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.
Shirley De'Vard
Shirley De'Vard
Baton Rouge, LA
Glass / Jewelry: Guild member since 2007
Metal / Jewelry: Guild member since 2016
Hailing from Baton Rouge, Shirley De’Vard first began jewelry making as a hobby, but it quickly grew into a passion. Now her jewelry has taken her all around the South and Southeast and even got her invited to a Christmas festival in France. Her beaded and wire-wrapped jewelry often incorporates semiprecious stones, crystals, or pearls, all hand selected to ensure that they give off the shine and color she desires. She’ll often combine gemstones, pearls, and beads to give her work a unique and special character to each individual piece of art. Many adore her necklaces for their ability to make a statement yet still be lady-like.
Debby DeLashmet
Debby DeLashmet
Jackson, MS
Glass / Glass: Guild member since 2006
Glass / Fused: Guild member since 2016
Jerry Hymel
Jerry Hymel
Hammond, LA
Glass
Stained
Guild member since 1987
The Hymel’s unique glass creations range from angels to kaleidoscopes and windows. Their glass ornaments have been on display on the White House Christmas tree. They have been featured in a touring exhibit throughout the Southeast and were selected for the cover of the Bell South phone boon in 1993. Jerry has worked at the Mississippi Museum of Art on a community project funded by through the Ford Foundation. He also participated as artist-in-residence on a project with students from St. Richard's school in Jackson to create a 12 foot diameter mosaic. It can be seen at the school campus.
Elizabeth Robinson
Elizabeth Robinson
Jackson, MS
Glass
Sculpture
Guild member since 1989
Elizabeth was vice-president and business manager of Pearl River Glass Studio before establishing her own Studio C in 1985. She has had solo shows and has exhibited at museums of art through the nation. Several years ago, Elizabeth began to have dreams in which houses of light appeared. As a glass artist, she wanted to make them real and she developed a ‘language’ of glass, a melding of glass, light, and shadow, with which she could make these houses and draw people into their warmth and comfort. This developed into her ‘Spirit House’ series. She believes that art is not only personal expression, but also a public act, serving to help people bring their own spiritual needs and longings into focus.
Sisters Creation Studio
Sisters Creation Studio
Denham Spring, LA
Beads
Beadwork
Guild member since 1998
Steve Smith
Steve Smith
Cropwell, AL
Glass, Recycled Bottles
Jewelry, Mosaics
Guild member since 2016
Steve Smith has always been an artist, it just took him about 50 years to realize it! A friend moved, sold him her kiln, and he began experimenting with whatever he could find to melt. Whit Steve’s love of nature and hope to leave this world a better place for those come after us, re- configuring bottles otherwise bound for a landfill seemed a good path to follow. The reflective and sensual nature of the glass invites visual as well as tactile examination. He seeks to create works with balance, harmony, and reflectivity that allows for ever-changing imagery. His pieces are not transparent like stained glass- they look back at you, inviting deeper exploration.
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.”