Raised in a Chinese family in Hong Kong, Richmond-based artist Vivian Chiu explores themes of migration, identity and transformation in her abstract and optical wood sculptures. Artist: Born in Los Angeles, Chiu emigrated to Hong Kong when she was three years old. Chiu lived there with her extended family until she returned to the United…
With help from his custom lathe, North Carolina woodturner Anatoly Tsiris shapes whole tree trunks into large-scale sculptures and vessels. Artist: Tsiris was born into a family of schoolteachers in the small Ukrainian town of Kmelnitsky. He planned to carry on the family tradition by graduating from college with a teaching degree in math and…
Keith Holt spent 17 years running a gymnastics center in Maryland before he turned to art. The experience in the gym strongly influenced his wood forms and sculptures. Artist: Grew up close to where he lives now in Forest Hill, MD. In school, Holt took art classes every year and had a teacher who took an…
Kentucky native Emily Ridings says her fashion training helped refine her eye for silhouette, proportion and storytelling: Qualities that now define her basketry. Artist: The Kentucky native grew up in Richmond in a creative family. Judy Ridings, her grandmother, is a master basket weaver who lived nearby. Ridings’ mother is a talented seamstress. By age…
Georgia’s Mitchell Biggio utilizes digital and traditional techniques with simple materials to produce his visually clean and modular wall sculpture. Artist: Growing up in Marblehead, MA, Biggio was always interested in art and building things. In high school, he wanted to be an architect. Biggio started at the Savannah College of Art and Design as…
After seeing an iconic chair on a museum stop, Nathaniel Newcomb realized that furniture could be sculpture. The Richmond sculptor and woodworker now designs and creates his own unique line of furniture that often features heavy or thick forms – and the occasional chainsaw marks. Artist: Born in Richmond, VA, Newcomb grew up in Texas and…
North Carolina’s Summer Merritt blends geometric shapes and organic forms in her modern wood jewelry, blurring the line between art and fashion. Artist: Born in La Mirada, CA, Merritt moved to Olympia, WA when she was 10. After high school, she moved back to Los Angeles area to attend college. She graduated with a BFA in…
Brittan Blasdel uses natural and repurposed man-made materials to make something new. The South Carolina mixed media artist calls her work “elemental excavation.” Artist: Born in Kansas City, MO, Blasdel grew up there and in Rochester, NY. She earned a BFA in photography from the University of Michigan in 1992. Since graduating, she has exhibited…
Georgia artist and naturalist Chris Wilson celebrates the beauty of birds and other wildlife in his lifelike sculptures. Artist: Born in Cincinnati, OH, Wilson spent his early childhood there before moving to Marietta, GA, when he was 14 years old. He dedicated himself to his art and graduated from Walton High School. In 1994, he earned…
For Michael Anderson, wood is the ideal medium for his bowls and sculptural work. As a sustainable and renewable resource, wood compels the Tennessee artist to approach its use with respect and thoughtful design. Artist: Born on Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri, Anderson moved frequently since his father was in the Air Force.…