Ellie Plants is a sustainability-focused, multidisciplinary functional artwork brand. The purpose behind her business is to create from locally sourced, upcycled and recycled materials; giving them new life, well, in your life. Ellie has been creating art in every medium she could get her hands on since childhood. Because a large part of her creativity comes from weaving in and out of different art styles: she believes you, in fact, do not have to choose just one specialty. As you view her handmade works, you will see a variety of options from scrunchies to embroidered appliqué crews, from woven art pieces to crossbody bags. Each product embodies the same message: handmade designs with Earth in mind.

“Art washes from the soul the dust of everyday life” (Pablo Picasso ? maybe). Regardless of where the quote come from it sings with a truth that I have lived by. Tired? Make art. Sad? Make art. In love? Make art. I have dabbled in every media I can get my hands on: ceramics, oils, acrylics, assemblage, watercolor, sculpture, glass, polymer clay, printmaking, needle felting, quilting, mosaics…. No blacksmithing yet, but I’m still young. For Liz Forney, art is play and exploration and expression. It is as essential as food or air. During the year I offer monthly small group creative mini retreats in my home studio. The items here are little bits of light I’m trying to put out in the world knowing that beauty heals us. They are expressions of gratitude for the numerous gifts of grace I have known- thus the name: Gems of Gratitude.

Griffin Olowin is 13 and has been making soaps since 2021. During the Pandemic, he began receiving KiwiCo kits every month, and one of which was a soap-making kit. He enjoyed it so much, Griffin asked for supplies to make Christmas presents for friends and family, who then began asking for additional soaps.  Griffin’s Glycerin was born! His 3-oz glycerin soaps are made in three different shapes and come in a variety of solid colors. He also has a line of soaps with small plastic dinosaurs, horses or dogs that give incentive for kids to wash their hands often. Currently, all of the soaps are unscented. Griffin has always been interested in space exploration and plans to use the proceeds from his business for a trip to Space Camp at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He is a 2025 graduate of Peabody School in Charlottesville, and will be attending Albemarle High School in the fall.

Hi there, My name is Ivonne and I love creating colorful, happy, one-of-a-kind items because the world is already crowded with gray and dull off-the-conveyor-belt-monotony. 

Martha Pullen is a landscape artist based in Charlottesville, Virginia. She primarily paints with watercolor, but also enjoys acrylic, gouache, and pastel painting. Though she’s had a lifelong love of art, it wasn’t until 2022 that she first tried watercolor and immediately fell in love with the endless possibilities of the medium! Martha enjoys the unpredictability of watercolor and paints intuitively to create landscapes full of vivid colors and textures. She especially loves painting mountains, sunsets, and night skies and is endlessly inspired by the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and the Green Mountains of her home state, Vermont. Her work reminds us that no matter how noisy or stressful the modern world may be, peace and beauty can always be found in nature.

Maude Brown applies a direct, physical approach to making art, deploying rapid mark making and energetic movements. Drawn to experimentation, Maude will often include paint, collage, ink, and pastels in one artwork, trying new applications and combinations with each piece. One of The Arc Studio’s most prolific artists, Maude’s bold, expressive paintings hang in homes and businesses throughout Charlottesville.

Maude is an artist at The Arc Studio, a visual arts program and open studio space located at The Arc of the Piedmont in Charlottesville. Each artist represented uses a unique visual language and artmaking technique to arrive at a powerful range of styles, expressions, and representations. 

With a degree in Architecture, a Professional license in contracting and a quilting/art business, I have been a lover of many creative endeavors for quite some time. I am passionate about the hands on exploration and expression of art. Art has been a peaceful space through all seasons of my life yet I can see how it has evolved and grown with each season. I’m now a mother of two and I find my art as a culmination of the various passions and experiences throughout my life. My work is inspired by people, everyday life and especially my daughters. I love the old fashioned rhythms of making pieces by hand. Thus, my work is made via hand-drawn or painted art and sewn textiles. Each item is made for the enjoyment of home and everyday life. In my shop you'll find stickers made from watercolor prints, scrunchies from scrap fabric that made my daughter's dresses, sewn plush toys, cards, blankets and more. I am passionate about not letting material go to waste so many of my textile products are reimagined fabric scraps. I love textiles so much that I design my own for others to make their own projects (sold on Spoonflower or in person by the yard/fat quarter). I hope each piece of art sparks joy and inspires others to pass it on.