North Carolina’s Valerie Berlage likes to think that her colorful and playful art is like quilting with wood. Artist: Born and raised in the Asheville area, Berlage graduated with a BFA with a concentration in mixed media printmaking from University of North Carolina Asheville. After graduating in 2003, she returned to UNC-Asheville two years later…
In Alabama, chase and repousse’ artist Norman Morgan captures the natural beauty found in the outdoors in his detailed jewelry designs. Artist: Morgan grew up in Tarboro, NC. His art career started as a teenager when classmates discovered that he could draw reasonably good rock stars, and they were willing to pay for them. After…
Ancient folklore, festivals and customs inspire the masks, outfits and sculptures of Georgia artist Jym Davis. Artist: Grew up in Radford, VA. At Carson-Newman University in Tennessee, Davis studied drawing and painting. In 2003, he earned an MFA in video art from the University of North Carolina Greensboro. He later taught part time at UNC Greensboro…
Jaydan Moore believes the past can still live within a new object. That is why the Virginia metalsmith turns secondhand silver trays and platters into modern sculptures. Artist: The California native grew up in Antioch, where Moore was influenced, in part, by his family’s decades-old business as tombstone makers. Though objects, the tombstones, served as memories…
In college, Joe Grant was seduced by the power of glass. Today the North Carolina glass blower is known for his high-end, thoughtfully designed, hand-crafted glass objects. Artist: The Illinois native grew up in Champaign and studied glass at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Grant earned an MFA at the Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. He…
North Carolina jewelry artist Jason Janow describes his rustic yet refined designs as “precisely nature.” Artist: Growing up in Amherst, VA, Janow loved the outdoors and took an early interest in jewelry. Later, at age 30, he made a career change and enrolled in Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC, where he earned a degree in…
North Carolina glass designer John Shoemaker draws on antique and scientific glass forms to create his modern apothecary flasks and drinkware. The artist: Originally from Pennsylvania, Shoemaker began blowing glass in 2008 at Tyler School of Art at Temple University, where he earned a BFA in glass. Over the years, he has extended his education by…
In her wood designs, North Carolina-based artist Morgan Hill grapples with the dark – and celebrates the lighter side — of life and her evolving identity. Artist: Born and raised in Arkansas, Hill studied fine art and interior design at two different colleges before earning a BFA in Woodworking and Furniture Design from the University…
North Carolina jewelry artist Jason Janow describes his rustic yet refined designs as “precisely natural.” ™ Artist: Growing up in Amherst, VA, Janow loved the outdoors and took an early interest in jewelry. Later, at age 30, he made a career change and enrolled in Haywood Community College in Clyde, NC, where he earned a degree…
With organic shapes, surface decoration and adornments, such as fish hooks and hand-cut metal, North Carolina ceramic artist Isys Hennigar explores the relationship between humans and the natural world, particularly that of Appalachia. Artist: Grew up near Asheville and earned a BFA Studio Art from the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill in 2017. In…