Clay artist Julie Schnell Madden likes the idea that something you wipe off your shoes can be turned into something exquisite. In her ceramic work, the Virginia artist does just that. The artist: The Toledo native earned an undergraduate degree in ceramics from Ohio University and two masters’ degrees in ceramic and sculpture from Bowling…
With their muted color palettes and modern and minimal style, the textile works of Alabama’s Sheri Schumacher are sought after by collectors and designers. The artist: Schumacher was born in Munich, Germany and grew up in Europe, where her father served as a military attaché, and later the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. She earned a…
In her sculptural jewelry, North Carolina metalsmith Anna Johnson balances raw and refined, edgy and elegant. The artist: Born in Charlotte, NC, Johnson grew up interested in nature and jewelry making. She graduated with a degree in studio art with a focus on metalsmithing from Appalachian State University. She lives and works in Asheville. The…
Sean Donlon glittering art looks familiar. Yet there is something odd — or — off about it. And that’s fine with the Virginia glass blower, who uses flame working to make his modern and misshapen teapot creations. The artist: Born in Springfield, VA, Donlon grew up with a mother who was a fiber artist and…
Materials matter to Atlanta’s Muriel Luxemburger. So does Old World craftsmanship. That’s why her fashionable and functional French-inspired bags make a statement. The artist/designer: Born in Paris, Luxemburger studied academic art and design in Paris at the Atelier de Sevres and earned an undergraduate degree from the Ecole Superieure de Design. After graduation she worked in…
Self-taught artist Jennifer Zurick uses the flexible inner bark of black willow trees to create her elegant woven vessels. The artist: Zurick was born in Lexington and grew up in the rural Bluegrass area of Kentucky. Based in Berea, she has been professionally producing willow bark baskets since 1980. The goods: Finely woven, textile-like vessels…
In her one-of-kind botanical compositions, Virginia’s Anne Blackwell Thompson brings the outdoors in. The artist: Born in Greenville, SC., Thompson grew up in Texas. She graduated from Texas A & M, trained in studio art and art history in London and worked as a decorative painter. In 2009, she apprenticed under botanical artist Stuart Thornton…
Some might say Luis Gonzalez has a plum job. The contemporary Miami artist transforms salvaged hardwoods into oversized sculptures of colorful fruits and vegetables The artist: Gonzalez learned to turn wood when he was 14 years old in his native country, Bogota, Colombia. In 1992, he came to Miami to finish high school and later…
Self-taught jeweler Julie Cohn describes her work as primitive modern, juxtaposing rough with refined. The company: Julie Cohn Design, based in Dallas, started in 2010. It is the name of Cohn’s jewelry collection but also encompasses collaborative projects with other artists, architects and designers. The artist: Cohn grew up in Tulsa and was educated as…
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…