Liz Carlis is the artist and designer behind 1.by.liz. Since 2007 Liz has rescued thousands of worn out bicycle gears and hundreds of yards of textiles from the landfill. She cleans every bike part by hand in her Seattle studio before combining them with colorful textiles and vintage topographic maps to create one-of-a-kind timepieces. Since no two clocks are ever exactly the same, the design process is vibrant and ever changing.
Liz has always been drawn to texture and color and the unlikely combination of materials. She first started making clocks while working as a preschool teacher, inspired by the way young children see possibilities in all materials. With every product Liz hopes to inspire others to discover the potential for creative reuse and shift the way we all look at ordinary objects.
When she's not in the studio thinking about the industrial shape of gears, you can find Liz teaching other teachers about art and creativity, dreaming about food and travel, and exploring the beauty of the pacific northwest with her family.
