Featured Artist Archive
March 2024
Flights of Fancy
Jim McKeon
Jim McKeon is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in New York and is an extensive world traveler having visited well over 50 countries.
Professionally, Jim is part of the permanent collection at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center and most recently finished a 15-foot canvas mural for a private collector in Richmond. His work can be found in private and corporate collections both domestically and internationally.
Jim relocated to Durham seven years ago with his wife and sheepdog and is a proud
member of the 5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham.
February 2024
Fancy Legs
Stephen Hayes
Artist Stephen Hayes explores themes that critique capitalism and consumerism, touch on the deep historical threads of the transatlantic slave trade, and reshape cultural perceptions of Black male subjectivity. His studio work has toured the country and is part of permanent collections at museums including the Nasher Museum of Art and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
January 2024
Protegiendo mi Comunidad en contra del COVID-19
Antonio Alanís
Antonio Alanís is a Mexican-American artist raised in Durham, North Carolina. His non-profit management and teaching background interest enable him to use the visual arts to build bridges between diverse cultures.
He uses his Mexican-American background, education formation, and passion for the visual arts to create cultural awareness about Latin American people in the South. The intersection between Latin-American art and activism motivates him to use the arts as a conduit to strengthen his Hispanic/Latinx community in North Carolina.
He seeks to strengthen the connection between people of all backgrounds; Antonio uses the visual arts to explore themes such as “Belonging,” “Growing up Latino,” “Home,” and “Identity” in a multicultural South. As an acrylic and oil painter, he enjoys portraying uplifting Latinx characters that celebrate the cultural richness, beauty, and humanity of Latinx people through painting and graphic designs. A visual storyteller, he enjoys using the arts to springboard conversations centered around cultural similarities rather than differences between groups of people.
December 2023
Giraffe on a Boat
Jo Bolton
Jo’s photography has evolved from merely “taking pretty pictures” to creating images that provide: A message to the viewer; Elements that urge the viewer to create their own story or; A political or societal statement that reflects Jo’s beliefs and convictions important to her, and sometimes she creates composites just to be playful and quirky.
Although Jo has taken many “snapshots” throughout her life, her real photography journey started in 2009 when her work required photographs of real estate listings with the company’s DSLR camera. Since then, she has become a constant, mostly self-taught, student of photography, both technically and creatively.
Jo has exhibited in both group and solo shows in various venues and galleries in Raleigh, Durham, Garner, Cary and Apex as well as Camp Hill, Pennsylvania, Norfolk, Virginia, and New York City. She also has 4 images hanging permanently at Duke Hospital and is a member of Focus, a collective of 6 photographers who exhibit throughout the Triangle.
November 2023
Towards Wonder I
Caelum McCall
Caelum McCall is an artist and illustrator working out of Hillsborough, North Carolina. His favored medium is pen and ink applied layer by layer with washes, ink pencils, and dry brush.
Caelum’s work highlights his environmental concerns through chronicling the affairs of an imaginary world that he has envisioned since his childhood. He is inspired by myth, folklore, urban legends, abandoned structures, and the convergence of the human and natural worlds.
October 2023
New Wrinkles
Polina Varlomova
Polina Varlamova is an interdisciplinary artist working with a range of media including textiles, embroidery, sculpture, and installation, with a BFA as a textile designer. She moved to the US from Russia in 2019.
Since September 2022, she is the emerging artist at Frank Gallery in Carrboro, NC, with a solo show in Louise Jones Brown Gallery in November of 2022.
Her textile sculpture “The Well” won The Best in Show winner at the 43rd Annual National Juried Art Show (Goldsboro, NC).
Her exhibit at the Eutopia Design gallery centered around the issues of immigration and the array of emotions that come with the experience- homesickness, confusion, fear, merging and blending of realities and cultures.
September 2023
Ko Your Home
C. Bay Milin
“A graduate from the school of Visual Arts in NYC, with a Masters of Professional Studies in Digital Photography, I am originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, and currently reside in Durham, North Carolina.”
“I love following my curiosities and treat photography as a memory holder, as an idea palace, as therapy, and as healer. i aim to create work which peers behind the scenes of our place in the world, observations of the desire or conflict in the balance between all things, and the people who inhabit these varied environments.”
August 2023
Angel Wings
Denise Witt
Denise Witt is a self-taught wet felter from Durham.
After she retired from a career in nursing, Denise’s family and friends encouraged her to start selling her felting works.
Her one-of-a-kind items are not only beautiful but are functional as well. Denise sells at @305; her website is currently under construction.
July 2023
Karma
Holly Fischer
Durham Art Guild Truist Gallery
Holly Fischer is known for her abstract figurative sculptures in white clay
that celebrate voluptuous flesh and female empowerment. These works
explore dualities inherent in femininity, encouraging a social engagement
with gender politics by questioning stereotypes and challenging the
traditionally assumed structure of the gaze.
Fischer received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Texas at Austin, and a BA in Studio Art, Summa Cum Laude from Meredith College, Raleigh, NC.
Fischer has exhibited nationally at a variety of venues, including the Mint Museum Uptown, Charlotte, NC; Greenville Museum of Art, Greenville, NC; Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA, Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Austin, TX; Udinotti Museum of Figurative Art, Scottsdale, AZ. Holly Fischer is an Assistant Professor of Studio Art and the Coordinator of the Ceramics Studio at Meredith College. She is a passionate mentor and derives great joy from the opportunity to help emerging artists discover their own creative voices.
June 2023
Beautiful Chaos
Sarah Rosa Glickman
“I have always been creative, but it took me a long time to figure out who I am as an artist. My art is full of emotion and my pieces are a direct reflection of my personal human experience. My goal as an artist is to create work that encourages people to embrace their nature. To me, this means embracing who you are, and how you are—loving, appreciating, and recognizing your uniqueness, worth, and innate beauty. To be alive, to be human, to simply exist, is beautiful and something that deserves to be celebrated every day.”
May 2023
January ’22
Barbara Lee Smith
Barbara Lee Smith is an internationally acknowledged textile artist, teacher, lecturer and author. Since 1992 she has utilized Lutradur, a non-woven material as the foundation for her work, creating an intricate surface, printed and painted, collaged and stitched to capture atmospheric and landscape references. She holds an MFA in Mixed Media from Northern Illinois University. She has had over 20 solo exhibitions; more than 50 invitational group exhibitions and is in museum, university and public collections throughout the world.
Her work was shown recently at the Betty McCain Gallery at the Martin Marietta Performing Arts Center.
April 2023
signal-to-noise
C. Bay Milin
C. Bay Milin is a graduate of the School of Visual Arts in NYC, with a Masters of Professional Studies in Digital Photography. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, he currently resides in Durham, North Carolina.
He loves to follow his curiosities and treat photography as a memory holder, as an idea palace, as therapy and as a healer. Turning observations of the desire or conflict in the balance between all things, and glimpses of the people who inhabit these varied environments, he aims to create work that peers behind the scenes of our place in the world.
March 2023
Shine on People, The Mandala Series
Anne Heartt Gregory
Acrylic on canvas, 36 x 36 inches
5 Points Gallery allows for the discovery of multiple perspectives offered by their artists in, The Mind’s Eye. One example is the Mandala Series by Anne Heartt Gregory where paintings of fractured symmetry coalesce into new versions of the traditional motif. The conclusion is good vibes all around.
February 2023
Carolina Mudcat Vase
JulieRose Hinson
Wheel-thrown vase, 13.5 inches tall with found glass embedded in the neck. Unglazed and fired in a Carolina Mudcat wood-fired kiln for five days.
Raised in Durham, North Carolina JulieRose Hinson has been creating art from the earth since she was a child. After graduating college, Julie went on to spend three years working as a Butcher in Brooklyn, New York.
It was here that she began to form a deeper understanding and appreciation for our connections to the earth and to ideas of sustainability and gender equality. After returning to North Carolina in 2016, Julie moved to Seagrove to learn how to make pots with fifth generation potter, Sid Luck.
In Seagrove Julie fully embraced the role of artist and fell in love with clay and the North Carolina pottery community. Through playful representations of the female body and contrasting traditional forms, her work aims to inspire joy and form tangible lines of connections between diverse groups of women. Currently living and working in Durham, Julie co-founded Outer Loop Arts, a collaborative art space downtown where she teaches classes and workshops.
January 2023
Night Diving
Olivia Gatewood
Multi-functional glass art.
Wet the brush with water and “paint.” The paintbrush and easel are also pipes.
Lyda Moore Merrick Gallery at Hayti Heritage Center
A North Carolina native, Olivia Gatewood’s love for adventure and cultural exploration is reflected in her artwork. She earned her BFA with honors from California State University. She lived in Europe, the Middle East and Hawaii, and spent time in West Africa. As a cancer survivor, Gatewood seeks to provide a healing and joyful experience for all that view her creations.
December 2022
Have Fun
Natey Biskind
Multi-functional glass art.
Wet the brush with water and “paint.” The paintbrush and easel are also pipes.
Natey Biskind is a glass artist living in Asheville NC. His primary focus is the study of the Infinity shape and all the possibilities that can be represented in glass art. As a loving husband and father of 3 he hopes to be a good teacher for our next generation of artists. His work can be seen on Instagram at “Nateylove.”
November 2022
Handmade ties in cotton and silk
James Abram
Jada’s Men’s Accessories in Cecy’s Gallery & Studios
An observer of people, James Abram has always noticed how people dressed, how they put things together and what made them stand out. He began selling custom bowties in 2018. In May 2020, he opened a physical store inside Cecy’s Gallery.
October 2022
Jubilant
Jenny Blazing, acrylic painting incorporating hand-painted original papers, pencil & oil pastel on stretched canvas, 36 x 36 inches
Jenny Blazing is a full-time working artist living in Durham, NC. In addition to ongoing representation in various exhibits, her work is regularly on view at 5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham. Blazing graduated from University of California, Davis with degrees in Environmental Design & Economics and subsequently earned a Ph.D. from University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Her visual arts work focuses on the ephemeral beauty of our world and our need to do our best to respect and preserve it. From the rain-soaked days of her childhood in the Pacific Northwest through the ever-evolving arc of her artistic career, Blazing has always built imaginary worlds that shape and color her experience. Plucking pieces from her surroundings, she rearranges life’s building blocks to construct new, distinctive realities. These imaginary worlds, in turn, become lenses onto our lived reality: fictional forums to consider concrete environmental, economic and social issues.
September 2022
Healing Jewelry
Jennifer Jones, LoveJones Co., Mt. Rainier frogskin agate stone on brass
LoveJones has a handmade jewelry line called ‘Adorn’ consisting of a wide variety of healing stones and semi-precious metals. The artist typically makes one-of-a-kind unique pieces vs selling in quantity. For almost every jewelry item, there is only one like it anywhere in the world.
August 2022
Various Local Artists
Smiling Elephant Studio • Peace Goods • Zoo&Roo • Karen Casey Fused Glass Pretty Clever Words • The Living Soaperie • Elaine O’Neil Designs • Pickle Pie Pottery • Kate Loughlin Art • Flying Owl Fiber Art • Cheryl Foiles Designs • Seasaw Crafts • Hometown Apparel • Labrottie Creations
The Artisan Market opened at 305 East Chapel Hill Street on May 19, 2017 as part of Dan Ellison’s Durham Arts Space. Dan has long been a supporter of artists in Durham and has a variety of artists in the upstairs part of his 305 space. The storefront at 305 is the home for Karen Casey’s art as well as more than 50 other local artists from across North Carolina.
As an artist herself, Karen has curated a group of people that fits the description of interesting, inviting, practical, fun and affordable! The artists in the store reflect a range of talent from the Durham Craft Market and other artists from around the state.
July 2022
Sunday Love, 2022
Darius Quarles
Acrylic on canvas
5 Points Gallery
Born and raised in Louisa, Virginia, Darius Quarles is a self taught artist who has been painting seriously since 2006. He describes his style as “unleashed!” He has no particular subject matter, although when it comes to pop culture he’s drawn to the controversial and intriguing. He produces over 200 original pieces per year, including public murals like the Liberty Warehouse Mural in Durham. His works are in numerous private collections throughout the US, and he has participated in hundreds of art shows and festivals. Darius lives and works in Durham, North Carolina with his wife and their four children.
June 2022
Bisa Jacket with Dragonfly Necklace, 2022
Andrea Carter / Ngozi Design
Long sleeve jacket: reversible embroidered cotton with oversized patch pockets reverse side hand pieced Ankara cotton, 32 x 50 in.
Necklace: magnesite, onyx, and pewter, 24 in.
Third Friday showing at Golden Belt Artist Studios
Ngozi Design retraces history through their ONI clothing line, honoring a long tradition of block printing, quilting and unique fashion crafted by Black women and men from West Africa to America. These collections showcase creativity and spirituality through colors, textiles and designs unique to the collective sartorial genius of black men and women here on the continent and in the diaspora. Ngozi Design provides a unique blend of inspirational design and enhanced personal style. Find them in person at Golden Belt Arts, and online at ngozidesign.com and on Instagram at @ngozidesign.
May 2022
Precious Child / The Only Adult Here is the Dog, 2022
Hyewon Grigoni
Acrylic on canvas
Third Friday showing at 21c Museum Hotel.
Hyewon Grigoni is a Durham, NC based artist who has engaged in a variety of creative practices since childhood, including painting, dioramas, and motherhood. Find her work online at hyewongrigoni.com and instagram.com/supershrinkydink.
April 2022
Three Flowers, Two Mugs, 2022
Anthony Ulinski
Oil paint on canvas
30 in x 34 in
Third Friday showing at PS118.
Anthony Ulinski is a Raleigh N.C. based painter and woodworker. Find his work at PS118 and online at anthonyulinski.com.
March 2022
Last Call, 2022
Danielle James
Found black velvet painting and neon
24 in x 36
Third Friday showing at Hex Neon.
Danielle James is a Durham N.C. based neon bender, designer and metalsmith whose works have been exhibited nationally and internationally. Find her work in person at Hex Neon, located within The Durham Fruit, and online at instagram.com/hex.neon and djneonart.com.
February 2022
Meditation, 2021
Kate Loughlin
Oil on canvas
48 in x 60 in
Third Friday showing at Cecy’s Gallery & Studios
Kate Loughlin is a Durham-based painter and jeweler. Find her work in person at Cecy’s Gallery & Studios and The Artisan Market at 305, and online at instagram.com/kateloughlinart.
January 2022
Elements Case Study Mebane and Elements Case Study Badin, 2020
Claire Alexandre
Acrylic and paper on canvas
30 cm x 40 cm each
Third Friday showing at 21c Museum Hotel and Provident1898.
Claire Alexandre is an NC-based artist working in a wide range of media and contexts. Find her work online at clairealexandre.com and instagram.com/onlyclairity.
December 2021
Untitled, 2021
Sterling Bowen
Acrylic on canvas
24.5 in x 29.5 in
Sterling Bowen is a Raleigh-based abstract painter. Find his work online at sterling-bowen.com and instagram.com/sterlingbowen.
November 2021
Ukiyo-e Durham 5 Points, 2021
Yuko Nogami Taylor
Watercolor on paper
Yuko Nogami Taylor is a Raleigh-based painter. Find her work in person at 5 Points Gallery, and online at yukotaylor.com and instagram.com/yukotaylor.