At a young age, Stephanie Firestone enjoyed flipping through her father’s college textbook on human anatomy. Today, the Virginia-based artist creates intriguing, semi-abstract sculptures of human figures. Artist: Born in Detroit, MI, Firestone grew up in Chevy Chase, MD, where her father worked in advertising in the DC metro area and had a small painting…
North Carolina’s Casey Engel works in ceramics, textiles and printmaking. She is proof an artist doesn’t have to choose one medium to express herself. Artist: Born and raised in Pensacola, FL, Engel earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2015. After college, she worked in a commercial frame shop in…
Tennessee-based sculptor Kyle Cottier combines traditional textile and woodworking techniques in his mindful practice. Artist: Born and grew up in Louisville, KY. In a high school magnet program, Cottier began spending a lot of time in the art annex. Often, he was in in the darkroom developing film, or in the printmaking lab preparing silkscreens…
In her figurative and abstract paintings, Atlanta’s Paula Henderson examines social dynamics. In one direction, her work explores how the impact of the beauty industry shapes women’s lives. In another series, Henderson utilizes shoe patterns on the ground to explore ideas of shared space and social unity. Artist: Born and grew up in the Boston…
In his jewelry work, North Carolina’s Matthew Smith draws on his background in graphic design and his appreciation of mid-century modern style. Artist: Born and raised in Columbus, OH, Smith graduated with a BFA from Wake Forest University, where he focused on printmaking and sculpture. For 20 years, he worked as a freelance graphic designer, but…
Using various colors, shapes and sizes, Charlotte’s Kirk Fanelly creates lively cut paper artworks that resemble paintings. Artist: The North Carolina native was born and grew up in Charlotte. Always a good student, Fanelly was innately good at drawing and observing detail. In college, he shifted from engineering to art and received a BA in…