Posts by Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met and Manager of My Modern Met Store. She is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art where she earned her BFA in Illustration and MFA in Illustration Practice. Sara is also an embroidery illustrator and writer living in Seattle, Washington. She runs Bear&Bean, a studio where she stitches pet portraits and other beloved creatures. She chronicles the creativity of others through her website Brown Paper Bag and newsletter, Orts. Her latest book is Threads of Treasure: How to Make, Mend, and Find Meaning Through Thread, published in 2014. Sara’s work has been recognized in Be Creative With Workbox, Embroidery Magazine, American Illustration, on Iron and Wine’s album Beast Epic, among others. When she’s not stitching or writing, Sara enjoys planning things that bring together the craft community. She is the co-founder of Camp Craftaway, a day camp for crafty adults with hands-on workshops in the Seattle area.
Animals
December 20, 2021

Missing 3-Year-Old Boy Says a Bear Kept Him Safe While He Was Lost in the Woods

In 2019, a 3-year-old boy named Casey Hathaway went missing while playing outside his grandmother’s house. Despite enduring freezing temperatures and heavy rain, the story has a happy ending; Hathaway survived the harrowing experience, thanks in part to a bear who kept him safe and warm. Hathaway’s disappearance brought out seasoned searchers as well as everyday people concerned for his well-being. Upon learning the boy was missing, law enforcement, the U.S.

Read Article

Birds
December 14, 2021

Photographer Sets Up Camera to Reveal the Big Little World Beneath Her Bird Feeder

Wildlife conservation photographer Carla Rhodes loves to feed the birds. Every winter in the Catskill Mountains of New York, she hangs a feeder outside her home and watches as birds and mammals of all kinds come to feast on her offerings. Being a photographer, she turned the arrival of her feathered and furry friends into a spectacular series of images called Beneath the Bird Feeder.

Read Article

Sculpture
December 9, 2021

Dramatic Diorama Reveals What “Really” Made the Titanic Sink

Dedicated DIYer Boiz Smith creates dramatic dioramas that reimagine historical events with a fantastical twist. His latest piece is a retelling of the infamous 1912 sinking of the Titanic. History knows that the ship crashed into an iceberg, but Smith imagines that a giant sea monster (Godzilla) had its way with it instead. Smith sets the scene in a diorama made using polymer clay and epoxy resin, among other materials.

Read Article

Painting
December 3, 2021

Photorealistic Water Paintings Perfectly Portray People Submerged in Swimming Pools

Of the many subjects that an artist can paint, water is one of the most challenging. The liquid has a way of fracturing light and distorting anything submerged within it—especially people. This can make it hard to accurately depict anything in the water, but not for artist Johannes Wessmark. He's a master at painting people floating in the water.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.