Chris Hughes

Chris is completely self-taught and did not begin his woodcarving until later in life. A 50-cent instructional book bought at a Good Will Book Sale almost 20 years ago ignited his interest in carving. His love of animals, horses in particular, has been a great influence in his carving projects.

A sampling of the individually carved birds and animals available are:

●Hummingbirds
●Wrens
●Birds of Prey
●Horses
●Other Livestock
●Deer

●Dolphins
●Squirrels
●Turtles
●Kangaroos

Chris M. Hughes
Phone: 706-742-7560
e-mail: carvingsbycmh@att.net

Custom Orders Welcomed

David Morgan

David Morgan's pottery is richly glazed in colors such as copper red and layered with other hues. Looking into a vessel is like gazing into a deep pool of gorgeous, saturated color.
Though he works in the functional tradition, David considers his work to be more contemporary than traditional in effect. He draws inspiration from nature, integrating natural motifs and patterns such as carved leaves, fish and birds into his pieces. He often carves the outside of the piece using a scraffito (also "sgraffito") technique in which a layer of clay is painted on the outside and then carved through to show the contrasting color underneath. He also draws and paints on many of his pieces with clay slip.

David Morgan has been making functional stoneware for 30 years.

Doug Carmichael

Doug Carmichael is a Madison County sculptor who works primarily in metal and wire. An avid collector of misunderstood treasure, it is not surprising to find everyday objects and natures own bounties incorporated into his work. His artful combination of recycled and reclaimed metal parts have such an enormous personality, they demand to become a part of your environment.

Doug's creatures can be found lurking in yards and on porches from Boston to San Francisco.

Jennifer Manzella - Junkhaus Designs, Athens, GA

in Jennifer's words:

I am an artist living in Athens, Ga and I do a little of everything from prints to candles. My printmaking work is a mixture of monotype, etching, and relief processes. I've been a printmaker and an educator for the past five years that I've lived in Athens, Georgia. Currently I teach foundation art classes at Gainesville State College on the Oakwood Campus and printmaking classes at the Lyndon House Arts Center located near downtown Athens.

I've always had a real strong connection to the outdoors especially the woods and landscape of the east coast and hiked the Appalachian Trail in 2003. After that my work took on a very organic aesthetic and I began using patterns and textures from plants and local plant materials. I like to think that now I'm living off the land through my artwork and my craft.

I became interested in making books and paper-making while I was a graduate student at UGA and in a study-abroad program in Cortona, Italy during the summer of 2005. It was here that I started making paper out of natural fibers and plants then constructing books out of that paper. When I returned to Georgia I began transforming things such as Kudzu, Canna Lily, and Okra into books and sculptural installations.

For my handmade journals I use a drum leaf binding technique which is a non-sewn binding that opens flat and creates a beautiful, clean structure. The inside paper is 100% cotton rag paper. The covers of the journals are made with hand-printed rag paper and various handmade papers.

My candle-making craft developed in 1999 - 2001 when I worked for an independent handmade candle company called Burning Butterfly out of Union City, New Jersey. Since then I've been looking for cleaner and more ecologically balanced solutions to making candles using materials such as Soy wax and Palm wax. These are re-newable materials as opposed to the more commonly used Paraffin waxes which are petroleum based. The wonderful thing about Soy wax is that it burns clean (no soot), it cleans up with hot water and soap, and burns longer than Paraffin! I only use quality essential oils for the scents rather than synthetic fragrances.

Barbara Bendzunas

Barbara is returning to clay after being involved in blowing and slumping glass. Her love of the medium is infectious. She does whimsical sculpture, vases and pots, as well as having years of being a functional potter behind her. Clay is the most liberating of artistic mediums. If you don't like what you did, wad it up, smush it a couple of times, and try again. No angst over making it perfect the first time, unlike having to face that pristine, expensive, white sheet of paper or canvas.

Come share her enthusiasm and skills in her newly expanded studio!

http://clayclassesbybarbarab.blogspot.com/

Peter Loose

Peter is an incredible artist and a dear friend. My family (and I mean all of us!) are collectors of his work. My boys' room is filled with his pieces that have been chosen specifically by them. Our walls seem "to talk" with the personalities of his creatures, and we always look forward to seeing what Peter will have up his sleeve!

Peter was born in Silver Springs, Maryland and has always been fascinated by nature. He spent his childhood splashing in creeks and hiking in the woods. As a result of his interests, he became a state park naturalist and a naturalist for the Audubon Society.

In 1986 he moved to Athens, Georgia to work at the Sandy Creek Nature Center. Shortly after moving to Georgia, he bought a set of water color paints and attempted to illustrate and produce a field guide to local wildlife. Frustrated with his 'messy painting' he quit, telling himself that "painting is too hard". About two years later a period of emotional stress and physical illness led Peter back to water colors. This time with no goal in mind he began to create strange little paintings dominated splotches of color on typing paper. Encouraged by friends and motivated by a constant will to paint, he soon switched to acrylics and store-bought canvas. The first of these, him as a fish, was completed in one evening during which the splotches of color turned into thickly applied dots and dashes. His strange little paintings had evolved into the whimsy he creates today.

We are so fortunate Peter calls Madison County home, and we are thrilled that he has participated with us since the market began four years ago. Stop by and see Peter November 14th. He loves to chat, and you'll enjoy listening to his stories!

Laura Bowen

Since most people see Laura as an organizer of the market, she actually gets very little attention for the beautiful art she creates. In addition to all of the time she volunteers to making the market a huge success, she is equally hard at work as a participating artist. She is known for her dried flower arrangements; however, this year she is using her leaves and blooms in an entirely new way!

In Laura's words:

Everywhere I go I am always looking for flowers or leaves to collect for my artwork. Last fall, I made my daughter pull over in downtown Athens so I could pick up fallen Gingko leaves off of the sidewalk, and yes in the curb of the street. She acted like she didn’t know who I was! This past summer, I lugged two big bundles of fresh lavender all the way home from the Great Northwest. The smell was intoxicating and the entire airplane was the better for it!

I have been creating artwork with my pressed foliage for the past ten years now. I love to grow things, and this is my way of making the beauty of the garden last a little longer. It has been very therapeutic for me especially during the hard times of my life.

I also like to leaf-print just about any surface that I can think of. This year I came across some so-soft organic cotton fabric, and a friend of mine supplied me with a whole roll of rich-green silk. So, I did what comes natural to me and leaf-printed the fabric and then sewed them into scarves. I have plenty of fabric left over so if have a special leaf you would like printed on a scarf – just let me know!

Laura Bowen is a resident of Madison County and co-founder and co-coordinator of the Madison County Artist Market. She lives on a farm with her husband, two children, seven cows, one horse, five cats, three dogs and one crazy goat.