Who are you?Leigh Griffin-Harris and my shop name is Ara Leigh Studios
Why did you choose your shop name?
My given name is “Ara Leigh”. “Ara” (we’re southern, so to pronounce it, drag out the first “A”—AA-ra) comes from my maternal great-grandmother and “Leigh” from my maternal grandmother. I’ve been called by my middle name since birth, and I felt it was time to celebrate and embrace my full name.
Where are you located?
Raleigh, NC—I’ve lived in Raleigh since 1981 and am native to eastern NC.
What do you create?
What do you create?
I create eclectic jewelry using copper, silver, fine stones and pearls. My jewelry is a little feminine, a little rustic, colorful and always one of a kind.
What is your favorite place to visit in the “triangle”?
What is your favorite place to visit in the “triangle”?
I feel calmer when I’m outdoors or visiting places where I feel other’s creative energy, so my favorite places are the Duke Gardens, Raleigh Rose Garden, the NC Museum of Art, Artspace and Ornamentea and Panopolie
When did you start creating?
I started drawing when I was a child and was fortunate enough to be able to take lessons from a portrait artist in the small town I grew up in. She had us painting still lifes in oil paints right away! I majored in art at college and continued painting and drawing, with a long break after my first marriage and birth of my son. I started making jewelry about 10 years ago and have been concentrating on that more and painting a little less.
What is your most cherished handmade item?
I cherish all handmade items! My paternal grandmother and her sisters used to crochet lace out of impossibly tiny thread; before she died she made me two sets of sheets and pillow cases trimmed with that lace. My mother made beautiful clothes and I still have several items she made me, even though, sadly, I can’t fit into them now. I love the cards my son made me over the years. My father has made me small pieces of furniture, and I love a wooden tray my husband made for containing/corralling all those jewelry bits and pieces. There’s a history of making things in my family, and I love them all!
What inspires you?
Since I majored in Studio Art in college, my first inspiration is always color or shape. Right now, a book titled Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet, by Mary Hettmansperger is inspiring me to embrace the rustic qualities (or the handmade look) of my work.
Where do you create?
My studio is in my home. I am lucky enough to have a small room to call my studio, and my husband is very tolerant of the trail of metal pieces, wire, files and beads that tend to follow me from room to room. I’ve also been known to pack of bag of partially completed pieces and work on them in the car or at craft shows.
What do you do when you are not creating?
I work as a paralegal 4 days a week (wills, trusts and estate administration), and I am a full-fledged member of the sandwich generation! My parent live in Fuquay-Varina, my son lives in Raleigh and is finishing college. I’m sure other working mothers can relate to the never ending list of household chores and projects. When I’m not working for others, I pretend to practice yoga, I enjoy cooking vegetarian dishes, I fantasize about spending more time at our house on Lake Gaston, and I’ve always loved to read. There’s more to do than I usually have the energy to do. Re-reading this makes me feel like I should get up from the computer and do something!
When did you start creating?I started drawing when I was a child and was fortunate enough to be able to take lessons from a portrait artist in the small town I grew up in. She had us painting still lifes in oil paints right away! I majored in art at college and continued painting and drawing, with a long break after my first marriage and birth of my son. I started making jewelry about 10 years ago and have been concentrating on that more and painting a little less.
What is your most cherished handmade item?
I cherish all handmade items! My paternal grandmother and her sisters used to crochet lace out of impossibly tiny thread; before she died she made me two sets of sheets and pillow cases trimmed with that lace. My mother made beautiful clothes and I still have several items she made me, even though, sadly, I can’t fit into them now. I love the cards my son made me over the years. My father has made me small pieces of furniture, and I love a wooden tray my husband made for containing/corralling all those jewelry bits and pieces. There’s a history of making things in my family, and I love them all!
What inspires you?
Since I majored in Studio Art in college, my first inspiration is always color or shape. Right now, a book titled Wrap, Stitch, Fold & Rivet, by Mary Hettmansperger is inspiring me to embrace the rustic qualities (or the handmade look) of my work.
Where do you create?My studio is in my home. I am lucky enough to have a small room to call my studio, and my husband is very tolerant of the trail of metal pieces, wire, files and beads that tend to follow me from room to room. I’ve also been known to pack of bag of partially completed pieces and work on them in the car or at craft shows.
What do you do when you are not creating?
I work as a paralegal 4 days a week (wills, trusts and estate administration), and I am a full-fledged member of the sandwich generation! My parent live in Fuquay-Varina, my son lives in Raleigh and is finishing college. I’m sure other working mothers can relate to the never ending list of household chores and projects. When I’m not working for others, I pretend to practice yoga, I enjoy cooking vegetarian dishes, I fantasize about spending more time at our house on Lake Gaston, and I’ve always loved to read. There’s more to do than I usually have the energy to do. Re-reading this makes me feel like I should get up from the computer and do something!
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