CHARLOTTE, NC--(Marketwired - Feb 12, 2015) - This Land (www.thisland.com), a mission-based, online shopping and lifestyle destination that promotes American craftsmen and supports our nation's military heroes, today announced the arrival of jewelers Christie Calaycay and Zina Kao, and woodworker Phil Verruto. The three join some of the nation's most talented artists and craftspeople at This Land, a community that creates beautiful and functional works of art using traditional techniques and their own two hands.
Christie Calaycay, from Asheville, N.C., uses her natural surroundings in the Blue Ridge Mountains to inspire her handmade jewelry. Using timeless fabrication techniques to replicate the look and texture of tree bark, or the glowing appearance of ferns along the Pink Beds trail near her home, Christie interprets the beauty she sees into modern organic jewelry.
California based jeweler and artist Zina Kao is primarily self-taught, and combines ancient fabricating techniques with a creative use of mixed metals and hand texturing. For This Land, Zina has put her own spin on a variety of universally appealing icons to create pieces that can be worn every day.
Woodworker Phil Verruto pushes boundaries by mixing and matching a variety of domestic and exotic woods together into his own patterns. Phil doesn't use stains, dyes, or paints, but relies on the all-natural colors of the woods to bring his pieces to life.
"We are thrilled that This Land has been so well received and we are excited to launch these talented artists and welcome them into our collection," said Dan McCready, This Land founder and Marine Corps veteran. "We founded the company with a special mission -- to celebrate the best of America -- hard work, integrity and legacy. Christie, Zina and Phil are great examples of those values."
This Land launched nationally on Veteran's Day, 2014 to celebrate America's craftsmen and give back to veterans with its proceeds. The company issued a challenge to holiday shoppers to think about where and how the gifts they purchased were made and pledge to buy one item made by an American craftsman. The pledge raised the intended awareness and received thousands of signatures, shares and likes on social media.
About This Land
This Land is a mission-based shopping and lifestyle destination that celebrates the pioneering spirit of America by showcasing the country's finest artists and craftspeople. Artists represented on This Land are the best in their fields who practice time-honored traditions to create one-of-a-kind, handcrafted pieces of heirloom quality. Founded and run by veterans, This Land gives a portion of every sale to support our nation's military heroes. Visit www.thisland.com to learn more about the journey.
Contact Information:
Media Contact:
Traci Massaro
617-877-1293