For Georgia woodturner J. Ruel Martin, finding his artistic path was a gradual process. A self-taught craftsman, he began with furniture and cabinetry, building his skills as he acquired new tools and techniques. Over time, he found himself drawn to the sculptural possibilities of wood. A former pastor, Martin views his work as a way…
Whether hiking a forest trail or exploring a new town or gallery, Audrey Laine Sawyer is always observing. The North Carolina metalsmith and jewelry designer draws on those experiences to create wearable and sculptural pieces that explore the intersection of nature and modern design. Artist: Sawyer grew up in Cincinnati, OH, and received her BA in…
Doug Pisik brings his engineering background to every piece he creates. His meticulously crafted art boxes and free-form wood sculptures often incorporate numerous contrasting wood species, forming intricate geometric patterns. Some works contain more than a thousand individual pieces seamlessly joined into a single composition – a level of precision the Atlanta wood sculptor considers…
William Kolok calls himself an object maker. And a storyteller. “I am driven to sculpt as I have something to say that only I can say,” said the Kentucky artist. Artist: Born in Port Chester, NY, and grew up in Byram, CT, Kolok received a BA in art and art education from Berry College in Rome,…
Anna Gregory uses the inherent beauty of locally sourced woods in her functional and non-functional woodwork. “I have a desire to connect with the natural world through the lens of architectural form and structure,” said the Kentucky sculptor. Artist: Born in Georgetown, KY, Gregory went to the University of Kentucky. In 2008, she received a master’s…
Raised in a Chinese family in Hong Kong, Richmond-based artist Vivian Chiu explores themes of migration, identity and transformation in her abstract and optical wood sculptures. Artist: Born in Los Angeles, Chiu emigrated to Hong Kong when she was three years old. Chiu lived there with her extended family until she returned to the United…
Key West’s Helen Harrison transforms pieces of nature and found objects – from palm fiber and calabash to conch shells and coconuts – into sophisticated sculptures with balanced design and unexpected beauty. Artist: Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, she graduated with a BFA from Southern Methodist University. After college she married her husband Ben and…
With help from his custom lathe, North Carolina woodturner Anatoly Tsiris shapes whole tree trunks into large-scale sculptures and vessels. Artist: Tsiris was born into a family of schoolteachers in the small Ukrainian town of Kmelnitsky. He planned to carry on the family tradition by graduating from college with a teaching degree in math and…
Georgia’s Shelton Cochran calls himself a modern folk artist, blending traditional folk art subject matter and materials with modern technology. Artist: An Army brat, Cochran was born in Wiesbaden, Germany and spent the majority of his formative years on American Army bases overseas and in the United States. While earning a degree in business management, Cochran…
Keith Holt spent 17 years running a gymnastics center in Maryland before he turned to art. The experience in the gym strongly influenced his wood forms and sculptures. Artist: Grew up close to where he lives now in Forest Hill, MD. In school, Holt took art classes every year and had a teacher who took an…