Are We There Yet?

Aleta Chandler “Are We Where Yet?” clay $1260.00 Artist Statement With its dirty circus tent feel attached to a futuristic travel machine, I hope to capture a sense of whimsy and impossibility. I titled this piece "Are we where yet?" because it can imply so many things; our need to be in such a hurry that we pass the good stuff by accident, to be right in the middle of where you are supposed to be in life and not realize it, and alternatively, to be led by other people's expectations and wake up and realize you're not meeting your own. "Are we where yet?" is just the vehicle we all need!

This sculpture is engineered completely out of clay and relies on magic, since gravity is not its friend. It has the potential to be fragile in itself as a whole and yet strong enough to withstand other elements in the pieces that bring it together.

Exhibiting Member Since 2012 From Johnston City, TN

Amy Flynn “Beach Boy” mixed media- beach pail & shovel, baby brownie camera, toy cup & saucer, wrenches, hose fittings, candy molds $729.75 Artist Statement My earliest childhood memories center around trips to Jones Beach on Long Island. It seemed an interminably long trip for a child—I just looked it up and it was only twenty minutes away. But for a kid growing up in New York, it was like another planet. My mother would apply a thick layer of Coppertone to my brother and I, and to this day, the smell tales me right back to Jones Beach.

Exhibiting Member Since 2017 From Raleigh NC

Mary Gunyuzlu “Flamingo” clay $866.25 Artist Statement Whenever I feel like I want to escape from the usual passage of life, I yearn for exotic places where water bubbles up in crystal clear springs, the ocean reflects turquoise skies and the animals and plants look otherworldly. Galapagos turtles, Florida alligators, Puerto Rican flying fish, Caribbean palm trees and Venus fly traps come to mind. One of the most iconic symbols of vacation for me is the flamingo. Donning vibrant coral-colored, fluffy feathers upon its elegant and slender form, this bird screams, “Come to where the mangroves thrive and the sands of the beaches are like sugar. Here there are no snowstorms or Nor’Easters. No coats, no umbrellas, no shoes, no gloves, just bare feet in the sand and cool springs. Let’s go Southbound!

Exhibiting Member Since 2018 From Winston-Salem, NC

Christina Lemon “Almost Home” jewelry- sterling, enamel, digital decals, bubble blue chalcedony $577.50 Artist Statement The title of the exhibition “Are We There Yet?” reminds me of travel to familiar places and locations. My piece titled “Almost Home” is inspired by my trips from Georgia to Virginia over the last 20 years.

The cool opalescent enamel colors and patterns on the pendant are created by the nautical maps representing the familiar waters of the Tidewater area. The digital decals are created from nautical maps from the 1970s that my father used when sailing the coastal waters of the James River, Chesapeake Bay, and its tributaries. When traveling back to this area I am always comforted by the familiar sights, including the two-mile-long bridge that crosses the James Rive where seagulls are held aloft by the wings blowing across the open expanse of the water.

The gulls are kept company by the Anhinga Diving birds and Ospreys that inhabit the river and the shorelines. Each time I cross the bridge I am amazed by distant sights of the aircraft carriers anchored outside of the Newport News shipyard. Despite the distance, the aircraft carriers look large and grow larger as the bridge gets shorts and the shore nears. On each side of the bridge are numerous boats, and floating buoys and other markers to direct boats to safe passage along the river. The huge jetties with rock outcrops protect the fragile riverbank from erosion and come into focus as the shore gets closer. Once across, I make my way through the city to the rural outskirts and finally to my former home near Patrick’s Creek.

Exhibiting Member Since 2004 From Statesboro, GA

Lonni Hopkins “Global Connection: One Earth” jewelry-sterling silver, brass, champagne quartz $1006.95 Artist Statement Traveling is exciting, exhilarating, inspiring, and educational. I am always thinking about the next place I want to go and visit, my list ever being written. That being said, I am always happy to come home to the US and touchdown on American soil.

The last time I flew back to the US from London, with my son and his family, I was looking around the flight and though, how interconnected we are due to our ability to travel internationally so easily. So many different people, different lives, different stories and traditions and cultures, all of us more similar than different. This piece is based on the idea of global interconnectedness, north, south, east, or west. One earth, we all share the same water, same resources. One earth, let’s live together more peacefully, more connectedly.

The choker can be worn complete with the compass, or the compass can be detached and worn as a pendant. The materials are sterling silver, brass, and the stone is a beautiful Champagne Quartz.

Exhibiting Member Since 2012 From Tampa, FL

Susan Webb Lee “Winter At Taylor Ranch” fiber- 35” x 27” $866.25 Artist Statement My husband and I live on property that was originally part of Taylor Ranch in Fletcher, NC. The ranch has a large herd of Texas Longhorn cattle, and they are quite visible from the main road lead to the ranch, as well as from the road that leads to where we live. I enjoy watching them graze, usually moving along in unison, and the protective way that they take care of their young. Every now and then, they will break through the fence, and come to visit us in our yard! I walk frequently in our neighborhood, and have taken numerous photos of the cows, which look almost prehistoric to me. Certainly during the pandemic, when we were home more than usually, I had opportunities to study the Longhorns.

This quilt is made of 100% cotton fabrics, some of which are hand-dyed, and many are mono-printed using acrylic paints. One of the fabrics was digitally printed by Spoonflower, from one of my original photographs.

I pieced the top of this quilt in January of 2022, and took it on a driving trip to Florida during the month of February. I did some of the hand-quilting while riding, and continued with that on some of the evenings that we stayed at our house. By the Time we got back from our trip, the quilting was done.

It was a pleasure to visit Florida during the winter, especially since the Covid pandemic had forced so many businesses to close or to have reduced hours of operation in our area. And the winter season in Asheville and Fletcher was way too chilly this year.

Exhibiting Member Since 1986 From Fairview, NC

Betti Pettinati Longinotti “At Sunrise: Backyard” glass with stand $315.00 Artist Statement As most of us, I enjoy travel to other destinations, to the mountains, to the ocean, travel abroad, an enjoyable cruise and dream of places, I will probably never explore.

Wherever I go though, I always enjoy most the beautiful sunrises and sunsets of each day. By the end of my trip, I am always anxious to get home and get some rest. Are we home yet?

I recall this adage from the Wizard of Oz, “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again. I won’t look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there. I never really lost it to begin with.” ~Dorothy Gale

Exhibiting Member Since 2013 From Winston-Salem, NC

Ann Harwell “Three Live Oaks in a Tree Museum fiber- 37” x 60” $5250.00 Artist Statement One of my favorite places to travel is to Charleston, South Carolina. When my niece was a bicycling police officer in downtown Charleston, there was a great reason to visit often. The places where the trees are the most beautiful are the ones where I prefer to go. In Charleston, the trees seem to have been confined to places where they are protected. They have been gathered it seems into tree museums recalling Joni Mitchell’s song they paved paradise put up a parking lot, took all the trees put them in a tree museum”. The minute you drive away from that tree museum you see construction all around and very few of those exquisite trees.

Exhibiting Member Since 2002 From Wendell, NC

Kathy King “Am I There Yet?” jewelry- hand beaded $997.50 Artist Statement Sitting at my desk trying to decide on what to make that fits the theme, I looked over at my shelves full of all my size 15 seeds beads. I started thinking about all the beads I had and got inspired to make a necklace made up of every color of the tiny beads. I recently counted how many I have and it is over 450 colors of size 15s. I did not get to them all, reaching a total of 185 colors in the finished piece. So, am I there yet? No. But white making the piece I also started thinking about what meanings are given to the colors I was using, especially the pinks. With that is currently going on with the Supreme Court and other issues within our country, the piece also answers the questions, “Are We There Yet with equality for women?” And the answer to that is definitely, no. So I have a long way to go using all the beads, but more importantly, this country has a long way to go to reach equality for all its citizens. The piece consists of there separate necklaces that can be joined together. The lengths are as follows: Full Necklace: 70 inches (total of 185 beaded beads with a total of 14,800 seed beads) Red-Orange-Yellow-Green: 28 Inches (76 beaded beads) Blue: 19 inches (49 beaded beads) Purple-Pink: 23 inches (60 beaded beads)

Exhibiting Member Since 2008 From Cary, NC

Eleanor Wirth “Tapestry” mixed media- WWII vintage sequins, glass and metal seed beads carnelian and turquoise beads $168.00 Artist Statement During the bleakest times of the pandemic I went exploring for overlooked materials in my studio. I rediscovered a collection of vintage sequins from France and Belgium. Inspired by the richness of color and the quality of materials used, I began experimenting with these small textile paintings.

Using an intimate scale, this stitched work suggests the spirit and attitude of Antonio Gaudi’s Parc Guell, itself a response to classical English gardens. The center of the piece refers to the lush trees and greenery in its top layer. Look underneath its’ canopy and discover a forest floor representing Gaudi’s fantastical mosaics. The perimeter is a surround of sequined fans that simulate architecture and the topography in and around the park.

Exhibiting Member Since 2001 From Fort Mill, SC

Sharron Parker “The Lights Dance/Iceland” fiber $525.00 Artist Statement Iceland left a strong impression on me. Its rough, raw landscape, with volcanoes releasing enough heat from cracks to bake bread, and warm pools, geysers, waterfalls, black beaches with chunks of icebergs, etc. But my favorite thing was the Aurora Borealis, or northern lights. As you watched, they moved across the sky, sometimes diffuse, sometimes intense, constantly changing.

Exhibiting Member Since 1983 From Durham, NC

Kami Watson “Swimming in the Salt Water Air” Fiber: salvage silk fabrics and wool fiber, wet felted $1890.00 Artist Statement The place….Where the ocean fades to the sky, and meets the land, Where salt permeates the fresh air, waves crash in a calm, meditative song, ocean spray glistens my skin, and the sun warms my face. Where breathing deeply in unison with the water fills my soul with gratitude, quiets my monkey-mind, and melts away all stress.

Exhibiting Member Since 2019 From Fayettville, TN

Mana Hewitt “Memories of Seville” jewelry- sterling, vitrious enamel on copper beads $551.25 Artist Statement I have titled this piece “Memories of Seville”. It’s inspired by the majolica tiles of the Plaza de Espana and the Triana district of Seville that I hope to return to soon.

Exhibiting Member Since 2008 From Columbia, SC

Ali Wieboldt “Gothic Sunrise Pin/Pndt” jewelry-acrylic on faux bone, sterling, citrine, Moss agate, Sumatran agate $682.50 Artist Statement During the isolation of the Covid-19 pandemic, I was secluded in my studio with a peaceful view of the Appalachian Mountains. On snowy mornings the pink of the sky wrapped around all the way to the western horizon, as in this representation. This was my church for months; my place to commune with the Eternal Deity. This place was one of safety and contentment, so I felt very little desire to leave.

Are We There Yet? I am. I live there.

Exhibiting Member Since 1986 From Newport, VA

Lucinda Brogden “Sun Over Mountain, Moon and Water” jewelry- sterling, bi-metal, moonstone $514.50 Artist Statement On one level, “Sun Over Mountain, Moon on Water” is about spending time in Nature and resuming travel to two of my favorite places, the mountains and the ocean. It is also symbolic of an inner journey to balance the yin and yang and masculine and feminine within. The sun and mountains are representative of the more active yang energies in Nature and ourselves, while the water and the moon the more feminine yin aspects. Within the circular form of the pendant, they form a balance of two complimentary but very different energies, with each contributing equally to the composition of the piece.

Exhibiting Member Since 2001 From Winston-Salem, NC

Lisa LeMair “Duntulm Sunset Dress” fiber- hand dyed linen, silk lurex, Size: Medium $262.50 “On Another Shore” jewelry- sterling, sea glass $556.50 Artist Statement “On Another Shore” and “Duntulm Sunset” are together a reflection on travel to Scotland. They express the longing we feel to be carefree and hop on a plane for a place that calls to us. All of the seaglass in the “On Another Shore” necklace was collected from one beach in a one-hour meander on the south coast of the Isle of Arran, and represents just a tiny fraction of the glass we collected that morning. Farther north, the cold clear water of the north Atlantic achieves amazing shades of turquoise, teal, seafoam, and deep navy as it chews on the rocky coastline of the Isle of Skye. With “Duntulm Sunset”, I was trying to capture staring out at those beautiful and treacherous waters from the ruins of Duntulm Castle, with the sun low in the sky, rippling across the sea.

Exhibiting Member Since 2022 From Southern Shores, NC

Doug Bringle “Reef” clay $168.00 Artist Statement My piece represents a visit to the seashore, featuring a fish swimming over coral formations. I was born on the small island of Terceira (about 10 by 15 miles wide) on the mid Atlantic ridge, far from any mainland. Legend has it that this is where Atlantis was located. Terceira is made up of four overlapping volcanoes and has high cliffs surrounding most of its rocky coast. In the spring orange nasturtiums bloom on its green, rolling hillsides. When I think of going home, I think of the sea and the waves crashing on the shore and of fish darting through the water.

Exhibiting Member Since 2020 From Winter Park, FL

Jan Richardson “Ancient Intergalactic Warrior Communication Ship” clay $525.00 Artist Statement The Ancient Intergalactic Warrior Communications Vessel is inscriber with incised line designs derived from a study and exploration of symbols used by many early cultures, quite possibly from other galaxies. As these have traveled into our sphere from places in our distant past, we can easily see them traveling beyond current realms and into a future we have only begun to imagine. The patina suggests eons of travel and the dust of those far away places. The multiple tiny radar ports are linked to other similar vessels in the fleet. Where will they land and what messages will they carry to a future civilization?

Exhibiting Member Since 1996 From St. Petersburg, FL

Erica Stankwych Bailey “Travertine Mount” Jewelry- sterling, garnet, hematite, jasper $656.25 Artist Statement Traveling alone is one of my favorite things to do. Partly because it challenges me and mostly because I get to meet versions of myself that I don’t see on the average day.

This piece comes from a multi-day solo hike into the Grand Canyon. There was heavy snow at the top which vanished as I descended through various ecosystems, crossed the raging Colorado and at the bottom my fingers touched Vishnu Schist, the oldest exposed rock in the canyon at 1.75 billion years old. Several days in, I hiked to the base of Ribbon Falls where I met a more confident and assured me. The thin band of water cascading over the cliff’s edge and forming an enormous travertine mount, lush and verdant, created such contrast to its surrounding landscape. It was there that I saw my silhouette in shadow, firmly cementing my memory of being in that incredible place.

Exhibiting Member Since 2005 From Arden, NC

Penny Truitt “Breakthrough III” clay $336.00 Artist Statement This sculpture belongs in my current series addressing borders and obstacles. Earlier forms emphasized the disintegration of human contact by political imposition and the presumption of imperialist authority. Now, these forms indicate a breakthrough in the system. There is access to solutions which present new possibilities. The combination of materials (clay and steel) reference the natural landscape and the futile artificial structures which are bound to eventually disintegrate.

Exhibiting Member Since 1993 From Santa Fe, NM