South Carolina’s Dorothy Shain creates contemporary artwork that reflects her love of travel and nature, but also color and pattern. The artist & background: Born in Greenville, SC, Shain graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where she majored in studio art with a focus was painting. After college, she briefly worked as a wrangler…
Metalsmithing is rare art, but one that has brought national recognition to Tennessee metal sculptor Ben Caldwell. The artist: Caldwell grew up in Nashville and first trained as a painter and sculptor at Tufts University. After graduation, he furthered his training and studies at Harvard, the New York Studio School and the Boston Museum of…
Lindsay Oesterritter’s simple stoneware pieces are made for everyday use, but they feel and look like something special. The artist: A Louisville native, Oesterritter studied ceramics at the University of Louisville and Utah State University, where she earned a master’s degree in fine arts. The company: Lindsay Oesterritter Ceramics started in Manassas, Va., in 2015.…
The founders won’t admit to drinking or making moonshine. But the three University of Georgia grads are proud to open up about Moonshine, the popular Southern cologne they created. The business: Austin-based EastWest Bottlers started in October 2011. The founders: Charlie Holderness from Greensboro, NC; Matt Moore, who grew up in Lilburn, Ga; and Colin…
Florida’s Eric Shupe is happy to take your everyday flatware and turn it into a fantastic, one-of-a kind sculpture. The artist: Born in Baltimore, Shupe traveled across the country with his father living in unique environments, like a treehouse in redwood forests and a tiki hut in Hawaii, before they settled down near Gainesville, Fla.…
Coastal excursions and walks on the beach helped inspire ceramic artist Heather Knight to make modern pieces you want to reach out and touch. The artist: Born in Houston, Knight grew up in various cities throughout the South. She attended the College of Charleston and later earned a degree in ceramics from the University of…
Baskets bring a simple warmth and beauty into a home. Especially the one-of-kind sculptural baskets by North Carolina’s Matt Tommey. The artist: Originally from Columbus, Ga., Tommey grew up loving the outdoors and was a part of the Boy Scouts and Order of the Arrow as a teenager. While working at the college bookstore at UGA,…
Brian Noyes worked for years as an art director of several national publications. But he gave it up for a sweeter deal. The owner & baker: Noyes graduated from California State University at Fullerton and worked as an art director for several national magazines, including Smithsonian and House & Garden, and at The Washington Post.…
Birmingham-based Alabama Sawyer transforms fallen trees and reclaimed materials into modern tables and home accessories. The company: Alabama Sawyer, founded in Birmingham in 2015, makes furniture, including solid wood tabletops, made to specifications as well as other goods from urban timber. The owners: Cliff and Leigh Spencer. Cliff, an Alabama native who graduated from Rhodes…