Dianne Masi – Pine Needle & Gourd Artist
Mary Jones – Fiber Artist
Ellen Munn – Jewelry Artist
Sue Archambault – Decoupage
Virginia Smith – Fiber Artist
Nancy Clookie – Jewelry Artist
Nancy Henkel Schulte – Watercolorist
Marilyn Whitford – Basketmaker
Janice Russ – Watercolor and Collage
Debbie Williams – Potter
Rebecca (Becky) Cleary – Potter
Carol Langer – Fiber Artist
Louise Giordano – Fiber Artist
Andrea Burchette- Painter, Paper & Fiber Artist
Maggie Joynt – Jeweler and Metal Artist
Gail Jensen – Fused Glass Artist
Lee Davidson – Wood Turning
Melanie Walter – Pine Needle Basketmaker
Joyce Bragg – Crochet and Knitting Designer
Lois Whelan – Watercolor and Acrylics Artist
Amy Micallef – Fiber Artist
Dory Maier – Gourd and Pine Needle Artist
Sara Westermark – Jewelry Artist & Metalsmith
Roger Kerr – Rock of Light Candles
Elaine & Lowell Burgin – Canvas Art
Jan Beyma – Basketmaker
Judith Petterson – Fiber Artist
Sharon Sweeny Russell – Paper Artist
Arlene Bauer – Flamingo Queen Jewelry
Barbara McIntyre – Doll Maker
Ladidah-Marta Macallum & Sheryl Sutherland – Painted Pillows
Herbert Pritchard – Painter
Cecilia D. Kohl – Painter
Pren Halladay – Watercolorist
Tricia Hill – Photographer
Kathleen Preziosi – Potter
Larry F. Schafer – Pastel & Water Media Artist
Stella Neuner – Oil Painter
Cynthia Tucker – Jewelry Artistry
Andrea Mitchell – Jewelry Artist
Robert Huntoon – Oil Painter
Wendy Pitillo-Rae – Jewelry Artist

Dianne Masi – Pine Needle & Gourd Artist

Dianne was introduced to the structured process of pine needle coiling by friend Dory Maier.  A whole new world was opened to her when she saw pine needle coiling on gourds.  Dianne’s vision is guided by love of nature and art, as well as the incorporation of naturals and beads to enhance her pieces.  She has the capability to design functional pine needle baskets and the freedom to create wonderful and unusual art pieces.

Mary Jones – Fiber Artist

Mary has always been a knitter and sewer and she finds inspiration in making beautiful sweaters for her 12 grandchildren.  Since retiring she has been quilting, embroidering, knitting and sewing for family and friends.  She loves what she does and the many projects that define her.

Ellen Munn – Jewelry Artist

Ellen enjoys selecting beads and combining colors, shapes, materials and sizes to make her bracelets and cord necklaces.  She has been inspired by Donna at Angelwing Needleart who taught her how to knit.  Her silent partner, Gloria, makes the intricate peyote stitch embellishments for the knitted cord necklaces.

Sue Archambault – Decoupage

Sue calls herself a “dabbler” and has taken her artistic talents in many directions including yarn, clay, stained glass and paper.  Her decoupage work allow her to use all the cutting, ripping, folding, rolling and punching skills learned as a child to decorate objects with papers of all kinds.

Virginia Smith – Fiber Art

Ginny learned quilting years ago and started a small craft business, Calico Creations. She has furthered her knowledge of quilting through seminars with well known quilters and is a member of Quilters by the Sea Guild and Carolina Blue Bees.

Nancy Clookie – Jewelry Artist

Jewelry artist Nancy Clookie has always been a serious supporter of the arts and art education. She sat on the board of the Howard County Arts Coucil helping to raise funds for art education. In the Baltimore/Washington most of Nancy’s work was sold through art galleries and she conducted classes in jewelry making and bead weaving. She is still working to further the arts in Southport.

Nancy Henkel Schulte – Watercolorist

Nancy has always studied art. The valuable experiences she has had over the years have given her a deep appreciation for life itself. Her work is in both private and corporate collections and has been accepted into several national shows. Currently, she is the Artistic Director for the Artisans Group and a member of Franklin Square Gallery

Marilyn Whitford – Basketmaker

Marilyn has always spent her leisure time involved in sewing and other crafts. After taking a lesson in basket weaving she was hooked. Her “retirement hobby” became basket making. She has taken classes and traveled to conventions in Kentucky and South Carolina and she is a member of St James Artisans.

Janice Russ – Watercolor and Collage

Janice has been drawing and painting since childhood. Primarily a self-taught artist she has recently found time to attend informal art classes. She works primarily in watercolor to capture her images. She has displayed her work at the Pfizer Employee Art Show and at the St. James Artisans.

Debbie Williams – Potter

Debbie lives her life following the Serenity Prayer. She has the courage to try new things and grow and stretch her skills as a potter. She has the wisdom to know that her work in clay is a necessary part of her life that helps keep her balanced and centered.

Rebecca (Becky) Cleary – Potter

Becky has won numerous awards for her pottery. One of her large carved serving bowls was purchased by UNCW for a permanent collection in the Randall Library. She was also honored with the Michael Mauner Purchase Award.

Carol Langer – Fiber Artist

Carol’s little pink sewing machine sits on a shelf in her studio to remind her of the beginning of her love of creating. After dabbling in many mediums, she always returns to sewing as her first love. Something about the colors and textures in fabric draw and inspire her. Creating handbags seemed a great way to “carry” the fabric around.

Louise Giordano – Fiber Artist

Louise believes that fiber is the fabric of life and that knitting feeds and is the key to her soul. For Louise, hand knitting represents passionate flirtation and experimentation with traditional techniques to produce non-traditional work. Her pieces are an extension of her being and a source of creative expression for her.

Andrea Burchette – Painter, Paper & Fiber Artist

Ideas of nature, light and form have always found their way into Andrea’s art. Her primary expression has come through drawing and painting but she finds the “hands on” exploration of paper pulp and fiber fluff loosens up her image making. Andrea holds an MFA in painting and served as adjunct professor for drawing and painting at Montgomery College. She has exhibited as a professional artist in the Washington and Baltimore area.

Maggie Joynt – Jeweler and Metal Artist

Maggie holds a BA in Jewelry and Metalsmithing from Illinois State University where she graduated magna cum laude. Maggie has always found beauty in unexpected places, such as the surface of the rocks outside her studio or the rayed wings of a well-traveled butterfly. She uses various materials including leaves, fabric and insect wings to press patterns and texture onto sterling and copper.

Gail Jensen -Fused Glass Artist

Gail attended a fused glass class to satisfy her curiosity and was immediately hooked. She felt at home with the process of kiln-formed glass, as if she’d been waiting her whole life just to work in the medium. Gail’s constant source of inspiration, knowledge and technique has enabled her to fine tune her glass art into her distinctive style. Her work and studio have been featured in magazines and on HGTV.

Lee Davidson – Wood Turning Artist

Wood turning has become a passion for Lee and the hours fly by and problems fall on the floor with the wood chips. She turns bowls, vases, boxes, baby rattles, bracelets and Christmas ornaments. She has taught wood turning in Tennessee and North Carolina and is a member of the Carolina Mountain Woodturners and the American Association of Wood turners.

Melanie Walter -Pine Needle Basketmaker

Melanie has always liked to make “something from nothing”. Creative expression is her passion and throughout her life she has learned new skills that would help her in combining color, texture and pattern to create something unique. She has discovered the endless potential in the use of natural materials. Melanie’s works have won awards and are on display at the Ashville Museum and the Cameron Art Museum store.  She is currently featured in an article in the October 2009 issue of the NC magazine, Our State.

Joyce Bragg – Crochet and Knitting Designer

Joyce taught herself to crochet and knit when she was young. She has become a crochet and knitting designer and her designs and instructions have been published in books and magazines. She has taught crochet classes at Cape Fear Community College and is a member of the crochet Guild of America. She has also designed for Erdal Yarn Company and contracted patterns to Maggie’s Crochet.

Lois Whelan – Watercolor and Acrylics Artist

Lois began her art studies early in life and has continued to develop and hone her innate sense of aesthetics. Lois’s original paintings and giclees have been very well received and hang in various locations nationally. She has also been featured in many show and galleries.

Amy Micallef – Fiber Artist

Amy has always dabbled in the fiber arts since she learned to cross-stitch and crochet. She has added to her list of “crafty” skills but strictly as a hobby. A surgery gone wrong with her father has given her time to explore her art and create a wide variety of items. “Amy’s Organ Bank” arose from the question, “What do you get a man who has everything but a colon and a spleen?”

Dory Maier – Gourd and Pine Needle Artist

The pine needle coiling that Dory does is steeped in the traditions of this craft as taught by a neighbor, but her interpretation of these traditions is what gives her work its uniqueness. Her designs are influenced by memories of the Native American culture that surrounded her as a child, shapes that she sees every day and the natural materials that she finds on daily walks.

Sara Westermark – Jewelry Artist & Metalsmith

Sara is inspired by nature and enjoys creating organic and clean designs that combine color, texture and depth. She primarily works in sterling, copper, pearls and gemstones and her pieces are hammered, forged and formed with traditional metalsmithing techniques. Sometimes pieces come to Sara in her dreams, as if they have already been worked out for her.

Roger Kerr – Rock of Light Candles

Roger began making Rock of Light Candles in 2005. All of his rocks are carefully hand selected and mined from North Carolina quarries. Roger is active in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Cape Fear Fly Fishing Club.

Elaine & Lowell Burgin – Canvas Art

Elaine and Lowell were quickly captivated by the natural beauty of coastal North Carolina, especially the sunrises and sunsets over the waterways. They discovered a way to make beautiful canvas prints from their photos and these now decorate their home and the homes of their friends and family.

Jan Beyma – Basketmaker

Jan has been weaving baskets for about 18 years. She weaves a variety of baskets including reed and Nantucket style. Her husband, a woodworker, makes the hardwood bases for her baskets. Jan teaches at her local guild and is currently on the board of the North Carolina Basket Association.

Judith Petterson – Fiber Artist

Judy has always had a passion for sewing. She recently began designing linens that embellish the dining experience. The linens range from casual to elegant; some have embroidery which compliment the fabric pattern

Sharon Sweeney Russell – Paper Artist

Sharon has been an avid rubber stamper and scrapbooker for a long time. When not at her worktable with stamps and scrapbook paper, she may be working with herbs creating aromatic gifts.

Arlene Bauer – Flamingo Queen Jewelry

Arlene’s creativity was always encouraged by her parents. She wove baskets, painted pictures, created jewelry and crafted art from found objects and nature. She recently took a class about beads and wire and has been creating her jewelry since then.

Barbara McIntyre – Doll Maker

Barbara first began making “Baby Mine” dolls in 1980 and they continue to fill her need to create something with fabric. She has sold many dolls but has also given as many away to help causes dealing with the needs of children. In addition to the dolls, she has created Santas and Angels.

Ladidah – Marta Macallum & Sheryl Sutherland – Painted Pillows

Marta & Sheryl paint on anything and everything from canvases and glass to birdhouses and furniture. When they really want to have fun they paint pillows…marvelous pillows in all shapes and sizes, some Matisse-like, others more whimsical, some more graphic and occasionally some as calming as the waters outside their doors.

Herbert Pritchard – Painter

Herb gave up golf to focus more on his oil painting.  His style and subject matter vary greatly.  He won first place in last year’s spring show at Franklyn Square Gallery with a painting of Isaac from the Old Testament.  He paints portraits of fallen warriors as gifts to families who have lost a loved one in our wars.

Cecilia D. Kohl – Painter

Cecilia was a member of the High Point Fine Art Guild before moving to St. James.  She is currently a member of the Brunswick Arts Council, Oak Island Art Guild and Associated Artists of Southport.

Pren Halladay – Watercolorist

A graduate of Arcadia University, Pren Halladay has been painting in oils & watercolors for over 25 years. She has taught art and has won awards for her work. She is a member of the Associated Artists of Southport & the Oak Island Art Guild. She believes that art should reflect a primary idea that the artist would like to communicate to his viewers. Most of her paintings present a glimpse of time momentarily preserved in memory. Pren’s style could be described as representational, as she tries not to paint either too realistically or too abstractly, although this is not a hard & fast rule. For her, art is fun and she hopes it is also fun for the viewer.

TRICIA HILL – Photographer

Tricia moved to Southeastern North Carolina after retiring as a special ed teacher. She brought with her a large box of art supplies and a single lens reflex film camera. Her plan was to photograph outdoor scenes as inspiration for drawing and painting. The brilliant shades of blue, orange and red in the first sunset she photographed made her realize that she could never paint the sunset that the camera captured on film. The camera lens has now become her brush and pallet as she continues to watch and wait patiently for the next image to appear.

KATHLEEN PREZIOSI – Potter

Kathleen received her BA from Sweet Briar College and lived in NYC where she continued her Fine Art Studies at Parsons School of Design. After moving to Princeton, she began working at the Arts Council of Princeton. She began teaching Ceramic sculpture and mixed media and she continues to explore her work and exhibit in the Princeton area. She is currently the head of the Paul Robeson Center for the Arts, Ceramic Studio. Her work includes functional forms and explores the sculptural aspects of clay. She is in a constant state of exploration, searching the parameters of this medium.

LARRY E. SCHAFER – Pastel & Water Media Artist

Larry is a pastel and water-media artist who specialized in painting portraits, flowers and landscapes. His flowers and landscapes are most often rendered in watercolor or acrylics. Larry didn’t start fine art painting until rather late in his career. Over the last 15 years, he has received three “best of show” awards and three “popular vote” awards in university art shows and has had paintings displayed at the Everson Art Museum in Syracuse, NY. He received honorable mention at the Franklin Art Gallery and received first place in pastel from a Brunswick County art show.

STELLA NEUNER – Oil Painter

Stella Neuner lived in Baltimore for her first 80 years. She moved to Southport in 2006 to be closer to her family. Stella started panting at age 81. She loves bold colors and strong characters in the style of the renowned artist Itzchak Tarkay. Her bold style reflects her own personality. She is thrilled that people lover her artistry.

CYNTHIA TUCKER – Jewelry Artistry

Cynthia has always dabbled in art, from drawing and painting to pottery and needlework. She has been designing hand-blown glass bead and sterling silver jewelry for the past 7+ years and has been creating her own glass beads for more than three. Each bead is made individually with a 2000 F torch as colorful glass rods are melted and wound onto small steel rods into tiny works of art. Cynthia teaches workshops in “Beginner Glass Beadmaking” for those interested in learning this ancient art form.

ANDREA MITCHELL – Jewelry Artist

Andrea started Beaded Creations during the spring of 2003. Andrea and her daughter were making beaded anklets for the summer months and she decided to venture into more elaborate jewelry pieces. She strives to “imaginate” to see what kind of funky but simple things she could create. Her imagination led her to create the “Swank”…a long, multi-strand, beaded piece that can be worn in several different ways. It can be worn like a tie a scarf, a choker, a necklace and even a belt. Versatility and uniqueness are Andreas’ goal for each piece.

ROBERT HUNTOON – Oil Painter

Native Vermont painter, Robert Huntoon, tries to take the viewer on a journey into America’s sacred spaces. He distills the essence of the landscape in panoramic oils. Robert built his own technique in the classic Flemish tradition, with its emphasis on creating a sense of light with layered, transparent color. He brings a significant level of craftsmanship to each painting, creating images of timelessness and transcendence. He has taught art in several New England schools such as Trinity College and the University of Vermont. He has exhibited and won many awards for his work.

WENDY PITILLO-RAE – Jewelry Artist

Wendy attended ECU where she received a BFA in Metal Design. She also studied in London and NYC. She worked for other designers before starting her own line in 2003. Her designs incorporate hand textured metal, oxidized surfaces and hollow form construction. Some of her designs are set with gemstones and pearls. Wendy maintains a complete metals studio and keeps a busy art show schedule that runs up and down the east coast. She also teaches metalsmithing part-time. WPR Jewelry has been featured in NYC, and Atlanta.