East meets west
Florida artist Julie Keaten-Reed uses an ancient Asian brush and ink style to create her contemporary paintings.
The artist: Keaten-Reed grew up in Wyoming, graduated from the University of Wyoming and earned a master's degree in English at San Francisco State University, where she began her career as an English instructor. In 1994, she moved to Japan to work as an English lecturer for five years. In 1999, she began to paint. She now lives in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
The goods: Paintings on paper and canvas, with traditional sumi ink and watercolor, or oil paint for color accents.
What's popular: Trees, such as windswept trees on rocks or hills, or her ecstatic blue tree. Prices range from $850 to $7,200, depending on the size.
Other favorites: Paintings that incorporate critters among leaves and branches, such as a kingfisher on a willow branch ($1,500).
Atlanta connections: Her parents graduated from Georgia Tech. Also her grandmother, the late Carley "Tedi" Craig, worked in Atlanta as a painter and teacher for many years after beginning her career as a sketch artist in California and then working for 25 years in Hollywood fashion design.
Where to buy: juliekeatenreed.com. In Atlanta, at the Atlanta Dogwood Festival (April 7-9) in Piedmont Park (dogwood.org).
Pods, plus
Alice Ballard’s sculptural ceramic art is inspired by natural forms and nature’s life cycles.
The artist: Born in Florence, S.C., Ballard grew up an Air Force brat and lived all over the world. She earned a master's degree in painting at the University of Michigan and studied ceramics in summer workshops at the Penland (N.C.) School of Crafts. In 1996, she moved from Alaska to Greenville, S.C., where she lives and works.
What's popular: Wall Pods, in groups of three and up to 15 ($1,500 per pod and discounts for large numbers). Also the smaller meditation bowls ($145 to $295), pinched from a small handful of clay.
Other favorites: Half pods ($950 to $1,500); tree totems ($3,500 to $7,500), her largest and most complex ceramic works.
Fun request: Rob Connoley, a nationally acclaimed chef and cookbook author (Acorns & Cattails), asked Ballard to make some presentation bowls for his new restaurant in St. Louis. Connoley first saw Ballard's meditation bowls at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans.
Big break: A review of my 15-Pod Triangle in the American Craft Magazine led to the commission of a similar 15-Pod Triangle for the Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, N.C.
Claim to fame: The purchase of "White Onion V11" for the Renwick, part of the Smithsonian's American Art Museum.
What's new: A new group of tree totems and drawings for a solo show at The Bascom Center for Visual Arts in Highlands, N.C. (Sept. 2 through Dec. 2). Also a nine-woman show at Clemson University, starting Nov. 1.
Where to buy: aliceballard.com.
Fork art
Matt Wilson’s goal as an artist is to make metal artwork unlike anything you have seen, while at the same time using everyday materials that are instantly recognizable.
The artist: Born and raised in Greenville, S.C., Wilson studied drawing and painting at Winthrop University. In 2006, he left college and moved to Charleston, ready to try a new medium and learn a new skill: welding. He interviewed at Detyens Shipyards and became its resident artist. As a "thank you for your business," he makes metal models of the ships that come to be serviced.
The company: Airtight Artwork, based in Charleston, started in 2013. Wilson uses organic and recycled materials, such as utensils, scrap metal and reclaimed wood to create his upcycled sculptures.
The company name: Airtight was Wilson's nickname in college. He was shy, quiet and a man of few words.
What's popular: Birds ($150 and up).
Other favorites: Shrimp ($450); fish (around $400); and owls ($300 and up).
Fun requests: Create space guns and harmonica holders. Also commissions, such as a pole vaulter made of old dental tools and an octopus (with an old camera lens for an eye).
Claim to fame: "Best in Sculpture" at the 2016 Piccolo Spoleto juried art exhibition. Also nominated for "Best Local Visual Artist" in the Charleston City Paper for 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Where to buy: www.etsy.com/shop/airtightartwork. For information, check www.airtightartwork.com.
