By Brook Sutton and Margaret Hedderman
Emilie Odeile and Ken Chapin are not afraid to take risks.
“Being reasonable has never really been one of our operating constraints,” Ken says. In pursuit of pure artistry, that philosophy may fuel some of the magic Emilie creates as a contemporary fiber artist. But make no mistake. Emilie and Ken are also building a business through art.
Emilie and Ken are the co-founders of Dundee & Lee, which is the official name of their creative partnership, based in Trinidad, Colorado. They each bring artistic talent and sensibilities to their large-scale fiber sculptures. Hers is by way of knitting the textiles into fantastical visions. While his background in the arts is a definite plus, his responsibility is to navigate the business and entrepreneurial side of making art.
In June, we were thrilled to announce Emilie as Startup Colorado’s inaugural artist-in-residence. This is a story of how two people met through Etsy, then built a partnership of love, art, and business.
A “Yes, And” Approach to Life
Emilie’s fiber art success was not a part of a masterplan. In the early 2000s, she was trying to make it as an actress in Los Angeles. To kill time while on set, she taught herself how to knit. Pretty soon, people on set were asking if she could knit specific items for them. From her performing background, she was taught to say yes to absolutely every question. Despite not knowing how to knit what had been requested, Emilie’s training kicked in and she said, “Yes!” And, she did.
Before long, Emilie had set up her own knitting shop and was a sought after designer/maker for commercials, movies, and more.
Meanwhile, in Ohio, Ken was embarking on a new business himself. Ken had been producing shows and art-focused events around Cleveland, with the underground edge of performance and installation artists. His success in the local art scene led some artists to question how they could use their art to escape poverty. When Ken’s immediate counsel was to launch their own business, he realized his credibility relied on him doing the same. With woodworking skill but zero knitting knowledge, he set up a shop on Etsy selling giant knitting needles.
As fate would have it, those beautiful, giant needles would connect him with Emilie.
Co-marketing and a Whirlwind Romance Leads to Colorado
Ken’s business was picking up, with one small challenge: he was getting questions about knitting that he could not answer. He casually reached out to one of his customers, Emilie, to run the questions by her.
The “casual” part didn’t last long. After about three phone calls, the tone evolved to be a bit more flirtatious and the two decided to meet in person. By their third date, Emilie was driving to Colorado (where Ken now lived) with most of her belongings stuffed in her car.
After a few more cross-country transports and an RV trip purely for adventure, the two eventually found their own land in Southern Colorado. They continued to run and co-market their independent businesses until they merged into one.
Stepping Into Immersive Art Installations
As many startup entrepreneurs do, Ken was working a variety of jobs. Through one of these, he learned about a Colorado Creative Industries grant that spurred him to ask Emilie what she would create if she had absolutely no constraints?
Without hesitation, she said she’d recreate the Great Green Room scene from “Goodnight Moon,” by Margaret Wise