Martha (“Sunny”) Kent-Holmes of Bad Apple MV is an artist who hasn’t limited herself to one media. She makes jewelry, crocheted items, graphic T shirts, mounted photographs, paintings, and more. Much of her artwork can be found on her website, as well as in shops around the Island. The one thing that ties all of Kent-Holmes’ products together is that all of her designs have been influenced by her interests and lifestyle, which is far from mainstream.
On the Bad Apple website, the artist writes, “My creations are influenced by a life of independence, travel, adventure, creativity, music, humor, hard work, and continuous learning.”
Kent-Holmes, a native Vineyarder, jokingly claims that she was “raised by hippies and wolves.” It’s no surprise, therefore, that her interests embrace many elements of various subcultures. Her love of rock music led her to make a series of guitar-pick earrings featuring various band logos. Her hippie roots can be found in her crocheted beanies made from colorful, variegated merino wool. Kent-Holmes notes that although she doesn’t own a motorcycle, she’s always been around motorcycle culture, and many of her designs reflect that influence, including the name of her business, Bad Apple, which has made its way into a variety of items featuring her apple logo.
“I’ve always worked in bars and hung around all different types of people,” says the artist who, before moving back to the Island full-time, spent her winters in Key West and in Vieques, Puerto Rico. It was during those sojourns that Kent-Holmes first started making wearable art. Finding herself with no money for presents one Christmas in Key West, she started deconstructing some of her costume jewelry to fashion into new designs for friends and family members. From there she began making items from old keys — appropriate for a Key West clientele. While in Vieques, she started selling her jewelry designs from a picnic table outside a bar.
Originally Kent-Holmes was planning a career as a writer, and has written for The MV Times. She studied writing, literature, and publishing at Emerson College, but after graduation, she took a different direction. “I realized that I had all of this physical art that I wanted to make,” she says. “In school I didn’t have time to work out all of these ideas. When I graduated I was burned out from writing, burned out from reading.”
Kent-Holmes comes from a creative family. She notes that her mother and grandparents were all jewelers, and her sister was the one who taught her basic jewelrymaking skills. Although she loves to wear and make jewelry, Kent-Holmes is not one to settle on one creative pursuit, and she began experimenting with all different types of crafts after moving back to the Vineyard.
“As I discovered that art was something I wanted to do as a side business, I didn’t want to just do jewelry,” she says. One of her bestsellers is a line of tees and sweatshirts featuring sayings such as “Make Good Trouble,” “Have Wrenches Will Travel,” and “You’re on the Wrong Island.” During the early days of the pandemic, the designer taught herself to crochet, and added wool hats and shawls to her collection. After experimenting with various types of yarns, she settled on a hand-dyed merino wool from a family-owned yarn company located in Uruguay and Peru. Kent-Holmes notes that the wool is super-soft and not scratchy.
Having long been interested in photography, the artist also sells her own images mounted on wood. Kent-Holmes continues to try out new media and designs, while always aiming to keep her work both original and affordable.
“Here on the Island, there’s a lot of art that has a very similar aesthetic,” she says. “A lot of it is very high-end, and not accessible for people like me. I’m making art for regular people.”
Kent-Holmes is very supportive of other local artists and artisans. Bad Apple is currently offering custom airbrushed trucker hats by Jonah Miller of Island Spray MV. “I love to collaborate,” she says. She is also a strong believer in empowering women, and approaches life with a DIY attitude. “I’m a creative problem solver,” she says. “If I need a thing, I try to make it.”
Bad Apple jewelry and other products can be found at MV Made, Island Music, and Second Treasures in Vineyard Haven, at Tangerine in Oak Bluffs, and at Vaalbara in Edgartown. You can also purchase all of Kent-Holmes’ designs through her website, badapplemv.com.
