stunning desert, and the brilliant sun. You’ll see a lot of it in my work in a range of colors and sizes. I honestly would be hard-pressed to think of something that could not be improved with a little turquoise. Don’t live without it and wear it often! These are words I live by.
When I’m not making jewelry I’m doing homework or knitting and hanging out with my kitties here in beautiful CoMo. I love art, walking, gardening and architecture and am in the process of living happily-ever-after with my children without whom I would be eternally lost.

The lovely Jane Domke.

A sample of Juno Glass jewelry.

Mudcloth inspired earrings.

A taste of Jane's glass art.

Another reason I work with glass is simply because I have to. While I have very little formal training in the arts, once I began working with glass thirteen years ago, I was immediately love struck. My love of the medium continues today, and will hopefully carry me into the future.

Ken Logsdon in his usual state of amusement.

I’m in service to the arts.

A much shorter answer than this: In addition to operating my greeting card line, Post-a-Quote, I am the publicity guy for the MU Theatre Department and assistant to Alex Innecco, the artistic director of the Columbia Chorale, 9th Street Philharmonic Orchestra and the Missouri United Methodist Concert Series.

When I’m not creating, publicizing or assisting, I’m reading, walking my dogs Lily and Lucy, and taking short trips with my lovely wife Lynnette (she of the “real job.”) One of my newest (really renewed) passions is photography, thanks to a nice digital camera I received for fathers day last year. I’m now the in-house Post-a-Quote photographer. It’s a great gig!

I love theatre and music and try to attend local performances regularly. I feel blessed to live in a town that has so much on offer no one could possibly cover it all. Other inspirations include wise, witty and well-ordered words, patterns, art, nature and friends- and the last shall be first.

I admire those willing to put themselves out there in service to Columbia (including those with whom I disagree) even when to do so frequently exposes them to all sorts of broadsides.

My biggest inspiration: my nearly blind 86 year old mother, blessed with friends and family, who continues to live alone in her big old house with her cat and computer - which she uses for a lot more than email (the computer, not the cat). When my enthusiasm wanes, she encourages me with her perennial solid advice “Sometimes you just have to buck up.” Try it. It works (almost) every time.

After 18 years of Post-a-Quote, I am still satisfied most with simply sitting in my studio and matching words to images. If only…

Relaxing after digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park. Wearing Peacock earrings, of course. A girl's got to accessorize when camping!

Getting to meet artists is another perk of being a Poppette, especially when I love their work. Local artists Karen Pritchett and Todd Shelby of Animalia Pottery frequently bring in their creations, and I always sneak into the back to take a peek before it all goes out on the sales floor. Their pieces are so vibrant and fun; I want to buy an entire set of these bowls for my own house. Here are two bowls that I bought my dad for Christmas. He was thrilled.

Bicycle by Animalia

I Prefer the Term Skanky by Animalia

I must be on a clay kick because I can’t get enough of Olaria Studio. Amy McClure creates her jewelry by pressing found objects into porcelain. The results are beautiful. I own her Peacock earrings in turquoise and would love to add something like

Chatham Batik Bibb Necklace by Olaria