Crafting Art, Clothes and the Wise Woman Tradition with Lucretia Jones

Lucretia grew up in the suburbs of Richmond where she would spend hours exploring the surrounding woods. She attended Open High School and eventually graduated from VCO in 1998 with a degree in Sculpture. Her passion for art making led her to New York in 1999, where she lived until 2005. Somewhere along the way, inundated by the roar of that concrete jungle, her childhood interests were reignited.

She had been making clothing since a small child. Life in New York provided the motivation to combine elements of sculpture and sewing to create wearable works of art. It had become increasingly important to consider the impact of our every day choices on the environment in which we live. Lucretia's philosophy has been to use the materials that are available, and to reconstruct those materials into something new.

Not long after making the connection between art and clothing, and having been conscious of what she put in her body for some time, Lucretia eventually became aware that everything that one put on their skin would also make its way into their body. Her curiositites led to a live-in apprenticeship with renowned Wise Woman herbalist, Susun Weed in upstate NY. Completing that course in 2003, she continued to learn with Susun, through correspondence and self-study.

Lucretia feels that the Wise Woman tradition encourages each of us (women and men) to see the ally in every ailment/challenge and to trust in our own body's innate wisdom rather than relying solely upon the 'experts'. This tradition calls upon the assistance of whole foods and common plants, sometimes called weeds, rather than their synthetic counterparts. It is with this spirit and intention that she handcrafts her body care, incense, and custom oil recipes.

House of Lukaya the shop opened December 2006 in Richmond's historic Shockoe Bottom neighborhood. They offer a unique selection of wearable and wall art, in addition to handcrafted body care, incense and oils. The remainder of the inventory comes from local artisans. House of Lukaya has hosted a variety of community events in their Shockoe Bottom location, including art openings, a spa night, live music, and film/discussion panels. Seeking a more central location for their customers, they moved to Richmond’s Fan District in October 2010. They are currently offering classes in sewing and knitting with candle making and herbal medicine added to the roster in Spring 2011.

Every house of Lukaya product is handcrafted in small batches, ensuring the integrity of each organic and consciously wild-crafted ingredient. Essential oils require enormous amounts of plant material to make a small bottle of oil and are used sparingly to prevent spoilage and to enhance the main ingredients. Olive and grape seed oils, used in Buttah, Stella’s Amazing Hair Tonic, and Lavage a Trois are infused with beneficial plants for at least 1½ moon cycles (6 weeks or more), creating nutrient rich oil that is then blended with shea butter for its additional regenerative and protective properties.

Susun Weed, guest host at WomensRadio.com is the author of the acclaimed best seller Wise Woman Herbal Series. Her health books for women offer Wise Woman approaches to common women's ailments including menopause, childbearing, fertility, cancer prevention and treatment, breast health, and reproductive health. Susun Weed offers women safe and easy solutions to common problems, visit her at SusunWeed.com for 3000 pages of Wise Woman wisdom and wit.

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