We make Portland awesome: Super Phoebe

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Super Phoebe

Who are you?
Phoebe Owens

What do you make?
I am mostly known for my lamps made from vintage photo slides and motion film. I also screenprint, crochet, cut things from wood, sew and draw.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I'm a Librarian.

What inspires you?
I'm inspired by the world around me. I'm also simply inspired by materials that can be turned into other things. I love looking at something and thinking about how it could be used in a different way or remade into something new.

Where can your work be found?
You can see my stuff in Portland at Tender Loving Empire, Crafty Wonderland Store, Redux and Cargo. There is a random smattering of other shops outside of the US carrying my lamps and library cards in London, Noosaville Australia, Toronto and Vancouver, CA. And, of course, my work can be found on Etsy!

What do you love about Portland?
I grew up in Portland, and I vividly remember deciding on the things that made me love it then- running as fast as I could with my little brother through the park blocks, going to the art museum, and staring at the ivy growing on freeway overpasses. The city has changed a lot since then, but the best of it has remained. I love the strong sense of community here--even though so many people are transplants from somewhere else. I love that creativity is valued here, that the nonprofit community is strong and passionate, and that we all root for each other in this town. Beyond that, it's not bad that I live somewhere with such fantastic public transit, parks and bike lanes!