An exclusive array of the greater region’s talented community of artists will display and sell their work November 18th – 20th at Seattle’s Smith Cove on Pier 91 near the Magnolia Bridge. Among the group will be jewelry designer Linda Grimes along with her company, Laughing Girl Arts.

She will be joining over 250 artists and artisans chosen to showcase their latest creations from one-of-a-kind clothing, works of metal, glass and wood, to paintings and sculptures.
 
Linda’s circuitous journey to the Best of the Northwest has been a long one. Creative throughout her life, it never occurred to her that making art could be her career.  Instead, she worked in accounting and management in the hotel and printing industries moving with job promotions from San Diego to San Francisco to Seattle. She enjoyed the challenges of the business environment but dreamed about being her own boss. She just wasn’t sure how to do that. She decided to become a real estate agent, and after 17 years it was time to move on. When she left, she took time to contemplate next steps and followed her true passion of creating art.  

She fell in love with making jewelry beginning by taking a class – she enjoyed the detailed structure, the sculptural quality of materials, problem-solving construction issues, the functionality of the finished piece...it was a perfect blend of technique and creativity for her.  With her business background it was a natural progression for her to want to sell her work starting off small with little craft shows. Then she remembers getting a postcard for the Best of the Northwest show in 2006 and taping it to her studio wall as “something to aspire to”. A year later she decided to apply to the show, never expecting to get in, and was surprised to be accepted into the Spring show. She was thrilled to have the recognition of her work from the show’s panel of experts who select the artists. The following year she was in both the Spring and Fall shows and has been participating in the Best of the Northwest shows ever since.
 
Her jewelry uses slightly unusual, mediums such as bamboo, paper, wire and image transfers to create pendants, pins and bracelets with an antique Japanese look. Her metal work line uses a product called metal clay which consists of metal particles suspended in a cellulose matrix. It is worked a lot like clay, shaping and forming it with fingers. She loves the medium because it’s a very intimate way to work with metal. After the form is created it’s fired in a kiln where the cellulose burns away and the metal particles sinter together forming a pure metal piece.
 
Linda now participates in a half dozen juried craft shows each year, mostly in the Pacific Northwest, and she also wholesales her work in about 25 small shops across the United States.

Recently she fulfilled a custom order from the International Crane Foundation, an organization protecting crane habitat throughout the world. They asked if she could create a metal and Japanese paper piece using crane images. She sourced some beautiful Japanese papers with cranes and created 16 pieces for them in both silver and bronze. At the upcoming Best of the Northwest she will be showing new bronze work along with her silver and bamboo lines.
 
The show is put together by the Northwest Art Alliance (NWAA). Executive Director Pamela Rembold says, “The Best of the Northwest demonstrates our commitment to helping artists remain viable and visible. We’re delighted to feature artists like Linda in this juried show of American art and fine craft. We are thrilled to welcome the public to our premier event where they can purchase one-of-a-kind gifts for the holidays in a gorgeous waterfront setting.”
To view Linda’s work at Seattle’s largest juried indoor art and fine craft show, go to Smith Cove Cruise Terminal (2001 W. Garfield St. Seattle, WA) Friday, November 18th through Sunday, November 20th.  For more information about the event, call NWAA at 206-525-5926, or visit www.nwartalliance.com. For a preview of Linda’s work, visit www.laughinggirlarts.co