Alabama’s Amy Pleasant uses a type of body language in her minimal and monochromatic drawings, paintings and ceramic sculptures. The artist: A native of Birmingham, Pleasant earned a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and an MFA from the Tyler School of Art at Temple University in 1999. After graduate school,…
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.…
Nashville’s Tim Hooper (aka Mr. Hooper) uses animals and inanimate objects as characters to tell stories in his colorful, surreal paintings. The artist: Born in Nashville, Tim Hooper started drawing the Sunday comic strips at an early age and continued to teach himself to draw. In high school, he discovered underground comic books and thought being…
The abstract forms in Texas artist Meredith Pardue’s paintings resemble organisms you might see under a microscope or floating on the water’s surface. The artist: The Louisiana native grew up in Monroe, LA, and earned a BFA in painting in 1998 from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). In 2003, Pardue received an MFA in…
In her modular wall squares, Virginia’s Lori Katz uses clay as a canvas, taking it beyond its traditional realm of function. The artist: Born and grew up in Jersey City, NJ, often visiting museums and galleries in NYC. Katz attended George Washington University in Washington, DC, where she found a place in the ceramics studio. After…
South Carolina’s Laura Dargan uses fresh color combinations and irregular shapes to create visual energy in her abstract paintings. The artist: Born in Columbia, SC, Dargan grew up painting and drawing. But it wasn’t until after graduation from College of Charleston that she began to focus on art as a career. Dargan opened an art…
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,…
Virginia’s Kiki Slaughter pours, scrapes and layers paint on canvas to create her bold, richly textured abstract works. The artist: The Virginia native grew up in Charlottesville with a love of art. She earned art degrees from the University of Virginia (UVA) and Sotheby’s Institute in London. In 2005, after college, she started painting professionally.…
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…
The first time she forged steel, Corrina Sephora knew she wanted to work with metal. Now the Atlanta metal artist, once called the Queen of Forge, is known for her one-of-a-kind sculptures and mixed media paintings. The artist: Born in New Hampshire, Sephora started welding at age five with her father. Her interest in art continued…