Rice holds a significant place in Soo Kim Yung’s family and memories. It also is the medium for the Atlanta painter’s minimal and abstract works. Artist: Born in South Korea, she immigrated to Cleveland, OH, with her family in 1996. They moved to Atlanta in 2000. A graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD),…
In his paintings, Charleston’s Nathan Durfee blends equal parts Monet, Norman Rockwell and Dr. Seuss. Then adds a pinch of whimsy and snark. Artist: Born in Vermont, Durfee grew up in Lake Tahoe, CA. He received a BFA in illustration at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in 2005, but gradually made the shift…
Georgia native Evan Blackwell Helgeson creates layered abstract paintings that reflect a love of nature, travel and color. Artist: The Georgia native grew up in Roswell and earned a BFA from the Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia. She also holds an MFA from School of the Museum of Fine Arts…
Maybe best-known for his detailed tree ring drawings, Atlanta artist Steven L. Anderson works in a variety of media to explore the power and beauty of nature. Over time. And on us. Artist: Grew up in Ann Arbor, MI, and graduated from University of Michigan and The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where…
Inspired by his collection and fascination with antique toys and games from the 1950s, South Carolina digital painter Geoffrey Aaron Harris strives to create unique and contemporary artwork with a nostalgic quality. Artist: Born on a naval base in Keflavik, Iceland, Harris lived in many places growing up, from Alaska to South Carolina. From an…
Science and the natural world meet in the otherworldly yet photorealistic still-life paintings of New Orleans-based artist Ida Floreak. Artist: Grew up in Cambridge, MA, and earned a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she studied painting and scientific illustration. As part of a college program, Floreak spent a year in Rome,…
Tennessee’s Daryl Thetford often uses more than 200 photographs to create one piece of his digital pop art. Artist: Thetford grew up on a farm in Bradford, a small town in the rural northwest corner of Tennessee. His father worked in a warehouse, and his mother was a beautician. While Thetford’s parents encouraged him to pursue…
In her folk-like paintings, Mississippi’s Ellen Langford captures playful yet tender moments between children and creatures in a rural landscape. Artist: Langford grew up in Jackson, the youngest of four children and the only girl, obsessed with drawing and painting. The Mississippi native headed to Colby College in Maine, but took time off to take…
Georgia native Kelly Breedlove is not a photographer, but he uses photo-based mixed media work to explore memories, emotions and relationships. The studio: Breedlove’s studio is in The Cotton Mill in Cabbagetown, an historic Atlanta neighborhood. The artist: Grew up in Covington, surrounded by a unique southern cowboy culture and inherited a love of snapshot…
In Charlotte, Bailey Schmidt paints floral vases and tablescapes that are colorful, whimsical and graphic. The artist: Born in Michigan, Schmidt grew up in Charlotte, NC. Always artistic, she took classes over the years and started to pursue an art degree at college, but found it wasn’t the right fit. Schmidt moved around in her…