Featuring San Diego Local Artists

Local artists in San Diego are finding their own way to stand out in a competitive atmosphere, while staying appreciative and supportive of each other in the community. To promote their work, some attend the "San Diego Made Market" (aka the "Made Market") every month. The Made Market is a semi-annual craft fair in San Diego. Some are hosting Do-It-Yourself workshops to introduce their art to people more interactively, while some approach stores and boutiques directly.

Here are some of the unique and talented local artists of San Diego presenting their work:

Kim Nguyen, Kimposed

Born and raised in San Diego, Kim has started her brand "Kimposed" in 2016 which combines watercolor paintings and artwork on textile, mugs, gift tags, and prints. The idea for Kimposed began when she started posting little doodles on Instagram and instantly began receiving positive feedback and incredible support from her followers. Kim decided to leave her long-term marketing career shortly after her creativity kicked in, and she couldn’t wait any longer—it was time to create a brand out of her biggest passion. Kim has always been art-oriented, creative, and in love with everything inspirational, which she states is an extension of her personality. Kim found a way to connect with the community through the workshops she holds a few times a month, since they turned out to be a huge hit in San Diego.

Rachel Dwyer and Jessae Hayes, Craftmossphere

Rachel and Jessae have been friends for over 20 years and sisters-in-law for more than a decade, both have a green thumb and are influenced by the environment. They started their business journey with one-of-a-kind pieces of art made by mixing and matching plants and moss, textures and patterns, or different shapes and sizes of wood. At Craftmossphere they "play in the dirt" while creating a remarkable and unique artwork that brings a touch of nature to any space. "A lot of people haven’t seen this before, so we’re trying to get out there and reach our customers at craft fairs and Farmer's Markets since it’s hard to ship our creations," says Rachel. Craftmossphere is offering very popular Kokedama (an ancient Japanese art form) workshops, and Staghorn Mounting workshops where people learn to create their own miniature living wall.

Bryan Hessler, De Palma Leather

Bryan began his own business in 2003 after making his first leather handbag for his then-girlfriend and seeing how impressed she was with it. Thus De Palma Leather was born and an initial design expanded into a collection of handmade leather goods that now includes belts, wallets, and bracelets. Self-taught, talented and inspired by vintage leatherwork and sea life; Hessler is cutting, sewing, and assembling his designs by hand in California. "I go with what I like, so my designs mostly come in four classic colors –cognac, black, smoke, and brown. My business is simplified," Bryan says. His products are selling wholesale, and he is approaching stores directly while attending Market Week and other trade shows in New York to help him find most of his clients, domestically and internationally.

Merijam Roelofs, Folk Project

Versatile, influenced by people, traditional costumes, culture, and with great interest in ancient textiles, Merijam decided to blend it all together in designing furniture and accessories that she calls "Folk Project." Merijam lived in Mexico for 7 years where she became familiar with the textile from Guatemala and Mexico, and with a cultural admiration, she made her first chair using these ancient textiles. "People have to be open for my designs, I’m aware that my work is not for everyone. I have pieces in the stores and museums, but social media has been a big help with my work as well, especially Instagram because it’s so visual," Roelofs admits. Folk Project’s Instagram has over 26K followers which confirms that a local project can be successful far outside the borders of your local area.

Kat Brackett, Nomad West

"My art represents me and my overall style. I try to let my pieces speak for themselves and when people wear my art, it makes them feel good," says Kat Brackett about her jewelry and clothing brand Nomad West. Part of her inspiration comes from being born and raised in California and another part is inspired by Egyptian art. Kat’s creative process comes from just looking at her stones and metal pieces, letting her imagination flow, and then putting the pieces together like a puzzle. Kat has been doing a lot of pop-up shops and conducting business with boutiques, approaching them personally, via email, and Instagram. The brand’s name came from representing Kat’s two background facets: being born with the Nomad gene, and being from the West, as a tribute to California.