Fernworks necklaces are like little pieces of artwork hanging from your neck. They make a wonderful gift for the holidays, and anytime. You’ll find that Fernworks jewelry has many tried and true fans, and often times they know exactly what piece they want.

Bird and Vines

 Created and designed by Faryn Davis, each hand made individual piece captures a natural beauty in a resin casting, preserving and freezing the small often-unnoticed bits of the world around us.

Red fiber

Faryn Davis’s necklaces are either found objects painstakingly layered like these red strands of dyed fiber encased in resin or designs hand drawn in acrylic and ink on resin, layer-over-layer, as seen with the bird and vines three piece pendant. Each one is then hand cut, and polished then strung on smooth, nylon-coated, flexible steel wire with a pure silver lobster claw clasp.

Since each piece is handmade no two will be exactly a like. The design may be similar but each one will have a subtle uniqueness that will make it all your own.

The pieces are inspired by the world around us, and you cannot help, but to get a sense of wistful youthful peace when looking at her work; a painted red kite flying over the silhouette of a wire fence with wisps of real grass or a hand painted dandelion with bits of its white umbrella seeds floating to grant a wish.

Kite

Faryn Davis is not only a jewelry maker, but a fine artist as well, and you can find her art pieces in the G. Gibson Gallery in Seattle, Washington. As much as we would love to carry some of her art pieces we are honored, and delighted to carry these tiny works of art.

Ladybug

A Fernworks design is a piece of jewelry and art to treasure for a lifetime.

That is why we are excited to offer Fernworks on sale for our Thrifty Thursday. Come into the store or purchase one on-line.

*Not all the designs pictured are in the store all at one time, but we often do get similar designs. Come in to see what we have!

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We are excited to present Luscious as this Thursday’s Thrifty Thursday special.

Each online and in-store piece is 25% off the retail price. Luscious is only available at the 25% off price for one day, September 22nd.

If you haven’t checked out out Thrifty Thursday you should! Every week we offer a new item in the store and online for 25% off the retail price. It can be broad like baby clothes or all tees or it can be specific like this week’s jewelry line created by Luscious.

We like to keep it exciting and to offer you the opportunity to find that special gift at a reduced price.

Be sure to shop on our website or step into the store Thursday the 22nd of September (today!) And pick up that beautiful handmade necklace from Luscious that you have been eyeing for the past two weeks.

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Wonderlust is one of our newer lines and we are thrilled to be carrying this unique line of jewelry.

The process of creating this jewelry is very interesting: 1st the artists applies a photo sensitive emulsion to the metal, then arranges the plants or flowers onto the coated metal and exposes them to light. 2nd-ly, the captured shadow of the plants are etched in an acid etching machine. Lastly, she bends the metal into a bracelet or attaches the hooks for the earrings. Each piece is individually done creating a one of a kind piece every time.

The earrings and cuffs are like a mirror with frosted images of flowers, plants, and musical scores.

Each piece is absolutely unique because each piece is hand done. There will never be another one exactly like the one that you have. That makes it special and you’re special!

We are offering Wonderlust on sale for 25% off for one day only as a part of our Thrifty Thursday special. Come in and see this jewelry in person, if you can, it is really beautiful. Thrifty Thursday is also available for our website shoppers as well so be sure to check out what we have on-line.

Hope to see you this Thursday September 8th for this week’s Thrifty special featuring Jewelry by Wonderlust.

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This interview has been updated with new questions and answers, but is based off an original interview with Jen done in 2010 when she was a part of the Jewelry making duo Affixments.

When did Presents of Mind start carrying your prints?

I wanna say the store started taking my prints about a year ago, maybe around this time. Seasons (owner of Presents of Mind) and I had made a pact to get together and do an original piece once a week. That lead to coming up with quite a few pieces by the end of summer. Basically, I printed up the pieces and then presented them to the store for sale.

Is that where the whale in the nest came from?

Yes and no. A friend of mine Amelia who used to work at POM is a musician, and she had mentioned once that she wanted to do an album cover that featured the art of a whale in a bird’s nest. Even though the album never came to be I never stopped thinking about the image. The piece is called “Protection”. I guess it  speaks to the desire to try to fix our environment, and what an enormous task that is. And just the thought of being able to nestle something as large as a whale in a bird’s nest reflects the hope for that or the wish for that fix.

Protection

We just started carrying some new bezeled necklaces with your imagery. Can you tell us a little about that evolution of print to jewelry?

Richard Fox, who also works at POM and has some of his jewelry in the store, approached me with the idea of taking my original fine art pieces and then putting them into pendant form. It was fun to see these pieces tiny and in full detail. It was also fun to not be the person making the jewelry.

Why’s that?

Because I was a resin caster before, and me and my business partner put lots of imagery into casting and it took years off my life. I’m not kidding.

Can You talk a little about working with resin? About the difficulties and what is fun?

Resin is very temperature sensitive. We learned that the hard way. The cool part is that you can cast in any shape, can use any kind of imagery, from fine art to photography, to found images to natural organic objects. Skies the limit. It takes about two to three days to cast a piece from beginning to end. We’ve had to learn about organics. It’s been like a science project to learn about organics. It’s sticky, it’s messy, it’s hardcore.

You recently started doing murals- what got you started onto that type of work?

I was doing a mural for Seasons’ and Richie’s (her husband) new bar the Gemini Lounge. My buddy Mark L’Allier who is a mutual friend of ours recommended me to a bike repair cart owner, Lee Hanson who has opened a cart up on 82nd avenue in Cartlandia. I’ve always painted big but now I am able to paint really big and I’m having a blast.

So is this where your whale and the bike image came from? 

That was more fantastical whimsical. I don’t even know the word. Lee Hanson wanted me to do a faux bike repair store front and I was immediately uninspired because I enjoy doing naturalistic and even surrealistic subject matter. The faux front was too architectural and exact. I wanted to create something more imaginative and capture the spirit of Portland.

How is a whale Portland?

I don’t think it is so much “Portland”. I think that this image asks you why? And it is so big and adorable and unusual but there is still that connecting feel of Portland with Mt. Hood, and the cityscape, and the bike, and it is so surprising, and I think that is very much Portland. We’re hoping it causes a bit of a ruckus- and it already has.

What do you think about the buying local and the crafty movement?

I think it is fascinating that when you purchase locally that you are putting eighty percent directly back into your community. It really keeps the art growing. I love the fact that Portland is the design directive of the country. Many city standards across the country come out of here. It is fascinating to be a part of a place that may be setting trends across the nation, maybe the world. I know that is a bold statement, but when we go to trade shows a large percentage of the booths are from Portland.

What’s the percentage?

I would be afraid to quote that, but it is huge. Sometimes we go to check out a vendor booth and we are surprised to find they are from Portland. Portland is such a supportive community. Everything is a reaction to every one’s reactions to other’s work.

You went to Magic as a buyer, how was that experience?

Magic, yes. It was my fourth time to Magic. When I go, it makes me come home feeling innovative, and gutsy as a designer. It is an insiders look into what people are into.

Do you have a hard time balancing between your art work and working at the store?

Sometimes. I think Presents of Mind feeds my social side, and I love it, and it has been fun to watch my work go out the door, but ultimately I would one day like to be a full time artist. The balance is there, Presents of Mind accommodates me, and is very supportive, and I also have my finger on the pulse of what people are in the mood for. I work three days a week at Presents of Mind, and four days are studio time, which is very providential.

Who is your favorite artist, your inspiration?

Debra Beers, who is a local art instructor, I believe she is at Lewis and Clark, she does fantastic, authentic and amazing charcoals. And, Dustin Yellin a resin artist out of New York. Right now they are my inspiration.

You have two grown children, well adults now, and they have both become pretty adventurous.

Oh yes, my daughter is a fantastic artist and bartender in Oakland, CA, and my son works as a ranch hand in Victor, Idaho and as ski patrol in Big Sky, Montana, so he skies for work and he skies for fun, he is also a very talented woodworker. When I had my kids I packed them around with me everywhere. I raised them outside. I wasn’t standing still and ultimately they are very travel savvy and independent. No sterilizing bottles in this house.

Tell us a about little Jen.

I was a scrubby little outdoor kid that picked up everything, sticks, stones and oddities. I was drawing before I could walk. It took everything to get me indoors. I haven’t changed much since I was a child, I still talk a lot and I don’t pay much attention and I am shy (she laughs) it’s a great place to hide art.

What is in store for the future for Ms. Jen Smith?

(She giggles) Ultimately, I want to paint and draw full time. Paint, do my murals and basically build a house in the woods where a moving truck comes in every day to pick up all the painting to take to the gallery in the city and they give me a paycheck and I drink a glass of wine. Yeah! I’m not kidding.

What is your philosophy on life?

Live and play extremely hard and basically always, always have something you are passionate about everyday. Pay attention, being grateful and have gratitude.

Jen Smith grew up in Wyoming. Raised in the badlands, and mountain meadows of the Rockies, she was inspired by the drama of the landscape and its inhabitants.

She received her Associates of Arts from Northwest College in Powell, Wyoming and her Bachelor of Fine Art in Drawing and Painting from Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana.

She now lives in Portland, Oregon.

We only offer Protection on our website, but if you see something you like don’t hesitate to call and we can send it to you.

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From 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hawthorne will be hosting a party for thousands of Portlanders, and out-of-towners.

There will be two stages with music for grown-ups of all ages. There will be puppets and magic shows for the kids, not to mention, the Bagdad theatre is showing Labyrinth for free and so much more!

 Presents of Mind, along with all the many great stores on Hawthorne, will be out enjoying the sunshine and offering fantastic sale items at great prices just for you.

Like:

Tee shirts for men and women

Books and Stationery

cool bags, wallets, and more.

We also will have many of our awesome dresses on sale this Sunday too so you wont want to miss that!

 On 34th ave the showcase stage will be set up, and from 11:00 to 4:00 you can check out live music ranging from Blues, Rock, Latin groove, Zydeco, and more.

If you are you are looking for something different, you can stroll up to 41st Ave to the Acoustic stage to watch singer songwriters, gospel, and folk music performers play their heart and souls out.

35th Ave is the Kids Area where the kids can enjoy the Tears of Joy puppet shows, face painting, music, and bubbles galore.

So, in between your face painted, song filled, food consumption wanderings, stop by our sidewalk right in front of Presents of Mind between 35th and 36th Ave, and peruse our sales table, and clothing rack. We know you will find something special or quirky for yourself or a loved one.

If you arrive between 11:00 and 3:00, you can find items on sale for 40% off, and if you decide to hit us up between 3:00 and 6:00 you can find something for 70% off.

So come by, say, perhaps after watching David Bowie dance around in his grey tights while singing songs with puppet goblins, and get something just for you.

Presents of Mind will be open during our regular hours 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. so be sure to step inside and see what we have going on inside.

For more details on scheduled events check out the Hawthorne Boulevard Business Association’s website here: HBBA- Hawthorne Street Fair.

Sounds like a great time you said? It will be and we’ll see you there.

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The unique thing about Molly M’s work is that she comes from an architectural background and it was her experience using the laser cutter to make models that lead her to use the same technique in making jewelry.

She creates her jewelry out of sustainable material that is obtained through ethical methods.

Her designs are inspired from botanical and geometric forms that create interesting optical illusions and dynamic pieces.

The layering affect of many of the designs that we carry are created from overlapping patterns from left over pieces. Nothing is wasted.

Molly M Designs are out of San Francisco, and independently owned. We love offering support to local business that want to put back into their own community.

We are delighted to be able to offer Molly M Designs at 25% off the retail price, and hope that you have the opportunity to pick up some earrings or a necklace for yourself or a friend.

This is a Thrifty Thursday special so the offer is only good for Thursday August 11th, but don’t worry we’ll have more cool items on sale on our website and on our floor every Thursday while Thrifty Thursday lasts.

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If you are not familiar with this jewelry line, you really should be. We wrote a post about MapleXO when we first got it in, and you can read about it here. If you don’t feel like jumping to the earlier post the thing to know right here and now is that all of Lindsay Jo’s jewelry is made from 100% recycled skateboards.
We’ve added more products to our website like these fantastic bracelets. If you order online we can send them to you if even you live out of state or the country.

Part of Maple XO’s mission is to keep the landfills free of damaged or destroyed skateboards. The other part is to make cool jewelry that is durable and celebrates skating.

If you are wondering how durable they could possibly be think about the kind of beating a skateboard gets. The boards are created to take jumps, grinds, and clacks. They slide down rails, and slam against concrete curbs; you can bet they are durable.

As for lightweight: put on a pair of Maple XO big hoops and you can’t even feel them. No skater wants a heavy board. Can you imagine trying to do kickflip on something that weighs a ton?

Check out these cute teardrop earrings! We have this pair available online. So friggin’ cuuuute!

As you can probably tell we are big fans of MapleXO. You can even say that this line is one of our employee picks, especially since one or two employees happen to have multiple pairs of earrings (eeehhemm).

We’re pretty much drooling over these new styles.

Speaking of drooling over new styles, the wheel earrings are back. In our last post about these earrings we described them as chewy. They totally are! You have to touch them, give them a little bend, they are made from the wheels of skate boards which give them that soft texture. Such a clever idea. They are super bright and fun, but even though they are chewy we don’t recommend you eat them. We warned you.

Each necklace, bracelet, and earring is made from a skateboard. All of the original board artwork, scratch marks, and layers of paint from each piece of wood that made up the board are incorporated as part of the jewelry’s design.

The result is that each and every piece is an original one of a kind piece. There may be several pieces made from one board but no two will be a like.

Even though each piece is unique that doesn’t stop you from finding some cool mix and match. Like these Big Hoop Earrings with the Love Necklace.

The Love necklace is a brand new design, and brand new to Presents of Mind. It is adorable and sweet and made from the same skateboard material as all other MapleXO jewelry. This heart hangs from an eighteen inch sterling silver chain, and is already coveted by more than one employee.
Check out the layers of the board! It’s like a rainbow!

What you see on this post is also available online on our website (till they last).
Come into the store and check out all our new colors and styles that we have to offer.

MapleXO is created here in Portland Oregon with love and dedication. Dedication to keeping it local not just in Portland, but in the U.S. as well, and dedicated to helping to maintain the planet, and dedicated to celebrating the frickin‘ fun world of skate.

Presents of Mind is open Mon-Thurs 10:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and Fri-Sat 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

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Last year for mother’s day we interviewed Shannon Conrad creator and designer behind rubygirl. We decided to post this awesome question and answer for June 30th’s Thrifty Thursday special. Enjoy getting to know Shannon and be sure to check out Present of Mind this Thursday for a great deal on rubygirl jewelry.

We have been carrying Shannon’s jewelry since 2007. Her style and design is by far one of the most eclectic jewelry lines that we carry. Unless you know her work you can not always tell that you are holding a rubygirl piece in your hand because no two styles are the same. She is a mother of two, and has been working in her home studio since 2006. Hard working, and devoted to her family, and her craft, she has brought us many beautiful and charming designs. She is an active presence in the independent handmade scene, and we expect that we will see her designs in far off places.

Shannon had just completed this ring hours before meeting with us.

Shannon came by the store and we took her to coffee to chat. In her ears she wore her latest designs of lego® inspired earing posts. On her finger she wore her latest creation, a ring that she made as part of her ring a day project. “I finished this design at 10:00 p.m. last night.” She laughed. The ring a day is just one of many projects that Shannon has been involved with that are community oriented. The idea behind a process like ring a day is to be creative and to keep exploring your craft. Like Shannon says, skill is gained through repetition. But we’ll let her speak for herself:

1. How long has Rubygirl been around?

I started selling my work online in 2006.

rusted flower earrings with white coral

2. I’ve been reading your interviews and in a couple you had mentioned that your company had been downsized and that you were laid off. So many people put off their dreams because of fear. They wait, “oh I’ll wait till the kids are grown, or oh I’ll wait till I retire.” In fact for some people loosing their job can be thought of as the worst thing that could happen to them. Many find themselves unhappy, but think, at least I am safe.” So in a way you were forced to do something else, and it could have been another job outside of the home, but instead you found this. Can you look back a bit to that time before you saw this as something you would be doing with your life, to that moment when you lost your job and were looking for something new? In retrospect can you tell us what that was like?

Unfortunately, if we wait for the perfect time to do something, it will never come. Something always gets in the way, right?

Losing my job was one of the best things that ever happened to me, though it didn’t feel like it at the time! I was forced to take a hard look at my life and what I wanted to do with it. I really wanted to find a way to spend more time with my children. I was tired of working long hours and having daycare providers raise them for me. Then when I would come home, I was tired and stressed and did not have the energy (or patience) to give them the attention they deserved.

I had started taking a basic metalsmithing class in the fall of 2005. When I lost my job in January of 2006, I decided to focus my energy on building a business with these new skills. To supplement my income while I was just starting out, I took on the care of my niece and a neighbor boy. My daughter was almost 2 at the time, and I gave myself until she started kindergarten to get my business really up and running. We hit that milestone last fall.

3. You said you knew the minute you had the torch in your hand that this was what you were going to do with you life. Can you tell a little bit about what that looked like in your mind, what that felt like to you?

It was like love at first sight. I don’t know how else to describe it! I love everything about the fabrication process. I love to take a sheet of metal –  something flat and cold and shapeless – and turn it into something beautiful. There is no feeling like that of creating.

4. Are you still doing daycare or taking care of children, or are you doing jewelry full time?

Well, some weeks the jewelry is more than a full-time job! I actually have not cared for children (other than my own) for just over two years. I reached the point that I could not do both – it was just too much. The childcare was just a means to an end. My plan was always to quit as soon as my jewelry business was self-sustaining.

5. You have many groups that you work with and seem to always be surrounded by other artists, like your Make a Ring a Day group. Can you tell us how that helps with inspiration? And what groups and organizations are you a part of?

I am part of a couple Teams on Etsy. PDX Etsy is a team of Portland Etsy sellers – over 700 strong! I am also on the steering committee of I Heart Art: Portland. This is a collaboration between Etsy, PDX Etsy, PNCA and The Museum of Contemporary Craft. This group is focused on advocacy, support and education for the Portland arts community. Lastly, I am a member of Etsy Metal – a team connecting metalsmiths from all over the world.

There are many benefits to networking with other artists. You can share information about events, ask questions, learn from each other. Besides all of that, I find that for me it has been important to connect to other makers. I worked out in the world for so long. Now that I work on my own, I find that I crave the socialization that you get when you have co-workers. I have found that socialization – and formed some wonderful friendships – through these communities.

Twig Necklace with Amber bud

6. Your words of description on your Etsy page are that you are eclectic and you like to make the industrial meet organic. I am struck with the familiarity in tone of that statement to the same words of those who were a part of the art nouveau movement. Do you ever think of what you are doing as part of a movement?

I do think that there is a movement and not just in the arts and crafts community.  It is not just a bi-product of the poor economy – though that has certainly added to the momentum –  it started before that. There is a quiet revolution going on in this country. People are tired of the big corporations and the mass-produced. They are fed up with the corruption and the greed. They are ready for more than just a disposable life.  People are doing their own gardening, raising chickens in their backyards, buying local and buying (and making!) handmade. All of these things are interconnected.  People want less “stuff” and more meaning. Being able to talk to the maker and know their story gives things that meaning. Being able to speak to the person who made the product with their own two hands… how cool is that? You can’t buy that at a big chain store!

Posey Earrings

7. In a past interview you had mentioned that it is difficult to find a life balance between working and raising a family and play? Do you still find that challenging or have you found a rhythm?

There is definitely a rhythm now. I am fortunate to have the complete and utter support of my family. I could not do it without them. My kids are great about letting me work when I need to. They are very independent. And there is my husband… I cannot say enough about him! I would not be where I am today without him. He is truly my partner in all things.  He steps in and picks up the slack when it’s needed. Even if that means cooking dinner after his own long day of work. He is my best friend and my biggest fan.

8. You can say that being a mom is very much a part of rubygirl, in fact, your jewelry line was named after your daughter, and by your son. In what other ways, besides naming your business, do you find your children help you?

First and foremost, they are my motivation. My family is the most important thing in my life and I work as hard as I do to help support them.

My daughter (the “Ruby” in rubygirl), loves to help. She will do anything she can. Sweep the studio, bag wholesale orders, card earrings – she loves it all. Setting up for shows is probably her favorite. She gets caught up in the excitement. My son is 11 and less enamored with the actual jewelry business. However, he does a great job entertaining his sister when I need to work.

9. Did you always know you wanted kids? When you were little did you say, I want to be a mother or did the thought come to you later in life? What do find to be the best part of being a mom or better yet what is your favorite part? What is the most challenging part? (Granted I imagine these answers can change from day to day and year to year)

I wasn’t one of those kids that dreamed of the day that I would be a mother. I didn’t even know if I wanted kids. Sometimes, it’s a case of meeting the right person at the right time. When I met my husband I couldn’t imagine NOT having children.

The unconditional love is great, but you know what is really special? I love that not only am I proud of my kids, but they are proud of me. There is nothing like knowing that your kids are proud of who you are and what you’ve accomplished. It’s a great feeling.

My biggest challenge right now is their bickering. Seriously. Drives me insane! I am also on the verge of having a teenager. That’s a little scary!  The ongoing challenge for me is \ knowing what the right thing to do is – regardless of the situation. I worry all the time that I will do something wrong that will scar them for life. I don’t want my kids in therapy at age 30 because of something I did or said.

10. What were you like as a girl growing up?

Studious, quiet, a little shy. I’m a huge reader. My dad was always telling me to get my nose out of a book and go outside and play.

11. What do you think you took from your mother, what in yourself of her do you see? A quality that you are grateful to have, and in the same token, what would you like to pass down to your own children?

Determination. I would have to say determination. Determination and perseverance. When I set my mind on something, I make it happen. Sometimes the road isn’t an easy one, but that makes the result all the more rewarding! I try hard not to let the curve balls life throws at me to get me down. My mother has always told me that change comes out of chaos and it is my choice whether that change is for the better or the worse. I think rubygirl is proof of that!

I want my kids to have that same determination and to know that they can be whatever they want when they grow up. If you set your mind to it and work hard, you can have the things you want in life. So many people are unhappy in their jobs and I don’t want that for them. I want them to believe in themselves  and to know that they can live their dreams.

12. Lastly, rubygirl, plans for the future do you have plans to expand?

I do have goals. I would like to keep steadily growing my business. My dream would be to be able to have enough work that I could take on my sister as a full-time employee – she recently lost her job. Right now she helps me at Christmas and at shows, but I would love to be able to offer her something more steady.  I never want to not be the one designing and making my pieces, but help would be nice! If I could get to the point where rubygirl could support my family and help support another… well, I think that would be incredible.

We think that would be incredible too. Thank you so much Shannon! Stop by our store our look on our website to find some of the designs posted here, and so many more.

And to all the mom’s crafty or not, we love you, and Happy Mother’s Day

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From The Reliquary at Presents of Mind

From The Reliquary’s Alex Ozer’s has created truly unique and beautiful handcrafted jewelry. Since he makes his jewelry by hand using distressed tools to create texture and mixed base metals along with stone accents, he has earned the title of artisan jeweler. Each piece is individually built so that no one looks alike offering you a one of a kind piece. This Thursday, June 23rd at Presents of Mind you can purchase one (or more!) of these jaw-dropping jewelry pieces for 25% off the retail price.

From The Reliquary earrings

We are really excited to carry From the Reliquary and are thrilled to be able to offer you the chance to purchase designer jewelry that is locally made for the 25% off Thrifty Thursday special.

From The Reliquary

We have a limited amount of From the Reliquary on our website. You can find this discount jewelry online for one day only. Be sure to follow the link and to find these beautiful creations and we can ship them to you.

copper chain and turquoise necklace

copper earrings with turquoise stones and matching necklace

Be sure to come into Presents of Mind this Thursday 10:00 am to 7:00pm or check out our website and purchase one of (or both) these From the Reliquary’s jewelry pieces for 25% off the retail price.

From the Reliquary

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Sundays too my father got up early
and put his clothes on in the blueblack cold,
then with cracked hands that ached
from labor in the weekday weather made
banked fires blaze. No one ever thanked him.

Robert Hayden (click the link to read the rest of the Poem)

In May of 1909, Sonora Smart Dodd, sat in a church in Spokane, Washington listening to a mother’s day sermon (mother’s day was originally meant to be a day of worship). It was at this moment that Sonora thought of her father, William Jackson Smart. Sonora’s father was a Civil War veteran who raised Sonora and her five siblings after her mother had died in child birth. Sonora, felt that her father had loved her and raised her as any parent could with selfless love, courage and tenderness, and therefore deserved a day of honor, the same as a mother. Following the footsteps of Anna Marie Jarivs (founder of mother’s day) Sonora set about creating a day of honer for fathers. Choosing the month and day of her father’s birth, the city of Spokane recognized June 19th, 1910 as the first father’s day. By 1926 there was a National Father’s Day Committee and in 1966, Lyndon B. Johnson declared it a national holiday then in 1972, Nixon signed into law a permanent Father’s day to be celebrated on the third Sunday of June. There you have it in a short paragraph: the history of Father’s day.

We’ve been thinking about dads a lot here at Presents of Mind, since the holiday is rapidly approaching, thinking about how funny it is that so much preparation goes into finding mom’s gift, but dad will most likely get a card, socks or if he is into sports he’ll get some sport thing. We started asking each other about well known dads, dad’s that make a cultural impact, fathers who have stuck in our memories as the image of the word “father.” Granted these are fictional fathers, except for two, and there are so many more real life and fictional fathers to choose to write about but these are the eight we’ve decided to highlight as part of our Father’s Day celebration.

John Walsh-

John Walsh became famous the way no father would ever want to become famous. The tragic abduction and murder of his young son Adam, turned John Walsh into a living media personality, but not for entertainment’s sake. John Walsh was a normal everyday man, a partner in a hotel management company, a husband, and a father, but after the murder of his young son he became one of the most well known, and loudest activists for missing children and victim’s rights.

Craig Ferguson-

Nighttime comedian and talk show host shared his revelations on life as a father and as a son in his essay In Dad’s Chair. The moment that Craig brought his young son to meet his dying father, Craig was hit with his father’s truths and ideas of what it means to be a father. He was face to face with life at its end and life at its beginning. It is a poignant and well written essay, a beautiful look at a generation of males as one member passes from this life and another just begins to grow, and how to live in the middle.

Charles Ingalls-

Not everyone had the chance to see or grow up with Michael Landon as Charles Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie, but for those who did Mr. Ingalls (and some saw Landon as a Mr. Ingalls) couldn’t have been a better dad. He was always there for his kids, had the best advice for living and he lived on the prairie, not easy to do. There is a high chance that you read The Little House on the Prairie books and fell in love with the family and with Pa, what you may or may not know is that Pa Ingalls is based on a real life Pa. Some may or may not know that Michael Landon was a pa on and off screen. He was an advocate for family values and a father of both biological and adopted children (he adopted his first wife’s children). He felt that television should be positive, and a medium for promoting family life and paternal values. He was also an advocate of rights for the disabled.

The Man

The Road, if you’ve read it you know it is bleak, if you’ve watched it, you know it is bleak. Whether you are familiar or not with the story one thing is undeniable, and the one thing to know about this book, is that it is a story about a father and his young son. You can add all the other symbolism and allegories later. The Man loves his son to no end, and will stop at nothing to protect him. It is a story of survival but it is also a story of great love and a grasp at the final string of humanity. You will fall in love with the boy and the father who promises to take care of him. It is a gripping view into the love of a father for his son at the end of the world.

LIfe is Beautiful

Say what you will about the film you liked it or you didn’t but there is no denying that Guido goes through all lengths to save his son’s life. Captured by the Nazis, Guido convinces his son that it is all a game and protects him through his game, risking his own life. In the face of one of the darkest moments in our time Guido teaches his son that life is still beautiful.

Anne of Green Gables

He wasn’t her biological dad, Anne was an orphan, but she was he loved her like his own flesh and blood. Who did not adore Matthew Cuthbert. Remember when he bought her the puff sleeves dress for the dance?! There couldn’t have been a better father to Anne or to any person real or fictional. Cuthbert showed that a father does not have to be biological in order to be a great and loving father.

Mr. Huxstable

How many of us wondered if Bill Cosby’s character was not a real life rendition of who he really was as a father. Who wouldn’t want a dad like Mr. Huxstable, you would have a constant stomach ache from laughing twenty four seven. Of course judging by Theo, we bet Cliff as your dad could be a little embarrassing when you are trying to be a cool teenager, “Daaaaaaad!” When you think of Bill Cosby don’t you think of getting chocolate cake for breakfast? That’s what we are talkin’ about!

Atticus Finch-

To Kill a Mockingbird may have created one of the greatest fictional and literary fathers. A single father raising two children; a man couragous enough to stand up against bigotry and injustice; a father who chooses to teach his children not settle for only tolerance but to recognize that people should be judge by who they are and what they do in life, not by the color of their skin. Not to mention he has awesome quotes like this: “When a child asks you something, answer him, for goodness sake. But don’t make a production of it. Children are children, but they can spot an evasion faster than adults, and evasion simply muddles ‘em.”

We know you have a favorite dad and he may be your own, but we hope you enjoyed these real life and fictional fathers as much as we do. Oh and if you want to get your dad some socks- we have the coolest socks, socks so cool Atticus would want a pair, and you know Mr. Huxtable already has a pair.

I can remember my father bringing home spruce gum.
He worked in the woods and filled his pockets
with golden chunks of pitch...

and how many other children had fathers
that placed on their innocent, anxious tongue
the blood of tree?

Suzanne Rancourt (click link to read the full poem)

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