Emily Taylor Adams is an artist, writer, and wine professional from the Coast of Mississippi.

She has been working freelance art since time prior to beginning college.

Emily's work has been shown at the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen for several years, in addition to commissions and several other features and appearances.

Emily is a Magna cum Laude graduate of Southern Miss and is formally educated in Wine.

Dennis Allen was born in up-state New York and migrated to the GulfCoast over 25 years ago.  Drawing inspiration from artists like Frank Lloyd Wright and the Anderson family, he began to want to produced is own works of art.  This self-taught artist has been working with stained glass for over 10 years.

Most of his works have loops so they can be easily hung, but he can also arrange to have the pieces framed if desired.  In addition to traditional architectural styles, he is also working with marine life

The Clark House Pottery is the creation and dream of Bill and Pamela Clark. Their pottery is influenced by the Mission Style, Arts and Crafts movement of the early 1900s. Their work is completely original, hand thrown and decorated art pottery, not reproductions of the past. Each piece is carefully made with unique shapes, organic designs and flowing colors to be one of a kind.

Bill studied ceramics with Harding Black in San Antonio, Texas and at Newcomb College in New Orleans. He has been making art pottery for over 35 years. Pamela studied art at Winthrop University and has been making art and pottery for over 12 years. The two happily married in Florence, Italy in 2000 and returned to South Carolina to dream, create, and design pottery in their spacious studio under tall trees in their backyard.

They use both stoneware and earthenware clays for their art pottery and fire at low to medium temperatures. After extensive research, selected glazes are mixed using raw chemicals to achieve beautiful semi-matte or matte finished surfaces. Pamela uses a slip trail on some pottery for more detailed design work. Every design is completely original. They also hand carve original, yet familiar, shapes and scenes into the clay for high relief pottery and textured surfaces. They do not use molds to copy any art pottery designs, they are all originals.

Lisa has been collecting beads for over twenty-five years and creating jewelry for eleven years when she finally decided to start making her own.   Lisa has a background in interior design and gardening and currently lives in Dauphin Island, Alabama.  She told us: “I love all things creative, especially the unexpected. My newest focus will be in vintage found items re-interpretive in jewelry!”

_Jacqueline Ellens wasborn into an army family and by the time she was five, she had lived in four states and two countries.  Her family finally settled in the Michigan area where she spent her teenage years. As a young adult, she attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and majored in fine art with a minor in art history.  After she finished school, she showed her paintings, fabric sculptures and prints extensively through out the tri-state region before uprooting and moving to New York City.
Once in New York, Jacqueline landed a job with a small ad-agency and learned the tools of the trade working on print ads and collateral for clients that ranged from Scuba Diving Suppliers to Book Publishers. In the early 80’s, Jackie joined the creative group of the then relatively
new company, HBO. In total, she spent an exciting eight years living and working in Manhattan before marring a southern boy and moving to Mississippi. Jacqueline has lived in the Jackson metro area for over 20 years and worked for the local NBC affiliate for most of that time. She was responsible for marketing the local television programs to the public and consisted in writing and producing TV commercials, radio spots and newspaper ads.
Jacqueline completed her MBA at Mississippi College in Clinton several years ago and recently bought Southern Breeze Gallery in Jackson. Jackie paints landscapes from her travels and images from her life in the south. You will frequently see her travels, animals, friends and the Southern landscape in her paintings. She experiences the world as trembling with energy and she conveys that impression of energy and movement in her paintings with powerful, expressive strokes.

Since 1980 Turtle Island Pottery has produced a very popular line of functional stoneware.  Influenced by antique art pottery from the art nouveau movement, most of their forms start at the potter’s wheel and are then manipulated, stretched, and altered to the point that each piece is a sculpture in and of itself.  While a theme can be reproduced, no two pieces are alike.  Located just Southeast of Asheville in the mountains of North Carolina, Maggie and Freeman of Turtle Island Pottery make all their pieces in their home studio.

Mark Lafontaine grew up in Pass Christian with loving parents and five brothers and sisters.  He first became interested in art in high school where he was taught by Ken Matthew.  After college, Mark drifted away from his art and worked here on the Coast in the gaming industry.  Mark says he experienced a dark time in his life a few years ago, and following the advice of friends, returned to what he loved most—creating art.

Mark first showed his work in the Negrottos Gallery of Biloxi where he met Romy Simpson.  Wanting to design a place where up-and coming, as well as established artists could show their works with freedom and flexibility, he embarked on a venture which became The Gallery.

Mark works primarily with acrylics on canvas and other mediums. Recently, however, Mark found a technique called “reverse glass painting,” and developed the technique to make it his own.  Here at the gallery he shows his “reverse abstracts on glass”—truly original and beautiful works of art.

Renowned Artist Marlin Miller is famous along the Gulf Coast for the giant sculptures he created from oak trees killed by Hurricane Katrina.  The sculptor carved over 40 of the massive trees along Highway 90 on the Mississippi Coast.  Dolphins, herons, eagles, and sea turtle are just a few of the marine animals included in the Katrina Sculpture Project.  Some of his creations tower over three stories high.  Mr. Miller donated over two and a half years of his life to complete this work which he calls his gift to the coast.

Marlin is a forth generation artist who grew up working on the family farm in Manson, Iowa.  He graduated from Hawaii Pacific University with a minor in art and served in the United States Air Force, completing two overseas tours.  He currently resides in Florida with his wife and five children.

Hog Hill Pottery, the studio of John and Scottie Post, is located in the Historic Pottery District of Catawba County in Vale, North Carolina.  Each piece is handcrafted and is a unique creation. Their expertise in potting, surface design, glazing, and firing continues to explore every aspect of the art of Studio Pottery. John and Scottie combine over 30 years of experience making pottery. Their collaboration began in 1993 when they teamed up to open their studio in western North Carolina.

_  Born in northern Indiana, Don's after college years were spent in photojournalism with several Midwestern daily newspapers filming and writing about people activities.
This stimulated a lasting awareness of the works, personalities and ambitions of creators of all sorts:  from graphics, architectural, sculpting, mechanical design to aeronautics.

A career in the U.S. Air Force had already begun involving graphics, journalism and public communications.  During these years, when stationed near open water, he designed and built boats or rebuilt fixer-uppers.

After more than 34-years of active and reserve service, Colonel Don retired.  He and his wife, Kathryn, settled on the shores of Galveston Bay, Texas, which accommodated another boat.  It was, in Don's words, "a handcrafted fifty-footer, a beautifully designed pre-WW II Louisiana style commercial fishing vessel".  For the next decade, when he and Kathryn were not on the water catching shrimp, Captain Don was in his woodworking shop making "things".

Cutting, turning and shaping woods of many colors and textures from all parts of the globe became his passion.  Don has been handcrafting writing instruments "ever-since".

Cindy infuses glass into free-form pottery then applies beautiful pigments to finish these unique and breath-taking works of art.  Cindy lives in Biloxi now, but spent a good deal of her childhood in Maui..  The pottery is inspired by her time there spent with her grandfather who was a fisherman.

Most of her pottery consists of bowls, plates, and other pieces, both functional and non-functional in nature, and all inspired by the ocean.  She says she likes her work to look like pottery found deep beneath the sea.

Artist Statement by Kathy Sykes:
My name is Kathy Sykes, and I have lived in this area for about forty years. We have made our home in Vancleave for about 18 years and in Gautier for 18 years.  My husband is “Tinker” Sykes, and we have two children.

Art to me is one of the many pleasures in life.  I love it. I started painting about 27 years ago--starting off in oils which are so forgiving.  I took lessons from Audice Sheldon in Gautier for about 12 years.  Then I decided to take some watercolor lessons, and I love it.  Mixing paint to me is like baking a cake: you never know how it will turn out.

I have won many awards and prizes in my painting life, including the Edgewater Mall Purchase Award.  I have also done many commissioned pieces, one of which can be seen at the First Baptist Church in Vancleave.  I also truly enjoy doing portrait work. 

I really believe that God has given us all a talent in life, and we should use that talent for the world to see! 

   Isinglass Design glass beads are handmade by Laurie Ament using the centuries-old lampworking process in which colored rods of Italian “soft” glass are torch-melted over an open  flame and applied around a steel mandrel rod. The glass is manipulated and beads are shaped using tools such as graphite paddles, picks, tongs and scissors. The beads are then kiln annealed to ensure the stability of the glass.

Isinglass Design had its origins in 1999 when Laurie and her daughter began experimenting with hot glass. Since then, she has continued to find glass, with its malleable colors and endless possibilities of form, to be an ideal vehicle of creative expression.

One of the wonderful things about working with glass is that there is an element of surprise to almost everything. The colors react with each other in unexpected ways, so there are often “happy accidents” when the kiln is opened several hours later. This is one of the most exciting things about hot glass work. There are always new things to learn, and experiments to be tried.  Every time the torch is lit, there is an opportunity to learn something new. The main message of the work of Isinglass Design is simply ‘look at all the great things you can do with glass!’

Laurie has demonstrated lampworking techniques at the Meadows Museum in Shreveport and the Historic Arkansas Museum. She has taught glass bead making at the Arkansas Arts Center, as well as demonstrating and teaching glass bead making at local high schools and glass shops. In addition, she has had glass bead making tutorials published in ‘The Flow’, ‘Bead Unique and ‘The Glass Bead’ magazines,  and written a glossary of glass bead making terms for ‘Bead and Button’ magazine‘s ‘Ask the Expert’ column

With one-of-a-kind artisan made jewelry, you will feel a connection to the person who made it. When you meet or talk to the artisan, you may learn about the origin of the piece- something to remember each time you wear it. No one will have anything quite like it.

A graduate of the American Academy of Art in Chicago, Peter Cortese has been painting for more than 30 years.  He specializes in painting custom murals and collages on canvas, walls and ceilings.  His work can be found in schools, homes, medical centers, restaurants, and bars in 14 states.  Pete draws inspiration from his many hobbies including fishing, hunting, and sports.

Linda’s first sentence was "I wanna write" because she’d never heard the word draw before that day. Her mother gave her a marker and some paper and the rest is history.  She told us this:
“Creating is fundamental, my backbone and breath, to me. It is what I do when love is bubbling over, when sadness is too much to bare and a podium for outrage is needed. It expresses all parts of who I am and is always what I wanted to do. The honor to share this love with others and to be part of something so large takes my breath away.”  

Linda Hill was raised in Moss Point, MS, and loves all 2-d media, watercolor, oil, acrylic, and pastels. She’s been published on book covers, in magazines and is collected in public and private collections. Her artwork ranges from surrealistic expressionism to impressionism to realistic still lives and portraiture, all of which represents something personal. She graduated from MGCCC and the University of South Alabama with high honors. She’s also been an independent student of psychology, addictionology and art therapy for 23 years.

She currently offers her time and passion to the non-profit “Art with Heart in Mississippi”, an organization in which she and others offer art classes, creative counseling, workshops, murals and art fair/fundraising advice to those with a thirst for it, too. The organization is about sharing the miraculous benefits of creation and being creative.

Terri Kennedy of Denham Springs, Louisiana, has been working  in clay full-time for approximately eighteen years, but her love of the art and sculpting goes back childhood when she would sculpt piecrust clippings into flowers and animals. Through the years her love of molding things with clay has grown into a life long and loving endeavor to make pottery for everyday life.  The main part of her work is wheel-thrown earthenware which is decorative, but functional vessels.  These pieces are thrown in separate sections and then, appliquéd, carved and assembled.  Incorporating Louisiana's rich culture into her pieces, she carves crumbling brickwork-- reminiscent of the ole French architecture of New Orleans. Then Terri adds the numerous flowers native to Louisiana and layers on a multitude of glazes to incorporate the French impressionistic style.

In a completely different style, Terri goes for an old folk art style producing "face jugs" in a series called "Makin' Faces” where each face brings together old tradition and a twist of modern day culture.  Terri also creates raw fired clay with her twist on an ancient Chinese technique called “Saggar” where she allows flame and the burning of organic materials to leave their unique mark and color on each piece.  Terri Kennedy is an artist who is always evolving and developing her style, and we are excited to have her ever growing body of work here in The Gallery.

Kotopoulis attended Pratt Institute and Kyoto School of Art. He worked in advertising and animation where he won several awards including a Clio. When Kotopoulis was a kid he noticed adults were too serious, so he decided not to be one. Though he is a lot older now, he still has not grown up. He knows his work makes people smile, and that he takes very seriously.

  Maryann Oberhofer combines her love of sculpture and design with wear-ability to create one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry.  With hammer in hand, she gives movement to geometric forms as she brings one of her sketches to life, rendering it in precious metal.  Her inspired art forms are expressions of serenity and often evoke feelings of love of the water and Coastal Mississippi
Maryann holds a bachelor of fine arts from New York’s College of Rochelle and has taught in the Ocean Springs middle school.  Mother of three grown children, she now resides in Ocean Springs with her husband, Kurt.

A native of Jackson, Mississippi, Gayle Miller Reaves’ paintings reflect her diverse range of interests including French and Italian landscapes, European street scenes, Southern streams, sunlit paths, along with  inspired florals and peaceful still-life paintings .

Most of Gayle’s work is from personal photographs as she travels with her husband Tom. After traveling in southern France, she became even more influenced by the Impressionist painters.  Reaves’ work has been placed in more than 600 public and private collections across the United States and Europe. Her work can be seen in the Jackson, Mississippi area in many corporate offices, hospitals, and clinics, including University Hospital and the lobby of Mississippi Baptist Medical Center.  Other works in the Jackson area can be seen at the Jackson-Evers International Airport, the Reformed Seminary Library, and the Willie Morris Library. She has been represented by Nunnery's Gallery since 2001.

“Every time I paint, I anticipate the moment when a leaf or flower graduates to the light, turns to the sun and becomes translucent. If I am patient, I can capture that amazing glowing the sunlight and look for ways to use color, even in the shadows. The artistry of the poet Solomon inspires me as he uses objects of color to describe things of beauty such as pomegranates, apples, scarlet ribbon, roses, and lilies which are all shades of red. I love painting God’s handiworks with the same vividness and warmth of Solomon’s poetry.”--Gayle Reaves

Ton Rietvelt was born and grew up in the Netherlands.  His work has taken him and his family from the Netherlands to Alabama, England, and Mississippi to live. He and his family moved to the Jackson area 25 years ago, and he retired there in 2000. Although he had drawn and sketched all his life, he began painting after his retirement.  Ton paints landscapes, seascapes, and cityscapes, many of which were photographed on his trips across the USA and Europe.  He is particularly drawn to the complexity of translucent watercolors and to the effect of dark and light in his paintings. His works may be seen in the Gaddis Gallery and Interior Spaces in Jackson and have been hung in homes in Europe, New York, and throughout the South. Ton is currently president of the Mississippi Watercolor Society and is a member of the Gaddis Group.

Mandy Wilson Smith has lived in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast all of her life. She loves being from the South and considers both her home .Art has always been the easiest way for her to express herself and finds great enjoyment through its process .She studied art at Delgado in New Orleans, Auburn University, and is currently finishing her Masters in Art Education at William Carey here on the coast. Her work is a union of rich textures and found objects. Things with a past and worn with age give new life to her paintings. Each piece has a story to tell, a warmth to give, and she enjoys sharing that with others.  Mandy also enjoys photography, has painted murals at schools and local businesses, and does art camps and classes for children.

For more than forty years, her paintings reflect a studied and exacting quest to recapture the simplistic, yet profound beauty of her rural Mississippi childhood.  Bailey’s quiet, contemplative landscapes, seascapes and florals evoke an undeniable sense of purity and calm while simultaneously beckoning the viewer to bask in the beauty of the created world.

Mainly self-taught, she has also studied with many well-known artists in workshops and classes.  Her paintings are displayed in private and corporate collections all over the United States.  Bailey resides in Biloxi, Mississippi where she produces works of beauty from the sunlight-filled, serene garden room in her home.

  Dawn always remembers having a deep love and appreciation for the ocean and all the creatures that inhabit it.  Desiring to be a marine biologist, this appreciation steered her toward a biology degree from Wisconsin in 1991 after which she moved the GulfCoast.  She loves SCUBA diving, as well as drawing inspiration from our warm, beautiful waters and wetlands.  Her love of the ocean now manifests itself in making jewelry that is reminiscent of a day on white sand beaches, with blue skies, the warm sun on your shoulders and the sand between your toes.  She describes her jewelry as “Funky & Fun with a Beach Attitude”.

Dawn has been creating jewelry for over 6 years.  She enjoys handcrafting her own focal beads with polymer clay, earthen clay, fused dichroic glass, precious metal clay (PMC) or hand cast sterling silver for a unique, organic look.

She loves to do custom work.  She will happily make a piece in your custom colors if you see a style that you love.  She is also available to size any piece to make it uniquely yours.

She lives in Biloxi with her boyfriend, and their 3 beautiful dogs and works out of her home studio.

A self-taught jewelry artist, Gayle Graves twists her life-long love of shells, gemstones, and fossils with intricate woven patterns into inspired and beautiful pendants, rings, and bracelets.  Gayle was born in San Diego where she grew up loving the beach, so when she recently moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast from Atlanta, returning to the water was in many ways like returning home.  Gayle began her artistic career doing beadwork and working with gemstones. When she saw woven wire jewelry in a magazine one day, she fell in love with the swirls and complex patterns the wire made.  She developed her craft over the next eight years entering art shows and festivals along the way.  Then three years ago, Gayle began cutting her own stones.  In addition to seeking out her own stones to work with, Gayle loves to collect shells from our beaches which she incorporates into her jewelry.  We are excited to have Gayle Graves’ unique and inspired hand-made jewelry in The Gallery.

Al Harrist of Tree Incarnation Frames, was born in Jackson, Mississippi and has lived in New Orleans and on the Gulf Coast since 1998.  He learned woodworking from his Uncle Fuzzy as a teenager and has made artistically-inspired furniture, frames and mirrors for 20 years using reclaimed and new wood.  Al, who graduated from veterinary school in 1994, has spent most of his time practicing in emergency medicine, and says that woodworking provides a much-needed balance to the pressures encountered through his profession.

 While making each piece, he likes to meditate and focus on a concept which can be reduced to a word like hope, joy or fulfillment. That word is then burned somewhere in the wood.  He hopes the buyer experiences the positive feeling and thoughts projected into each of his functional pieces. 

 While he is primarily displaying mirrors here at the Gallery, he feels his best works comes from framing other artist’s paintings, so that the frame itself is a hand-made, unique work of art that accentuates the painting.  If you want such a frame, please inquire with our staff.

Richard Kollath is the artist behind Fish Head Jewelry. He started tinkering with rocks and shells 30 years ago on the Caribbean island Barbados. Over the years, he expanded his jewelry- making abilities to include blown glass, metalworking and lapidary.

His jewelry pieces emphasize the natural beauty of shells, pearls and stones from around the world. He cuts and polishes most stones and shells he uses. He specializes in custom pieces. One of his recent commissions was a turquoise and Spiny Oyster shell necklace and ring set for the chief of the Cherokee Nation and his wife.

Many of his ring designs are based on vintage rings he has collected over the years. He also uses reclaimed silver from candelabras, silverware and serving dishes.

Richard lives in Gulfport with his wife Carol. They are members of the Ocean Springs Artists Association.

Creating beautiful, lasting works of art is Frank Ledbetter’s passion. Drawing inspiration from the colorful flora and fauna of his native Alabama coast and the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, Frank renders metal into works of art with an inspired approach to color and form that has become his signature. A self-taught, prolific metal artist, Frank enjoys creating functional pieces, as well as those which are purely decorative. Bringing a client’s idea to fruition is a very rewarding experience for him. He loves creating creatures, both real and imagined, to the delight and surprise of those who see them. From his studio in Theodore, Alabama, Frank hand cuts different types of metals and using the welding process creates one-of-a-kind works of art. Each piece is vividly brought to life through his unique style of hand-painting and clear-coating.

Although Frank has only been a metal artist since 2003, his talents have earned him awards and entrance into many fine art galleries and fine art shows. He has been commissioned to do many public and private art projects in Alabama and Florida, and has just completed a seven foot, three-dimensional octopus for the Sandals Resort in the Bahamas.  In his new series, “Faces of Things Discarded,” Frank uses old outboard boat motors and parts to make masks, faces, and creatures which are colorful and dramatic.  Whether he is sculpting marine life like his 12’ marlin in a fountain in Mobile, Alabama, or vivid and colorful wall art masks, his desire is to add beauty to this world that will be enjoyed today and for decades to come.

Steve graduated from Ocean Springs High School before going on to earn a degree in aerospace engineering from Mississippi State University.  While growing up, Steve was always encouraged to be creative by his parents.  As an adult his wife Carla encourages him to use his painting as a stress reliever and artistic outlet.  Steve draws his inspiration from the Ocean Springs coastal environment that he grew in as well as the Cajun influences from his current home in Geismar, Louisiana.  He tries to depict scenes that everyday people can relate to and can enjoy looking at while also making him smile as he paints them. 

With the gift of capturing raw emotion on canvas, Jackson, Mississippi, native Tommy Reaves, has been successfully honing his skills for the past few years to create works of art that evokes discussion and admiration. A product of an artistic family, he has blazed a trail that is all his own and gives him the ability to express himself in colorful pieces like only he can. Tommy draws inspiration from Jackson Pollock, Salvador Dali and Paul McCarthy who are among his favorite artists.  We are excited to have Tommy’s evocative works in The Gallery.

Liz Schafer has been a professional artist over 17 years, and her work has been shown in galleries from the GulfCoast to the nation’s capital. The Bay St. Louis artist has exhibited most notably in the SmithsonianMuseum’s Museum on Main Street program, William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library, MinnetonkaCenter for the Arts, and at the Ohr-O’Keefe Museum of Art..Her works reside in collections at Vanderbilt University, Florida Institute of Technology, MeridianCommunityCollege, BaySt. LouisBridge, and Omni Royal Orleans. Her art has been featured in such publications as “Katrina, Reflections of Mississippi Women,”“Walking on Water,” and “The Art of the Storm, a documentary film,” as well as Art in America, Art Gulf Coast, Florida Tech Today, Where, and The Times Picayune.

Catron Williams is self-taught with more than twenty years of experience. Her first artistic explorations as a child were with charcoal and pencil, and when she discovered the expansive possibilities of color as an adult, she began her painting career in earnest. 
Her abstract paintings beg to be named “cityscape,” “landscape,” “waterscape” but they also evoke something beyond the substantial world that we hear, touch, see, taste and smell. Catron uses color, line and composition to explore emotional and conceptual components of an inner world. Each painting is a declaration from that inner world. Her works express what words cannot articulate. Catron’s hope is that her paintings prompt the viewer to sense and explore their own emotional and conceptual territories, especially the unchartered realms. 

Of her art, Catron says, “My style is constantly evolving and each painting holds an emotional connection for me. Each work is an expression unto itself; I will paint several pieces in a theme but each one tells its own story.”