It’s been 5 years since we started Tiny Gallery in 2018, and we’re delighted to announce another slate of stellar artists—old and new to Jasper—whose work will be available throughout 2023. Like previous years, each artist will be featured in a solo show with artists switching out monthly, and the gallery will be virtual with work available to peruse and purchase 24/7.
Learn more about each of our artists below and put your favorites on your calendar so you can check out their shows when they go live!
January: Thomas Washington
Kicking off the year (starting today!) is artist Thomas Washington, also known as Thomas the Younger, with his work both magical and undeniably real.
Perhaps the most important pursuit of an artist is the facilitation of Escapism. Perhaps each project is the equivalent of a Narnian door…or that lamppost beyond, coaxing a wanderer into another realm. Thomas Washington Jr. (thomas the younger) functions on that premise. Since his childhood, he has produced multitudinous works in this vein—from being hired (out of high school) to illustrate in a local graphic anthology, he has subsequently striven to bring stories in every medium; to breathe life into the fantastical by imbuing it with the familiar…and, of course, to find fun and fulfillment along the way. As a result, it required the birth of his children to make him care about money. (He still struggles with this.) –For years, he was perfectly fine living as a Bohemian: he laid his head in strange places among strangers, eventually becoming a pleasant strain of strange in the process. He thus entertains all sorts of bizarre notions—the importance of world peace, an unshakeable belief in fundamental similarities that make Humanity one big family, intense opinions on interstellar travel, and so-forth. Recently, he took the leap of emerging in his local scene. He has sat on panels, joined the instructor roster for community arts centers, partaken in various shows, (finally!) founded a website, and essentially joined the dialogue of Art’s Place in Society.
Check out Thomas’ website.
February: Maya Smith
In the month of love, we have an artist who clearly loves the act of creating—Maya Smith—whose work is effervescent and poignant.
South Carolina based artist, Maya Smith, has been honing her skills as a freelance artist for the past fourteen years. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006 with a BFA in Illustration. Her work celebrates people of color and women with shape. Using pencils and paint to create imagery that counters negative stereotypes and provokes conversation. Maya’s work has been commissioned by Oscar Award winning director, Steve McQueen for the film, Widows. Her work is part of the New York Public Library archives through the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NY.
Follow Maya on Instagram @mayatheartist and check out her website.
March: Nikolai Oskolkov (NikO)
NikO’s oil paintings feel haunted in this piercing almost clarifying way—still images that feel rife with movement.
Nikolai Oskolkov, simply known as NikO, lives and works in Columbia, South Carolina. He has been involved in fine art since early childhood and has made painting a career since high school. In his 29 years, he has travelled far and wide from Russia to Canada and the US, and throughout Europe and the Caribbean. Defining himself as a “visual musical composer,” NikO constantly expands his own creative vocabulary from the observation of nature and use of imagination. He also believes that regular practice is the only way of hopefully mastering the lyrical instrument of painting.
April: Pascale Bilgis
Pascale Bilgis is a wildly innovative artist whose work with color and her addition of 3D figurines makes the unreal tangible and the real magical.
Growing up in a small village in Burgundy, France, and later in Dijon for her studies, Pascale was completely immersed in an infinite astonishing countryside which comes to life in her paintings. At the age of 18, she left her homeland to continue her studies at the University of South Carolina. After obtaining a BA in photography, she followed her dream of a faraway colorful land and moved to Turkey, where she specialized in archaeological sites photography while raising a family on the Mediterranean coast. However, it is in Istanbul, the majestic city on two continents, that she developed her real passion for painting. Now back in South Carolina, Pascale discovered new techniques, such as wood and ceramic, in order to emphasize the natural essence of her art.
Check out Pascale’s website.
May: Tennyson Corley
Tennyson Corley showed off some of her paintings in a 2021 Tiny Gallery show, and since then, she’s been expressing her whimsical creativity with 3D ceramic creations that each tell a unique story from their own world.
My childhood has led me to my current body of work. I am the product of an illustrator who chose books based on the beauty of the illustrations. I have continued this collection. Referencing characters and ideas for my own work. I grew up surrounded by animals on our farm. Studying them, the ways animals interact and coexist among each other, how species intermingled, the hierarchies that arose. I gave them personalities in my mind. Constructing back stories and human characteristics for each one. Fast forward to 2018, when I took my first pottery class which landed me with a membership at a pottery studio. I began to find what my artistic practice was craving. It took me back to my childhood, constructing animals out of playdough and drying them on my shelf. In a full circle moment, I combined my love for childrens book illustrations, building back stories for the creatures around me, and moving from playdough to clay to create, what I call, my ceramic illustrations. Each sculpture is a mix of Beatrice Potter and an Orwellian Animal Farm character. Conceptualized in my mind, were I work out their features, back stories, faults, and qualities. Then, through my hands, they are birthed into life through earthen clay, underglazes, and the fire of the kiln.
Follow Tennyson on Instagram @tennyson_corley_art
June: Mana Hewitt
Withstanding the heat of southern summer is metalsmither herself, Mana Hewitt, whose undeniably one-of-a-kind metal pieces of art will conclude the first half of 2023.
Mana Hewitt is an artist based in Columbia, South Carolina. She recently retired from the University of South Carolina School of Visual Art and Design where she was the Senior Instructor of Jewelrymaking. Mana is a nationally recognized artist with over forty-five years of experience in the fields of painting ceramics and metalsmithing. Her award-winning work is in private collections, museums, and galleries throughout the U.S. I work with my hands and perhaps I think with them as well. This has led to my interest in metal. I am intrigued by metal's transformation from rigidity to vibrant and fluid designs through hammering, etching, casting, and effort. My works explore word play through imagery associated with the human condition. My goal is to create works that are aesthetically pleasing and conceptually interesting. When all is said and done I find satisfaction when an idea turns into a successful work that I can share with others.
Checkout Mana’s website.
July: JJ Burton
JJ Burton not only puts her colorful ideas on canvas but on tiny pendants. For her show, she will feature small canvases as well as wearable pieces of art.
Too many beautiful subject in this realm that gave me spark to create and paint. I am mostly drawn to water, trees, animals and colors black, white, blues & red. My palette depends on the moment I am in, though from time to time I also experiment some different hues. I usually sketch and plan on what to paint before creating a master piece. And occasionally, I just go with it without any sketching or planning, and surprisingly producing a fascinating result. What I enjoy most is process and not knowing what would be the final result, like opening a present. The materials I use are canvases, magnets, tiles, wood panels and any that I could repurpose. My goal is to capture my fascinating crazy ideas, present it and share it to the world.
Check out JJ’s website.
August: Benji Hicks
Benji Hicks is a first for us, as it will be Tiny Gallery’s first artist to do Japanese woodblock prints—no surprise, since Mokuhanga is a unique form Hicks has studied intently.
For as long as I can remember, I have always been an artist. Drawing, watercolor painting, and wood carving. What I love about Mokuhanga (Japanese woodblock printing), is that it encompasses all these things I enjoy doing. The meditative process of woodblock printmaking brings me great joy and satisfaction. Most of my work is inspired by nature and shows up in my prints as fun-loving characters, in vivid color, living in a reimagined space where anything can happen. Like in a world where a banjo playing frog and a rail riding hobo turtle can be best friends.
Follow Benji on Instagram @benjihicksart
September: Keith Tolen
Keith Tolen kicked off our Tiny Gallery way back in October 2018 at Tapp’s. His work is new and fresh to him—and yet still so keenly his.
Keith Tolen is a longtime resident of South Carolina, where he has painted and created for decades. He is a retired art teacher who presently owns the Red Bowtie Group. An illustrator and photographer, his paintings make strong use of color and depict a variety of figures. Recently, he’s also created a series called DaBirds, a group of cartoon images that “work to make our planet a better place.”
October: Stacy Morgan
As the (rare) cool nights begin to come into Carolina, it’s time to curl up with your favorite mug, of which you’ll surely find among Stacy Morgan’s creations, who will show functional and decorative work.
Stacy Morgan, a Lexington SC based potter, is known for her impressionistic paintings that capture elements of nature on her pottery. She draws most of her inspiration from the flora and fauna of the Lowcountry, with an emphasis on the beaches and wetlands. Recognizable subject matter is altered and enhanced due to the nature of the underglazes and high temperature kiln firings on her functional pottery pieces, creating an organic and imaginative visual experience. Most of her pottery is functional for daily use, making everyday life a bit more beautiful.
Follow Stacy on Instagram @pottery_for_daze
November: Caroline Hatchell
It’s always a relief to get your holiday shopping done early, and these handmade beaded jewelry pieces from Caroline Hatchell will make irreplaceable presents for loved ones (or for yourself!).
My tiny canvas...tiny glass beads woven into wearable art. While I have explored many different jewelry mediums, I am proud to return to traditional bead weaving. Fusing ancient techniques with modern design, my work honors the tradition of our ancestors, while still remaining relevant. Using only the finest glass seed beads available, each piece is finished with .925 sterling silver or 18K gold filled earwires and findings. I have been a jewelry designer since I was 17 years old. I picked up some seed beads at a local craft store, and just started bead weaving. At the time, I was completely unaware that I was intuitively doing a traditional, Native American beading technique. Fast-forward over 30 years, and I have come full circle, back to where my journey began, bead weaving! My bead weaving techniques are a very slow, meditative process so my work is made in small batches, limited quantity or made to order by commission.
Follow Caroline on Instagram @carolinehatchelldesigns and check out her website.
December: Midlands Clay Ornament Show
For the past two years, we’ve had ornament shows, but this year we’re delighted to team up with Midlands Clay for a selection of ceramic ornaments from a variety of talented artists. As 2023 progresses, we’ll be able to share even more details about who is participating—but you can go on and peruse Midlands Clay’s website to see their wonderful artists!
Midlands Clay Arts Society was created to encourage fellowship, communication, education, creativity and experimentation in the clay arts community.
Follow them on Instagram @midlandsclayart