Marlene (Hot Springs Village, AR) has been an artist for 35 years. She creates in oil, pastel, watercolor, collage, glass and jewelry. She enjoys experimenting and says, “It sort of reminds me of being a child at play. I just enjoy having fun along with it being therapeutic for me.

Brenda (Durant, OK) is an accomplished pine needle and gourd artist. She creates beautiful art from gourds, pine needles, and other bits of nature. Brenda is the recipient of numerous state and national gourd art awards and exhibits nationally. 

Shelli (Big Bear City, CA), MBA, is a full-time working artist participating in juried art festivals primarily on the west coast. She sells her jewelry to retail art show clients as well as to a select handful of fine art galleries nationwide.

Mary (Eureka Springs, AR) is a sculptor and painter with a BFA from the Memphis College of Art and is one of the founders of Eureka Springs School of the Arts. She has taught and attended many workshops in different artistic disciplines and spiritual philosophies with master practitioners from India to France. Mary took a Master Class with internationally known figure painter Philip Pearlstein at the Corcoran, in Washington, D.C.

Abraham (Sparta, TN) has been forging functional and art objects since 2006. He holds a BFA in Metals from the Appalachian Center for Craft where he has taught various workshops. He has exhibited his work throughout the country and has been running Pardee Metal LLC, full-time since 2016.

Vic Mastis (Branson, MO) has been a professional artist for over 35 years. Former owner of Green Door Art Gallery in Webster Groves, MO, she has taught art for numerous years. In 1998, Vic founded the Gateway Pastel Artists, a pastel society in St. Louis, MO. She is a signature member of Arkansas Pastel Society, a member of Missouri Valley Impressionist Society, Best of Missouri Hands, and more. Her work has been in magazines, galleries, and museums. 

Victoria (Arvada, CO) combines the old renaissance art of blacksmithing with today’s tools and welding technology for an ultimate union in making steel sculptures that can be found in various Colorado city parks and Denver galleries.

Alicia (Springfield, MO) has been included and recognized in numerous national and international exhibits. She recently received signature status in the prestigious National Watercolor Society, based in Los Angeles, CA. She was commissioned to create nine large acrylic paintings for the new Museum of the Bible in Washington D.C.

Bert (Bentonville, AR) started his interest in blacksmithing while attending the grand opening of ESSA’s blacksmithing studio in 2014. He now has his own forging shop, The Smithin’ Jones Backyard Blacksmith Company, and is an active member of The Blacksmithing Organization of Arkansas. Bert joined ESSA’s Board of Directors in 2016. He also owns Gaskin’s Cabin Steakhouse in the Eureka Springs area.

Kimberly (Cookville, TN) is an Associate Professor of Art with a BFA in Ceramics and an MFA in Furniture Design. She has taught at Penland School of Crafts, Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Anderson Ranch Art Center, The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and the Appalachian Center for Craft.