Georgia’s Robert Patterson makes elegantly austere wood objects with little concern for utility. The artist: Born in Baton Rouge, LA, Patterson grew up in North Carolina. Both his father and grandfather who were woodworkers. At college, he focused on drawing and painting. Patterson earned a BFA from the University of North Carolina and an MFA…
Kentucky-based artist Crystal Gregory sees herself as a builder, often pairing construction materials with handmade textiles in her contemporary work. The artist: Gregory grew up in Huntington Beach, CA, and earned a BFA from the University of Oregon and an MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Gregory lived and worked in…
South Carolina ceramic artist Maria White strives to create work that enhances a space and is useful in daily ritual. The artist: Born in Las Vegas, White grew up in Summerville, SC, in a creative household. While both parents painted, her father was a graphic designer and her mother also designed and made clothing. White discovered clay…
Mark Leputa has been spellbound by glass since he discovered it on a post-college trip. The Alabama-based glass sculptor found the material seductive and inspiring. He still does. The artist: Leputa grew up in the Scranton, PA, area and graduated from the University of Pittsburgh. After college, he took a backpacking trip to New Zealand…
In Asheville, dancer turned jewelry designer Laura Wood thoughtfully engineers her sculptural work to fit and flatter the body. The artist: Born in Milledgeville, GA, Wood earned a BFA in jewelry at the University of Georgia and later an MFA in metal design from East Carolina University (ECU). She has lived and worked as a…
North Carolina designer and sculptor Ellie Richards explores the intersection of work and play in her eclectic creations. The artist: Born in Greenbelt, MD, Richards grew up outside of Erie, PA in the small lakeside town of Girard. She received a BFA from University of Dayton (Ohio) in studio art and art education and an…
North Carolina’s Angelique Tassistro makes festive dishes with fresh colors and designs that make everyday meals feel like a celebration. The artist: Tassistro grew up in Baton Rouge, LA, and received two BFA’s from Louisiana State University: One in photography, the other in ceramics. She moved to Asheville in 2003 to pursue ceramics. The company/studio:…
East Texas native Jeffie Brewer likes to say he makes sunshine out of paint and steel. His big and bright sculptures prove it. The artist: Brewer grew up in Palestine, a small, rural town in East Texas, where his parents owned a junkyard, a dangerous and often magical place for an only child. Brewer earned an…
Doug Powell’s art first caught the attention of Ripley’s “Believe It or Not.” Now the Florida-based artist is widely known for using upcycled computer keys to create his large, contemporary mosaics. The artist: Born in Ashland, KY, Powell grew up in Basking Ridge, NJ. After serving in the U.S. Navy from 1981 to 1991, he…
In a recent series of paintings, South Carolina’s Francis Sills was influenced by the landscape in and around his Low Country home. The artist: Sills grew up in central New Jersey where he was exposed to art and nature as a child, hiking and fishing in the woods, ponds and creeks near his home. He…