As the dead heat of summer approaches, the verdant fields and lawns of Eugene wither under the watch of an ever hotter sun. Ready to cut through the grime of dusty outdoor adventures of a summer break well spent is Jenny Coyne, a 47-year-old Eugene nurse and soapmaker, who has been handcrafting soap in Eugene for the last two decades.
Soap and its makers generally reside in the obscurity of the internet and neighborhood Waldorf schools, but for Coyne, the art and science of soap was just the latest extension of her creative background which involved less successful forays into sewing and knitting. “I can’t really cut straight lines and I’m too wound up for knitting,” Coyne said. But with lots of creative energy left in the tank, it was only a matter of time before she found her medium.“I like making things,” said Coyne. “I’ve tried a lot of different things because I always want to be creating something.”
For Coyne, the journey to artisanal soap began as a bi-annual ritual with her sister. “We’d get together twice a year, make huge batches, divide it up and then in six months, we’d come back together and make a huge batch,” Coyne said. “We made it for years and years and years, but just for our people.”…