Exhibiting and Associate artists

Exhibiting artists

Ellen Schwarzbek​

about ellen
Ellen has recently returned to making art seriously, creating work that is informed by many years of art historical study and work in museums.  She loves the magic of art materials, working mostly with acrylic paints, colored and graphite pencils, and various fiber techniques.  A major interest is exploring the line between realistic and abstract images.​
Visit Ellen's facebook page: click here

Richard Sinclair

about richard
One of the founding members of Full Circle Arts in 2000, Richard has long been well-known in the area for his sculptures assembled from reused pieces of metal and found other materials.
One never knows what unusual creatures will emerge from Richard’s Shop in the woods.

Beth Oczkowski

about beth
Beth is a quilling artist.

Meredith Janssen​

about meredith
Meredith studied art at Newcomb College of Tulane University and George Washington University where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.
Predominantly a watercolor artist, Meredith also works in oils, pastels, and graphic art printmaking. Photography and copper and silver jewelry design are included in her interests as well.
She concentrates mostly on realistic landscapes and still-life paintings, although she also occasionally moves to figure painting.
Meredith lived and worked in Amsterdam, the Netherlands for 8 years where she worked with Dutch video artists in the seventies.
​Originally from Monmouth County, New Jersey, Meredith has lived and painted in Hickory for over 18 years.
See more of Meredith's work: click here

L. ​Michelle Bitler

about michelle
I started doing photography in the 70’s. It became a serious hobby in 1990 when I got a job at a camera store. That is where my creativity started.
Negative prints from slides, Darkroom manipulation, IR film. Then came computer manipulation. Adobe Photoshop was one of my favorite tools. Now I use Photoshop Elements. Since technology has changed so much for our phones I have many of the creative apps. The main app I use is Prisma for color variations. ​

Chris Parsons

about chris
To come

Ernest Sills

about ernest
Ernest “Ernie” is the recently retired president and managing partner of CBSA Architects in Hickory, North Carolina and has more than 51 years of experience with all facets of architecture and planning. Ernie started painting as a young person, which he continued through college. (By chance, Ernie was in the same art class in high school as Tommy Stine and Joe Lafone). He continued painting for a short while after graduation from NC State University and two years in the Army, but kids and demands of work finally got in his way.
About eight years ago he promised his wife, Cindy, that he could recreate a painting they had seen of Santorini while visiting there. The picture now hangs in their living room and Ernie has renewed his love of painting. He has exhibited in several Downtown Hickory Art Crawls and tells us he has even sold a painting or two.

Julie Stephan

about julie
I was born into a family with broad talents in numerous areas. Since childhood, I found that I thrived in being creative and expressing myself through drawing which turned into decades of drawing, painting, and a career as an art director at a global consulting firm.
 If someone asked me about my artistic style, I would categorize my art as abstract expressionism. But that also doesn’t mean that I don’t dabble in impressionism or simply drawing what inspires me. I love to experiment and I’m passionate about not limiting myself to one style of art. Lately I’ve been captivated by the vibrant possibilities and the mesmerizing allure of alcohol inks which enables me to expand my creative palette.
Associate artists
  • Renee Abernethy-Miller
  • Earlie Bryant
  • Claudia Bujold
  • Jacob Christopher​
  • Vyvyan L. Dunne
  • Mary J. Ellis
  • Michaele Faro
  • Jackie Finley​​
  • ​Genie Greenlaw​
  • ​Leah Robinson
  • Nora Jean Smith
  • Vicki Truesdale
  • Robin Turner
  • ​Aaron Vigardt
  • ​Ava Weaver
  • ​Jim Young
  • Ryan Young​​
Aspiring artists
  • Henry Logan

Support local artists! Everyone is welcome!