Featured Artist: Elea Lutz of Nostalgia

When you get soaps from Elea Lutz of Nostalgia, featured in The Art of Soap, you can feel the love she puts into every one.  All of the papers and fabrics have prints designed by her, and the wrappers on the Soap Sacks even open up to reveal patterns you can use with the cotton bags.  They exude charm and sweetness that is hard to describe!

Elea says, in her own words:

At the end of the day, my artistic and company goals are one and the same: to create from the heart and offer joyful gifts that are memorable and meaningful. These are the most important ideas inspired by my grandmother. The result, I hope, is a genuine collection of tenderness and originality that blends essences of yesteryear into wondrous pleasures in the washroom and beyond.

Don't miss this month's desktop wallpaper, featuring Elea's soaps.  Just sign up for the newsletter to receive it automatically!  And stay tuned over the next few weeks for the book's publication announcement.  It's coming!  :)

Great Sponsorship Announcement

 

Earlier this year I attended the HSMG Soap Conference in Denver, Colorado. Last year was the first time I went, which was in Palm Springs.  I wasn't a member yet but by the time I left I had signed up.  The Soap Guild is an incredible non-profit organization whose mission is to:

promote the handcrafted soap industry; 

to act as a center of communication among soapmakers; 

and to circulate information beneficial to soapmakers.

It is the largest soap guild in the United States and they take their role very seriously.  The Conferences provide the most incredible workshops all relating to the specific needs of soap makers.  From marketing to soap chemistry to cosmetics regulations, every day is packed with invaluable learning. 

For those that can't attend the conferences, The Soap Guild website offers many resources available all year long including product and general liability insurance, an online forum, and now they have created a Legislative Advocacy Group to give all American soap makers a voice in the pending legislation effecting us.  Please click over to their blog to read about the latest events offered by The Soap Guild.

I am very pleased to announce that The Soap Guild is now a sponsor of The Art of Soap.  Thank you so much to the Board, which supports my effort to promote soap making as an art and very important craft. 

Come see an excerpt from The Art of Soap, featuring SV Soaps!

The book is coming along very nicely, each feature looks so bright and beautiful.  Since explaining a book is never as good as seeing it for yourself, I have uploaded an actual feature!  Here is an excerpt from the "Technique" chapter, showcasing the amazing work by Silvia Victory of SV Soaps.  You can flip through it right here on the blog by clicking on the grey page edges, or click on the page center to see it full sized.

Open publication - Free publishing - More soap

There are 23 other incredible artisans as well, each with a very distinctive style and point of view.  The Art of Soap is still on track to be published next month, so don't forget to sign up for the newsletter and be the first to know when it's ready!

Chapter 1: Philosophy

Last week I completed chapter one: "Philosophy."  As I read through all of the soap makers' essays for the book, I found that many people are driven to make soap because of their values and beliefs.  If you saw my earlier post about Brown Rice Family, they try to have a natural and healthy life, and their soaps are made with organic ingredients.  Yiuchi even travels to Japan to visit the farmers that supply green tea for his soaps.

The cover page for this chapter features Maggie Wang's beautiful soaps (shown above).  In her write-up she explains:

I began making soaps when my husband's co-worker lost his wife to cancer. That's when I realized how many harmful chemicals go into our daily cleaning products. I then began my ever-evolving quest for the all-natural soaps: I'm always hunting for natural ingredients, natural scents, and natural colorants.

She also focuses on using animal fats in her recipes.  Her designs are modern and striking. 

I am almost finished with the second chapter and will post a preview of that one as well.  In the meantime, you can get another preview of a featured artist by signing up for the newsletter (click here).  You'll receive a desktop wallpaper featuring A*Kang (also part of the Philosophy chapter) and an excerpt of her write-up.

I look forward to sharing more of the book with you.  It's coming out beautifully, thanks to the incredible work of the soap makers and Erin Pikor's photography.  I know you will love it!

New Desktop Wallpaper Featuring A*Kang

For the month of August, all newsletter subscribers will receive a desktop wallpaper image featuring the beautiful soaps by A*Kang.  Hailing from Taiwan, A*Kang is dedicated to using all natural ingredients in her cold process soap bars and adorable soap confections.  To learn more about A*Kang and receive your wallpaper, sign up for the newsletter (click here).  You can opt to only receive the book publication announcement, or get all updates from now until then! 

Behind the Scenes - Meet Erin Pikor

 

One of my goals of The Art of Soap is to educate people about the craft of soapmaking. In order to do that and do justice to the featured artists, I knew I would need an amazing photographer who understood the craft and its special beauty. There was only one person that I would consider - Erin Pikor.

Erin and I have been friends and work associates for over 3 years. She is an incredible soap maker and the one-woman-show behind Naiad Soap Arts, which is also featured in The Art of Soap. In fact, her soap (shown here) won Best in Show at the recent HSMG Soap Conference. It was her first year competing!

Erin studied photography and art at Art Institute of Boston, then graphic design at the Connecticut Institute of Art. I asked her a few questions about her background and she said,

I was taught the technical aspects of photography but I think to really take good pictures you have to take a lot of pictures and look at other work. Eventually you will know intuitively what type of composition will work with a subject as well as what depth of field you want - it is really all relative to the subject and I think it just takes practice...Right now my main focus is on the art of soap making and photographing my soap, which is just as fun as making it!

What other professional photography jobs have you done, or more simply – types of photography?

I have publishing credits as a photo editor, cover artist and illustrator but this will be my first credit as photographer! It is very exciting! I used to take a lot of architectural photography and there was a burned down fireworks factory in my town and it was one of my favorite places to take pictures, along with an old train car graveyard in northeast Connecticut. In Boston it was the old buildings that I really loved to shoot and when I moved to San Diego I used to love going to the Julian area to take pictures in the woods.

What kind of camera do you use?

I currently use a Canon Rebel digital SLR and am saving up for a new macro zoom lens! I love this camera - it is easy to use and reasonably priced. I love the overall reliability of this camera.

 Thank you for sharing that info, Erin!

Look for her work in The Art of Soap, coming this Fall!

Meet a Featured Artist - Brown Rice Family

Shortly after I decided to make The Art of Soap, I stumbled upon this video on Etsy.  It gave me butterflies!  I was more determined than ever to contact artists like the Brown Rice Family and tell the world about them.  Their soaps will be featured, and Yuichi wrote a wonderful essay about his inspiration and travels for the book.  They are so passionate and it shows in everything they do.