Atlanta’s Jim Wise blurs the lines between fantasy and reality in his large, dreamlike paintings. The artist: Wise grew up in Raleigh, NC, and graduated with a BS degree in visual design from North Carolina State University. After graduation, Wise moved to Atlanta to pursue a design career. His first job was work at John H.…
In North Carolina, self-taught wood artist George Peterson uses busted old skateboards to make striking textured art. The artist: Born in Long Beach, CA, Peterson grew up in Bishop, a small town in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains. At age 6, he stepped on to his first skateboard and remained an active skater, often building…
Influenced by the simple, clean lines of the Bauhaus movement, Virginia’s Christina Boy draws on a love of classic modern and rural environment in her furniture designs. The artist: Born in Gießen, Germany, Boy grew up in Bonn, where she combined a two-year-plus retail apprenticeship in an office and commercial design show with trade school…
When it comes to his contemporary sculptures, North Carolina’s Joel Urruty believes less is more. The artist: Born in San Francisco, Urruty earned a BS in industrial technology from San Francisco State University. He then went on to work for one year as an apprentice for David J. Marks, an internationally recognized furniture craftsman. In…
Raleigh’s Sarah Tector treats jewelry as small-scale sculpture. Her pieces catch the eye when on the body. Or not. The company/studio: S. Tector Metals is in Raleigh, where Tector works out of her home studio. A metalsmith for 28 years, she has focused solidly on her business for the last 11 years. The artist: Born in…
Widely known for her metal mesh designs, Alabama’s Sarah Cavender handcrafts high-style jewelry and accessories that are wearable works of art. The company: Sarah Cavender Metalworks is in an historic area of Oxford, AL. The company’s building has production space in the back and upstairs. There is a little shop open to the public. She…
Using traditional glass blowing techniques, Thor and Jennifer Bueno of North Carolina create unique wall compositions with glass pieces that resemble river stones and soap bubbles. The artists: Thor and Jennifer Bueno Thor: Grew up surfing in Southern California and started blowing glass in 1979. He studied with the late Italo Scanga at University of…
From rural barns to water towers, Florida’s Robert Farrell creates sculptural and tabletop objects that elicit an emotional response from the viewer: A memory. A longing. A subtle sadness, or a sense of comfort. The artist: Born in Fort Atkinson, WI, Farrell grew up in Venice, FL, where his mother taught school. He earned undergraduate degrees…
For more than 30 years, Georgia’s Kipley A. Meyer has worked in wood. Originally, the self-taught artist made furniture. But 10 years ago, Meyer turned to wood wall sculpture in a style he calls organic contemporary. The artist: Meyer grew up in Decatur, GA, and attended DeKalb Community College. He first studied music, then business.…
In her abstract paintings, South Carolina’s Katie Walker draws on memories of places and people she has encountered. The artist: Born in Pensacola, Walker grew up in Greenville, SC. She earned an art degree from Furman University and an MFA degree in painting/drawing from the University of Georgia. She also studied and taught in Cortona,…