Member Directory
Craftsmen’s Guild of Mississippi Members
Search our Member Directory by name or medium (Metal, Ceramics, Glass, Mixed Media, Wood, Fiber). Or, scroll down the page to browse our Members.
About Us
We are makers on a mission to preserve and promote, educate and encourage, the highest standard of excellence in regional crafts.
The work of our Members reflects a high degree of competence, professional standards, and artistry in their medium and category. Eligibility is determined by a jury review process which takes place twice each year.
Donna Cowart Martin
Donna Cowart Martin
Waveland, MS
Glass / Fused
Guild member since 2018
An environmentally rich eco-system such as the Mississippi Gulf Coast and its many estuaries and associated habitats form the basic inspiration of Donna’s body of work. Her sights and experiences in daily life at the beach, near and in the water, and island life form indelible impressions that bring vivid imagery of colors, shapes, and forms. She describers her artwork in glass as a magical world that draws her in to its fluid colors and with its little light fractures as the light dances across the surface, glistening reflections in colors only envisioned before in her mind’s eye. Using beautiful glass colors, enamels, frits, and various firing techniques becomes not only her artistic expression but opens a tiny glimpse into her soul.
Kathryn Davis
Kathryn Davis
Starkville, MS
Glass / Stained/Fused
Guild member since 2008
Owner of Alley Kat’s Glass, Kathryn’s honors and achievements are far too many for this short space. Among them are donating her time and space to restore a 48 sq. ft. church window, dating from 1885, installing the fused figures in the ceiling of MSU’s Sanderson Center and being commissioned by McGraw Hill and National Geographic to make state flowers for the covers of social studies textbooks. She fashions her glass windows to be beautiful on both the inside and the outside, using a variety of materials and colors for her custom work.
Debby DeLashmet
Debby DeLashmet
Jackson, MS
Glass / Glass: Guild member since 2006
Glass / Fused: Guild member since 2016
Candace Spurzam
Candace Spurzam
Ridgeland, MS
Glass
Fused Glass
Guild member since 2011
Candace has been exploring color and art for a lifetime. She says, “It doesn’t feel like a ‘calling’ as much as it’s at the core for me. I minored in art in college, not finding the medium that captured me. I’ve trained in painting, pottery, sculpting, and welding. Welding came closest, until I took a course at the Craft Center from Jenny Thomas in fused glass. It’s a more unusual form of expression, but the biggest joy for me is the tactile piece. For me, the most successful pieces of art practically beg to be touched. They invite an authentic and personal interaction. As in writing my dissertation or ‘Occum’s Razor’ the simplest solution is the best. I gravitate towards clean, simple design. My design aesthetic mirrors how I prefer life- straight-forward and intellectually sound.”
Roger Sturdivant
Roger Sturdivant
Florence, MS
Glass
Fused Glass
Guild member since 2014
For Roger Sturdivant, it wasn’t until on his travels around North America that he found his love for fused glass after seeing several pieces of it in shops in New England and Canada. In 2009, he purchased a small kiln to learn the trade, making mostly Christmas ornaments and other small items for gifts or to sell at local shows. Then in 2011, he purchased a much larger kiln to allow him to do larger pieces. While laborious to some, Roger says that to him creating fused glass is a labor of love, hand cutting each piece of glass and creating his own frit to create beautifully colorful and smooth functional and decorative pieces. Whether it’s through the process of pot melting, twisting, or slumping the glass, all of his pieces are bright, colorful, and functional, appealing to all age groups.
Jenny Thomas
Jenny Thomas
Chesterfield, VA
Glass
Fused
Guild member since 2007
Jenny’s process for fused glass is based on her foundation as a painter, usually beginning as a sketch. She then assembles the glass, with different colors and layers, by cutting each piece and assembling them to then place in the kiln. The basis of everything she creates is her belief in God as the ultimate Creator. In Genesis 1:26-27, God says [to Jesus and the Holy Spirit] “Let us create man in our image, in our likeness... So God created man in his own image.” When asked why this is important to her, Jenny responds, “In light of this being spoken on the sixth day of creation, we are all clearly made in the image of One who is quite creative. Our gifts and abilities differ, but each one of us brings glory to God when we shine in the ways He has equipped us.”
Jeanne Wakeman
Jeanne Wakeman
Fort Walton Beach, FL
Glass, Metal
Fused, Jewelry
Guild member since 2016