N – Z
Betsy Orlando
Betsy Orlando has been creating things almost all her life. Primarily a dollmaker woking in fabric, she has been intrigued with paper and mixed media both in dollmaking and altered booked for over ten years. She has taught book classes locally and at the John C. Campbell Folk School. She is a member of the Allegany Artisans and some of her work can be seen on their website. http://www.orlandoforge.com/Betsy_Orlando.htm
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Charles Orlando
Charles Orlando has been blacksmithing since 1978 and teaching and demonstrating efficient forging skills in all parts of the country for more than twenty years to blacksmiths and farriers. In addition to small sale items, his custom work has been the mainstay of his business and his work can be seen in many private and public facilities in the east and mid-west. Examples of his work can be seen in the gallery on his website: www.orlandoforge.com
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Linda Osborne
Linda Osborne is a multi media artist who currently specializes in lampwork beads. She has worked extensively with leather and glass and enjoys combining a variety of materials in her many art forms. Her interest in leather is re-emerging from the 70’s when she made custom fitted shoes.
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Dandee Pattee
Dandee Pattee is originally from Lander, Wyoming. She has been making pots for over ten years with a specific interest in functional vessels. Dandee is interested in all aspects of pottery making from form making to glaze chemistry! She has recently completed a two year apprenticeship with Floyd studio potter Silvie Granatelli, and has now entered graduate school at the University of Florida, pursuing a Masters of Fine Art degree in ceramics.
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Charlie Patricolo
Charlie Patricolo has been making dolls for nearly 40 years. The love of fabric and the creative process began to develop during the 1960’s when she started making dolls as a casual hobby. In the early 1990’s, she left her career in the computer industry and while trying to decide what she was going to do “next’.” she began making figures again and realized that she wanted to make dolls. She began to spend all of her time developing dolls of her own design. She came to the realization that she appreciated the freedom of being self-employed. She ended up in North Carolina about 10 years ago at a class at John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. At the end of that first week here in the mountains of western North Carolina, she felt that she had found a home for my heart and hands. She became involved in the work/study program and later the host program at the folk school. At the end of the two programs she made the decision to move to the mountains and begin the next chapter of her life. In the fall of 2008 she moved back to Michigan for the arrival of her granddaughter. She is delighted to be near her family, but misses those mountains and creative energies and return whenever she can to teach and do shows. Now she spends her days creating figures, teaching and demonstrating doll making. www.charlieclothdolls.blogspot.com
Tammy Parks
Tammy Parks majored in Art and Spanish at Emory and Henry College and the University of Southern Mississippi. She has been teaching in both areas for thirteen years. Currently, she is the owner and designer of All Glass with Class, selling custom stained glass, glass jewelry and ceramic masks when she is not catering to the whims of her six adoptive cats, one dog and one husband. www.allglasswithclass.com
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Ronan Peterson
Ronan Kyle Peterson grew up in Poplar, NC, a small community deep in the mountains of western North Carolina. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in 1996 received a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Anthropology, with a minor in Folklore. His interest in Folklore led him to John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC, where he began taking classes in ceramics and other media. After working for two years with two potters in the area of Asheville, NC, he attended Penland of School of Crafts. Initially, he intended to stay for a two month Concentration in Wood and Soda Fired Pottery with MacKenzie Smith, but two months turned into four years. After Concentration, Ronan applied for and was accepted into the Core Student program. During the two year intensive work exchange program, Ronan had the opportunity to study with a number of internationally known artists and craftspeople. Currently, he has a ceramics studio in Chapel Hill, NC, and teaches ceramics classes at Claymakers in Durham, NC, and Pullen Arts Center in Raleigh, NC. Ronan’s ceramic objects have shown in local and national exhibitions. http://ninetoespottery.com
Lara Davis Phelps
Lara Davis Phelps discovered glass in her last year of college at RISD. Lara went back to school at the Appalachian Center for Crafts where she met her husband and discovered bead making. Building a studio, starting a business, and having a family are her current focus. She lives in Floyd with her husband and two kids.
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Sue Pollins
Sue Pollins is a graduate of the University of Michigan, College of Architecture and Design with a BS in design, a painting major. She is a roster artist of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts-Education program as an artist in residence, a signature member of the Pennsylvania Watercolor Society, and member and past president of the Pittsburgh Watercolor Society. She has exhibited in innumerable regional and national exhibits. She is a frequent lecturer and juror, has taught in the continuing education programs at Seton Hill University, Penn State, Fayette University and Westmoreland County Community College and has taught for many years at Touchstone Center for Crafts. Her work is part of the permanent collection of Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art and many private and corporate collections. http://greensburgartclub.org
James Quinn was born between the Korean war and the Cuban Missile Crisis, in Greensboro N0rth Carolina, where he attended school… sometimes. In his mid twenties he developed an interest in sculpture and blacksmithing. Modern techniques seemed necessary to build tools and equipment and along the way they became standard in his shop and work. He has traveled and worked in blacksmith shops and foundries in Colorado and Montana, learning about sculpture casting, the forging of materials and attending college in Flathead Valley in Montana. In James’ associations with blacksmiths, he has found friendship and a devotion to the craft that surpasses personal gain. For him “Blacksmiths have shared their knowledge, time and facilities freely, impressing me with the human element of the craft as much as the magic of materials and processes. If possible, this is the primary quality of metal working in the 21st century that I would pass on to anyone interested in pursuing this ancient craft.”
John Riddle
John Riddle grew up on a farm where his dad taught him the basics of sheet metal work as a teenager. He worked in the railroad industry as an adult, as a metal-worker, electrician, shop and maintenance worker, and finally rail car worker. As a result, he has been a blacksmith all his life, but never knew very much about it until around 2005 when he heard about the Old Dominion Blacksmith Association and became a regular member. He has learned much attending meetings and classes through the group and is excited to share his life-long trade with the next generation of blacksmiths.
Dennis Ross
Dennis Ross
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Gayle Rolfe
Gayle Rolfe approaches the arts from a highly technical perspective and is experienced in a broad range of mediums. She is self taught and has been highly successful within these areas; casting and plastic embedment, graphic design, sign making and for the past dozen years has been involved with decorating glass using cold work techniques. Engraving and sandblasting is her area of expertise. She has produced a number of globes for a local lighting manufacturer and also is known for highly detailed reproductions of antique gas lit globes from the Victorian era. Gayle, along with Linda Osborne, facilitates the Floyd Glass Club. www.rolfedesigns.com
Elmer Roush
Elmer Roush has been blacksmithing since 1970 and has been fully professional since 1987. He is mostly self-taught but has studied with William Fiorini, James Horebin (England), Varlav Jaros (Czechoslovakia) and Peter Ross. Elmer has taught at Touchstone, Peters Valley, John C. Campbell and Cearte Inona (Ireland). He has attended and demonstrated at a number of annual blacksmiths gatherings in Australia and at a number of conferences throughout the United States. www.metcalferoush.com
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Kara Schwabel
Kara Schwabel is the founder and president of Creativism, a creativity consulting company, and is also the Director of the Differentiated Instruction graduate program at Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. She holds two undergraduate degrees in Psychology and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Creativity and Change Leadership from the International Center for Studies in Creativity at the State University of New York College at Buffalo. Her professional background is primarily in education. She currently teaches graduate courses at Canisius College’s School of Education and served as the coordinator for the gifted/talented program at Jackson School in Batavia, New York for seven years. She has conducted workshops and facilitations in the area of creativity and creative problem solving for many organizations and schools in Western New York area such as: the Buffalo State Research Foundation, the Center for studies in Creativity, Western New York United Against Drugs? alcohol, the Buffalo Museum of Science, Pop’s Sports Bar and grill, O’Connell, Lucas and Chelf, Inc., the University of Buffalo Dental School and many local school districts. Kara is co-author of various peer-reviewed articles and is currently writing a book about the connections between Creativity and Spirituality. She lives with her husband and two children in Western New York State.
Karen Sewell
Karen Sewell was born and raised in Floyd County with a pencil in hand. She has been creating art ever since. Two years of art in high school gave her a basis to grow upon and she taught herself whatever she wanted to expand into. Basically she works in oils and pastels, but loves to work in and incorporate other mediums to achieve the desired effect. Karen has work in collections in Europe and across the US and she has won numerous awards over the years. After living all along the east coast as a naval wife, she became involved in different art groups that fueled her creativity. She is glad to be back home in Floyd County. www.ksewell.com
Jan Stansell
Jan Stansell has been weaving baskets and chair seats for over 25 years. She has studied with Cherokee basket weavers, South Carolina seagrass basket makers, and others while finding her own unique style. Jan maintains an active teaching schedule in the Southeast, including the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Her work is on display at the Georgia Heritage Center for the Arts in Tallulah Falls, GA. She resides in Suches, GA where she has a working studio. www.blackmountaincrafts.com
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Gretchen St. Lawrence
Gretchen St. Lawrence has been painting most of her life. However, after a long absence raising a family and pursuing a career she took several classes at The Jacksonville Center and was re-inspired. Living in Floyd has been a great creative inspiration to her, surrounded by many talented people and beautiful scenery. Gretchen has shown her work at the Jacksonville Center and occasionally does commissions. She also spends time working on her drawing skills as a way to advance and challenge her techniques in Pastels.
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Lochlanina Tobey
Lochlanina Tobey has worked in the fabric industry since 1996. She trained as a textile historian in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; apprenticed with Beth Miller-Hall and Carol Ann Schmidt in the field of women’s history and dress (c.1863); and designed the Daniel’s Star quilt for the “Pieces for Peace” program begun by Denise Williamson (with Bethany House). Lochlanina trained as a quilt appraiser with the American Quilter’s Society in Paducah, Kentucky expanding her knowledge base in the field of antique and modern quilts. Her line of “Pieceful Slumber” quilt patterns can currently be found in independent fabric shops and will soon be available online as well, through Aunt Hill Studio. http://piecefulslumber.blogspot.com/
Batik by Alice Walker
Alice Walker was born in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. She received her fine arts degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in 1974. Her student work was chosen for the Virginia Craftmen Show at the Virginia Museum in Richmond in 1974. Her work as an emerging artist was recognized by the Surface Design Association in 1996 when it selected one of her early batik paintings to grace its first journal cover. Since 1989 Alice has worked as a studio artist and has shown her wearable art at juried fine arts and crafts festivals throughout the Eastern United States. She is an exhibiting member of the Southern Highland Craft Guild and Piedmont Craftsman. Alice has four children and makes her home in an old apple orchard on a mountaintop in Floyd County, VA. www.alicewalkerbatik.com
Teri Walters
Teri Walters moved to Floyd in 2000 with her family and an array of pets. She was introduced to polymer clay in 1999 and quickly became a “polyholic.” Since then, her artwork has taken her to many different places. She has been featured on local television, has won 1st and 3rd places in Polymer Cafe magazine for her work in canning and mixed media work, featured in newspapers, participated in various exhibits, has her creations in retail stores, and can be found at local craft shows selling and teaching in her booth. Teri has a great desire and thoroughly enjoys passing on her knowledge and experiences in polymer clay to all those desiring to learn. In April, 2009 Teri started the New River Valley Polymer Clay Guild, which today is an active, growing, community oriented group that is promoting the enjoyment of polymer clay as recreation, hobby, or art medium. www.terisclaysmiles.com
Jessie Ward
Jessie Ward is a third generation farrier. Her love of art and admiration for tradition led her to embrace the methods handed down by her grandfather. Jessie works in a variety of media including stained glass, paper, sculptural iron work, and traditional smithing. She participates in international blacksmithing competitions and has received numerous awards in painting, stained glass and photography. Her work, mostly commissioned, can be found in museums, galleries, businesses and individual homes. She teaches regionally in Southwest Virginia.
Chris Youngblood has been a full-time, professional fiber artist for more than 20 years and is versed in a wide variety of fiber-related trades to include: spinning, dyeing, knitting, weaving and painting.
