Patty Coulter

Upon retiring from her position as a high school art teacher, Patty turned her attention to relief printmaking,concentrating on Linoleum Reduction Block Printing. Relief printmaking is where areas are cut out of a material, usually wood or linoleum blocks, using special tools. Printing ink is then rolled onto the surface of the block, paper is pressed on top and a barren is used to rub the ink onto the paper. The paper is pulled away from the block and the printed image is revealed. In the Reduction Method, each color is printed on top of the other, with a cutting away of the linoleum between printings to reveal the color below. All steps must be planned in advance, even the amount in the edition you will be printing, because there are no adjustments or turning back once the first cut is made.

" I am most influenced by the Japanese print makers and the Arts and Crafts Movement, mainly in style, subject matter, and composition. Linoleum Reduction Block Printing enables me to employ several artistic processes, from the preliminary drawings of subject matter to the interpretation of this drawing into a stylized image, from the use of all the specialized tools, to the mixing of the inks, to pulling of the final print of an edition. Although each print is pulled from the same block, each is slightly different, making each a surprise and each an original."

Samantha Barnum

Samantha Barnum is the Visual Art teacher at the Madison County High School. We initially asked Samantha to organize a group of art students from the high school who would sell their work at the market this year; however, we are pleased beyond measure that she will be joining us as an artist in the show as well. Samantha will be selling a variety of functional dinnerware and artwork at this year's market. She has an MFA from the University of Georgia in painting and drawing and formerly worked at R.Wood Studio in Athens, GA, where she learned slab-building ceramic techniques.

Stephanie Astalos-Jones

Stephanie Astalos-Jones is a Madison County artist and actress who makes pysanky (Ukrainian eggs) and pysanky jewelry. The art of pysanky is an ancient tradition full of symbolism and folklore. The ornaments look fabulous on a Christmas tree. You can see more at www.pysankyjewels.com, carltonartfactory.blogspot.com ( a picture blog of Stephanie and her sculptor husband, Mike) and carltonartfactory.etsy.com.

Autumn Strickland

Autumn’s introduction to art was by her mother, an art educator. She has studied art and interior design at the University of Georgia and with numerous renowned instructors. All of her paintings are of oil medium, with a variety of subject matter, ranging from landscape, still life
to wildlife. Her work has been published in the Northeast Georgia Living Magazine, St.Simons Island coffee table book, Southern Distinction Magazine and featured in several local news papers.

She resides in Danielsville with her husband George Strickland, owner of Madison County Hardware and Building Supply. They have two children, Tripp and Amanda Strickland, daughter-in-law, Carlton, granddaughter, Emily and grandson Robert.

Her passion is to lift someone’s spirit, or capture their heart with emotion by her humble interpretation of God’s Beauty.

Exhibitions: Ritz-Carlton-Atlanta, Summer House- Highlands, Burton Gallery - Clarkesville, Athens Country Club, Quinlan Visual Arts Center-Gainesville, Sautee-Nacoochee Art Center, Aurum Studios-Athens and many more.

Autumn’s studio in her home is open to the public by appointment. 706-795-3295. E-mail, afstrickland@windstream.net.

Pat Shields & Janice Hall Shields - Georgia Mudcats Pottery

It is only fitting that I feature this couple as the first artists on the artist market blog. I met Janice and Pat nearly five years ago when my oldest son was about 18 months old. He was drawn to their work, even as a baby. We still have that tiny face jug he insisted on buying at our very first meeting. We've collected as a family ever since! When making the decision to start the artist market four years ago, we called them first. And, they have been with us since the inaugural year. Join us in November to have the chance to see their amazing work in person.

Patrick Shields and Janice Hall Shields began studying southern pottery traditions in the early 1990's. Intrigued by the dynastic nature of the art's history, Pat and Janice began visiting North Georgia potters and were invited to try turning a pot. They became hooked on pottery making after visiting and apprenticing intermittently with Bobby Ferguson of Gillsville, Georgia and Jerry Brown of Hamilton, Alabama. Soon there was no turning back and they began building the equipment necessary for their pottery shop.

Over the past seventeen years, Janice and Pat have visited potters in many of the southeastern states. While they have adopted and strive to maintain many of the traditional methods used in the southern cottage pottery industry, they have also gained much knowledge from contemporary potters and now incorporate some modern techniques into their production. They work full time at their studio near Danielsville, Georgia and invite visitors to the shop by appointment.
Their accumulated experience and creative expression shows itself well in the functional stoneware and decorative folk art wares they produce. Every pot produced at Georgia Mudcats Pottery is made from native clay, wheel thrown, and individually hand decorated. Janice and Pat mix each batch of glaze from raw ingredients using traditional or original recipes and all pots are wood fired by the artists.

Janice and Pat have been featured in Southern Living magazine, The Athens Banner Herald and Northeast Georgia Living magazine.

Welcome to Art in Madison County!

The 4th annual Madison County Artist Market will be held Saturday, November 14, from 9am to 4pm. This market will be held at the historic courthouse, downtown Danielsville, only 20 minutes from Athens, GA. The artists participating this year are truly the area's finest. You won't want to miss this show! It is the perfect opportunity to wrap up all of your holiday shopping before the rush of the season actually begins. There is literally something for everyone on your gift list! This blog will be filled with posts featuring all of the artists participating in the market. So, bookmark this blog or better yet become a follower. You will see the "follower" section on the side bar to the right. You can be the first to get a sneak-peak of the treasures of our county!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS TODAY!!