Meet Amy Allison St. Petersburg resident Amy Allison is a ceramist, company owner and interior and furniture designer. Originally from Chicago, Amy fell in love with ceramics and interior design back in high school. She has spent every year since honing her skills and continually drawing from new inspiration. Her ceramics artworks are distinguished by often being created and constructed in porcelain. Amy and her husband own a creative company called “Soda DNA” that focuses on installation … [Read more...]

Meet Mariel Bass Glass artist Mariel Bass holds a BFA from the Massachusetts College of Art, where she studied fine art and glass. Over her professional career, Mariel has worked at glass studios in Vermont, Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard, and studied at well-known craft schools including Pilchuck in Washington, Haystack School of Crafts in Maine, and Corning Glass in New York. For five years, Mariel operated a recycled hot glass studio in an Eco resort in St. John, USVI. She relocated … [Read more...]

Meet Danyell Bauer St. Petersburg native Danyell Bauer is a multi-media glass artist who specializes in hand-blown and hot sculpted glass. Danyell found her creative calling as a teenager, learning best by hands-on art projects. After being introduced to glass art in 2005, Danyell fell in love with the medium and has been actively creating works in glass ever since. After six years as a staff member of the Museum of Fine Arts Danyell began working at the Duncan McClellan Gallery in 2011, … [Read more...]

Meet William Carlie  St. Petersburg based artist William Carlie started his study of lapidary techniques with private lessons in the 1960s, followed by a classical apprenticeship to a European trained master goldsmith. William completed a degree in environmental science. In 2005, William decided to rededicate himself to the art form.  After years of working with pencil and charcoal, stained glass and fine jewelry, William has found that in metal and stone his process flow goes straight … [Read more...]

Meet Chomick and Meder  Husband and wife team, Peter Meder and Chris Chomick founded Chomick & Meder Figurative Art and Automata and have been making art together for over forty years. They met in 1978, while employed as clerks in an art supply store in the Chicago loop and discovered their mutual fascination with puppets, stop–motion films, and mechanical toys. Inspired by their interests in puppets and animation, they immediately began collaborating on various projects; one of the first … [Read more...]

Meet Alicia Diem Originally from Zurich, Switzerland, Alicia Diem’s artistry began as jeweler and custom-design goldsmith. In 2012, she discovered the spellbinding nature of clay – creating ceramic art, containing a quiet strength, holding the beholder’s attention, even if for a moment. Diem’s passion for experimentation and innovation takes shape in fantasy multimedia creations of ceramics, paintings, metal and wood – what she believes to be an emulation of life. Ms. Diem has been an … [Read more...]

Meet Miguel Fonseca Miguel Fonseca is originally from Camagüey, Cuba and currently makes Tampa his home. He was enamored with ceramics at a young age and began making art from recycled wet clay pipes and tiles. He has been crafting fine painting, porcelain, and mainly ceramics for over twenty years, and has been an innovator in designs and style of figurines and pottery, as well as in firing techniques. Fonseca became a member of the National Artisans-Artists Association (ACAA) in 1996. His … [Read more...]

Meet Marlene Glickman Clearwater based artist Marlene Glickman has been creating with fabrics for over forty years. When she was a young girl, her mother taught Marlene to sew, while it was her father who provided insight into the fabric industry.  Marlene is recognized for her signature “Color Series: Day by Day-Pieces of Life” artwork consisting of twenty-six panels with 365 fiber collages (12’ x 7’) in 13 colors from the color wheel. One of the prominent artworks from the series … [Read more...]

Meet Jess Guerrieri Jess is a full-time metalsmith artist in Palm Harbor FL. She uses many different processes including glass enameling, stone setting and etching to create her one-of-a-kind jewelry. Each piece starts off as a hand-cut copper shape; powdered glass is then sifted on (much like sifting powdered sugar onto a dessert). It is then torch- or kiln-fired to about 1500°. Finally, layers of fine China paints are used to create the vibrant colors in the design. Each layer is fired into … [Read more...]

Meet Berit Hines  Berit Hines is a ceramist currently residing in Largo and originally from Bremen, Germany. Berit’s passion for art and clay began at a young age. She is a graduate of the Royal Academy of Art and Design in Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics. In 1999, Berit made the transition from Europe to the U.S.  Each composition of Berit’s work is brought to life with spontaneity and immediacy, discovering the form during the process of … [Read more...]

Meet Laurie Landry  Laurie Landry is a St. Petersburg based mosaic/ ceramic artist who creates wide-ranging functional and decorative works. Originally from Minnesota, Laurie decided to pursue a career in the world of advertising and enrolled in the Commercial Art program at Hennepin Technical College. She spent summers working at a sign shop, creating signs and painting boat names at the lake. Upon graduation, Laurie began her professional career, first as an illustrator at an advertising … [Read more...]

Meet Alan Johnson Alan Johnson is a ceramic artist residing in St. Petersburg, Florida. He grew up in Tampa, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts and his Master of Arts in Art Education from the University of South Florida (USF). Alan taught art for thirty-five years in the Pinellas County School system from 1977 to 2012. For over 40 years Alan has exhibited in juried and invitational shows in Florida, and received numerous grants and awards, including Artist Resource Fund Grant, … [Read more...]

Meet Leeann Kroetsch  Leeann Kroetsch is a Tampa Bay fiber artist whose work is recognized for richly layered texture and unique surface design. Leeann infuses a recipe of hot water, soap and agitation to transform fiber into sculptural shapes.  Two artist grants from the Arts Council of Hillsborough County allowed Leeann to study with visiting international master felters. Her current focus involves deconstructing luxe and vintage dresses to collage silk and give new life to these … [Read more...]

Meet John Mascoll Safety Harbor artist John Mascoll was born and raised in Barbados. John’s father was a shipwright and carpenter who provided his initial experience in woodworking - teaching John the beauty and workability of the material and how to use finely tuned woodworking tools to develop his skills. John attended the University of the West Indies in Barbados and came to the U.S. on a track scholarship. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Physics from Fisk University and a Bachelor of … [Read more...]

Meet Mark Noll  Mark Noll resides and works as a multi-media artist in St. Petersburg. Mark is a self-taught artist who has been woodworking since he was a child. In 2007, Mark decided to pursue his artwork full-time. He draws, paints, and designs eco-friendly jewelry using upcycled woods and even the colorful wings of bugs. He has more than 500 different designs of earrings. Mark is recognized for his intricate carved skulls that are prized by collectors in over 18 countries … [Read more...]

Meet Gianna Pergamo Gianna Pergamo is a mixed media artist who is originally from Brooklyn, New York and is now living in St. Petersburg, FL. Gianna earned a Bachelor of Fine Art in Illustration from the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design. She established her own studio in the Pinellas Park Arts Village at [email protected], where she creates artwork and welcomes visitors for the Arts Village’s Fourth Saturday Block pARTy. From the studio, Gianna also runs her illustration and gift … [Read more...]

Meet Stuart Peterman Stuart Peterman is a metalsmith artist with a degree in business. Originally from the Midwest, Stuart lives and has his art studio in Odessa. For over two decades, Stuart has been dedicated to the creation of stainless-steel sculptures and hand-crafted jewelry. He is known for making life-sized wall art and stand-alone steel forms representing nature, aquatic and bird life. His work combines silver, brass, and onyx stones. Stuart’s jewelry is a delicate contrast to his … [Read more...]

Meet Eleanor Pigman Nationally award-winning beading and bead embroidery artist Eleanor Pigman started off primarily as a watercolorist. A jewelry apprenticeship re-introduced the her to the world of beading that had been a childhood pastime. When the jewelry shop closed, Eleanor inherited thousands of seed beads. She learned of the Manifest Hope competition calling for inspirational art. Intrigued and excited, Eleanor created a bead portrait of Barack Obama. She was one of 31 finalists, … [Read more...]

Meet Nick Reale St. Petersburg-based woodworking artist Nick Reale is originally from Commack, New York. Nick’s artwork is created from repurposed wood, either harvested from local, fallen, or removed trees, or from reclaimed wood that has a unique history. The hardware and embellishments Nick uses, some being many centuries old, are collected from his many travels abroad including Italy, France, Germany, and Austria, or come from antique and architectural salvage shops. Nick’s work includes … [Read more...]

Meet Emily Stehle Emily Stehle is a Clearwater-based mixed media artist. Originally from NY and New Jersey, Emily holds a B.A. in Journalism from Northeastern University. While enjoying a long, professional career in media relations, marketing and event planning, Emily always made time for her creative pursuits in the fiber arts. She has been weaving for more than twenty years, and is a long-standing member of the Tampa Bay Basketmakers Guild, including in leadership and volunteer roles. As a … [Read more...]