A self-taught polymer clay artist, Baltimore’s Amy Blair designs playful, patterned jewelry inspired by her travels and a curiosity about different cultures. The artist: Born in Seoul, South Korea, and adopted when she was three months old, Blair grew up in Baltimore. She studied jewelry and metals for a few years at Towson University before…
In her architecturally inspired jewelry, Maryland metalsmith Hilary Hachey uses clean lines and striking designs. The artist: Born outside of Philadelphia, Hachey became interested in jewelry making when her high school art teacher nominated her for a summer scholarship program for high schoolers at Moore College of Art in Philadelphia. She learned jewelry making and metalsmithing…
Virginia metalsmith Cindy Liebel balances elements both classic and modern in her understated jewelry designs. The company/studio: Cindy Liebel Jewelry, based in Fredericksburg went full-time in 2014. The self-taught metalsmith designs and fabricates her work in a backyard home studio. The artist: Born in Virginia, Liebel grew up in a military family, living and traveling in the…
The strange and familiar meet in the quirky, contemporary portraits of Georgia painter Cameron Bliss. The artist: A Georgia native, Bliss grew up in Savannah and graduated with a BFA from Savannah College of Art and Design. The studio: Her studio is in an old converted barn behind the family’s house in Winterville, GA. In the…
Florida-based artist Linda Hall makes fantastical, mixed-media sculptures and highly embellished masks that reflect the fragility and anxiety of our modern world. The artist: Born into a military family who moved frequently around Europe, Hall eventually landed in Fort Walton Beach, FL, where she went to high school. After some travel herself, Hall earned a…
New Orleans native Gogo Borgerding says her personal style is more vintage, but the colorful metal jewelry she makes is decidedly modern. The artist: After graduating in 2000 from Savannah College of Art and Design with a degree in metals and jewelry design, Borgerding returned to New Orleans and got to work. In 2006, she…
Nashville-based painter Lizzy Love likes playing with color, patterns and shapes in her abstract, figurative works. The artist: Love grew up in Memphis, and took private art lessons at an early age. She graduated with a BA in studio art from the University of Mississippi. The company/studio: Lizzy Love Art, based in Nashville, started roughly in 2015.…
Scale, shape and color drive the work of South Carolina painter Liz Rundorff Smith. The artist: Born in Greenville, PA, her family moved to Littleton, CO, when she was four. The family moved back to western Pennsylvania when she was 15. She received a BA in studio art with a concentration in sculpture from the College…
Trained as a traditional metalsmith, Maryland designer Jowita Allen uses recycled plastic bottles, nylon and other ordinary materials to make her modern and often playful jewelry. The artist: Allen began making jewelry and wearable objects as a teenager while growing up in Poland. In 2005, she moved to the United States and settled in Washington,…
Vicki Essig is known for her detailed and Zen-like handwoven mixed-media art. But in a recent, atypical work, the North Carolina artist used her own home-grown silkworms to make a dress, which sold to a collector. The artist: Born in Denver, the artist grew up in Colorado. She lived in Europe for four years before…