When Virginia’s Liz Hanson couldn’t find jewelry she wanted to wear, she came up with her own minimal and modern designs. The artist: Born in Norfolk, VA, Hanson grew up in Charlottesville, where she still lives. She earned a BA in art history from Ithaca College (NY) and continues to perfect her metalsmithing and fine…
In her polished and playful jewelry work, Florida’s Samantha Freeman strives to push the boundaries of design, materials and technique. The artist: Born in England, Freeman moved with her parents to Ohio at age nine. In high school art classes, she started making jewelry and small sculptures. She earned a BFA from Parsons School of…
A sustainable artist, South Carolina’s Flavia Lovatelli creates contemporary paper sculptures from old books, recycled magazines — and more. The artist: Born in Lima, Peru, she moved back to northern Italy as a young child. In high school, she won numerous prizes and awards for her art. In 1979, Lovatelli moved to the United States…
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…
In his carved wood jewelry, Louisiana’s Daniel DiCaprio hopes to create biological forms, like orchids, that are weird yet beautiful. The artist: Born in Albany, DiCaprio grew up in the Hudson River Valley of upstate New York. He graduated with a degree in art education from Nazareth College in Rochester, NY, and later earned his…
In her contemporary jewelry designs, Virginia native Austin Titus is influenced by old world textures and details. The company/studio: Austin Titus Studio, based in Richmond, started in 2005. The artist has a private studio in an old Victorian house with tall windows and great light in the historic neighborhood of Church Hill. The artist: The…
Texas jewelry designer and metalsmith Dawna Gillespie describes her art as sculptural and soulful. The artist: Gillespie grew up in Fort Worth and graduated with a BFA from Texas Tech University. At college, she first focused on acrylic painting. Then Gillespie took a metalsmithing class, and never looked back. The company/studio: Dawna Gillespie Adornments, started…
Georgia’s Ashley Buchanan draws on historical images when designing her contemporary, powder-coated brass jewelry. The artist: An Atlanta native, Buchanan, graduated from the University of Georgia in 2009 with a BFA in jewelry and metalsmithing. For seven years she lived in Tennessee, where she started her business, before moving back to Georgia. The company: Ashley Buchanan…
Architecture and environment play a part in Kat Cole’s graphic, enamel-on-steel jewelry and sculpture. The artist: The Georgia native, who grew up in Lithia Springs, received her BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University and an MFA from East Carolina University. Since then, she has worked as a visiting professor in metals/jewelry at Western Michigan University, taught workshops…
Raleigh’s Sarah Tector treats jewelry as small-scale sculpture. Her pieces catch the eye when on the body. Or not. The company/studio: S. Tector Metals is in Raleigh, where Tector works out of her home studio. A metalsmith for 28 years, she has focused solidly on her business for the last 11 years. The artist: Born in…