*Smart Design Mart: Cara Carmina and Jackie Bassett

*Smart Design Mart:
Cara Carmina and Jackie Bassett

As you can see, the drawing at the entrance has evolved from the first evening of the *SDM. When my children, husband and I crowded into a full elevator, I was concerned about the number of people that might already be there. My son tends to kick it into high gear when there are TOYZ, and I knew that there were a fair number of custom toys to set him off. Fortunately, the second floor of 160 St. Viateur East, is a good-sized open venue that can accommodate a lot of people.

The other two featured artists of this year's *Smart Design Mart 2010 are Cara Carmina and Jackie Bassett. Pssst...Double click to enlarge photos.

Frida Kahlo Dolls

Featured Artists
Cara Carmina

I found out about *SDM through Norma Andreu, the creative force behind Cara Carmina.In addition to creating her one-of-a-kind Frida Kahlo dolls, which are sold in museums and high-end shops throughout the city, this Mexico City native also makes beautiful cards.

Cards by Cara Carmina

I had contacted her via Facebook to see if she had a line of Christmas cards, and I was in luck. The problem is that the cards are so nice that I knew I would have difficulty parting with them. Norma's aware of that, so on the reverse side of the card's envelope she has added some embellishment so that the envelope can also be used as matting, and you can frame the picture. This in itself would make a nice inexpensive gift.

At *SDM, Norma is displaying mostly cards, and just a few of her dolls, but I highly recommend that you visit her Etsy or her FlickR page to get a better idea of her work. You can also see a previous review of her work here.

Featured Artist
Jackie Bassett

Girl on Map of Wisconsin

Pressed Flowers

Displaying alongside Cara Carmina was Jackie Bassett. She specializes in cards and pictures with rich-coloured hand-picked pressed flowers. This Nepean, Ontario native also uses vintage maps and old encyclopedia pages as a background for photographs, she then reduces the image to create beautiful detailed cards. I chose the picture below set against a vintage map of Wisconsin from 1945. You will be drawn to the colour alone of Jackie's work. I know I was. For a better idea of her work visit her Etsy page.

Related posts:
*Smart Design Mart: Feature Jack Dylan
Cara Carmina's Magic Dolls



.