Tanya Lowry is the sole-proprieter of Tanya Lowry Design. Born and raised in Hillsboro, Oregon, Tanya now lives high in the mountains of New Mexico with her two dogs Bella and Carmen, and her husband of 17 years, Tom.

Tanya first made her name as a hand-made book binder, making custom wedding journals, notebooks, and a line of 'book-earrings', which were tiny hand made books worn as earings (a hit with teachers and librarians!). She was singled out by the Oregon Historical society to self-publish a limited edition memoriam for the 150th anniversary of the crossing of the Oregon Trail. During this time, Tanya became involved in the creation of unique, hand-made jewelry that emphasized the use of color and light. She continues her jewelry line to this day and has sold her wares world-wide. She has participated in numerous art shows and fairs across the Northwest and New Mexico, and is currently represented in galleries in several states. Tanya also has experience on the 'other' side of the art world, owning and operating the Whitehorse Gallery in Hillsboro for over four years. Besides Oregon and New Mexico, Tanya lived for a short time in China, as well as a longer stint in New Zealand, where she deepened her artistic expression and talents through the cultural experiences.

About 10 years ago, Tanya took a welding class to develop new skills and to expand her artistic medium. It was during this class that she became exposed to the art of blacksmithing. She was immediately taken up by the balance between the hand forging of hot steel and the soft beautiful forms that could be created. She has never looked back since. Blacksmithing and metalworking are now her chief medium.

Currently, Tanya's blacksmithing efforts focus on a line of western style home furnishings and accessories, which was born out of a tragedy of sorts. In 2002, New Mexico and the surrounding region was overcome by an Ips beetle attack. Commonly known as the bark beetle, this hard working 1/8th inch of terror attacks trees by drilling through the outer bark and laying eggs within. Once the eggs hatch, the larvae eat the nutritious soft lining between the bark and the wood of the tree, which proves to be fatal to the tree. In addition, the adult beetle caries a 'blue-stain' fungus that chokes the water and nutrient carrying tissues of the tree.

What has been a sheer tragedy for the trees and the region (10's of millions of trees comprising almost a million acres have been destroyed since the start of the infestation), has shown to have a small silver lining. As only nature can do, the beetle larvae are very skilled at creating beautiful artistic patterns in the pinon wood as they eat their way to adulthood. The 'blue-stain' fungus colors the wood a beautiful blue-gray color, highlighting the woods natural grain and complexity while simultaneously hardening the wood, which makes it perfect for the application to furniture.

As luck would have it, a sizeable percentage of the Pinon pines surrounding Tanya's workshop and studio fell to the bark beetle. Utilizing this wood, she has created a line of home furnishings and accessories that express the true beauty of nature, turning damage and destruction into art and function. From something so bad, something so beautiful is born.