jessica fields

From pink clouds to her glowy lemons, color is key in the landscape and still-life paintings of South Carolina’s Jessica Fields. The artist: Born in Louisiana, Fields was raised mostly in The Woodlands, TX. She headed north to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, where she graduated with a degree in painting. She returned…

kate couch

After being reintroduced to ceramics three years ago, Georgia artist Kate Couch found that her watercolor designs, patterns and imagery translate seamlessly onto functional, clay surfaces. The artist: Born in Los Angeles, Couch grew up in Piedmont, CA, and Dunwoody, GA. She graduated with a BFA in art education from the University of Georgia and…

marcy palmer

With a nod to often overlooked botanicals and an added touch of gold, Texas-based artist Marcy Palmer creates dreamlike, photo-based works. The artist: Palmer grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY, and received a BS in studio art from Skidmore College. She also earned an MFA in photography & related media from The School of Visual Arts…

amber lelli

Whether it is glass, bronze or printmaking, materials matter to interdisciplinary artist Amber Lelli of Nashville. The studio: Amber Lelli Art is based in Nashville. The artist has studio space in the basement of LeQuire Studio and Gallery, surrounded by remnants of many famous sculptures. The artist: Born in Queens, New York, Lelli spent her early years…

elisabeth hays

The ecosystems of Mobile Bay and the Gulf of Mexico influence the abstract, pastel-colored works of Alabama painter and mixed-media artist Elisabeth Hays. The artist: Born in Alexander City, AL, Hays grew up in Fairhope and still lives there with her husband and two children. After college at Auburn University, where she studied fine arts, she…

cameron bliss

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…

liv antonecchia

When Liv Antonecchia created her first ceramic donuts, the South Carolina artist didn’t think there would be an appetite for them. Though she makes other abstract and imaginative works, it’s her colorfully decorated donuts that are in demand. The artist: Grew up in Katonah, NY, just north of New York City, and graduated from Virginia…

rachel david

For North Carolina’s Rachel David, the very physical and technically demanding process of forging and forming shapes in glowing steel is her passion. The artist: Born in New Jersey, David grew up in Maryland and graduated from Evergreen State College (WA). In 2005, she moved to New Orleans to build glass-blowing equipment. She lived and…

john shuptrine

Through his camera sculpture, Virginia’s John Shuptrine blends his interest in photography with his love of wood. The company/studio: John Shuptrine Art, started about eight years ago. The doctor-turned-artist works in his home workshop in Lynchburg, where he has lived for 35 years. In the beginning: While Shuptrine was in the process of retiring from…

susan lenz

South Carolina’s Susan Lenz uses found and otherwise everyday objects — from buttons and bottle caps to clock parts and curtain rings — in her layered, hand-stitched mixed-media art. The company/studio: Mouse House Inc., a custom picture framing shop in Columbia that Lenz and her husband Steve Dingman started in 1987. The couple live above…