adam whitney

Adam Whitney has experience in many metalsmithing techniques, but the North Carolina artist is partial to raising: the craft of making hollow, three-dimensional forms from hammered sheets of metal. The artist: Whitney was born and raised in Rutland, VT. He earned his BFA in crafts/materials studies, with a focus on metalsmithing, from Virginia Commonwealth University.…

maria white

South Carolina ceramic artist Maria White strives to create work that enhances a space and is useful in daily ritual. The artist: Born in Las Vegas, White grew up in Summerville, SC, in a creative household. While both parents painted, her father was a graphic designer and her mother also designed and made clothing. White discovered clay…

laura wood

In Asheville, dancer turned jewelry designer Laura Wood thoughtfully engineers her sculptural work to fit and flatter the body. The artist: Born in Milledgeville, GA, Wood earned a BFA in jewelry at the University of Georgia and later an MFA in metal design from East Carolina University (ECU). She has lived and worked as a…

ellie richards

North Carolina designer and sculptor Ellie Richards explores the intersection of work and play in her eclectic creations. The artist: Born in Greenbelt, MD, Richards grew up outside of Erie, PA in the small lakeside town of Girard. She received a BFA from University of Dayton (Ohio) in studio art and art education and an…

paul tamanian

Self-taught Florida artist Paul Tamanian is well known for his sophisticated and innovative, large-scale paintings and sculpture. The studio: Paul Tamanian Studio is based in Tallahassee, FL. Though he has a detached studio, Tamanian works outside on his physically challenging art, battling yellow flies, sweat and pop-up showers. The artist: Born in upstate New York,…

christina boy

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…

s. tector metals

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…

bueno glass

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…

Brandi Couvillion

Brandi Couvillion tells a story of New Orleans in her contemporary and historically inspired jewelry. The artist: A New Orleans native, Couvillion graduated from Tulane University and studied woodworking and jewelry at the Penland (NC) School of Craft and Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. Later, while working as the CFO for a New Orleans…

Alice Ballard

From her popular ceramic wall pods to her sculptural tree totems, Alice Ballard’s work is always about nature. The artist: Born in Florence, SC, Ballard grew up in an Air Force family and lived all over the world. She earned degrees in painting at the University of Michigan, working as a scientific illustrator to put…