As a local resin artist it can sometimes feel a little overwhelming to look at other artists work. Especially here in Tacoma where art is so prolific. But I also think that we can learn from each other, embrace our own styles, and grow a community together. So with that in mind, I’ve pulled together several local resin artists from Tacoma to share a little about what they do!
Craft Theory: That’s me! I’m Meredith, the owner of Craft Theory and I naturally progressed to resin after starting with fluid painting in 2018. I wanted a way to protect the paintings, but I kept seeing all the other possibilities and my love for resin took off. A fun fact about me is that I am a Gemini and I fully embrace the chaos. I never know if I’ll wake up wanting to be a hippie or an accountant - but I like to think it’s what makes me good at business. I can handle both the creative and the backend stuff equally. I live in semi-chaos with 4 cats and a dog as well as my wonderful boyfriend and son (who also creates with me).
Luna Fin Designs: My name is Sunshine and I have a partner that I have been with for about 10 years and two wonderful children and I actually named my business after them! I love bright colors and creating and I love the challenge of perfecting others ideas and making them reality. I have been an epoxy resin artist for 3 years and creating my whole life. I started with epoxy resin on my acrylic keychains and quickly moved on to tumblers because they are a ton of fun! I am from Alaska and love living in Washington State because it reminds me of "home" without the many months of snow!
Brigid’s Whispers: My name is India and I am an artist of many disciplines, but resin has become a great love. It is a chance to create fantasy and give my mind an escape. I work in Healthcare full-time where I teach surgeons and other clinicians how to meet compliance guidelines for their documentation and coding/billing. I have been doing that for 20 years. Being able to leave work and go into my workroom is a great chance to use my “left brain” when the “right brain” is exhausted. I was a jewelry maker for the first several years of business. I started making jewelry with resin over images and trinkets imbedded on top. They were very popular ( I still have a ton of old inventory!) but, about a year and a half ago I gave the resin art/geodes a try and got hooked. In winter of 2018, I decided to try it out as my only product at shows….the rest is history. I am a fan of all horror genres and I am very into muscle cars. I have rebuilt engines and done all my own work.
Everwest Art: Hello, I’m Alisa and I discovered resin art when I was really lost and hadn’t worked on any art in a few years. It started with acrylic pouring and then this idea of making geodes out of them and adding in crystals while using resin to seal it all together was born. I got on YouTube and learned from some wonderful teachers! Victoria Wynn, Olgy Soba and Gina De Luca taught me a lot through their videos and posts.In addition to resin, I love watercolors! I’m also a big lover of animals. I have two betas, a German Shepherd and an Akita. Growing up in the country I rode horses and spent a lot of time outside. Art, gardening, playing with my dogs and paddle-boarding are my favorite things to do in my free time. Eventually I hope to make art a bigger part of my life and become a full-time maker and teacher. I was a politics major in college and a campaign manager for a few years before realizing I my calling is to be an activist and artist.
What’s your favorite resin and why?
Meredith: Well I super love Art Resin for a couple different reasons. One is the long work time - I can play with it for about 45 minutes before it starts getting tacky. This means I can do tons of small projects at the same time, or continue messing with a larger project without worrying about the resin hardening too soon. I also love that Art Resin is non-toxic and food-safe so it can easily be adapted for kitchen and decor projects.
Sunshine: I prefer to use Count Culture DIY Epoxy. I use it for the crystal clear shine, the variety of types they sell, and their customer service. The heat resistance for CCDIY is 500 degrees and I very much like knowing my projects aren't going to melt.
India: I predominantly use ProMarine. It is cost effective and very consistent. It is a 1:1 mix and has lower yellowing and works great with all types of colorants. I do also use a heat resist resin from Justforyouonlineuk. Often I use this as a float coat on furniture or coasters/trays, as it is pricy…but great for high temp use and preventing scratches.
Alisa: Envirotex light! I love how easy it is to mix. You mix it for 2 minutes and then 1 minute unlike other brands that I’ve used which can take twice as long.
What’s your favorite thing to make with resin?
Meredith: I have been LOVING geode trinket trays and boxes recently. I’m absolutely in love with geodes and crystals, and I am what I call a basket organizer. Meaning if it’s in a tray or basket it’s “organized”. Hence my love for trinket trays boxes.
Sunshine: I make a lot of tumblers with resin but my favorite thing to make is items from molds. i have a bunch of molds and I love using mica and pigments in the as well as glitter. I like how I can make many different things from one mold because they are all different. I want to get into some free form items soon and I have a feeling I will really enjoy that.
India: I love making geodes. Large or small…they are just stunning. I really like free-form geodes too. I love it when people think they are real!
Alisa: Geodes! I love that there are endless color and crystal combinations I can make.
What’s your favorite way to color your resin?
Meredith: Mica powders. They produce this really fun shimmery look without actually using glitter.
Sunshine: For coloring it depends on what I'm doing. I use alcohol inks, Dispersion Colors and Armor art from CCDIY, mica, pigments, and glitter. My very favorite is usually blending a few together to create dimension.
India: It depends on the piece I am making. I love the richness of pigment pastes…but I use a lot of pigment powders too. But honestly….sometimes a bit of acrylic paint works best!
Alisa: Mica pigment! I’ve found some great deals on amazon where you can buy a variety of colors at once. You only need to use a little bit to get wonderful results!
What’s your most popular product?
Meredith: Recently my most popular product has been coasters. There are tons of ways to incorporate favorite things into resin coasters so I can make them very personal to each customer.
Sunshine: My most popular product would be my tumblers, everyone likes something customized for themselves and of course the added sparkle in most of them adds to the fun!
India: It’s a toss-up…geodes are always the eye catcher, but I make fun coffin boxes that always get attention too. Pyramids are a great loss leader and are great for leftover resin.
Alisa: People really seem to love my paintings. I don’t always know where I am going with them when I start. But color is really important to me. I use colors that I hope will spark feelings of joy, peace, or calm.
What’s the most difficult thing about working with resin?
Meredith: Measuring, leveling, dust. More than once I’ve had to sand and redo a piece or scrap it altogether because I wasn’t paying attention to the measurements and mixing process, or whether the item was on a truly level surface. And don’t even get me started on dust. I craft in a room that our pets don’t have access to, but somehow I still end up with little hairs embedded in the resin every once in a while. Then I have to sand it out and re-pour that layer of resin.
Sunshine: The most difficult thing for me when working with epoxy resin is the wait for it to be cured enough to touch! This is especially true when working with molds because I want to see the end result!
India: Temp and humidity. I am fortunate to have a dedicated work room, but I had to deck it out with a dehumidifier, heater and window fan for fumes. The summer is always the easiest time to pour…but now winter is a bit easier – once the room heats up!
Alisa: Timing! You have to mix it right or it won’t set.
I had a great time learning about these local Tacoma women and the art they create. It is so interesting to me how we all work with resin but have such differing styles and preferences. If you'd like to see more of these artists work please check out their social media links below or websites up in the introductions!
Craft Theory:
instagram.com/crafttheorylakewood
facebook.com/crafttheorylakewood
Luna Fin Designs:
Brigid's Whispers:
Everwest Art: