Meet the artists harvesting creativity at High Cotton Arts.
About Us
High Cotton Arts, a project of Athens Arts League, is located in Downtown Athens at 103 West Washington Street. High Cotton Arts offers affordable work space for artists in a creative environment; educational opportunities for emerging artists of all ages; and cultural events for art lovers.
Athens Arts League is a nonprofit organization that supports artists, provides art education, and brings cultural events to Athens and Limestone County.
High Cotton Arts Public Hours
Wednesdays - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Thursdays - 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Fridays and Saturdays - 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
We are also open special and seasonal hours for various programs and events, and artists may have additional hours. Follow High Cotton Arts on Facebook for updates.
Sonya Gordon
OIL PAINTING
Sonya Gordon offers oil instruction, oil paintings and prints. Her "Americana" themed work tells a story and is her own unique style. See her for original work as well as commissioned pieces. She studied art at the University of Southern Mississippi, but put her degree on hold while raising her daughters, as she became a widow in her late twenties. To support her family, she worked in the floral industry, and as a wide format printer while continuing to paint. She completed her art degree at Athens State University in 2008.
Sonya considers Americana her artistic genre. Painting mainly in oils, but allowing acrylic and watercolor to add variety to her portfolio, she enjoys the nostalgic flavor that is steeped in the genre. Realism and impressionism are styles she prefers to use to convey the story of the subjects she chooses.
Website: https://www.sonyagordoncreates.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/sonyagordon.creates/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sonyagordoncreates/
Email: sonyasdesk@gmail.com
Phone: 256-431-4105
Randall Lewter
PHOTOGRAPHY
Randall Lewter, Seasoned Photographer, has been a cornerstone artist at High Cotton Arts since the very beginning of our journey. Randall is an employee at Apple, and an invaluable volunteer here at our center. He offers original photographic prints of both local and regional historical landmarks, images of nature and variety of intriguing subjects. Randall excels in photo restoration work and can help you restore you old family photos into beautiful heirloom works of art.
Website: http://www.randalllewter.com/
Facebook: Randall Lewter Photographry
Email: rlewterphoto@me.com
Phone: 256-233-4465
Denise Maurer
STAINED GLASS
For approximately 30 years Denise Maurer, retired engineer with Boeing, has been perfecting her art in the medium of Stained Glass. Denise's accomplishments include having multiple art pieces accepted into the Carnegie Visual Arts Center annual shows, as well as winning awards in other area art shows. Doing commissioned work upon request and performing repairs to stained glass keeps her very busy. Some of her repair work may be seen inside Terra Nova's Restaurant in Athens.
Facebook: Nener's Menagerie
Email: nenermaurer@bellsouth.net
Karen Middleton
PAINTER
Karen Middleton has been associated with Art on the Square and its successors, Athens Arts League and High Cotton Arts since about 2012. A Michigan native, she has lived in Athens and Elkmont since 1975. She has studied art, both formally and informally, for nearly 60 years. She is a retired journalist after 30 years in the field and now rents a studio at High Cotton Arts, where she frequently paints and supports HCA projects and goals.
Cleve Smith
PAINTER
Cleve Smith, oil painter, grew up in the Tennessee Valley area and presently lives in Athens, AL. Cleve describes his painting style as 'slightly impressionistic'. With genre ranging from wildlife to coastal scenes, as well as Old South to the Wild West, Cleve has command of his paintbrush bringing his subject to life with his unique style and finesse. His Route 66 series is a very popular collection of landmarks and imagery created from his extensive travels.
Email: gclevesmith@gmail.com
Leigh Boulineau
PAINTER
Mostly a self-taught artist, Leigh Boulineau has studied painting at Western Carolina University and the Huntsville Museum of Art. In 2004, at Western Carolina University, she won the Lorraine C. Stone Fine Art Scholarship, a scholarship for a 35 or older full-time student majoring in art. That year, she also won 1st place in the Fine Art Department's Student Art Competition. Presently employed as a full-time English teacher, she hopes to focus more fully on her art when she retires from teaching in a few years.
Val Michael
PAINTER
Val Michael is a young and upcoming artist who currently studies at the Alabama School of Fine Arts and has showcased work with multiple galleries all over the state. His award winning paintings and drawings are comprised of his unique and curious perspectives on subject matter and identity itself. Updates and new pieces can be found on Val’s Instagram @valmichael_
Tom Young
VARIOUS MEDIUMS
I enjoyed drawing as early as I can remember, and continued with art ever since. With a journalism major and an art minor at the University of Minnesota, I took summer art instruction at the Grand Marais Art Colony where my father-in-law taught. In Michigan, I learned wood carving lessons at Jack Teegarden’s carving school starting with vintage duck decoys, and expanding that technique to other birds and animals. I do mostly landscapes in acrylics, watercolor and pastel. Now a retired newspaper editor, I have painted and carved in Minnesota, Michigan, Florida, Arizona and elsewhere. Carol and I retired to the Huntsville area and we are enjoying the scenery and art community in northern Alabama.
Email tcyoung41@gmail.com.
Victoria Camp
VARIOUS MEDIUMS
I grew up in a rural area where there was no art education, either public or private. I learned to express my creativity through music, sewing and baking. I also did some sketching and worked some with colored pencils. I was always fascinated with painting and my first exposure to professional art was during a field trip to the Birmingham Museum of Art. After my children grew older, I decided to try and begin to paint. Never having any formal training, I began by taking lessons from professional artists. I have studied with Sara Beth Fair, Tom Findley, Carole Foret, Sonya Gordon, Amanda Hilburn, Leslie Lockhart and Melanie Morris. I have always believed that art, in whatever media you prefer, can take you to places you long to go without leaving home. For me, creating is very soothing and can take the stress and chaos of life and turn it into peace and comfort.
Katrina Sayers
PHOTOGRAPHY
Katrina Sayers is a 25 year plus family photographer. Additionally, she enjoys photography of nature and creative finds along the way. A dream of hers has been to bring these images to print and become a part of an art gallery. Recently moving to Athens, Alabama, Katrina is excited to have found High Cottons Arts to share her talents with the public.
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinasayersphotography/?r=nametag
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KLSPics/
#KatrinaSayersphotography
Robin Estell
COMMERCIAL ART
+ DESIGN
Robin Estell is a native of north Alabama. For half a century, in his spare time he has been producing art, but, except for an occasional portrait commission, he has never seriously tried to sell any of it. Now here he is in his seventies sitting on a lifetime of work which is just taking up space. Some of it is good, some of it is very good, and some of it is wonderful. Now it is available for sale. He plans to keep on producing art regularly for the rest of his life. So for the next thirty or so years you will be able to keep adding to your collection of this unique art.
Some of his work can be viewed here at High Cotton Arts, and much more can be seen at his web site: robinestellfinearts.com.
A near complete catalog raisonne of artworks from student days at UAH to the present can be seen here:
https://www.pinterest.com/dye1124/robin-estells-artworks/
H.C. Blake Co.
SPONSOR
Athens Arts League greatly appreciates the support from H.C. Blake Co., who leases to us the building we use for our High Cotton Arts facility. This partnership allows Athens Arts League to provide affordable studio space in Downtown Athens to artists, bring cultural events to the city, and provide art education opportunities to students of all ages.
Athens State
University
SPONSOR
Athens State University Mission
The University advances the best interests of its students and the State of Alabama through teaching, service, research, and other creative activities to empower students to make valuable contributions in their professional, civic, educational, and economic endeavors. Through innovative communication and course delivery for high-quality undergraduate and select graduate programs, Athens State University provides a supportive environment for each student, demonstrating the importance of the diverse and interdependent nature of our state and society. Athens State University changes the face of Alabama by changing the lives of its students.
Alabama Center for the Arts
SPONSOR
The Alabama Center for the Arts, located in downtown Decatur, Alabama, is the region’s premier art center and degree program. The project continues a long-standing collaborative academic effort between Calhoun Community College and Athens State University. It has been heralded as a model for institutional cooperation in the state. The Art Center is a venue for college visual and performing arts instruction, community education, cultural events, and it serves as a catalyst for creative growth and expression in North Alabama, Southern Tennessee, and surrounding states.