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…
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…
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 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…
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…
Jessica Singerman incorporates her love of nature and the outdoors in her abstract paintings The artist: Born in Maine, Singerman grew up in Davidson, NC, and in France, where she enrolled in her first figure drawing class at age 15. Her family moved back and forth between the United States and France for her dad’s…
After being reintroduced to ceramics three years ago, Georgia artist Kate Couch found that her watercolor designs, patterns and imagery translate seamlessly onto functional, clay surfaces. The artist: Born in Los Angeles, Couch grew up in Piedmont, CA, and Dunwoody, GA. She graduated with a BFA in art education from the University of Georgia and…