To Raise the Bar on Cosplay, Craft an Artisan Lightsaber
byBy: Mike Schoeffel By now, being called a “geek” is commonplace — anyone who’s focused on a niche art form, or deeply immersed in…
River Arts District
Making a Soapbox Can be Slippery Work
bySculptor Mac Star McCusker teaches at Odyssey Clayworks and around the Southeast. In 2016, the artist began using sculpture, installations, and narrative vessels to…
Surrealism is Ideal for Pacifist Who Fights to Save the World
byKen Vallario doesn’t spend much time laboring over his personal brand. “I’m absolutely opposed to the concept,” the painter declares. Instead, Vallario says, he…
Painting from Life is Not the Life this Painter Wants
byYou won’t find Jane Schmidt’s car parked at a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook so she can perch behind an easel, painting a mountain sunrise….
Pastelist Knows the Road to Peace is Paved with Good Intentions
byElise Okrend’s canvases are far from private. They’re on daily display for thousands at a number of major hospitals, including locally at Mission in…
Metal isn’t Heavy Anymore Once the Wind Hits It
by“I’m a self-taught artist who has felt my way through the process,” says Pam Holthouser. She also spends “way too much time” feeling her…
If You Don’t Change Up the Scenery, it’s Hard to Fly
byDavid Sheldon has loved birds ever since he was a kid. He calls them “nature’s magical faeries,” and still owns his original copy of…
This is Insider Art for Everyone
byHer process doesn’t require a lot of steps: “I just paint what pulls at my heart,” says Bee Sieburg, who’s been doing just that…
You’ll find Her where the Pink Beds Meet the Philippines
byChristie Calaycay perches on a stool in her shared studio at Pink Dog Creative in the River Arts District. There’s an ease in her…
She Illustrates the Idea that Nature is Wildly Predictable
byMany artists have drawn inspiration from the mountains and forests surrounding Western North Carolina. But for painter/illustrator Sarah Faulkner, that outdoor beauty has to…