I developed Gallery and Galley, a nineteen-fifties Bed and Breakfast, merging the 50's culture with a European one.

Education is a passion and the educational environment has made a significant impact on my personal development. I enjoy the exchanges I have with students. Fortunately I have found an academic home at the Art Institute Charlotte in addition to having a great studio at Charlotte Art League.

I am self employed in my work as a conservator preserving and conserving art objects. Slowly but steadily I am rebuilding what I had established in Iowa, where I lived for almost 25 years. Making art, preserving art makes me feel good.

My life with art is life. Without it my soul would be lost and wandering.

Pamela Pardue Goode

I began creating mosaics in 1999, working with materials across the spectrum: Italian and Mexican glass, stone, gemstone, minerals, pottery, metals, and found objects. My preferred theme is seeing beneath the surface; consequently there are often hidden elements in my work, inviting the curious viewer to look deeper, and hopefully enticing the less curious observer to heighten that instinct.

I am an artist by genetics -- daughter and mother of architects, daughter and granddaughter of painters, kin to a slew of writers. My goal in art is the same as my goal in life: to quietly push the boundaries of what we assume to be the norm.

My work has been shown at Mosaic International 2007 in Mesa, Arizona, and featured on promotional materials. Recently, two of my works were selected to be among 100 featured in a new publication of mosaic art, from among 1,111 entries. I am a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists, British Association of Modern Mosaics, American Craft Council, NC Arts, Arts & Science Council, and Charlotte Art League.

I have two collections of poetry, and recently won first prize and publication for poetry in Sculptural Pursuit magazine.

Diana Arvanites-LeClair

Diana has been making and teaching art in both an academic and community setting for over ten years. Her artist books, monotypes, drawings and writing explore the intersections of physical place and personal experience. She has been the recipient of grants and awards and her work is in both public and private collections throughout the United States.

She received her MFA from the University of Massachusetts where she taught drawing and painting. Her work in community arts education includes the development of arts and literacy programs, youth art entrepreneurship programs, artist mentor with Urban Arts in Providence, RI, and directing the educational department at the Attleboro Art Museum.

Her works are part of private and public collections including the City of Orlando and the University of Massachusetts. She has exhibited in various galleries and institutions across the United States. She now lives in Charlotte with her family and three cats, where she teaches and runs her own studio.

Cristina Alberni

My work can be found here:

I am new to the State of North Carolina and look forward to my art journey in this beautiful city of Charlotte.

Kitty Bryant

I have been a self-taught mosaic artist since 1998. Although I studied painting, the idea of cutting tessarae and piecing together a mosaic is much more exciting and gratifying. It’s like painting with tile.

As a child I was always playing outdoors and was fascinated by the different textures and colors in nature. As an adult, I finally made my first stepping stone and my passion for mosaics was born. Since then it has intensified with every piece I make. Having such a large inventory of materials to use; each new project is like telling a story with color. Not knowing the outcome till the very end adds a surprising twist.

I presently have work at Urban Artwear in Winston-Salem, NC and The Charlotte Art League, where I am a member. I also am a member of The Society of American Mosaic Artists.

Sarah Terry

Art to me is about illustrating a feeling or personal reaction and
passing it along for the viewer to experience. I attempt to capture
the anxiety, stress, and pressure that day-to-day life can bring.

I grew up in the Bahama/ Hillsborough/Chapel Hill area of North Carolina among the trees and wild animals. I came to Charlotte to attend Queens University, where I earned a degree in Studio Art. In 2006 one of my sculpture designs was selected and fabricated in large
format at The Palisades Community.

After a long day at work, I can be found painting in my studio or listening to some loud rock band. You can see my work at sarahterryart.com.

Although he was doing well in his classes as a Computer Science major, secretly he longed to pursue his passion to be an artist. When Bryan made the decision to change his major at Morris Brown College, his Computer Science department chair was reluctant to approve his decision. But after seeing his work, she knew it was clear. He’s an artist!

Bryan is married to his college sweetheart Tameka and they have a beautiful two year old daughter named Gabrielle. Bryan is the first child of three and has been drawing since he was in the second grade. His interest has always been portraiture and figure drawing. He said, “I was always an introvert. I was just more comfortable on the outside looking in. That way I was able to observe people. You can tell so much about people after watching how they walk, talk to others or even when they are alone. I like to portray people yet add my own interpretation of them.”

Currently this graphic designer by night and art teacher by day continues to do portraiture and figure painting, although he has been experimenting with abstraction and cubism. Bryan was teaching high school art back in 2004 when he began to focus on Picasso, Jacob Lawrence and Aaron Douglas, which eventually evolved into his own style of cubism. "My interest in Cubism came when I realized that the disjointed appearance of figures accurately represented humanity in its “broken” state; we as people experience broken hearts, broken relationships, and broken circumstances.”

Bryan Wilson is a member of the Charlotte Art League and recently placed Third in an exhibit there entitled “Outside Looking In.” Bryan also exhibits at Element Gallery in the North Davidson district of Charlotte and rotates work in and out of a gallery in Huntersville, NC. He is entering his fourth year as an art teacher; this is his second year at Sugar Creek Charter School.

Preston Drum

Paul Klee said, “Art is serious play.” Pablo Picasso said, “Art is not made to decorate rooms. It is an offensive weapon in the defense against the enemy." It is my current position as an artist today to uphold the realities of both of these quotes. It is not enough for artists to dwell on form; we should be held responsible for asking critical questions about our society. My art is a juggling of disclosure of history and the ambiguity of intent.

I was born and raised in the former mill town of Charlotte, North Carolina, the son of a divorced couple of ex-hippies. I have had a strong love for music, art and horticulture since the days of my first steps. I have performed and recorded rock ‘n’ roll music with several touring bands including the Pelicans and Choke their Rivers with Our Dead. I obtained a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Memphis College of Art. I currently work, study and create in the town of my birth with my fiancé, Samantha, and our three dogs by my side

www.prestonpaintings.com

Barbara V Jones

I'm a native New Yorker - born and raised in "the Bronx." Although I've had only a minimum amount of formal training in studio arts, I've always had the desire and the passion to work with my eyes and my hands to create pieces of visual art using whatever materials are at hand.

As an elementary teacher in NYC, I incorporated 'the arts' into the classroom as often as possible. I believe that the act of creating builds self-esteem and confidence at any age.

After retiring from teaching, I was able to concentrate more time on the creative process, focusing on mosaics and photography. I'm a self-taught photographer, and learned mosaic process/techniques at Unicorn Studio in Manhattan. My photographs have been exhibited locally, and they often serve as models from which I design mosaic pieces. I plan to work again with children as a teacher of mosaics, and hope to participate in a variety of community projects. Currently, I work out of my home.

Veda Saravana

I was born and raised in Chennai, India, and have known since childhood that I wanted to be a painter. I’m completely
self-taught and continue developing my skills in both painting and sculpting.

I graduated with a major in History, and received a diploma
in Travel and Tourism. I enjoy traveling, and most of my paintings are inspired by places visited.

I have always played with colors and different mediums. Eventually though, my love for oils has
always brought me back to them. My sculptures, on the
other hand, are based on human figures in different postures.

I've participated in several art exhibits in downtown Charlotte, including Spirit Square, Charlotte Art League, and others, since 1995.

Tina Vinson

Although I have little time to paint and draw right now, I have been an artist all of my life. My first drawing was a crayon mural on my bedroom wall when I was three years old. And even though my mother was not initially happy with me, I was told it stayed there until we moved!

Aside from the typical middle school art class and the scholastic shows that acompany them, I didn't start any type of formal training until college. Savannah College of Art & Design came first, with Polk Community and Traviss Technical following. College life was great but life had other plans for me. Five kids and two grandkids later, here I am preparing to start over! I've been stocking up on art supplies over the past couple of years readying myself for the re-emersion in the art world.

I 've used many art mediums but my favorite right now is acrylic. I love the look, the feel and even the smell of it! Who knows? Maybe next week I'll be rolling in pastel dust. Mosaics are a little new for me but I can't wait. Art is more than something I enjoy doing; It's lifeblood for me. It's part of who I am and always will be inside.