Santa Fe artist Jone Hallmark, who says of herself, “I tend to work in a two-inch square!”, has created her own little world of magical delights. Each tiny wonder – from the cleverest fox or hedgehog to a charming parade of flower-bearing young girls – is handcrafted from paper clay, wire, wood, and other tiny bits and pieces. Her sophisticated yet simple designs show the influence of both her father’s Scandinavian heritage and the intricate painted miniatures she collected when living in Switzerland. Her affinity for using small, ordinary objects comes from her mom, also a graphic designer and artist. She taught Jone that you can make just about anything you want instead of going to a store to buy it. Jone’s creative life started on the floor of her father’s studio, where she sat as a child surrounded by brushes, paints, and a treasure of paper.
Her passion for design eventually led to work developing store displays, award-winning lines of decorated papers, and the beloved Bryce and Madeline stickers. One day, after twenty years of licensing her artwork for other people’s products, Jone realized that she needed to get back to basics and simplify. In that moment, her tiny little world was born. Now she spends her time teaching, drawing, painting, and making huge messes on every available flat surface. See her work on Instagram at @jonehallmark.
