Kaia

Kaia of West Virginia

As a child and teenager, I started with embroidery, crocheting, knitting, bead work, sewing, and tatting. I even sold crocheted hats in a shop.

After a stint in the Peace Corps, I moved to West Virginia and began making belts and other leather goods. This grew into our family business, doing crafts fairs from the midwest to the east coast, as well as some close to home, including the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee and the Mountain State Festival. I continued to crochet hats, embroider pictures, quilt, learn wood-working, basket-making, broom-making, rustic furniture making, weaving, and in the late nineties, I got my colored pencils out again and began to draw. I love balanced designs, nature, words, colors, realism, and surrealism all wound together. Some of my images were printed as cards and others are original. After I became a school librarian, I decided to stop doing crafts fairs, but continued my leather and art business. I sold consignment and wholesale, through many galleries and stores in West Virginia. I became active with the Art Company in Davis as a working member during the 1990s, and then became a founding member when we created the WV Highlands Gallery. Recently, I have become a working member at Artists at Work in Elkins, West Virginia, as well. And once again, I am crocheting hats, with lots of new styles and designs! And my most popular leather item is still the hair barrette with a stick. "