Painter Jessica Fields’ love of yellow started with her circa-1980s childhood home. Designed by an architect, it featured open yet angular spaces that her parents completely covered in pale ochre paint. 

A former church in North Main is transformed into a creative haven.

“Jeffrey’s meditative process of starting with small sketches of forms and ignoring color all together fascinated me endlessly. I could have spent days pouring through these small notebooks full of sketches.” -Will Crooks turns his lens on regional fine artists and their studio lives

Taylor Adams draws her inspiration from nature — the sky, the mountains, the horizon. Her art combines acrylic paint, charcoal, and graphite to form both brooding and serene scenes. Each one is wrapped in thread, bringing an added layer of hard lines to the soft pieces.

Michelle Jardines isn’t just an artist — she’s an artist who can create under pressure. Jardines bested nearly 120 artists who competed in the Metropolitan Arts Council’s ninth annual Flat Out Under Pressure contest, held June 15-16.

Although they are not overtly religious, Christopher Rico hopes his subtly explosive black and white paintings convey a spiritual quality—“whatever that means,” the soft-spoken painter hastens to add in conversation.

“Generally, we’re all in here grinding it out on our own missions, and it’s nice to be able to do that alongside other people,” says Signe Grushovenko, one of Oyé’s founders. “We all really feed off each other. It’s an ecosystem.”

Just like past years, Artisphere 2022 has a schedule packed full of activities and entertainment. In addition to shopping the works of 100+ local and national artists, attendees can enjoy live music, art demos, crafts + activities for the kids, and more.

“Humans have always told stories and created myths. They make us human, and they keep us human. We have always looked to the stars and created tales of heroism and origin. We stand before the sea or the mountains and feel a sense that we are connected to something larger, infinite, and eternal. I tell stories with gesture and form, color and surface.”

Christopher Rico’s work has always been inspired by an innately human desire to understand purpose. “There is a primal need to seek meaning in the unknot, the unfamiliar; even the menacing and alien and rituals help us make sense of this,” he says.

Artists Signe and Genna Grushovenko, a married duo who paint as one, revisit strangers’ pasts as they flip through old photos at flea markets. There they seek the images that will inspire expressionistic artworks they create together.

Rey and Patricia have created an oasis in Greenville—a property with lush landscaping, a babbling brook, and two studios for their similar, yet distinctive work. For Rey and Patricia, the journey to Greenville has been a long one. A journey fueled by a passion to create beauty.

Outside the old church that houses Oyé Studios, old paintbrushes hang from tree branches like ornaments. A gravel patio is the reported stage for ritualistic evening jam sessions over cigars and beers. Inside, every space — like Rey Alfonso‘s paint collection — felt raw and inspiring.

"My paintings are responses based on my intuition. Each piece I make reflects my personal experience of nature, vitality, and beauty present in everyday life. Without words, my work speaks to depth of mindfulness and tranquility of being. Presenting a vision of nature provides the opportunity to reflect on the beauty found within."

Rey Alfonso is a Cuban artist whose mixed media paintings are energetic expressions of contemporary culture. Rey begins his unique process with panels of Baltic Birch which he carves and gouges with handmade tools.

What do you get when a potter and a painter combine their exceptional and distinct talents? This may sound like the start of a corny riddle, but the answer is what artists Darin Gehrke and Glory Day Loflin set out to discover in their recent collaboration.

Art collections can provide unity. Paintings by Signe and Genna Grushovenko, collected over the years, are in almost every room. “My parents and I joke that we’re their largest gallery,” says David. Buffy points out the appeal of the colorful, layered pieces, with references to vintage photographs: “It’s approachable art, and each one evokes memories, as if you could imagine someone you know in each painting,” she says.