Meet our ARTISTS

The FORD Studios in Marion, Virginia, is happy to represent a handful of artists that span the east coast of the United States, from pottery to fiber art, surface design to woodworking and everything in between.  In addition to this lineup of talented artists, we also host the work of up to a dozen additional artists that rotate with the shows.  If you are interested in showing your work at The FORD Studios, please visit our Call for Entries page.

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SARA BARRETT
Collage
(Knoxville, TN)

Mixed media artist Sara Barrett is an East Tennessee native & lives blissfully at the foothills of the Smokies with her husband, daughter & two cats. Barrett repurposes used & discarded materials of all types with scrap paper as the dominant component.  Barrett is deeply inspired by music & artists like Billie Holiday, U2, Ray LaMontagne, Volbeat & dozens of others can be heard spinning on vinyl in her studio. 

Barrett's artwork has been shown across the southeast United States and has published multiple times including Bluing the Blade and Button Eye Review.  You can keep up with Sara on Instagram.
Currently Featured Work by Sara Barrett

BRITTA CRUZ
Sculpture & Fiber Arts
(Goochland, VA)

Cruz, a native of Munich, Germany has lived in the United States for 28 years. Her most recent work connects art with utilitarian fiber items. Cruz currently lives with her family in Goochland, Virginia also lovingly referred to as “nirvana”.  Currently Featured Work by Britta Cruz

"I am not searching for a particular medium or process. I enjoy the variety and the learning experience. I love new challenges and have become a well-rounded person because of those different experiences. It is all about being who you are instead of trying to meet the expectations people might have of you.  I try to evoke emotions in my viewer. My satisfaction from my art comes during the creation process. Once the piece is finished I am 'done' and ready to pass it on to someone to enjoy it." -- Britta Cruz  Follow Cruz on Instagram.

 

RACHEL GIBSON
Mixed Media
(Marion, VA)

Gibson works as a mixed media artist with work in galleries from New York to Los Angeles and collections around the world. A happily-married, mother of one, Gibson lives & works in Marion, Virginia in the southeast United States.  Her practice currently explores tiny hand-stitched textiles as well as work that overlays watercolor with embroidery.  

The hand-stitched component of this work lends movement to otherwise still media while paying homage to the band of quilting women she calls family.  You can follow Rachel on Instagram.   
Currently Featured Work by Rachel Gibson

TOM HOWER
Glass Blowing
(Marion, VA)

Hower is a glassblower, living & working in Marion, Virginia with engineering degrees from both Duke University & Georgia Tech.  Blowing glass since 2015, Tom has studied at at Penland School of Craft (Bakersville, North Carolina), Pilchuck Glass School (Seattle, Washington) and The Pratt Fine Arts Center (Seattle, Washington).   

"Pattern and color are recurring themes in my work.  I find inspiration in natural configurations, practical items and the work of artists I admire.  Traditional quilt and geometric patterns are of special interest and are reflected in many of my pieces. Working with hot glass is a blending of physicality, artistry and technical skill.  It’s difficult to master.  Its physically demanding, The heat and weight of the glass exhaust you.  Yet I am drawn to it relentlessly." -- Tom Hower  Currently Featured Work by Tom Hower

 

JON IVES
Pottery
(Marion, VA)

Jon Ives' eponymously-branded Jive Pottery mostly concentrates on functional pieces in porcelain; however, conceptual work is his secret joy.  His ongoing work includes a set of collaborative embroidered porcelain pieces with his wife, Artist Rachel Gibson. 

Ives is an entirely self-taught potter that built a brand based on his minimalist style and satin-finish glazes after spending years in a production atmosphere in Gatlinburg, TN.  In 2019, he threw in excess of 22,000 pots.  Practice doesn't necessarily make perfect, but it is the best teacher.  Ives is a permanent artist-in-residence at The FORD Studios and offers demos daily in his studio that is entirely open to the gallery. 
Currently Featured work by Jon Ives  Follow Jon on Instagram.

LOCKNESTERS
by Fleet Hower Sculpture/Puzzle
(Brooklyn, NY)

Part puzzle and part toy, Locknesters are the result of a fascination with unconventional geometries and a desire to create design work that encourages interaction. Locknesters could be thought of as three dimensional jigsaw puzzles, each model can be taken apart and assembled, used as a challenge to friends, a distraction from work, or to liven up a room.  Look familiar? Wondering where you might have seen them?  Locknesters have recently been seen in the pages of Esquire and on the set of the Emmy® award-winning comedy Hacks on HBO Max.  Follow Locknesters on Instagram.

Locknesters are produced from high quality, American-made plastic and don’t contain toxic chemicals.  All Locknesters are designed, made, and hand finished in Brooklyn, New York, USA and are a result of devotion to craftsmanship & quality. Currently Featured Locknesters by Fleet Hower

VIRGINIA LEE McLEAN
Cyanotype
(Lyman, SC)

McLean is from Lyman, South Carolina and has a Bachelor of Arts from Winthrop University (Rock Hill, South Carolina). She enjoys the process of experimenting and making art almost as much, if not more than, the outcome.

McLean is influenced by nature, especially botanicals. Virginia creates cyanotype, mixed media and textile art, including embroidery and macramé.  Her work has recently been seen in the Spartanburg (SC) Habitat for Humanity Upcycled Art Show and the UUCS Social Justice Art Show. 

Currently Featured Work by Virginia Lee McLean

 

JILLIAN PLATT
Painting, Illustration & Jewelry
(Troy, NY)

Platt wove art and science together in the field of medical art, adding a Master’s of Science in Medical Illustration to her Bachelor’s of Fine Art. Her work garnered awards both in and out of the courtroom & operating theatres. She has explained to college students, attorneys and surgeons the cellular work of the body, the mechanisms of destruction and the steps of repair.

Expressions in abstract and realism gently pull the viewer in allowing them private entrance into the artist world. Underlying perceptions and profound realizations of softness, emotionality and solitude reach out for the viewer’s participation.  Platt's jewelry pieces are inspired by the energy of individual gemstones, created to showcase the wearers wisdom, sensuality and power.  Follow Platt on Instagram.  Currently Featured Work by Jillian Platt

 

EMILY SHANE
Paper Mosaics
(Knoxville,TN)

Shane is happily challenged by Reader's Digest Condensed Book covers as a medium both compelling in its limitation for the artist and vaguely nostalgic for the viewer.  Those of us who are “of a certain age” fondly recall Reader’s Digest Condensed Books as staples on the bookshelves of middle-class American homes since 1950. Issued to subscribers about once every three months, RDCBs were intelligently edited and abridged versions of then-current fiction and non-fiction.

Emily Shane is a mixed-media artist living in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Her work reflects interest in light/shadow, weight/air, and stasis/movement – especially as they inform the perception of depth. By exploring the interplay of color, pattern, and shape, Shane creates a narrative of personal beauty in the perfection of symmetry and equilibrium. Currently Featured Work by Emily Shane

 

PAT K. THOMAS
Marbling & Surface Decoration
(Gatlinburg, TN)

Pat K. Thomas is a full-time surface design, marbling, paper and fabric artist who is also co-owner of the historic Cliff Dwellers Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN.  Marbling is a one-time print from a liquid surface.  Paints are floated on a thickened size and manipulated with simple, handmade tools.  When the pattern is complete, a prepared paper or fabric is laid carefully on top of the surface to capture the design.  Each marbling is an original. 

Pat teaches private lessons, conducts workshops, and instructs classes at locations including Arrowmont and the Folk School. Her work is represented and collected internationally.  Currently Featured Work by Pat K. Thomas