Kay is a fiber artist designing wraps with a difference. Created during her silence, they are an alchemy of earth fibers, stones and quiet. She knits ancient symbols into wearable tools for today’s life to ignite, empower, and magnify inner connections. They are soul whispers woven into body wings.

Mindfulness Mantles and ‘tiny quiets’ have been shown in galleries and fine arts and craft shows in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arizona, and through out the Southeast.

For On Slender Threads’ complete story and shop visit

• website ~ www.onslenderthreads.com

• Facebook ~ www.facebook.com/OnSlenderThreadsWearableZenMoments

• Twitter ~ www.twitter.com/OnSlenderThread

Hank is a native of Baltimore, Maryland, and a retired Department of Defense official who now makes his home in Hoover, Alabama.  He has lived in the Birmingham area since 1992 and rediscovered his photographic interest upon retiring from the Defense Department in 2003.

He initially developed his interest in photography in the early 60s’ while in the Armed Services and has been using his camera to capture the light in the forms, colors, and textures of the visual world from the south central Pennsylvania mountains to the Sierra Nevada Range of Northern California and the California Coastal Range; and now in the rural and urban areas throughout Alabama and the southeast.

Being trained as a certified Army Instructor in Behavioral and Organizational Dynamics, he has since parlayed those skills into developing and teaching classes in Digital Photography for all levels of skill.

He also lectures on photography covering such topics as Capturing Light to Create Memorable Images, The Photographer as Artist and The History of Photography as an Art Form.

His works have been displayed in venues throughout the southeast including the Light Box Gallery at Pepper Place, The Dempsey Art Center in Auburn, the Soon-Bok Lee Sellers Gallery in Bluff Park, the Gadsden Museum of Art,  the gallery at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens and the Blue Ridge Mountain Art Center in Blue Ridge, GA.

His images have won awards at annual photography exhibitions throughout Alabama.

                           The Artist’s Kaleidoscopic World

Like a real Kaleidoscope, Toby’s art is created with a burst of color, symmetry of design and motion all captured in “The Artists Kaleidoscopic World”.  Her goal in creating work is to intrigue each person by drawing their eye into the piece of art, while holding it there so they may see all of the intricate detail.  In developing her style, she has strove for her work to be unusual and different from other artists.  She is a mixed media artist, whose work is contemporary and ranges from different degrees of abstraction and experimental to representation.  Her images both representational and non-objective show the use of color, design & techniques as seen through the artist eyes.

Toby won the top award at the 2013 BluffPark Art Show ($3500. Purchase Award for their permanent collection).  She was selected as the Artist for “Southern Voices” in 2010 and exhibit in the Hoover Library Gallery for 3 months.  Among awards, locally as well as internationally, she was a Finalist in “The Artist Magazine’s” 2006, 2005, 2003 & 2002 Annual Art Competition. Toby is a Signature Member of the International Society of Acrylic Painters, International Society of Experimental Artist, Southern Watercolor and Watercolor Society of Alabama, where she served as President in 2003-2004.  She is an Elected Member of the National Association of Women Artist in New York.

Publishing’s

2013: Book – Who is God IV  Magazine – Southern Jewish Life  News Paper – The Birmingham News.  2012: Books – Eyes On: Abstracts; Journeys To Abstraction;  Who is God Book II & III. 2011: the Memphis Jewish Scene Magazine; American Style Magazine (for the 3rd year).  2010: A Walk Into Abstract DVD;  Southern Jewish Life Magazine; Cover of Temple Beth-El Membership Directory for 2nd year.  Additional publishing’s: American Artist, Watercolor Magazine; Watercolor Artist Magazine; The Artist’s Magazine; Memphis Jewish Journal; The Birmingham Post Herald; The Pen Women; The Birmingham New.

Represented By

Museum Cotempo – Olympia, W. A. ● Newbill Collection By the Sea – Seaside, FL ● Temple Beth El Gift Shop – Birmingham, AL

Selected Juried Exhibitions and Awards

National Association of Women Artists – 123rd Annual New York, NY 2012; 2009; 2008; 2007; 2005; 2002; 2001 Award ● Medal of Honor; 2000

Watercolor Society of Alabama – 71st National Homewood, AL 2012; 2007; 2006 ● Daler-Rowney Award; 2005 ● Merchant Award; 2004 ● First Place-Past Presidents Award; 2003 ● Experimental Artist of AL Award; 2002; 2001; 1999; 1997

International Society of Experimental Artist – 20^th Annual –Shelton, Washington 2011: 14^th 2005 Award ● 1^st Cutting Edge Award; 13^th 2004; 8^th 1999; 6^th 1997 Award ● Merit

Energen, The Wonders of Alabama Art Competition 10^th Annual – Birmingham, AL 2009

Creative Catalyst Productions Collage & Mixed Media Show – 2006 Award ● Most Innovative

Experimental Artist of America – 12^th Annual 2008 Award ● 3^rd; 2006; 2003; 2002; 2000 Award ● 2^nd; 1999; 1998 Award ● Best of Show; Honorable Mention 2001, ’97 & ’96

International Society of Acrylic Painters  – 9^th International Delray Beach, FL 2006; 2005; 2003; 2002 ● Award Daler-Rowney $1000.00 Merchandise Award

Watercolor 2003 Exhibition – Houston, Texas ISEA Venue

Panoply Arts Festival Huntsville, AL 2007; 2004; 2003; 2002 Award · Best of Show; 2001; Purchase Awards each year

N.A.W.A. Writings on the Wall – Hewlett, NY 2000

ISE Art Foundation Exhibition – New York, NY  2000

Southern Watercolor Society – 22^nd Annual – Niceville, FL 1999 Award ● Soho Gallery Award; 21stAnnual 1998; 18thAnnual   1995   Award ● Rockport Publishers Award

HeritageHallMuseum – 1999 Cheaha Invitational Talladega, AL 1999; 1998 Award ● Jemison Carnegie Foundation Purchase Award; 1997; 1996

Bluff Park Annual Art Show – Hoover, AL 2013 Top Award   ●  $3500. Purchase Award; 2012-1999 & 1994-1993; Award ● Purchase Award 2008,2000,1993; 2007 Award ● President’s Award $1750.00; 2006 Award ● Cash Award

Permanent and Corporate Collections

Alabama Power ● Compass Bank ● Brookwood Medical Center ● CSE Investments ● Data House ● Children’s Hospital ● Heritage Hall Museum ● Hoover Public Library ● Howard Industries ● Regions Bank ● St. Vincent’s Hospital ● Wells Fargo Bank ● Grandview Financial Group ● among others – Private Collections throughout North America, Europe & Israel.

Who is R and R?

We are often asked this question. Truthfully, we are Roger and Renae Poer, a husband and wife team working together to offer  designs of rustic but elegant wearable Art Jewelry,  Designs by R and R.

We offer a blend of Form, Function & Style in our designs using many techniques of metalsmithing such as hammer forging, fusing, kiln firing, soldering, chain linking.

We let the materials, such as Sterling Silver,  Fine Silver & Bronze, 22K, 18K and 14K Gold, Copper, Precious & Semi-precious Natural Stones and Pearls guide our handcrafted designs. We are mostly self taught jewelers who embrace new techniques in order to  offer a wide range of unique one of a kind pieces.

One of our favorite types of work is having a client bring an heirloom pieces and intrusting us to create something new for them to wear and cherish.

Our studio is located  in Sylvan Springs, a small town in central Alabama. We hope you’ll allow us to show you our most recent creations.

Roger & Renae

Susan Baird has been fascinated with art all her life. As a child she enjoyed drawing the people and objects she observed. She later developed an appreciation for the paintings of the Dutch Masters, French Impressionists, and American Tonalists, and still enjoys nothing more than spending an afternoon with a book about one of her favorite artists.

Susan has participated in workshops with some of her favorite artists including Leonard Wren, David Leffel, Kenn Backhaus, Greg Kreutz, and Robert Johnson. She has also taken classes at the atelier of accomplished local aftist, John Lonergan.

Her reflective nature is evident in her work today. Contemplating the way light moves across a face, still life, or landscape, she seeks to convey the beauty that surrounds us. Susan hopes to be a student of art all her life because she believes insight is gained through practice and experience.

Her drawings and paintings have been featured in the Alabama Symphony Show Home. She shows her work at Artists Incorporated in Birmingham and Stonehenge Gallery in Montgomery and is a member of the Alabama Plein Air Artists. Her paintings are in many private collections in the Southeast. To learn more about Susan or to view her paintings, visit her website www.susanbairdart.com.

She can be found on Facebook as Susan Trant Baird.

Crisswell’s professional clay career has spanned 37 years. She has exhibited at the Kentuck Festival for 36 years and Bluff Park Art Show for over 30 years. Presently her clay art may be purchased year-round at Blue Phrog Gallery in Montevallo.

Crisswell’s wheel-thrown clay artworks are graceful forms with artistic surface considerations–most involving utility into art. Her tripled coated glazes give a rich, cobalt blue color, patterned with crystalline bursts and textures derived from the interaction of several glaze components, including rutile and gerstley borate. Crisswell has developed a paper-relief and porcelain slip design technique–these design surfaces can be very geometrical or loosely ornate, with either white or black slip applications. Another approach is a method of porcelain slip decoration by simply drawing into it free hand with a pencil to create her ever-popular “swimming fish” motif. Sculptural applications are also incorporated in her “corsage” pieces, “Clayfolk” jars and figure sculptures.

Process:

• sculpted stoneware & mid-range porcelain
• functional/wheel thrown stoneware
• clay pieces fired to cone 6/oxidation firing (~2300 F)
• hand mixed glazes from crushed stone & chemicals

Techniques:

• paper relief design on surfaces using airbrushed porcelain slips
• sculpted and folded clay designs
• slab work with impressed materials
• hand drawn pencil work into clay slips
• layered glaze application

EMILY’S STORY

Emily is an outgoing, motivated and creative individual who enjoys all things vibrant and cheerful. Emily’s love for art started at an early age when she received an “art supply set” for Christmas. She blissfully went to work painting whatever her paintbrush could get ahold of. Once her paint supplies began to get low, Emily would sell bake goods to the local businesses and households to make money to re-stock her art supplies.

Since initially opening Emily’s Original Art in 2009, Emily’s passion for creativity has turned into a blossoming business. Emily’s Original Art allows her to use her creative talents, design concepts, marketing skills, and business expertise while creating art. Her client base has grown to include for-profit businesses, non-profit organizations, and private households, from all over the United States for whom she has designed artwork. Emily has donated several pieces of original artwork to non-profit organizations and mission-based charities around the country. Her artwork has been featured in Louisville Magazine (April 2011), Shop 280 magazine, and Shop Tuscaloosa magazine. She was also a guest speaker on ABC 33/40 “Talk of Alabama”, where she shared her story and showed the audience pieces of original art. In December 2012, Emily was introduced to Magnolia Lane Collections in Birmingham, Alabama. While creating “happy-original” artwork for businesses and loyal customers, Emily also designs a line of artwork produced by Magnolia Lane.

Each piece of her original artwork is painted on hand-built wooden canvases deigned by her grandfather. The style of Emily’s art is whimsical, eclectic, happy, and “one of a kind”! Within some of her paintings she uses different mediums, including: acrylic, spray paint, recycled materials, wire, mirror, low-voc polyurethane, etc.

“Painting is my happiness & you can never have too much happy”

– Emily

(Facebook): https://www.facebook.com/emilysoriginalart

(Website): http://www.emilysoriginalart.biz/

Paula Reynolds works in a cozy studio making pottery and sculptures with two dedicated studio mates, an English Bulldog and a Boxer.  She makes her own glazes and uses mid-range stoneware. Preferring pots that are not identical, she works in series that are related. Her mixed media sculptures are playful and autobiographical. Paula graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts with a BFA in Crafts, a BFA in Art Education, and a Master of Interdisciplinary Studies in Ceramics and Sculpture. She also studied at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland taking post-graduate ceramic courses. Paula is a native of Virginia where she taught high school art and graduate ceramics before moving to Alabama. She and her husband, Mel, live in Inverness near their two sons and daughter-in-law. Paula teaches ceramics at Jefferson State Community College, serves as Assistant Director of the Alabama Craft Council, and is one of the co-owners Artists Incorporated Gallery in the Rocky Ridge Business District in Vestavia Hills.

www.artistsincorporated.com

twitter: @GalleryArtists

twitter: @ReynStudio

After growing up in Birmingham, Kathryn relocated to Lookout Mountain, GA to attend Covenant College for four years where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Art. She now resides in Chattanooga, TN and has a cozy studio in her basement.

Kathryn started drawing patterns when she was in high school and through her time in college she identified textile design as a field in which she could draw patterns all day long. Through her experimenting with hand printing techniques as a way to produce those patterns, Kathryn has also fallen in love with the richness and uniqueness that comes with hand printed textiles.

You can see Kathryn’s textile work at rangemarktextiles.com and etsy.com/shop/rangemark