The Co-op has more than two dozen
member artists whose talents include
painting, carving, blacksmithing, sculpture, stained glass,
photography, furniture making, quilting, jewelry making, basketry and more.
Read on to learn more about the individual artists and their work.
Joy is a native West Virginian who enjoys
exploring West Virginia and sharing those experiences with her
watercolors. She seriously began to paint in 1995 and offers
her work on her web site as well as in the Pocahontas County Artisans Gallery. Joy has
exhibited her work in state and local art shows, and she has
been pleased that several have received awards. She is a Juried member
of the West Virginia Watercolor Society and Allied Artists of West
Virginia.
In spite of promises of a more relaxed way of life, we spend a lot of time hurrying to get somewhere else and often miss "what the road passes by". Many of Joy's paintings are of those special moments - Geraniums in an enamel pot, Canada Geese flying past a hillside farmhouse, or the way the sun strikes a landscape. The Trilliums on this page were hanging over the edge of a rock ledge.She couldn't resist the climb to photograph and sketch them. Web Site: www.joycooper.us.
Kay Gillispie
The works of watercolor artist Kay Gillispie have been accepted in numerous exhibitions and earned her recognition as a juried artist at Tamarack. Her paintings have appeared in the WV Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Calendar and in Wonderful West Virginia. She is also active at Artists at Work, in Elkins.
Nature gives Kay the
greatest inspiration for her paintings. She studies shapes and forms of
plants and animals in resource books and in her photographs
of wildlife in the Monongahela National Forest areas near her home. My contact info is phone 304-456-4116.
David "Woody" Harman
Brenwood Forge and Broom, LLC
David "Woody" Harman is a self-taught Artist Blacksmith. His wife, Brenda, crafts hand-tied Appalachian Brooms. Together they are the owners of BrenWood Forge and Broom, LLC. They are located on Droop Mountain near Hillsboro, WV in Pocahontas County. Brenda and Woody are avid horsemen and enjoy the trail riding experiences available in the Mountains of West Virginia.
Woody is a member of ABANA, Appalachian Blacksmiths Association and a past member of the Western Reserve Blacksmiths Association and the Pittsburgh Artists Blacksmith Association. He has been blacksmithing for more than 30 years with a coal forge. Woody has attended various hammer-ins and blacksmithing events throughout the years. Woody has done commissioned architectural work in several states. Web Site: www.forgeandbroom.com.
Brenda Harman
Brenda made her first broom in 1993 out of a hybrid colored broomcorn that she grew in her home garden. Brenda has attended classes at the John C Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC for Broom Making with instructors Marlow Gates and Lenton Williams. Each one of her brooms is a unique one-of-kind art work. Brenda's brooms have been juried into the Appalachian Highland Arts and Craft Center in Clifton Forge, VA and as one of the Best in West Virginia at Tamarack Caperton Center in Beckley, WV Web Site: www.forgeandbroom.com.
Jan Jonese
Perky Possum Designs
Jan is a Pocahontas County native who spent 18 years traveling around the country with her Marine Corps husband before settling in Green Bank in 2002. She joined the Pocahontas County Artisan Co-op in June of 2008 with her line of rustic hand painted signs. The signs utilize reclaimed and recycled boards from Pocahontas County sources. She became interested in sign painting when "rescuing" old German Lap Siding from the burn pile.
In late 2008 Jan added a line of all natural Soy Container Candles that stemmed from a desire to produce clean burning natural candles with an extended burn time and good scent throw. She uses recycled antique glassware and recycled jars for the candles and adds a personal touch by hand painting designs on the jars. Also, the jars can be carefully washed and reused once the candle is spent allowing container recycling to continue. My contact info is janjonese@yahoo.com.
I have been making furniture for many years in Georgia, VA and now WV using mostly native hard woods from the area. I specialize in slab pieces like benches and tables. But lately I have been having fun designing custom cutting/serving boards that are unique in both their shape and material. They are all various hard woods including maple, walnut, oak, cherry, ash, wormy chestnut, cedar and more. They are all finished with a food safe finish so they can be used for years in your home or given as a unique gift.
Stop by the gallery and see a large selection of boards, a bench and a table to see examples of my work. Web Site: www.custom-designer-cutting-boards.com.
Tom Melko
Eye of Gandalf Photo Works
Photographer Tom Melko shoots black & white images with antique cameras made
between 1939 and 1970. Tom crafts each of his prints by hand in his
darkroom in Green Bank. No digital or mass production techniques are
involved; therefore, no two images are exactly alike.
Tom draws inspiration for his photographs from Clyde Butcher in the
Florida Everglades, who in turn was inspired by the legendary Ansel
Adams' work in the American West decades ago. Tom's images are his way
of capturing the natural beauty of West Virginia, Florida or other
places of interest the old-fashioned way, one image at a time. My contact info is tomelko@frontiernet.net or phone 304-456-5026
Charlie and Diane Myers
Rock Hill Enterprises
Charlie and Diane Myers are a husband and wife team with two teenagers from Bartow, WV. Charlie is a West Virginia native. He grew up in Preston County and has lived in Pocahontas County now for 13 years. He combines his two favorite hobbies, woodworking and fishing, and crafts hand made wooden fishing lures. My contact info is disayshi@hotmail.com or phone 304-456-3253.
Diane is native to Pocahontas County and was inspired to take up the craft of basket weaving after finding a basket that was made by her great grandmother. She weaves a wide variety of reed baskets but the egg basket remains her favorite. They are pleased to be preserving Appalachian heritages that have been passed down through their families. AKA "Rock Hill Enterprises" My contact info is disayshi@hotmail.com or phone 304-456-3253.
Bruce Stewart
My wife, Carol, and I officially became West Virginians in 1991 when we moved to Pocahontas County. Over the past 40 years or so, I have enjoyed working in leather carving, wood carving, and wood turning. I continue to hone my skills and enjoy learning new techniques. When I create a new piece, I allow the wood to guide me in the design of the final product. It’s always satisfying when – as if by magic – a block of seemingly ordinary wood is transformed, releasing a Norwegian Tomte, an Old World Santa, a Wood Spirit, a Scottish Spurtle, a Plumb Bobble, or other treasure. Because wood is a living thing, my pieces develop unique character as they age, including color change, cracks, and checks. These are not flaws but nature's artistry at work. I particularly enjoy preserving the heritage of these arts, and being able to bring the beauty of wood to you to enjoy. My Contact Info is chickenfarm5@yahoo.com or phone 304-456-3036.
Carol Stewart
As I travel throughout our State, I am inspired by the ever-changing landscapes that appear around every curve and over every mountain. My art is my interpretation of the beauty that is West Virginia. I capture and hold these inspirations in photographs and memories. I love designing new landscapes every time I put needle to fabric. Each time I create a new quilt, I let the fabric guide me making each quilt individual and unique. I often find myself changing my own original designs as the quilts come to life. I hope you enjoy these quilts as much as I enjoy creating them. My Contact Info is chickenfarm5@yahoo.com or phone 304-456-3036.
Rob Taggart
Puny Tunes
My passion for traditional woodwind instruments began in the summer of 1987, when I bought a six-holed bamboo flute at an arts and crafts festival. Since that time I have been playing, collecting and performing on folkwinds of every kind.
The simple yet ingenious design of my bamboo flute had always fascinated me, so in 1993 I started making my own simple-system transverse flutes. My first creations were Bb military fifes made of brass and acrylic tubing, modeled after the instruments I was currently playing in a fife and drum corps. In 2002, after nine years of intermittent experimentation with various pitches and material, I began crafting and selling D piccolos and G flutes made of PVC and CPVC plumbing pipe.
Then I discovered Puny Tunes. In 2004 I contacted Bryan Mumford to purchase one, but was told he no longer made them and the business was up for sale. I was initially disappointed, but then I realized my opportunity to carry on the crafting of these unique and wonderful little instruments. After business transactions and a weekend session of very detailed training with Bryan, I became the exclusive authorized crafter of Puny Tunes "the wee whistle".
I make Puny Tunes "the wee whistle" during my free time in my garage workshop located in Green Bank, West Virginia. If you ever happen to be in my neck of the woods, I always welcome visitors with an interesting flute crafting demo, or a lively tune on one of my many folkwind instruments. Web Site: www.punytunes.com.