In her color-rich abstract paintings, Kit Porter takes cues from palettes, patterns and shapes in a changing environment. The artist: Porter grew up in Wilmington, NC, and graduated with a degree in fine art from the University of the South (TN) in 2005. After graduation, she worked in art-related jobs in Columbia and Charleston, SC,…
Sean Donlon glittering art looks familiar. Yet there is something odd — or — off about it. And that’s fine with the Virginia glass blower, who uses flame working to make his modern and misshapen teapot creations. The artist: Born in Springfield, VA, Donlon grew up with a mother who was a fiber artist and…
Brandi Couvillion tells a story of New Orleans in her contemporary and historically inspired jewelry. The artist: A New Orleans native, Couvillion graduated from Tulane University and studied woodworking and jewelry at the Penland (NC) School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Later, while working as the CFO for a New Orleans…
Using silhouetted forms of leaves, flowers and other plants, Mississippi artist Carlyle Wolfe Lee marks time and seasonal changes in her abstract and representational paintings. The artist: Born in Gainesville, FL, she grew up in Canton, MS. She earned a BFA in painting from the University of Mississippi and a master’s degree in painting and…
Materials matter to Atlanta’s Muriel Luxemburger. So does Old World craftsmanship. That’s why her fashionable and functional French-inspired bags make a statement. The artist/designer: Born in Paris, Luxemburger studied academic art and design in Paris at the Atelier de Sevres and earned an undergraduate degree from the Ecole Superieure de Design. After graduation she worked in…
From her popular ceramic wall pods to her sculptural tree totems, Alice Ballard’s work is always about nature. The artist: Born in Florence, SC, Ballard grew up in an Air Force family and lived all over the world. She earned degrees in painting at the University of Michigan, working as a scientific illustrator to put…
Who would’ve thought you could make a stunning dress out of bottle caps, roof shingles and soda pop cans. Chattanooga’s John Petrey did. The result is a sought-after collection of dress sculptures, all made from the most unexpected materials. The artist & background: Born in Southern California, Petrey earned degrees in graphic design and advertising…
Self-taught artist Jennifer Zurick uses the flexible inner bark of black willow trees to create her elegant woven vessels. The artist: Zurick was born in Lexington and grew up in the rural Bluegrass area of Kentucky. Based in Berea, she has been professionally producing willow bark baskets since 1980. The goods: Finely woven, textile-like vessels…
Georgia’s Krista Grecco mixes the “sweet and sour” memories and moments of life in her ceramic art. Everything from expressive figures and animals to color-happy candy bugs. The artist: A fraternal twin, Grecco was born and raised in Massachusetts. But undergrad school in New York, graduate school at Ohio State, and artist residencies and teaching have…
From the cockpit of her family’s vintage plane, Mary Edna Fraser was awed by aerial views of the Lowcountry waterways and landscapes she saw. The experience inspired the South Carolina artist to recreate the landscapes in batik art and paintings. The studio: Fraser works out of a backyard studio on James Island Creek, just south…