Baltimore’s April Wood uses intricate lace patterns that are hand-pierced in blackened and oiled mild steel. Her work is dark and densely ornamental. But also light and airy. The artist: Wood grew up in San Antonio, TX, and lived in Austin as a young adult. She earned a BFA in studio art with a concentration…
Laritza Garcia is mad about metal. And it shows in her colorful contemporary jewelry. The artist: Originally from the border area of Reynosa, Mexico and McAllen, TX, Garcia earned a BFA from Texas State University (TSU) in 2008. She is also a graduate of East Carolina University, where she received her MFA degree in 2012.…
Utilizing a variety of mediums, including wood, plastics and found materials, Houston-based sculptor and designer Joyce Lin often deconstructs traditional furniture forms and materials to explore the ever-shifting relationship between humans and their environment. The artist: Born in Durham, Lin grew up in Birmingham, where she attended the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she…
In Houston, self-taught ceramicist Jodi Walsh specializes in “oritatami nendo,” the art of folding clay. The artist: Born in Toronto, Ontario, Walsh left Canada in 1967. Since then, she has lived and traveled to more than 25 countries, including Bangladesh, Africa, Taiwan and England. In 1980, she moved to the United States and now lives…
East Texas native Jeffie Brewer likes to say he makes sunshine out of paint and steel. His big and bright sculptures prove it. The artist: Brewer grew up in Palestine, a small, rural town in East Texas, where his parents owned a junkyard, a dangerous and often magical place for an only child. Brewer earned an…
Texas jewelry designer and metalsmith Dawna Gillespie describes her art as sculptural and soulful. The artist: Gillespie grew up in Fort Worth and graduated with a BFA from Texas Tech University. At college, she first focused on acrylic painting. Then Gillespie took a metalsmithing class, and never looked back. The company/studio: Dawna Gillespie Adornments, started…
In her collages and installations, Alabama’s Dayna Thacker uses paper, vintage photos and found materials to investigate how we make sense of the world and ourselves. The artist: Born in Germany, Thacker’s family moved around a lot while her father was in the military. The family eventually settled in Tennessee near extended family. She graduated…
Texas artist Hillary Cumberworth hopes her modern ceramic vessels spark a conversation about how we are shaped by the people and moments in our lives. The artist: Born in Austin, Cumberworth grew up in the Texas capital “back when Austin was a sleepy town full of hippies, families, politics and music.” As a busy high…
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 contemporary wood sculptures, Houston-based designer Maria Bordelon uses humble materials, including cage wire and wood veneer. The artist: Bordelon was born in New Orleans, and received a BFA from Louisiana Tech University. After graduation, her interest in fine art and design took her to Houston, where she established an interior design firm and…