LEIGH ANN HURST - JURIED ARTIST

Leigh Ann Hurst never intended on becoming a jewelry designer and it is through the originality and distinction of her custom pieces that the beauty of the jewelry is reflected. With the exception of a few weekend workshops, Leigh Ann is self taught in metalsmithing and jewelry design. She seamlessly blends sterling silver, copper, brass, and gold-filled metals to create unique art jewelry that is as pleasing to the eye as it is comfortable to wear. Semi-precious stones and leather are sometimes used adding visual interest and texture. Each piece of Jewelry is handcrafted by the artist in her studio in Decatur, Alabama. There is more of this artist's work on this web site; click here to see it.

Joanne Wood - JURIED Artist

Science and art have always held a certain sense of wonder and fascination for Joanne Wood. Growing up in Detroit, she happily spent many hours at the Museum of Art, Museum of Science, and the Henry Ford Museum wandering the changing exhibits and sketching images in pencil & charcoal. Soon after moving to the Birmingham area in 2003 and putting her long time career aside, Joanne decided to indulge her somewhat neglected artistic side, and took a stained glass class from a local business. After finding out that the beautiful art glass was also manufactured in rod form and could be melted onto steel mandrels to create beads, she arranged instruction in the art of lampworking with an artist in the Huntsville area. Currently, Joanne works with glass, enamels, precious metal clay, wire, and sheet metal while actively broadening her silversmithing skills. There is more of this artist's work on this web site; click here to see it.

Sarah L Morgan

Sarah Morgan is an internal medicine physician at UAB in the Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology. She is the medical director of the UAB Osteoporosis Prevention and Treatment Clinic and the Bone Densitometry service. In 2011-2012, she was the President of the International Society for Clinical Denistometry.

She learned lost wax casting from her father-in-law and uses lost wax casting to make jewelry, Christmas ornaments, and small sculptures. She makes molds for things from nature, but also takes impressions of found objects and uses other items such as stamps and candy molds to make waxes. She enjoys casting in a variety of metals and uses a variety of hand-finishing and mass production finishing techniques to finish her pieces. There is more of this artist's work on this web site; click here to see it.

Daniel Long - juried artist

Denise rollings-martin - Juried artist

For Denise, it all starts with the stone. The gemstones she likes to work with have something special and unique about them; an unusual shape, exceptional color or a rough gem that just needs a little care and attention. I use traditional lapidary practices to bring these stones and fossils from rough to jewelry ready. Most of the gemstones are acquired directly from the people who mine them and the pearls come directly from the pearl farm owners.

Fine silver and 18k gold are her preferred metals, their color and patina complimenting each other and the gem-stones they adorn. She also loves the way they can be hammered, formed and manipulated into shape with cold processes and cold connection techniques. She starts with a sheet of find silver or 18K gold, cuts out a shape to work with and begins hammering and forming it into a cap, setting or decoration. She also uses fine silver, sterling silver and 18k gold wire, hammering and forming it into flourishes, swirls, boules, bails and chain. She says, “Each morning, I find myself amazed and grateful that I’m here and able to work at something I love to do. I hope you can feel that love in each piece I create.”

Joanne Staley - Juried Artist

Joanne Staley has been an award winning, multi-dimensional artist for over 40 years. A first generation Hungarian-American, she counts a stone-carver, a custom milliner, two painters and a violin maker in her immediate blood line. Her personal artistry is in painting, silversmithing and fiber art. A trained artist and certified art teacher, she has captured prizes from juried art competitions in the South and purchase awards from national corporations. Joanne's undergraduate degrees are from Ohio State and Southern Illinois University, and graduate degrees from Troy State. She has studied art at a post graduate level at Savannah College of Art and Design, Penland School of Crafts and Arrowmont.