Historical architecture, industrialism and haute couture influence the bold jewelry designs of North Carolina metalsmith Jill Melyssa. Artist: Born in Bogota, Colombia, Melyssa was raised in New York. She earned a BA from the University of Albany and an MBA from Empire State University. After college, she worked in various managerial positions in New York…
In her abstract, color-interactive work, Mary Zio occasionally suggests a subject. But more frequently, the North Carolina artist wants her paintings to be open to the viewer’s interpretation. Artist: Born and raised in Syracuse, NY, Zio said there was never a time that she wasn’t exploring or making art. She graduated from SUNY Purchase in…
Florida ceramic artist Peggi Nadeau explores movement and surface texture in her sculptural work. Artist: Nadeau grew up in Lancaster, PA where she was born. She graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a BA in graphic design and went to work as a graphic designer in 1997. In 2012, she moved to Mount Dora, FL.…
Fascinated by the historical significance of cyanotypes, Atlanta artist Michael Reese employs the blueprint as a metaphor within his work, weaving layers of meaning and symbolism into each piece. Artist: Born and raised in Long Island, NY, Reese moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. After two years, he enrolled in Atlanta College of Art…
From a distance, the unique art of Evan Stoler comes together to form intricate textures and patterns. But look closer. The materials the Atlanta artist uses to create his work might surprise you. Artist: Stoler grew up in Omaha, NE, and first found an interest in art in a high school ceramics class. At Denison University…
Kentucky native Emily Ridings says her fashion training helped refine her eye for silhouette, proportion and storytelling: Qualities that now define her basketry. Artist: The Kentucky native grew up in Richmond in a creative family. Judy Ridings, her grandmother, is a master basket weaver who lived nearby. Ridings’ mother is a talented seamstress. By age…
Georgia’s Mitchell Biggio utilizes digital and traditional techniques with simple materials to produce his visually clean and modular wall sculpture. Artist: Growing up in Marblehead, MA, Biggio was always interested in art and building things. In high school, he wanted to be an architect. Biggio started at the Savannah College of Art and Design as…
Maurice Evans is known for the African-inspired “Waterbearer” series and his dynamic mixed-media works celebrating jazz music and its innovators. But, in a new series, the Atlanta artist offers something different. Abstract portraitures – with deeper color palettes and added texture – that are about more than what appears at first glance. Artist: Born in…
Growing up in Colorado, Chad Hayward experienced the feeling of openness and expansive space that today influence the Georgia artist’s wide-ranging and interdisciplinary work. Artist: Born in Summit County, NJ, Hayward moved to Colorado at the age of 7. After high school, he studied fine art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago,…
Tennessee fiber artist Rena Wood employs vintage materials and elaborate hand stitching to create artwork that honors textile histories and past makers. Artist: Grew up in St. Louis, MO, making arts and crafts and encouraged by her creative parents. Wood’s dad is a painter and retired professor of art. Wood’s mother was skilled in sewing…