Learning to let go didn’t come easily to Georgia artist Janice Rago. In college, a painting professor encouraged her to loosen up, experiment, and move beyond her perfectionist tendencies. Years later, that lesson is at the heart of Rago’s figurative paintings, where female figures, florals and unexpected elements come together in compositions that balance control…
Using gemstones and fossils, Nina Kawar’s copper electroformed jewelry balances sophistication with raw beauty. But the North Carolina designer’s jewelry is about more than aesthetics. Each piece is created with healing and personal transformation in mind. Artist: Originally from Appleton, WI, Kawar moved to California as a young adult and later began her creative journey…
For Lydia C. Thompson, “home” is more than a physical place. Through ceramic and mixed-media sculptures, the North Carolina artist combines architectural forms, embedded objects and layered storytelling to explore home as a place of memory, loss, and belonging. Her works become mementos of what has been lost – and what endures. Artist: Thompson was born…
For Lisa Tuttle, discarded materials can hold stories. Using leftover scraps, folded book pages and old photographs, the Atlanta artist creates layered mixed-media works that explore personal family history, Southern social legacies and the way the past lingers in our collective memory. Artist: Born in Little Rock, AK, Tuttle grew up in Charlotte, N.C. She…
Drawing on themes as varied as cave art and poetry to Gee’s Bend quilts, Atlanta painter Michael Barringer creates abstract works alive with layers of color, energy and emotion. His paintings bring these disparate influences together in a visual language that is uniquely his own. “I think a question which is always present for me…
Inspired by the raw beauty of the North Carolina mountains, Asheville-based jeweler Laura Lau Klein creates bold, organic pieces that celebrate the natural world. For Klein, jewelry is more than adornment. It is a daily celebration of ourselves and the world around us. Artist: Born and raised in Wilmington, DE, Klein holds a BS in…
Through her ceramics and printmaking, Ina Kaur explores themes of entanglement and detachment, being and becoming, displacement and belonging. “My practice investigates the intersections of materiality, memory, migration, gender, labor and identity,” said the New Orleans artist. “Examining how identities are shaped by the people, places and the histories we carry with us.” Artist: Kaur was…
What looks like feathers is actually recycled plastic. For North Carolina environmental artist Deborah Kruger, the transformation is intentional. Kruger uses one of the most ecologically destructive materials to create intricate feathered artworks honoring endangered birds, languages and cultures. Her art reflects the losses caused by climate change, habitat fragmentation and human consumption. Artist: Born…
Language is at the heart of Esteban Patino’s creative practice – even when the words themselves don’t exist. Using an invented alphabet of shapes and symbols, the Atlanta-based artist creates collages, paintings, and sculptures that explore how we communicate, interpret meaning and make connections. “I have always been captivated by how humans create and play with language,”…
For Kate Schultz, inspiration is often found just outside her door. Drawing on the quiet beauty of her backyard, the North Carolina painter creates works that invite viewers to bring nature indoors –and to slow down long enough to notice life’s fleeting moments. Artist: Schultz was born and grew up in Jackson, MS. Her interest…