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.

Why Create "The Art of Soap?"

Like most soap makers, I love everything about soap.  Making it, using it, talking about it... and I love admiring the work of others.  Seeing each person's style, trying their soaps, hearing about their favorite part of the process, why they started to make soap - there are as many stories as there are soap makers.

Outside of the community, a bar of soap is not generally known for its beauty.  Soap making is completely unrecognized in the art world and a bit of an outsider in crafting.  So I have decided to publish a book called The Art of Soap.

24 distinctive artisans will be featured, with stunning photographs by Erin Pikor and a personal story written by each soap maker. For someone unfamiliar with the possibilities of soap crafting, it will be eye opening.  For those in the soap community, it will be a feast for the eyes and hopefully a great source of inspiration and pride. 

I hope you'll join me on my journey to create this book and learn more about the people that will be inside it.  I'm incredibly excited and can't wait to share it with you!

New Book Coming This Fall!

Make sure to follow this blog to get announcements about The Art of Soap, an amazing book showcasing soaps made by 24 incredible artisans and the stories behind their inspiration.  Full of beautiful professional photographs, The Art of Soap will be a favorite among those who love to make and use soap, and anyone who appreciates handmade arts.