Art and Materials

Resident teacher, Store Owner.

Chris Mathiot is owner and operator of Art Materials and Ballantyne Framing. He has a Bachelor of Arts in Management from University of Phoenix, and is a commissioned artist. His work is displayed in Eastern North Carolina. Chris helped develop the art program at The Epiphany School where he taught for one year.

Click Here to contact Chris.

(Shelley's most recent series is the New Bern Bear theme)

When Shelley isn't homeschooling four kids, she's throwing and teaching pottery in Bear Hands Pottery Studio located inside Art &Materials. Shelley has been a potter for four years, and attributes her success to two fine artists in this area; Jim Bisbee and Elizabeth Priddy. She blogs about her pottery adventures here.

Hannah Mathiot is a Junior in High School and studies is a part time college student at Craven Community College. She began drawing at a young age, and sold her first painting when she was nine. From there, she has done several commissions and has won awards for her artwork. She assists Chris and Shelley in their classes, and now teaches Little Art Explorers at Art &Materials.

 
Maggie's favorite mediums are Oil and Acrylic. She's been painting since she was a child, and studied Art Education at Craven and East Carolina University, and photography at Carterett. Her favorite artists are Ann Packard and George Innes. She is passionate about art and loves teaching. She has been teaching at Art &Materials for 1 year, and tought art at assisted living homes. She teaches the beginning acrylic class along with oils.

 
Guest Instructor

Catherine Hillis has painted all her life, winning numerous awards and honors at competitive shows regionally and nationally.

Mrs. Hillis primarily paints in watercolors, including busy street scenes, intricate florals and her favorite, the historic sites near her home on the Blue Ridge in Northern Virginia.  The hallmarks of her work are rich color and a touch of humor. She has been honored to paint abroad, most recently in Europe and Asia.

Visit Catherine's website: http://catherinehillis.com

Guest Instructor

"My painting philosophy is very simple. I paint because I can't stop. I don't know exactly when I became obsessed with watercolor painting. It caught me when I wasn't paying attention and changed my life. I no longer look at the world without seeing common things in a special way. The subjects I paint are recognizable but certainly not painted in a photographic manner. The design of my "painted shapes" are more important than painting realistic details. Many times I paint people. I always paint the presence of people, even if their image is absent in the painting. My work has been described as abstract but intimate..................I hope you agree."

 Judy Morris earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in art education from Southern Oregon University in Ashland, Oregon. She taught art at South Medford High School for thirty years before retiring in 1996 to become a full time professional watercolorist. In the last fifteen years Morris has been a popular juror and workshop teacher throughout the country and in Canada, Mexico, England, Switzerland, France, Italy and Japan.

Visit Judy's website here: http://www.judymorris-art.com