NEW RAVENNA AND SARA BALDWIN DESIGNARE PROUD TO INTRODUCE “SYNERGY 2008”,

A COLLECTION OF MOSAIC PANELS CREATED BY TALENTED DESIGNERS FROM A VARIETY OF DISCIPLINES.

“The idea that one plus one can equal three has always fascinated me,” quips

Baldwin. “Rationally, it doesn’t make sense, but in fact it happens all the time.

Think of the Rolling Stones! So much of our success in life depends upon our

interconnectedness, and how we leverage it.”

Sara Baldwin founded New Ravenna, a trend setting fabricator of classical and cutting edge mosaics, in1991 in the kitchen of her parents’ farmhouse. Sara Baldwin Design is the creative entity behind manyNew Ravenna creations.

Today New Ravenna is a thriving studio with 150 employees on the scenic Eastern Shore of Virginia.Theymarket an extensive line of stone and glass mosaics and textures through bath, tile, and stone showroomsacross the United States, and provide private label lines to many high-end vendors. Baldwin attributes hercompany’s success to the effor ts of all her employees, friends, and advisors over the years. “New Ravennais a testament to how the concept of synergy can work. A cer tain energy occurs when like-minds tacklechallenges, whether they are ar tistic or business related. In its best form, this energy makes work FUN.Life is too short to not take advantage of this phenomenon.”

With that end in sight, Baldwin recruited visionary designers from Manhattan to Mustique and invitedthem all to create signature seven-foot-tall mosaic panels. “For a while I called it my ‘friends and family’program” she says. “I know so many talented people, and this was a great excuse to cross-pollinate!” Sara’ssister, Ellen McCaleb, is a world renowned trophy fish carver. “Together we created a panel depicting aschool of fish. Ultimately, that’s what we are, aren’t we?” Sara philosophizes, “…here on this ear th, in thisamazing school, linked by some sort of mysterious force.”

“The diversity of talent in this group is incredible. We are honored to be working with each of them. Staytuned to see what we come up with next year!”

Charlotte “Lotty” Bunbury spent her childhood traveling the globe. Her father was a British Armyofficer who moved his family - Lotty is the fourth of ten children - to countries as varied as Ghana,Malawi, Cyprus and Malaysia. Although her love of art originated with her mother, Lotty began herformal art education at the Chelsea Arts School where she planned to study mural painting.Eventually switching to stained glass, she grew interested in silk painting after she married her hus-band, Dr. Michael Bunbury, and the couple settled on the Caribbean island of Mustique whereMichael is the sole physician. They now have four children, ages 12, 11, 10 and 7, and enjoy an activeoutdoors lifestyle. When Lotty isn’t being a wife and mom, she spends her time creating bold newdesigns for her inimitable line of silk sarongs and other distinctive beach apparel.

What distinguishes the Lotty B collection from the sarongs typically found in resort towns is theprocess, which of course affects the product. Each original design is hand-painted by Lotty herselfand then reproduced onto silk charmeuse or silk chiffon, with hand-sewn edging. The results rangefrom simple and classic to fun and flirty in a wide range of summer hues, often inspired by the floraand fauna of what Lotty describes as the “paradise island”of Mustique.

In addition to silk and chiffon sarongs, the Lotty B line features kimonos, triangle tops, linen kaftans,strappy tanks and blouses. Children’s chiffon silk drawstring tops and mini sarongs are also availableand come in stylish kid-friendly patterns, like Violet Puppies and OrangeDots. Although the soft sheer fabrics look delicate, they are actuallydurable and keep their shapes even when wet. Originally only available onLotty’s home island of Mustique, the Lotty B line of sarongs, kaftans andother summer essentials has expanded into select boutiques in the U.S.,Caribbean, England and France, quickly gaining international recognition.

On one of Sara Baldwin’s frequent visits to the island of Mustique she metLotty and they became immediate soulmates. Both have a keen eye fordesign and a joy for life. Sara invited Lotty to participate in this new col-laboration. The result is the stunning Leopard panel.

www.LottyB.com

Ellen McCaleb, Sara Baldwin’s sister, shares her passion for the outdoors and for their old hauntson the Virginia Eastern Shore. “Some of my earliest memories are of fishing with my dad onCraddock Creek, a quiet inlet whose waters nearly entered our back door. On this peninsula,located between the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, fishing, crabbing and clammingwere a way of life, for pleasure as much as necessity.”

By the age of nine, McCaleb fished regularly for red drum, cobia, speckled trout, summer floun-der, weakfish, spot and croaker. For a greater challenge, she ventured over to the "seaside" andfished the shoulders of Virginia's barrier islands for blue fish and striped bass. In 1992, she wentfly fishing for the first time, in a downpour on the shores of the Miramichi River, in eastern NewBrunswick. Her first fish, a five-pound grilse, set off a passion for fly fishing that has persisted tothe present.

After college, she worked in France and in the venture capital industry, but it was a 24-inchspeckled trout that she caught in the mouth of Craddock Creek that at last pointed her in thedirection of her true calling—one that incorporates a love of fishing, afondness of paint and color, and a deep belief in preservation. McCalebcarves fish in the tradition of the great trophy fish carvers—John B.Russell, John and Dhuie Tully, P.B. Malloch and the Hardy Brothers. Sheis inspired not only to continue this tradition but also, through herwork, to promote the preservation of all fish species. “To me, fishingis standing on the divide between the two worlds of earth and water,at the confluence of air, water, hope, and fortune, knowing that underme swim some of the most incredible inhabitants of this planet.”McCaleb lives in Barrington, New Hampshire with husband Jonathonand children Evelyn and Nathan.

www.fishcarvings.com

"At the heart of sophisticated design lies a disciplined eclecticism."

James’ furniture and rug collections marry timeless elegance with lustrous contemporary materials.He believes that designs that include modern, exotic and classic pieces tell more interesting sto-ries and reflect a well-traveled aesthetic.

After studying journalism in the U.S. and art in Italy, James joined the interior design firm, ThomFilicia Inc. In 2005 he launched his own line of furniture and rugs with his wife Miriam.

James' designs are inspired by memories of his formative years in Paris, Sotogrande, Jamaica,Manhattan and Sri Lanka. Such eclectic influences shape his reinterpretations of the work ofdesigners such as Emile Ruhlmann and Jean Michel Frank. His travelsto Africa help him re-imagine the tribal influences that inspiredPicasso and the modernists in early twentieth-century Paris.

Miriam, an interior decorator, draws on the vivid Saharan colors ofher childhood in Morocco and experience in the fashion industry toselect rich colors and exotic materials for their collections.

Sara Baldwin met James and Miriam through fellow designer TuckerRobbins and immediately discovered a convergence of their aestheticsensibilities with her own. “We enjoy a friendly symbiosis: our stu-dios have designed and produced a collection of mosaics based onJames’ rug designs, while I helped design rugs for him based on ourmosaics. The results have exceeded my already high hopes—the sumof the parts in this case far surpasses the whole. We look forward tomany more marvelous projects in the future.”

www.jamesstuartduncan.com

www.johnkellyfurniture.com

John Kelly’s aesthetic is marked by a purity and deceptive simplicity of form and execution. “The great thing aboutdesigning furniture,” he notes, “is that it is exclusively for humans; and regardless of how much humans evolve, we con-tinue to have pretty basic needs in terms of furnishing the places where we live...We sleep in beds...We work atdesks...We sit in chairs...We eat from table tops...We put our clothes in chests and wardrobes...Fortunately, I do notthink that we will ever evolve to a state where this is different.”

Kelly first began designing furniture while in graduate school studying architecture, but he never imagined that whatbegan as a project for school would become a career. As an architecture student at the University of Pennsylvania, hewas dedicated to exploring the relationship between design and production. His first workshop was located midwaybetween his apartment and the university. Attending classes during the day, and building things in the shop at night, hefound that his design projects for architecture had become increasingly shop oriented. Eventually, he found himselfstudying architecture through furniture, and understanding furniture through architecture.

Kelly’s early furniture designs were influenced by the arts and crafts movement in America, the Bauhaus movement inEurope, and various modern architects and designers, among them Frank Lloyd Wright, Charles Eames, Gustav Stickley,Greene & Greene, and Le Corbusier. “During the first five years, everything that I designed and produced was custom.Regardless of the client or project, what I learned was that all designs begin with an idea. Once you understand thevocabulary for expressing the idea, designing an entire range of furniture becomes a lot like writing a story with differ-ent elements and personalities. Individually, each furnishing is just one chapter. Collectively, all of the pieces combine tocreate a story composed of many characters that depict the idea of the entire range. Over time, the range of furnituremay evolve and the characters may change; but each chapter will convey the samemeaning and its place in time will remain unchanged.”

Kelly’s company, John Kelly Furniture & Accessories, has recently expanded its distribu-tion into India and China and has enjoyed a joint venture in Japan with the acclaimedHinoki Kogei. In Mumbai, India, Kelly was recently the keynote speaker and designer ofthe American Designer’s Pavilion at the Index Furniture Fair, where he spoke on theaesthetic and environmental benefits of designing with American hardwoods and onresponsible stewardship of forests. He has also recently lectured in Singapore andChina.

Sara Baldwin met John Kelly when both were in graduate school in Pennsylvania. “Itook courage from John’s business launch, and in fact I used to borrow leftover piecesof wood from his workshop, for mounting my early mosaics. John’s design work contin-ues to be an inspiration to this day, and his friendship is nonpareil.”

www.glasstile.com

Feras Irikat is a professional interior designer with national and international experience in both residential andcommercial design. He holds a B.A. in interior design from San Francisco State University where he also didadvanced graduate work and research in Color Theory and Color Psychology. He has taught color theory andapplications at UC Santa Cruz extension and several other colleges, and is an accomplished designer of homeproducts such as furniture , accessories, and decorative tile. Irikat is currently the Design Director for bothMandala and Oceanside Glasstile, a world leader in the design and production of handcrafted artisan glass tile.

“Tiles from Oceanside Glasstile are handcrafted for a distinctive arti-san look,” Irikat says. "We offer eight different yet integrated collec-tions, so that a decorative accent or trim from one collection can beused with mosaics or field tiles from another." Geologie—a collectionthat debuted in 2007, for instance—”combines a mix of reflectiveand matte as well as smooth and textured surfaces, adding subdued,intriguing color effects and exotic drama to any design. Its casualelegance is at home in residential living rooms, libraries, kitchens, andbaths, while its sophistication is equally fitting in commercial and hospi-tality designs from restaurants and nightclubs to corporate businesssettings.”

Sara Baldwin’s connection with Oceanside has beenenduring and very fond. “Our companies grew uptogether; like many of the collaborators we workwith, we cut our teeth in the early 1990s, when manyof us were just getting out of art or design programsand testing the waters of the design and businessworlds. New Ravenna and Oceanside are two of thevery first mosaic companies in the United States, and wehave always kept in touch, though we’re on oppositecoasts. We both jumped at the opportunity to worktogether on the great glass Phoenix—based on Irikat’sstunning tattoo!”

www.elinorandverve.com/products/fabric/rogers_goffigon.html

Rogers & Goffigon LTD is a textile company, founded 20 years ago, whose mission is to design high-end,luxurious, natural fiber textiles, using old world weaving techniques, for the interior design marketplace.

The company has gained recognition for their refined linens, neutral color palette and special spinningtechniques, including wet-spun linen, giving their fabrics characteristics unique to the industry. Over theyears the collection has expanded to include sheer linens, silks, and wools for window treatments toextremely durable mohair velvets for heavy-use upholstery, most of which is imported from Europe. Arange of specially chosen colors has been added to the collection, although the signature colors remainan earthy natural palette of neutrals, celadon greens and pale blues.

The Rogers & Goffigon LTD collection also includes a limited number of large-pattern linen damasks likeKingston Lacy, pictured left, an 18th Century damask design based on a British document fabric, with a24 inch by 30 inch repeat. The pattern of this fabric has been meticulously translated into a tile design byNew Ravenna.

Sara Baldwin met Jamie Gould, one of the principals of Rogers &Goffigon, in Chicago, in one of the many serendipitous encountersshe seems to attract (called “sarandipities” by her friends): notingthe name Goffigon, a grand old name of Virginia’s Eastern Shoresince settlement days of the early 1600s, Sara was then astonishedto see textile designs with names based on barrier islands she hadplayed on as a child. The answer to her astonishment was simple:the company’s name is composed of its owners’ wives maidennames, and Dale Gould was born a Goffigon on CherrystoneCreek—just a mile from Sara’s own home! “The New Ravennafamily is delighted to learn that Rogers & Goffigon will be opening acustom weaving studio on Virginia’s Eastern Shore in the nearfuture,’ says Sara. We are very much parallel businesses, with simi-lar standards, aesthetic aims, and end users. We can’t wait for the company to be neighbors (again?)and to collaborate—over a little local wine and seafood!”

Sara Baldwin grew up on Virginia's rustic Eastern Shore, on her family's farm. "We were surrounded by nature,and all the inspiration that nature creates, from childhood, and we were encouraged to express ourselves artisti-cally, using whatever we could find in our environment. It was an idyllic upbringing, certainly for an artist. Wehad to be both respectful of, and resourceful with, our surroundings, and these principles have guided methroughout my years as a designer and a businessperson. I feel very lucky to have roots and to live in a placewhere beauty and inspiration seem inexhaustible."

In 1984, Baldwin set out to study fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania, where she took her Bachelor's andMaster's degrees, and trained rigorously as a fine arts painter. It was here that she made her first mosaic design,a mural of Eve in the Garden of Eden. When she returned to the Eastern Shore in 1990, the thought of a mosaiccompany called New Ravenna seemed a pipe dream. She took a chance and launched the small cottage industrywith a handful of artisans. Sixteen years later, New Ravenna employs more than 150 people and spans three cityblocks in historic Exmore, Virginia—and leads the nation in designing and manufacturing custom mosaics in stoneand glass, materials imported from across Eurasia and the Americas. She also started Sara Baldwin Design, whichprovides a much more edited collection of mosaic designs to New Ravenna customers.

"New Ravenna's original mosaics grace thousands of distinguished homes around the world, as well as some ofthe world's finest hotels, restaurants, casinos, and historic buildings. We supply varied collections to manufactur-ers and companies as diverse as Ann Sacks, Waterworks, Walker Zanger, Kohler, and, beginning in 2009, StoneSource. It is our constant thrill to be on the cutting edge of design, using both traditional stone-cutting andmosaic methods and modern ones, such as the use of water-jet saws, which have brought us into a new era ofstone and glass mosaic. I work with a great team of designers whonever cease to amaze me—their love of the craft, and their resourceful-ness, are in perfect harmony with my own."

Baldwin, who lives on the Eastern Shore, is proud parent to Michael, 18,and Grace, 8, and stays close to the family and land that have broughther so much. While she expresses gratitude for the bounty that NewRavenna has brought her, Baldwin's days are often spent in pursuit ofeven more elusive quarry, such as funding for the local Boys' and Girls'Club, which helps at-risk children in this wonderfully rural but povertystricken area. "By providing hope and a safe place to belong, the Boys'and Girls' Club (Eastern Shore Unit) strives to nurture and inspire thesekids who have so much potential but live in challenging circumstances,"says Baldwin. "If we can instill in these kids the same sort of optimismthat sparked New Ravenna, then there's no limit to what they can do!"

www.sarabaldwin.com

Sara Baldwin grew up on Virginia's rustic Eastern Shore, on her family's farm. "We were surrounded by nature,and all the inspiration that nature creates, from childhood, and we were encouraged to express ourselves artisti-cally, using whatever we could find in our environment. It was an idyllic upbringing, certainly for an artist. Wehad to be both respectful of, and resourceful with, our surroundings, and these principles have guided methroughout my years as a designer and a businessperson. I feel very lucky to have roots and to live in a placewhere beauty and inspiration seem inexhaustible."

In 1984, Baldwin set out to study fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania, where she took her Bachelor's andMaster's degrees, and trained rigorously as a fine arts painter. It was here that she made her first mosaic design,a mural of Eve in the Garden of Eden. When she returned to the Eastern Shore in 1990, the thought of a mosaiccompany called New Ravenna seemed a pipe dream. She took a chance and launched the small cottage industrywith a handful of artisans. Sixteen years later, New Ravenna employs more than 150 people and spans three cityblocks in historic Exmore, Virginia—and leads the nation in designing and manufacturing custom mosaics in stoneand glass, materials imported from across Eurasia and the Americas. She also started Sara Baldwin Design, whichprovides a much more edited collection of mosaic designs to New Ravenna customers.

"New Ravenna's original mosaics grace thousands of distinguished homes around the world, as well as some ofthe world's finest hotels, restaurants, casinos, and historic buildings. We supply varied collections to manufactur-ers and companies as diverse as Ann Sacks, Waterworks, Walker Zanger, Kohler, and, beginning in 2009, StoneSource. It is our constant thrill to be on the cutting edge of design, using both traditional stone-cutting andmosaic methods and modern ones, such as the use of water-jet saws, which have brought us into a new era ofstone and glass mosaic. I work with a great team of designers whonever cease to amaze me—their love of the craft, and their resourceful-ness, are in perfect harmony with my own."

Baldwin, who lives on the Eastern Shore, is proud parent to Michael, 18,and Grace, 8, and stays close to the family and land that have broughther so much. While she expresses gratitude for the bounty that NewRavenna has brought her, Baldwin's days are often spent in pursuit ofeven more elusive quarry, such as funding for the local Boys' and Girls'Club, which helps at-risk children in this wonderfully rural but povertystricken area. "By providing hope and a safe place to belong, the Boys'and Girls' Club (Eastern Shore Unit) strives to nurture and inspire thesekids who have so much potential but live in challenging circumstances,"says Baldwin. "If we can instill in these kids the same sort of optimismthat sparked New Ravenna, then there's no limit to what they can do!"

www.sarabaldwin.com

www.tuckerrobbins.com

Tucker Robbins, a monk turned world traveler turned designer, brings cosmopolitan and spiritual dimen-sions to his craft: combining superior design with authentic, often ancient traditions has remained theguiding vision since he started his company sixteen years ago. Sometimes called “modern primitivism,”the unique collection of furnishings that has arisen from his desire to be a bridge between disparate cul-tures has succeeded not only in providing generous income to artisans in some of the world’s mostremote communities but has thrilled the international design world. His work appears in Edgar andClarissa Bronfman's New York apartment and country homes; Donna Karan has at least one of hispieces in each of her residences; Robert Redford sleeps under a Robbins-designed headboard; andrenowned decorators such as Juan Montoya and Clodagh use his work in most of their jobs.

Why the intense attraction to Robbins’ work? “His furniture is very comforting,” says Clodagh. “Itreminds us of the past. If you own technology, it's already out of date. Tucker’s work is never out ofdate. There's a continuum about it. A lot of people […] living in glass boxes [have] made a discovery oftexture and tactile experience, often missing in modern life. It's a desire for grounding.”

From the Sagada Mountain province in the Philippines to the highlands of Guatemala to the rain-forests of Borneo, Robbins has been both cultural ambassador and entrepreneur. He sees his business asa way to help ancient cultures survive. "My interest lies in supporting the indigenous people on theirown terms," he says. Usually he comes up with a rough concept andthen explains to a craftsman what he wants. "There's not enough ofthe hand of the artist in a lot of modern design. But the hand of theartist is also disappearing in the third world." Robbins’ work is verymuch an extension of the ascetic life he lived as a monk. He finds thesame spare qualities in the tribal people's furniture that hestrives for in his own spiritual path. It is as though theobjects he sells have a spiritual life of their own. "To intro-duce an element of humanity into environments that aremodern and man-made reminds us who we are," he says."It reminds us of our consciousness."

Sara Baldwin met Tucker Robbins over a decade ago atthe Hospitality Design show in Las Vegas, where she pur-chased her first piece of his work—and was astonished tolearn that his family owned a farm just fifteen minutes fromNew Ravenna’s studios on Virginia’s Eastern Shore! “It was like two nee-dles finding each other in a haystack,” she says. In 2007, Robbins firmedplans to bring a world-class design studio of his own to Accomack County,very near the New Ravenna facilities. Baldwin is very excited at the prospect of further collaboration andcommunion with Robbins and his coworkers in the decades to come.

www.erinadamsdesign.com

Erin Adams, founder of Erin Adams Design Inc., created in 1999, is one of today’s foremost mosaictile designers, whose career spans for almost twenty years. In her work, as both artisan and interiordesigner, Erin has continuously infused sophisticated urban sensibilities with elements from the folk-arttradition that heavily influenced her as a child and from which she derives her inspiration.

Erin’s work has been sought after by designers worldwide, used in residential as well as prominent com-mercial applications, including the Tokyo Hilton, Saks Fifth Avenue in Saudi Arabia, Four Seasons Hotelin the Bay area, PF Changs restaurants nationwide, and Neiman Marcus in Dallas. Her work will soonbe featured in Mexx stores nationwide, and she has representation through Ann Sacks Tile and Stone,which remains Erin’s exclusive distributor.

Raised in San Antonio, Texas, and trained at New York's Pratt School of Art & Design, Adams is nostranger to eclectic mixes. Her mother, artist Caroline Lee, openedSan Antonio's first folk-art gallery, Objects, in 1972. This led Erin andher sister to spend seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico, as teenagers, meetingsuch prominent folk artisans as Josephina Aguilar and ManualJimenez. Erin is deeply influenced by her childhood in the Southwestand by summers spent in southern Mexico, and in particular bySimon Rodia's Watts Towers and the work of Alexander Girard.

The Erin Adams Design studio and production facilities are now locatedin Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Erin and husband MichaelCorney, ceramicist, enjoy life with their two young sons, Max and Kit.

By convention, Erin Adams and Sara Baldwin might be consideredcompetitors in the niche of high-end mosaic art, but their warm rela-tionship stresses instead the complementarity and synergy of collabo-ration and mutual, positive influence. “Erin’s eye is brilliant and clear,and her work invariably reflects this. It is an honor to work togetherwith her—and lots of fun going out on the town with her, too!”

www.erinadamsdesign.com

Erin Adams, founder of Erin Adams Design Inc., created in 1999, is one of today’s foremost mosaic tiledesigners, whose career spans for almost twenty years. In her work, as both artisan and interior design-er, Erin has continuously infused sophisticated urban sensibilities with elements from the folk-art traditionthat heavily influenced her as a child and from which she derives her inspiration.

Erin’s work has been sought after by designers worldwide, used in residential as well as prominent com-mercial applications, including the Tokyo Hilton, Saks Fifth Avenue in Saudi Arabia, Four Seasons Hotelin the Bay area, PF Changs restaurants nationwide, and Neiman Marcus in Dallas. Her work will soonbe featured in Mexx stores nationwide, and she has representation through Ann Sacks Tile and Stone,which remains Erin’s exclusive distributor.

Raised in San Antonio, Texas, and trained at New York's Pratt School of Art & Design, Adams is nostranger to eclectic mixes. Her mother, artist Caroline Lee, opened San Antonio's first folk-art gallery,Objects, in 1972. This led Erin and her sister to spend seasons in Oaxaca, Mexico, as teenagers, meetingsuch prominent folk artisans as Josephina Aguilar and Manual Jimenez. Erin is deeply influenced by herchildhood in the Southwest and by summers spent in southern Mexico, and in particular by SimonRodia's Watts Towers and the work of Alexander Girard.

The Erin Adams Design studio and production facilities are now locatedin Albuquerque, New Mexico, where Erin and husband Michael Corney,ceramicist, enjoy life with their two young sons, Max and Kit.

By convention, Erin Adams and Sara Baldwin might be considered com-petitors in the niche of high-end mosaic art, but their warm relationshipstresses instead the complementarity and synergy of collaboration andmutual, positive influence. “Erin’s eye is brilliant and clear, and her workinvariably reflects this. It is an honor to work together with her—and lotsof fun going out on the town with her, too!”

www.kevinobrienstudio.com

When young, Kevin studied hard, played sports, and went to a good college. Upon completing a few degrees,he promptly abandoned career plans to be an architect and enthusiastically dedicated himself to painting, theother pursuit that he has had since childhood. But painters need money, even if only a little bit. Beginningpainters don’t sell paintings, not because they are bad painters, but because they are bad business people. Kevinwas one of these kinds of painters. So a friend told him to get some silk, paint on it, and she would sell it. Hewent down to Fabric Row in Philadelphia and bought 20 yards of the finest polyester (the salesman figured hewouldn’t know the difference). He painted on it anyway and they took it to Barney’s NY and secured theirfirst order. Barney’s suggested that since they had an actual order maybe they could splurge for some realsilk.

He has learned a lot, in addition to identifying real silk, in 15 years. The business thrives because he recognizesthat everyone in the company has value to contribute. Although Kevin still designs all the prints, much of the cre-ative work is in the hands of employees/collaborators. This is important to his idea of creating beautiful things aswell as a successful business: spreading the grunt work and the glorious work amongst all involved. The painteris trained to be the lone wolf, spurning any input on how he might improve things, suggestions of just putting adash of this or that color right over there to really finish it off. The collaborative approach suits Kevin much bet-ter and the products of the studio are far superior than any lone genius could create.

This approach also suits him well because ever since he married MyoshinThurman he has been living most of the time in Woodstock, NY, while thestudio chugs along without worry due to a very self-motivated staff. Kevin andMyoshin each spend the days designing for their companies (Myo and hermother have a jewelry business) in their studios in the quiet woods of theCatskills. Two days each week they emerge and head for the cities,Myoshin to NY and Kevin to Philadelphia, to see what great things have beengoing on in their studios there. It’s a life you can’t improve on.

Sara Baldwin met Kevin O’Brien when both were in graduate school at theUniversity of Pennsylvania. In fact, she modeled some of his first silk prints!When Kevin launched his business nearly two decades ago, Sara was inspiredto pursue a parallel artistic-entrepreneurial path—and the result is NewRavenna, now in its sixteenth year.