Nature of Cake Expo & Tasting
Presented by Baptist Heath Centers, H Life – Hoover’s Magazine, Shelby Living

Jurors
Chef Matthew Lagace, Bellini’s Ristorante & Bar
Scott Stephens, Montevallo University, Professor of Art and Chair of Art Department

Best of Show
Teresa Yager of Teresa’s Catering & Wedding Cakes

Best Design
Lindsey Walker of Parlour Pastries by Lindsey

Best Taste
Emily Forsythe of Louise’s Cakes n’ Things

Wreaths Re-Imagined Exhibition

Presented by Alabama Chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers

First Place
Bryant Williams
Bark from a Sycamore Tree, recycled coke can

Second Place
Lisa Mann
recycled maps & mirror, wild berry

Third Place
Perry Humphrey
Recycled bubble wrap and styrofoam peanuts

Thank you to everyone who made the 7th annual eco-creative festival a success – from artists to participants to sponsors to eco partners to visitors.

What a weekend we had in 2012! We look forward to next year.

Cotton & Quill

Why is running an environmentally conscious business important to you?

To me, running a business and offering a product that is 100% American made while keeping suppliers/manufacturers local is one of the best things a business can do for this country during this tough economic time.  For Cotton + Quill, I wanted to offer consumers a product that was created in the United States and supports local businesses for the entire production process (from the design concept, to the production of materials, then to the final product).  Following these guidelines for Cotton + Quill’s production process, will hopefully secure a better future for generations to come.

What need drove or inspired your eco-related business or organization?

Over the years, I have noticed that it is becoming more and more difficult to find American-made products.   My main inspiration for starting Cotton + Quill was to follow my dream of wanting to design textiles as well as running a solely USA operated company allowing me the ability to provide a 100% American made product to consumers.     I found a company in the Southeast that used eco-friendly methods for printing on natural-fiber textiles.  I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to keep all of the production within the USA and support as many businesses/manufacturers in the Southeast as possible.  My supplier for both fabric printing and my pillow forms are both located in the Southeast, and all of Cotton + Quill’s products are custom-made right here in Birmingham, AL.

How can people find out more about your company or organization and what it does, besides coming out to Moss Rock Festival?

A great way to find out more about Cotton + Quill is to visit our website at www.cottonandquill.com.  We also frequently post updates on our Facebook page with current and upcoming events as well as new products being offered.  Anyone may also contact me personally to find out more about Cotton + Quill; I am more than happy to share with others what we do and answer any questions.

Energize Alabama, Site 221

Why is running an environmentally conscious business important to you?

Energize Alabama is a grassroots effort (read – unfunded) to build a constituency for energy efficiency and renewable energy policies and programs in Alabama. We’ve got to start demanding that our political leadership get with the wave of change that is sweeping the planet toward more sustainable and responsible stewardship of of our natural resources.

What need drove or inspired your eco-related business or organization?

The southeast has the highest per-capita electric power consumption in the country.

The average home is responsible for three (3) times the greenhouse gases of the average car.

Alabama is vying for last place as the state most un-friendly for implementation of solar energy technology.

How can people find out more about your company or organization and what it does, besides coming out to Moss Rock Festival?

Join our Energize Alabama Network  at EnergizeAlabama.org.

Moss Rock Festival
ECO SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Cole-Tyson Land & Garden Design

Why is running an environmentally conscious business important to you?

When you look around and expect that this is a common cultural priority, we are unfortunately forced to realize that only a very small percentage of businesses craft business plans that consider the Natural Environment.  If we think back to the beginnings of Human Settlement on the land we may realize that we once had no choice, but to work with the natural environment and respect it. Many businesses are so far removed from the landscape based on our cultural innovations and technology, that it is often hard to even want to care about the environment unless this is an ethic that holds high priority in our lifestyle already.  Our cultural systems are so strong that there are full generations of people that are living with minimal daily interaction with our truly natural landscapes. So it is important us, because we live like this even before business, and our family has for many generations and passed down these ethics as a first lifestyle priority. We are thankful for nature and the beauty and inspiration it brings and accept the cultural responsibility to lead by example.  Amongst many inspirations, we were most inspired by a recent trip to Burkina Faso, Africa when we saw what true conservation is based on the cultural reality of poverty. The people smiled. Why, because they were content with what they had, and spiritually grounded, thus we realized how wasteful many Americans are and our lives were forever changed to strive to be like this African Village we stayed in!  They lived very simply and focused on strong relationships with people.  This is a beautiful thing!

What need drove or inspired your eco-related business or organization?

Americans generally are extremely wasteful and uneducated about conservation as a general daily discipline. So it was important for us to confront this idea of Stewardship and Conservation of Time, Money, Space, Relationships, Natural Resources, and more. More along the lines of literally launching the business, we were challenged to accept the reality that now is a risky time to start a business.  We believe that if the business foundation answers the question “Why” and our marketing conveys a message that is morally sound with a servants heart, our business will flourish and lives will be changed.  We were not discouraged by the tough economic times, because we understand that people will still find great value in our services due to the reality that Nature is so extremely important to positive lifestyle development. We needed to produce quicker to impact more people, so we became mobile and decided to begin working on site.  Also we needed to develop a model that was as financially responsible as possible to minimize our business risk and provide us with a healthy profit to further other subsidiary business that will also culturally lead by example and impact as many people as we can.  And, the value is in the design process. We learned that way too many people in our same industry are providing services without giving the clients the true design experience that they deserve to fully protect their lifestyle investment.  It all starts with the collaborative design process, and there was a huge need for Affordable design services in our city. So we have made this service available to individuals, businesses, Landscape Contractors, General Contractors, Realtors, and anyone else who we can share this valuable process with.

How can people find out more about your company or organization and what it does, besides coming out to Moss Rock Festival?

#3 www.cole-tysonstudio.com   205.201.1483   Facebook   http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cole-Tyson-Land-Garden-Design-Studio/319861708081261?ref=hl

info@cole-tysonstudio.com

 Check out their special outdoor nature room installation on the Yellow Row and register to win a planter box for your garden.

Moss Rock Festival
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Michael Fernambucq, Sculpture

What artists have influenced you?

Its not so much any particular artist themselves or their works that influence me but more their persistence & drive that pushes & drives me. My greatest source of inspiration is nature for nature holds a great deal of subtle wisdom that one can obtain if they have the patience.

I was formally introduced to art early in life. My grandmother was an artist and I spent a lot of time watching her transform blank white canvas into amazing paintings stroke for stroke. I unknowingly was gaining knowledge of the elements that make up art as well as many techniques from just watching her as she worked and it wasn’t soon after that I started following suit.

There is no one piece that I must glance at on a said “daily basis” but I do enjoy reading about and seeing new interesting works from publications like Hi-Fructose, ISC: Sculpture Magazine, Juxtapoz and others. (As for what styles I like to collect) I enjoy Japanese prints particularly from the Edo period (i.e. Hiroshige, Yoshitoshi, Kuniyoshi, etc.)

I am showcasing a series titled The Nature of Industry. Below is an excerpt from my writings about the work.

What comes from the ground will return once more. Objects fade, the stain of time on the tattered form, they transform from functional objects to useless waste. Discarded remnants intentionally hidden from sight, they find their resting place, amongst a tolerant culture. Eternal nature’s unconditional embrace offers refuge to the unwanted so that it may reinvent itself a new. What comes from the ground will return once more.

Nature is intertwined with the pieces from the moss that grows on the works to the earthy texture that encompasses the pieces. The strong imagery of industry, these actual remnants of Birmingham’s past, entrenched in rock as if they are being swallowed with time and returning to the earth all the while actual thriving plant life embraces these remnants in a struggle to keep them in the present is truly astonishing. I want people to think about the big picture and how everything comes from something and that too many man made objects find a resting place that is undesirable which can have negative consequences on the environment. A single person’s action, no matter how small, shapes the environment… for good or bad is up to each person.

They can visit my website www.NaturalSelectionArt.com

or contact me via email NaturalSelectionArt@gmail.com

To find more about Michael and see more of his work, click here.

Moss Rock Festival
ECO SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Alabama Environmental Council

Why is running an environmentally conscious business important to you?

The Alabama Environmental Council (AEC) recognizes the positive link between a strong economy, a clean environment, and a healthy, proactive citizenry. By working for a healthy environment with an emphasis on clean air, efficient and renewable energy, and improved waste reduction practices, we provide a voice for Alabama now and for the future.

What need drove or inspired your eco-related business or organization?

The AEC formed 45 years ago as the Alabama Conservancy (before the EPA, Earth Day, Clear Air Act, and Clean Water Act) to initiate protection of Alabama’s natural environment. Since those early days, the AEC has been instrumental in these successes in the state, among many others: creation of the Sipsey Wilderness, Bartram Trail, and Dugger Mountain Wilderness, the Oak Mountain State Park Teaching Facility, Ruffner Mountain Nature Center, the Alabama Wildlife Center, as well as initiating curbside recycling programs in Birmingham and other municipalities around the state.

The organization has worked on waste reduction and recycling efforts since 1973 with such accomplishments as founding numerous recycling efforts throughout the state and the establishment of the City of Birmingham’s (COB) curbside recycling program. Today, the AEC still operates the state’s oldest non-profit recycling center which processes more than 2,000 tons of glass, plastic, aluminum, steel, mixed paper, cardboard, and electronics each year. Over the past few years, in collaboration with the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH), the AEC has acquired nearly $750,000 in ADEM Recycling Fund grants to expand and improve Jefferson County’s recycling infrastructure. These grants are being used to make recycling available to 14 communities that did not previously have access to recycling, create a glass and office paper pick-up program for Birmingham businesses, provide access to event recycling bins for Birmingham events and festivals, expand UAB’s recycling capacity, build a new recycling center in south Jefferson County, purchase curbside recycling bins for Birmingham’s program, and more.

How can people find out more about your company or organization and what it does, besides coming out to Moss Rock Festival?

Visit www.AEConline.org

Visit www.RecycleAL.com

Visit us at the Downtown Birmingham Recycling Center (2431 2nd Ave N, 35203)

Call our office at 205.322.3126

Alabama Environmental is helping the festival with it’s recycling efforts. Be sure to look for the specially marked trash and Recycle Alabama receptacles located throughout the festival site. The Alabama Environmental Council will be recycling aluminum cans and plastic bottles at MRF this year. Thank you for helping us in this recycling effort!

Moss Rock Festival
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Carolyn Warren, Painting 

What artists have influenced you?

I am influenced daily!  As an art teacher I am always searching for new, fun art projects for my students.  And my students inspire me, as well as challenge me.

What exposure to art as a child influenced your career path?

As a child I loved art and my mother enrolled me in art classes as often as she could.

As an artist, we know you create. But what style of work do you like to collect? Do you have a favorite piece that you must glance at on a daily basis?

I wish I could say that I have a special piece I have collected…but, I’m broke!

What kind of work will you be exhibiting for sale at Moss Rock Festival and how was it inspired by nature?

I am a painter, and I am inspired by nature’s beauty!  I love to be outside, and my paintings are loose interpretations of landscape.  I also do figurative work.

How can people find out more about you? 

I am located here in Birmingham.  Currently, Bang Salon in Cahaba Heights carries my work.  And my work is located on my blog www.carolynwarrenartist@blogspot.com.

Find out more about Carolyn and her artwork, click here.

Moss Rock Festival
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Craig Showronek/Lula Woodworks, Wood

What artists have influenced you?

Though always a creative person, it was a few years into a life changing experience a decade ago that the true artist in me finally came out. My wife Lula is the inspiration for all I do. I chose the name Lula Woodworks for my company for a reason, and the reason is that Lula stands for the beauty that life holds when you follow your dream and make it reality. I have always admired Frank Lloyd Wright’s spin on things, but my favorite artist is my daughter. Her work is all over my shop and the art world will be talking about her soon.

As an artist, we know you create. But what style of work do you like to collect? Do you have a favorite piece that you must glance at on a daily basis?

My medium is wood.  I let the wood I am working with at the time tell me what the final design will be. Every piece of wood is different and just like in life, if you try to make something be something it’s not, it doesn’t work.

What kind of work will you be exhibiting for sale at Moss Rock Festival and how was it inspired by nature?

We’ll be displaying boards, boards and more boards at Moss Rock. Cutting boards, cheese boards, bread boards, bar boards and what I like to call my salami boards. They’re made out of about 20 different types of wood & come in every shape & size you can think of.

How can people find out more about you? 

Look for Lula Woodworks on Facebook.

To find out more about Craig and his work, click here.

Moss Rock Festival
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT SERIES

Max Dawson, Jewelry

What artists have influenced you?

I have always liked and admired Jackson Pollock. Much like some of my work with gears, they can sometimes look like they’re just thrown together randomly, but if there is one mistake, one gear or watch hand out of place, I have to scrap it.

What exposure to art as a child influenced your career path?

My father was a photographer and he would often leave his prints and negatives where I could look at them. I loved the idea black and white photos, and how a negative image could be used to make a photo. I thought it was magical.

As an artist, we know you create. But what style of work do you like to collect? Do you have a favorite piece that you must glance at on a daily basis? 

Its a strange admission but I collect custom sunglasses. After working for optometrist for several years I have developed an eye for certain aspects that blend well together when choosing frames, color tent on lenses, what type of lens, and function and then taking all that and creating something new. Most optometrist will tell you sunglasses and glasses are jewelry for the face, so why not customize them. I have over twenty pair.

What kind of work will you be exhibiting for sale at Moss Rock Festival and how was it inspired by nature? 

I will be exhibiting what I like to call, ‘steampunk inspired’ jewelry. Its not quite so complex and ostentatious as most steampunk jewelry, just little hints of shiny brass gears and vintage images that you are sure to love.

Its the metal that inspires me. Metals found in nature, forged by man, and then when nature takes hold of it again, you get something different and new. For example, the colors that are expressed when copper and silver tarnish, what happens to photos after they have been exposed for too long to the elements, and when iron and steal begin to rust and break.

 How can people find out more about you? 

Esty site coming soon. email me at: lazarusdesign49@yahoo.com

Find out more about Max, plus see more of his jewelry:  Click here.

Moss Rock Festival’s
ARTIST SPOTLIGHT BLOG SERIES:

Susan Dennis Gordon, Painting & Ceramics

What artists have influenced you?

Willem de Kooning, Lynda Benglis, and George Baselitz. Also my mom. She doesn’t really think of herself as an artist, but she has a super sharp eye. Maybe even better than mine.

What exposure to art as a child influenced your career path?

My parents took me to Europe when I was 15. We saw so many museums and so much art but the Louvre probably had the biggest impact on me. I took a sketchpad with me and filled it by the end of the trip.

As an artist, we know you create. But what style of work do you like to collect? Do you have a favorite piece that you must glance at on a daily basis?

I love to collect art from people I know. I have two pieces that I love. One is by Scott Meyer – a small Anagama-fired bottle, and another is an original painting by Whitney Wood Bailey, a New York-based artist and friend that graduated from Auburn with me. I get to look at both of those pieces every day and still am in awe of them.

What kind of work will you be exhibiting for sale at Moss Rock Festival and how was it inspired by nature?

I have a new body of paintings that I’m really excited about. This series, called “Summer Series” is inspired by things enjoyed under the beautiful summer skies of the south; anything from water flowing over a bed a rocks to a pond crammed with water lily pads. Every time I create a painting like this, I am taken back to memories of my childhood. I spent almost all of my time outdoors as a kid – swimming, biking, hiking, riding horses and building forts. Now as an adult, I am lucky enough to spend much of my time painting and creating in my heavily wooded backyard.

I will also have a new body of ceramics. I was actually a ceramics major in college. I love to work with clay.. I would say that my pottery tips its hat to geometry, pattern, and design that is either found in nature, or inspired by nature. I love taking an organic, shapeless ball of clay and forming it into a structure…almost like a flower is born from a seed.

How can people find out more about you?

My work can be viewed at Homewood’s Art Alley gallery, Framing Establishment in Jacksonville, Florida, Kathleen’s in Decatur, AL, Fairhope’s Lyons Share gallery, Auburn’s Interiors Store Moxii, and on my online shop: www.susanbdennis.etsy.com or on my website: www.theswanart.com. Plus if you watch the NBC tv series Parenthood, look out for her work on  the walls of one of the show’s character’s home.

Find out more about Susan, plus see more of her artwork:  Click here.