Stacy Kelly

De May, Robert

De May Studios

Mixed Media

I’m Robert De May.

My dad loved to draw pictures and encouraged me to draw. When I was in high school, I took an art class as an elective, and loved it. I became interested in painting with watercolors. My teacher encouraged me. However, after graduating, my interests in painting were replaced by higher priorities like college, a degree in electronic engineering, a 35-year career in IT, a 15-year entrepreneurship in antique and high-end furniture restoration. As I grew very close to full retirement, in January of 2021, I tried watercolor again. A friend liked my first work so well, she purchased it. I’ve been told I have talent. I enrolled in an on-line watercolor academy and surprised myself by the successes of each of my assignments. My instructor praised my prints and I had become an artist.

My art business has been designated as a “Trusted Art Seller” with The Art Storefronts Organization, which means you can shop with confidence, and know that I stand behind the quality and value of my products.

My Inspiration

I found out that if it’s in a photograph, I can usually paint a picture of it. I am inspired by nature, wild life, pets, horses, and old run down barns. As an artist, I love painting landscapes in the country, old buildings, and farm animals. I grew up in the farm country of western Pennsylvania. I remember trekking through the woods, swimming in the Alleghany river, and, when I was only 10, driving farmer Thomson’s tractor while others loaded up hay bails on the wagon I was towing. I love dogs. I currently have two border collies, I have painted both of their portraits. I just love creating these images and continually surprising (and sometimes disappointing) myself by my creations.

My Medium

I love the challenge of a successful watercolor painting. I have tried pen and ink, charcoal, pastels, acrylic, and have settled on watercolor painting. I use the white of the paper as one of the colors in my color palette. Watercolor does not project perfection nor does it require perfection from the artist, but it does challenge the artist to strategize his work. Watercolor does not allow an artist to over paint, or to change colors.

www.DeMayStudios.com

Banker, Ellen

Hannah’s Whim

Mixed Media

Everything in life is art. That has been true in my life ever since I can remember. Currently, I am working in mixed media—acrylic paint, vintage paper and, sometimes, found objects. However, for years I worked in textiles, specifically I hooked rugs
and am the author of Hooked on Words, published in 2018 by Ampry Publishing.

Once in a while, some textile form appears in my current work—an actual piece of wool or an image of a quilt or a rug or a sheep. I am drawn to antiques and images
of anything vintage but my great love is for Windsor chairs. I’m very lucky to live in Williamsburg, Virginia, with inspiring history all around me, but I once lived in Waterford which will always be in my heart.

Armistead, Jeff & Ben

Phoenix Hardwoods

Wood

We have been crafting timeless, quality woodcraft furniture and accessories for decades. Using local Virginia Hardwoods and a discerning eye for detail, each piece is thoughtfully designed and made in our Southwestern Virginia woodshop.

Phoenix-Hardwoods.com

Anderson, Maureen

Tasha’s Own

Heritage Foodways

Maureen Anderson, teacher, goatherd, beekeeper, shepherdess, soapmaker, mother of 8 and grandmother of 13 has had a lifelong interest in farming, homesteading and herbal medicine.

She began this journey of learning when she was a child, taught many of these skills by a grandmother who instilled a love of herbs, family life and wildcrafting.

Maureen hosts workshops and classes at her historic Home Farm on sustainable living, herbal medicine making, wild food foraging and cheese making.

In March of 2020 she created the Toano Open Air Market in response to the community’s need for a safe and reliable place to shop and local farmers’ and artisans’ need for an income during the Covid closings.

Maureen is the creator of The MotherVine radio program and owner of Tasha’s Own Goat’s Milk Soap and The Home Farm.

www.tashasown.com

Alexander, Josiah, Drew and Shea

Alexander Brothers

Mixed Media

We grew up in a home that fostered a love for the handmade. So much so, dad
insisted that craftsmen training came first in our lives. With a heritage of
accomplished inventors and tradesmen, who could blame him?

Our parents took us along on frequent visits to antique stores, galleries, and
other places that sold fine furnishings. Mom always reminded us at the door,
“Look with your eyes, not with your hands.” For us boys, that wasn’t always easy.
Learning traditional methods of artistry—blacksmithing, woodworking, and
leather crafting—was never a chore for us. As teens, we didn’t just apprentice
with master craftsmen, we built our own forge and workshops in the backyard.
Today, we thrive on creating beauty in our lives, and the lives of others. By
transforming natural, raw materials into quality home and lifestyle goods, we
write stories to tell for generations to come. If you love the smell of leather, the
warmth of real wood, and the heft of metal, let us help write your story, too