Please start by telling us a little about yourself and your studio.

We are a retired husband and wife team. We do everything together. Not so long ago, we started collecting antiques as we ran across them. Next, we wanted to restore old items so that others could enjoy them once again. It just seems such a shame to let something rust or rot away in some forgotten place. Eventually, we were running out of space in our house, so we opened an antique store. We both enjoyed creating crafts of all sorts, so we combined all these activities and that finally led us to Artfire.

If there’s one thing that defines you, what is it?

We are salvagers of things forgotten and creators of new items that will be tomorrow's memories.

What role does your family play in your art?

As a husband and wife team, we work together in all aspects. While Gary is more of the builder and repair guy, Jackye creates the ideas and finds most the things we sell in our shop.

Where do you live and what is it like?

We live on a farm outside Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie is approximately in the center of the state. It is mainly a Historic town founded back during the land run of 1889. Living out on the farm we don't have many neighbors unless you are counting cows.

Where did you learn your medium?

I suppose we have always been handy at things. We just jump right in the middle of something and keep working until we figure it out.
What are your goals with your ArtFire studio?

Our goals are to keep producing and finding items that others will enjoy. We will always keep some vintage items and also keep making a variety of new crafts.

How did you come to selling online?

We like to try many mediums of selling. We run an antique booth in Guthrie as well as our ArtFire shop. However, we really love the convenience of selling through ArtFire.

How did you come to find a home on ArtFire?

We just stumbled on an ad for Artfire one day. We loved the way it sounded. We tried Etsy and actually found that ArtFire fit our needs much better.

What is the best piece of advice you can give other artists?

Never give up. Just keep searching for that next product to sell. As long as you are swinging, you will eventually hit something.

Why do you think that buying and selling handmade products benefits society?

Handmade items are how things were done in the past. It is our history and part of our culture.
It breeds creativity, quality and self reliance. It is the ability from our past trials that makes one’s life better today.
 

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