If You Werent Smitten Before

Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2015/12 - December

Smitten is celebrating four years of success. 2016 promises to be the best year ever with a slate of fresh artists, scouted from all over the Southeast. 

Here are teasers for four outstanding members of the new
Smitten family.

Painter Diane Kilgore from Greenville, South Carolina, is the bird girl. Whether cardinal, crow, or canary her personable birdies have a song to sing and a story to tell. 

She says, “I have painted thousands upon thousands of birds and I never tire of them. There is something about being surrounded by a wall full of birds that is soothing, satisfying, and exhilarating.” Her birds were tweet before tweeting was cool! 

Jeweler Elizabeth Haskins works with 10 and 14K yellow gold and sterling. Jeweler’s bronze is also a favorite. It has the beauty of gold without the cost. Excellent craftsmanship and keeping current with trends are the keys to her success. She started out with complex vessels and utensils. Over the years people have pared down to simpler lifestyles and it reflects in the clothing and accessories they wear. She adapted her designs to what worked with fashion and the modern lifestyle. Ask about her Dreaming Tree line of jewelry.

Painter Daphne Lisenby of Rabun, Georgia, and her husband were professional photographers before she took up painting later in life. She started taking workshops and wanted to develop a style. 

 Asking around, artists told her it took decades to do that. She laughed and said, “I don’t have that much time!” Turns out she didn’t need a lot of time, for in the past five years she had established a following from here to Atlanta. Her animal subjects – goats, cows, chickens, lambs, and other beasties – are quirky and charming, guaranteed to warm a room and capture a heart. 

Harry Hearne of Brasstown, North Carolina, is a potter extraordinaire. He has been working out of his own Turning Point Clay Studio since 1990. His specialty is raku firing, which he teaches at Arrowmont and John C. Campbell Folk School. As a traveling teacher, art show exhibitor, kiln builder and raku firer, life can be physically challenging, but Harry does it all with style and Grace (Gracie is his newest kiln, and yes, he names them!) winning peer recognition and awards all along the way. 

So stop in for a preview of Smitten’s latest, newest, hottest for 2016! Prepare to be dazzled. Hours are 11:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M., Monday through Thursday; 11:00 A.M. until Friday and Saturday; and Sunday, 1:00 to 5:00 P.M. Contact [email protected] or visit 468 Main Street in Highlands.