Jeff Best of Devil’s Rope Studio in Clare, MI, is a sculptor and outdoor enthusiast who uses reclaimed barbed wire for his creations. “It all started when I use to make small wildlife sculptures from coat hangers for my children to take to show and tell. One day, I happened upon some old discarded barbed wire, and that event forever changed me. I love the story of reclaimed barbed wire. Once used to hold back livestock, yet now discarded in an old farm dump awaiting decay. Barbed wire has so much character and rugged strength.”
Born in Chicago, but growing up in Flint, Mich., Anni Crouter started painting and drawing before she could read or write. The life on a farm in rural Michigan with a father who was a veterinarian lent itself to many aspiring subjects to paint and draw. She attended Mott Community College majoring in business and now her work hangs in many museums and private collections nationwide and in Canada. Through her art, she hopes to raise awareness of our ever changing environment and the animals that inhabit our planet.