Pottery
by Mariella Owens
January 3, 2016 to February 29, 2016

Hi, I'm Mariella Owens. I've been doing pottery for 35 years. And have made many accomplishments.As an artist, I attempt to be very creative with my work, exploring all the different ways of utilizing the clay and making it work for me. I try to have parallels between my work and nature.

The artwork shown on my website supports my vision and development goals by enabling me to move forward with my art shows and studio. It makes a continuation of my developmental style.
My career as an artist started as a hobby for relaxation. I would hand build pieces and play on the wheel. After 2 or 3 months, it became so fascinating that I started spending my lunch breaks on the wheel, slab roller, and extruder at Riverbend Art Center in Dayton, Ohio.

I wanted to improve my technique and skills as a potter, so I took 9 week sessions of classwork at Riverbend Art Center. After completing the three sessions, I was invited to participate in the student's show Riverbend. Within that first show, I sold enough of my work to buy my first potters wheel. After several smaller shows, I was asked to be an instructor by the Art Counsel in 1984 at Riverbend Art Center. After teaching my first 9 week session, I was asked to return to do 3 sessions instead of one.

I have been doing 10-12 art shows per year and have won numerous awards from Best of Show to Honorable Mention since 1984. In March of 2000, I purchased a barn that I renovated into a studio. The grand opening of "Mariella's" happened on November 2000.Currently I'm living in Georgia and doing lots of shows.

Porcelain and Stoneware
by Candy Casarella
March 1, 2016 to April 30, 2016

ARTIST STATEMENT: I was born and raised in Southern California. I first experienced working with clay at the University of California – Santa Barbara. I’m the mother of two grown children and three adorable grandchildren.

I lived in New Jersey for twenty years, participating in art shows and have sold pottery throughout the area. Then I moved to Atlanta in 1981 where I studied at Penland and Callenwolde.

I’ve had my work on display at Simpsonwood, Spruill Gallery, Framing Artistry, Red Space Gallery, Yellow Dog Gallery and have done art and craft events all over Georgia. Pottery is my therapy and my passion. It’s a great joy to create things that others use and enjoy.

Glass Art, Acrylics and Pastel
by Ann Tewelow
May 1, 2016 to June 30, 2016

I am so fortunate to be able to spend my retirement doing what I love to do and sharing my love of art with others. I hope that you will enjoy the creations in glass and pictures in glass, pastels, watercolors or acrylics.

I am fortunate enough to be living my dream of "doing my art when I retire". I have always had a love of and interest in art since my childhood which included earning painting opportunities in elementary school, giving me the desire and assurance that one day I wanted to be able to enjoy doing the art I loved to share with others. After marrying and having 3 children with my husband who was serving in the Navy, including being stationed in Naples, Italy for four and half years, we enjoyed touring most of Europe on vacations. Studying oils and acrylics while in Naples, my art was included in exhibits and private collections. ("Roman Mist" was in The Vatican.) Returning to the Naval Air Station in Atlanta, Georgia, I set aside my art while raising the children and pursuing other endeavors, including working with Cobb County as Coordinator of the Mable House Art Center and The Art Station. Upon retiring, I have been able to again return to my art.
It has been my privilege to have participated in numerous exhibits at home and abroad and to have been honored to receive awards for my art as well as earning commissions and sales, been invited to be a juror for exhibits but the most rewarding is the reaction of friends and viewers to my work.
As well as continuing my work with pastels, acrylics and watercolors, I have expanded my interest to include working with glass. The beauty of glass with the depths of its reflective qualities and colors has always held a deep fascination for me. Taking up the art of fused and slump glass when I retired, I discovered the art of pate de verre and fritography as two new glass methods. In the attempt to create a niche of my own, I have begun to create my own molds from clay which are then fired. I have since added mosaics, etching and sandblasting on glass and mirrors to my repertoire. All these mediums have allowed me a wide range of creativity. I trust you will enjoy my art as much as I have enjoyed creating it.
I hope you will appreciate my work as much as I enjoy doing it to share with you.

Paper
by Matt Blodgett
July 1, 2016 to August 31, 2016

Matt Blodgett grew up on a rural Ohio farm, immersed in the beauty of plants and the creative energy of nature. Even in high school Matt showed great creative talent and artistic aptitude, winning a statewide student art competition with "Indian Princess," a mixed media collage with handmade paper and copper. The piece hung in the Ohio Governor's Mansion for one year.

Matt majored in Horticulture and Landscape Design at Ohio State University. Moving to Atlanta after college and working with some of the top landscape companies in the South Matt developed a keen sense for composition and texture. After more than 20 years in that industry he has now shifted his attention to his first and deepest calling, Fine Art, working primarily in collage, handmade and cut paper, and acrylic media.

He has shown at several Atlanta Art Fairs, including twice at Callanwolde Art Center, and has pieces in private collections from Los Angeles to Washington, DC. to New York City.

He is very happy to have the opportunity for this solo show, particularly because the library setting highlights the potential for the expressive use of paper (both handmade and cut paper) in ways that reach beyond its common use as simply a vehicle for the printed word.

Custom Folded Books
by Cynthia Elliott
September 1, 2016 to October 31, 2016

As a fine artist, artisan and mother of 4, I want to leave a creative legacy for my children while being an entrapreneurial role model. I produce decorative art that doesn't impact the environment. The books we use are upcycled, unless otherwise requested, to create visual works of art that enhance the timelessness of the written word.

Pocketbooks
by Book Stop Smyrna
November 1, 2016 to January 2, 2017

Pocketbooks made from Books!

Description Coming Soon.