Art

Elizabeth Alvandi is an artist, educator, and advocate. Previously, she ran a boutique massage therapy practice in Wellesley, Massachusetts , dedicated to caring for caretakers. Dividing her time between New England and the Carolinas, Elizabeth has a special interest in helping people recovering from the trauma of abuse to leverage their creative powers in ways that are healthy, authentic, therapeutic, and sustainable. An oil painter originally focused on painting portraits, her recent paintings evoke abstract, spiritually-inspired dreamscapes, quietly using bright, jewel-toned colors to energize the calm and spacious atmospheres she creates. Ironically, it is her most significant limitation as an artist that has had the greatest influence on her style: a neurological condition called Hypersomnia - meaning chronic sleepiness - leaves her lingering in the space between wakefulness and sleep much of the day, and it is from here that much of her imagery springs forth. A graduate of Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where she earned degrees in Art History and Fine Art, Elizabeth’s creative approach to advocacy has been featured in Glamour Magazine, where she was recognized as a “Real-Life Hero” in 2007, as well as the Christian Science Monitor and Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dawn is a self-taught artist, who has been painting and teaching for over 10-years and has perfected her style using acrylic and collage on canvas, paper and wood. Her paintings are characterized as a deep layering of colors and textures finished with a glossy glaze to draw out the intensity of colors. One of her favorite subjects are angels. She gravitated to painting angels after being inspired by her mother – Jane S Bonner. When painting angels, Dawn starts not always knowing the outcome because she allows her intuition to trust the process letting the angels develop and come into being. Dawn’s unique Angels can be found in serene environments such as Yoga Studios and meditative centers, local shops and private collections through-out the U.S. which is very fitting as Dawn brings serenity into her work and her classes.  The range of Dawn’s subjects vary from festive holiday cheer to beautiful pleasing paintings of family abstracts, flowers, farm houses, churches, animals, along with her wonderful iconic angels. She intentionally creates from an expressive play with colors and texture, adding in vintage papers, from music, old books and old wallpaper when she can find it. She is constantly experimenting, changing and developing each piece until the layers and image come into focus. Dawn has studied with many notable artists including Robert Burridge, Gary Bodner, Leslie Newman to name a few. Currently Dawn holds small group classes – in a safe environment. Please visit Dawn’s website, artbydawncorner.com, to view her work and check out her studio workshops.

My name is Jazzy Elise, I am a local established artist, born, raised and thriving in Atlanta, GA. I am a world traveler, architecture graduate, practiced engineer and owner of Jazzymade™. I am a life enthusiast and family centric, I create to share my life experiences. My motto, "Be where you are, any place can be your creative space. Just be inspired by everything around you. I am." My purpose in life is to uplift and inspire through my artwork. I have been featured in galleries and museums and my collectors live all over the world! I use bright bold colors to awaken the senses, arrest the heart and help ground the viewer so they know to live in the present.  “Boundary” from an architectural standpoint, is the juxtaposition between two colors I use to create a vibration that I believe excites the eye and emotions. Viewers have often said they enjoy the simplicity of the subject and the detail at which I bring it to life. Visualizing an idea for many months; sometimes years before its creation is my conceptual process. This process is completed using photography, sketches, color pallets and material sorting. Once the idea is solidified in my mind, I create it within hours or days. A pallet of 9 colors are assigned based on the emotion, rather than the actual color of the subject. I use Acrylic, watercolor, charcoal, ink, and sewing embellishments. Colors that often repeat in my work are merigold and turquoise.  

Thomas Goodro is an American artist who finds endless inspiration from nature, ranging from the colors to the sounds of the physical landscape. Color is symbolic in Goodro’s work, as his carefully selected color palette aims to reflect the support of self-expression, social tolerance, and freedom of identity. Influenced by the Impressionist movement and Asian art, Goodro similarly focuses on the importance of light in his compositions, texture, the variety of brushstrokes, and color combinations to allow his audiences to feel the landscape on his canvases. He hopes that his artwork encourages his viewers to appreciate such moments in life and understand the complexity of our universe through his imagery. Goodro experimented extensively with different mediums and media, however, his surroundings heavily impacted his inspiration and the rendering of his artwork. Creating in acrylic and gouache his paintings became more vibrant and expressive as he immersed himself in his surroundings in Asheville, NC. “I tap into the source that allows me to put on canvas what I sense, feel, and need to express. Every living thing breathes and emanates a distinctive kind of energy. Acting as a clear channel, I translate nature’s ethereal missives into my work.

Tessa Lang grew up in Wisconsin, caked in paint, pottery, and permanent marker, and dreaming of Van Gogh's Starry Night skies. In 2014, Tessa had her first art show in Tokyo. She stepped into the Asheville art scene in 2017 with shows downtown and gallery space in the River Arts District. For the last six years, Tessa has created and shown out her studio at Wedge Studios. “My creations focus on movement, emotion, and are extremely energy driven. When people walk into the studio and are attracted to certain paintings, it gives me insight into who they are. I want you to step in and say "wow" and feel joy and connectivity to art.” Tessa’s creations aren’t limited to the canvas -- she also puts her artwork on leggings meant to help you feel special, unique and confident. Commissions are some of her favorite works, because she is able to build a real relationship with the collector. “I spend time listening and understanding their style to discover their vision and bring it to life,” she says. “My mission is to bring others joy and connectivity through my creations.”

Allison Rollins is a painter in Atlanta working in oil, acrylic and mixed media. She was raised in Jacksonville, Florida, and earned a BA in Studio Art from Wake Forest University. Allison’s work is figurative and is characterized by vivid colors, loose brushstrokes, and texture. She is inspired by capturing small scenes that have a sense of moments passing or memories fading. Having grown up near the coast, she is frequently drawn to beach imagery and enjoys studying the way these images pull apart, transforming into color, movement, and fleeting light. You can see more of her work at www.allisonrollinsart.com and @allisonrollins on Instagram.