tara locklear

North Carolina native Tara Locklear designs geometric and playful jewelry using broken and discarded skateboards. Artist: A North Carolina native, Locklear was born and raised in Fayetteville. After high school, she headed to East Carolina University (ECU), but left to go to work. Locklear spent 11 years in the corporate world of event planning and…

jenny henley

Feeling nostalgic for your old Game Boy, JVC-M90 boombox or 1984 Mac computer? Jenny Henley can help. The Atlanta-based mixed-media artist combines photography, painting and imagery from popular American culture to create her unique works. Artist: Henley grew up in Jacksonville, FL, in a family supportive of the arts. At her high school for the…

alice colin

Charleston-based painter Alice Colin aims to express emotions and thoughts through colors and patterns.  Artist: Born and raised in Bordeaux, France, Colin left in her early 20’s to study, live and work in several other cities/countries, including Rome, London, Barcelona and New Delhi. Along the way, she earned a master’s degree in psychology and another…

laura peery

Asheville porcelain artist Laura Peery textures and cuts simple shapes to create her one-of-a kind figures, teapots and vessels. Artist: Born and raised in Washington, DC, Peery took her first ceramics course at Ohio Wesleyan University. After graduation, she was an apprentice to a potter for one year before enrolling in the MFA program at…

dorri buchholtz

Atlanta’s Dorri Buchholtz has long been intrigued by the body, and the stories it tells through posture and gesture. First, in her former career in sports medicine and sports performance. And now, as a sculptor. Artist: Born in New York and lived there nine years before moving to Florida, where she went to middle and…

woody patterson

To create his graphic, textured works, Alabama artist Woody Patterson uses unexpected items, including upcycled materials, computer and electronic parts and pieces of metal. Artist: Born in Montgomery, AL, Patterson grew up in the greater Birmingham area. At Birmingham-Southern College, he double majored in fine art and business. After graduation, Patterson continued his art training at…

demond matsuo

New Orleans collage artist Demond Matsuo explores the mythic heroes and symbols of many cultures in his mixed-media works. Artist: Matsuo was born in Morgan City, LA, and grew up in nearby Patterson, reading, playing video games and training in the martial arts. At Louisiana State University (LSU), Matsuo started in political science but wanted to…

linda azar

Architect turned jewelry designer Linda Azar has heard it said that silver collects and stores moonlight. The North Carolina metalsmith tries to capture that feeling in her work. Artist: Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Fl., Azar earned a BS in architecture  from University of Florida. In 2001, after graduating, she moved to Asheville, NC,…

jan burleson

Tennessee artist Jan Burleson says the making of collages plays a double role as a meditative practice and as a study for her jazzy and vibrant paintings.  Artist: Burleson spent her early life in Johnson City, nestled near the hills of Upper East Tennessee. Long before completing her BFA in painting and drawing at the…

amy gross

In her embroidered, beaded and fiber sculptures and canvases, Florida artist Amy Gross draws on the natural world and stories she wants to tell. Artist: Born in Oceanside, New York, on Long Island, Gross lived there for most of her life. She studied fine art at Cooper Union in New York City, then at the…