Arts & Literature
Wesleyan Artist Market 2024: Spotlight on Three Artists
Singing birds, blossoming flowers and warmer days — the delights of spring herald the 26th annual Wesleyan Artist Market (WAM) in Peachtree Corners, a vibrant celebration of art.
Discerning art enthusiasts head to Wesleyan School, located just north of Atlanta, for a chance to explore paintings, photography, mixed media, ceramics, jewelry and beyond from over 80 professional artists.
Mark your calendars: this year’s market takes place Friday, April 26, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Stop in and immerse yourself in creativity!
Ashley Skandalakis
Returning to WAM for the second time is an artist who combines colors and textures not on canvas, but in an array of unique and lovely flowering vessels. Ashley Skandalakis, owner of Atlanta Planters, LLC, creates custom designs of planted pots to adorn your home or business and can fit all styles and budgets.
Before this southern belle raised in Americus, Ga. started playing in the dirt, she tried several different careers — from interior design to pharmaceuticals, technology to entrepreneurship. Skandalakis took a sprout of an idea and turned it into a blooming, multi-million-dollar business with her Lappers dining trays. Now she’s well on her way to growing Atlanta Planters.
For the past five years, Skandalakis has been making metro Atlanta more beautiful one potted planting at a time. She attributes the company’s growth to her unique style, attention to detail, outstanding customer service and beautiful products.
Start before you’re ready
After quitting her stint in the technology field, Skandalakis was in search of the next sensation that would produce the same rush her tray invention and eight patents gave her. A friend opened a new Buckhead restaurant and Skandalakis offered to replant her waning orchids. The restauranteur, lacking time and funds, agreed.
Self-taught Skandalakis took the vessels home, gathered orchids and supplies, and created striking compositions embellished with interesting stakes, moss and other plants. Dining patrons were so impressed by her eye-catching creations that they requested her business card as she carried them through the restaurant during delivery.
“When you’re passionate about something, you figure it out as you go,” she said. “Every day you wonder, ‘What am I going to learn today?’”
Rental truck road trip
At the suggestion of a painting class comrade, Skandalakis submitted photos of her fanciful florals to the Thomasville Antique Show. Two days later she committed to being a vendor in a show taking place in a week’s time.
“I had to source planters, orchids. I didn’t have a business license. I didn’t have business cards. I didn’t have a credit card processor. I didn’t have anything, but I pulled it all together. I stayed up till 1 o’clock in the morning making 45 orchid compositions. I really didn’t know how to do them, so it took me a long time,” Skandalakis shared.
Turning a $5,000 profit at that show in February of 2020 made her realize she had a new business. When the pandemic shut everything down in March, Skandalakis pivoted to outdoor containers and embraced her budding bailiwick with verve.
Busy beautifying outdoor spaces
Applying for a business license, building a social media presence and advertising led to some scheduled appointments. By May of that year, Skandalakis was fully booked creating seasonal planters for clients.
“Twice a year, I go to clients’ homes and make their planters gorgeous. If they need planters, I source those too. I love working with people to find the best containers for their space,” Skandalakis beamed.
It’s a carefully orchestrated juggling act to get everyone’s plantings done. The season begins on April 15, when frost no longer poses a threat, and runs through the end of June. Winter pots are cleaned out and planted for the spring and summer. In October, the remnants of summer plantings are removed, and containers are replanted for fall and winter.
During the Christmas season, Atlanta Planters decorates fireplace mantles and front porches with handtied greenery, garland, lights and wreaths.
Perfect planters and plants
The quest for unusual urns from across the globe excites the impresario who works with vendors to source the best, whether modern or traditional. Preferred supplier Elegant Earth makes handmade products in Birmingham, Ala. The owner is an Atlanta native who is featured in Veranda magazine this May.
Skandalakis searches online auctions for vintage and antique vessels. She also scours the trade market in High Point, N.C. When associates have shipping containers arriving from abroad, they often give Skandalakis first dibs at their treasures.
Annual trips to Europe further the flowerpot obsession. Her travels usually entail securing planters while endeavoring to piggyback on friends’ cargo containers to get them across the pond.
Several hundred planters can be found at her Marietta store on any given day. Skandalakis intentionally purchased a deep lot to house them all.
A variety of wholesale nurseries around the southeast supply Skandalakis with the highest quality plants. Annuals and perennials usually come from local nurseries. Larger landscaping plants come from all over the region where the heartiest plants intersect with competitive prices.
Continuous growth
Though planters make up the majority of her business, those entrusting Skandalakis with their pots naturally began to ask her for landscaping advice as well. To better assist clients with landscape design, Skandalakis sharpened her skills at Emory University.
“I enjoy landscaping projects. Inspired by some of the world’s best landscape architects, I am constantly learning. It’s important to continue to grow,” she asserted.
A $600 minimum per planting session covers plants, healthy soil, fertilizer, plant toppers and labor. Skandalakis’ green thumb leaves clients happy with their containers.
Clients old and new
Customers who’ve been with Atlanta Planters for a while trust the gardener’s judgment. They’re happy to allow her artistic liberty. Skandalakis knows her clients’ favorite colors and which locations require shade or sun plants.
New clients are asked to provide pictures of their home, yard and planters. She believes the outside of the home should be an extension of the inside in terms of style — whether it’s modern, traditional or transitional.
Next, Skandalakis inquires about her clients’ sun/shade situation, access to irrigation, whether they have pets and if deer are an issue.
Floral designs to suit your lifestyle
Are you a good plant parent? Skandalakis can plant superb succulents for those who may habitually “forget” to water their containers. A building’s architecture and the client’s taste also can dictate what types of plants and containers are used.
Boxwoods in planters that tell a story look best on traditional properties. Grasses in sleek metal or concrete white pots are typical of modern estates.
Bright and happy
Every day brings joy; clients are happy to see her arrive and enamored with their containers when she leaves. Skandalakis once daydreamed about people who loved their job; now she professes to be one of them.
“When you enjoy what you do, it’s not a job at all,” she smiled.
The same look of satisfaction spreads across her face when she speaks about having shown her children that we’re capable of anything we put our minds to, without limitations.
WAM
Last year Skandalakis was blown away by the phenomenal show where she made new acquaintances and gained clients. Her large planters adorned the Wesleyan campus outside as well as the gym. The show takes place during her busy planting season, so Skandalakis and her team worked on weekends to prepare.
Expect to find a variety of planter sizes and types in her booth — some planted — in addition to orchids, other plants, indoor compositions and appealing merchandise from her shop. Last year she brought cowhide chairs from a Texas auction.
Book Atlanta Planters
An enterprising lady behind two successful businesses, Skandalakis enjoys sharing her inspirational story with women’s groups.
Listen to her friendly Southern drawl as she introduces loads of products and her latest “Five Favorite Things” on Instagram @atlantaplanters.
To learn more about Atlanta Planters or to obtain a quote, visit atlantaplanters.net or call 706-289-5736.
Stop by the Marietta flower shop for swoon-worthy, seasonal merchandise at 324 N. Fairground St. and find beautiful indoor plant compositions, orchids, gifts and an eclectic selection of indoor and outdoor planters. Skandalakis and her team can “plant them up” for you on site.
Elaine Jackson
In the quaint setting of Madison, Ga., Elaine Jackson finds her muse. The quiet town allows for easy access to the mountains where she often escapes to stock stores like Dogwoods with her paintings.
Highlands, N.C. is like a second home for Jackson. She and her husband have been visiting there since before they were married; the town hasn’t changed much since then.
A self-taught floral and landscape painter, Jackson started her journey into creativity with an art class in her teen years. It wasn’t until much later that she fully embraced her passion for painting.
Born and raised in Macon, Ga., Jackson’s artistic journey took shape gradually. After obtaining a degree in advertising, she found herself working in a bustling Buckhead PR firm where she met her husband.
Upon starting a family, Jackson put her artistic pursuits on hold to focus on motherhood. Today, from her converted carriage house garage studio, she creates captivating works of art.
Discovering the artist within
Once her daughters were grown, Jackson found the time to delve into her passion for painting. She began honing her skills, initially starting with watercolors and eventually transitioning into acrylics; she now uses both mediums.
Over the past twelve years, Jackson has dedicated herself to her art full-time, tirelessly perfecting her métier through trial and error, self-exploration and occasional workshops.
Capturing Southern tranquility
Inspiration for Jackson’s artwork comes from various sources, whether it’s a place she’s visited, the picturesque landscapes of her surroundings, art galleries, design studios or even from pieces requested by clients.
Jackson finds comfort in exploring the scenic vistas where she’s lived and drawing from the unique beauty of each location. Her paintings are infused with personal significance.
“Many of the landscapes are reflective of where I’ve lived or visit often in the South which have special meaning to me. The coastal scenes reflect the Georgia/South Carolina coast or the Gulf in the Santa Rosa Beach area. The countryside pieces and pathways are inspired from when I lived in Franklin, Tenn. or visited North Carolina,” she said.
The painter’s preferred subject matter often revolves around hydrangeas. Her floral paintings exude a sense of serenity and harmony, drawing viewers into a world of lush foliage and vibrant colors.
The space between realism and abstract art
What sets Jackson’s work apart is her distinctive style which she describes as abstract impressionism — a delicate balance between realism and abstraction. Through loose brushstrokes, palette knife sgraffitos and a harmonious blend of colors, she captures nature in a way that resonates with viewers, inducing feelings of tranquility.
“It’s not abstract to the point where you can’t recognize what you’re looking at. I want people to still identify with it, but it’s looser than a realistic painting. It’s like a transitional in between,” Jackson explained.
Embracing blue-green
Her signature blue-green palette, inspired by her love for the color green, has become synonymous with her artwork, sought after by collectors and interior designers alike.
It’s helpful that it’s a popular color scheme in decorating. Working with several interior designers, Jackson stays abreast of trends. People moving to Lake Oconee often commission work from the artist. Her shades of green and blue are ideal for lake houses.
“I’m trying to work myself into other hues. I have to keep those colors off my palette, or I’ll gravitate back to them,” Jackson said. She plans to explore different colors in new paintings and collect customer feedback received by the shops carrying her work.
Super-size
Jackson paints large canvases (48”x48”) as requested by designers. Though she was once “scared to death” of them, the large-scale pieces allow her to immerse herself in the creative process, granting her the freedom to express herself with fluidity and spontaneity.
She often incorporates texture into her paintings using palette knives, sponges and even unconventional tools like sticks from the yard, adding depth and dimension to her compositions.
A growing presence
Despite the demands of maintaining inventory for shows, her website, multiple galleries and interior design shops across Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas, as well as fulfilling commissions, Jackson remains dedicated to her craft. Her work ethic and perseverance have paid off, earning her recognition and admiration from art buffs and collectors.
Initially, it was challenging to get her artwork into stores. However, Jackson’s influence has grown in step with her social media presence. She’s paid her dues and today shops pursue her.
The artist is thankful to have built up her business. “I’m slowly trying to spread myself across the country,” Jackson revealed.
Although her daughters encourage her to take time off, Jackson finds it difficult. She’s in business for herself and feels the studio, just two doors away from the kitchen, calling.
A steady base of realtors keeps Jackson painting watercolor home portraits that they gift to their clients. They’re popular at Christmas, too.
As Jackson’s artistry continues to evolve, she remains grateful for the opportunity to share her passion with the world. With each painting she invites viewers to immerse themselves in the beauty of nature for a moment of respite from the chaos of everyday life.
Framing the narrative
The cost of framing large pieces is so prohibitive, Jackson paints the edges of gallery-wrapped canvases so they don’t require a frame. This leaves framing up to clients; some like gold, others want silver or wood. Many prefer to keep the paintings frameless.
Jackson does frame some of her smaller pieces (24”x24”, or 16”x20”). Usually, she uses modern floater frames. They’re not too expensive and they elevate the presentation of the work.
Her watercolor pieces are normally framed, but the artist also keeps some in a folder. People can purchase them loose and select frames to fit both their space and aesthetic.
Everything old is new again
Recently, Jackson has been exploring antique stores in search of old frames. There’s a treasure trove to be found with intricate designs and aged beauty. The artist has identified a growing appreciation for blending vintage elements with contemporary decor. She loves the thrill of the hunt!
Jackson repurposes the frames for special paintings that she thinks are fitting. Their ornate, almost gothic appearance reminiscent of a bygone era finds renewed admiration.
Other than applying a subtle wash to tone down excessively dark gold hues, the artist prefers to leave the frames untouched, allowing their original splendor to shine through. This endeavor has proven fruitful; her ornately framed pieces quickly find appreciative homes.
WAM
Preparing for art shows requires careful consideration. Jackson strives to offer a diverse selection of paintings in various sizes, styles and price points from $150 to $4,500, catering to the preferences of different patrons.
A mix of florals and landscapes — from small, intimate pieces to large, statement-making canvases — ensures there’s something for everyone.
The painter suggested a series of framed landscape paintings 20”x by 20” as a good idea for shows. Each one works as a standalone piece or can be configured in groupings. Instead of having to purchase one huge piece, people might get a few smaller ones to fit a space.
Jackson has been exhibiting at WAM since 2015, gaining a number of followers in the area. She appreciates the indoor luxuries and looks forward to client interactions.
“It has consistently been a good, well-attended show each year,” she said.
Find Jackson’s work
Those seeking to experience Jackson’s talent firsthand can find her work in galleries and design studios across the South. To inquire about purchasing a painting or commissioning a custom piece, visit her website at ejacksonart.com or follow her on Instagram @ejcolors.
Jackson’s artistic journey is a testament to the transformative power of creativity and the profound connection between artist and audience. Through her paintings, she invites us to pause and find solace in the timeless beauty of nature.
Purchase Jackson’s work in Georgia
- WebbMarsteller in Peachtree Hills, Atlanta
- Sunshine Village Art Gallery in Watkinsville
- Dogwoods Home in Clayton
- Ocmulgee Arts in Macon
- Julep Gallery on St. Simons Island
- Zeb Grant Design Home in Madison
Meagan Brooker
In her childhood days in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., Meagan Brooker longed to paint the sky and clouds on her bedroom ceiling. Her earliest memories include a yearning to express her creativity.
The little girl who once begged her mother for art supplies and classes was first encouraged to pursue her passion and develop her skills by a high school art teacher.
“I was doing a Georgia O’Keeffe replica in oil pastels. She walked up behind me and said, “Whoa, you’re really talented!” You always remember those who encourage you to do what you love,” Brooker stated.
Despite an early penchant for photography, Brooker’s family encouraged her to pursue pre-med studies at the University of Georgia. “Use your brain,” they told her. “You’re smart, make some money.”
But Brooker realized she didn’t want to study science for four years, much less practice medicine for the rest of her life. It simply didn’t interest her. Conversely, shifting to art second semester caused her to flourish, feel divinely inspired and never look back.
Nurturing creativity
While her mom was supportive, her dad would’ve likely continued to endorse a medical school path had he not passed away when she was in secondary school. She majored in Art Education at the University of Georgia.
Brooker transitioned to Wesleyan School after teaching elementary art in Gwinnett County for two years and participating in a year-long mission trip to Kentucky. During her second year at Wesleyan, she began working towards a Master of Studio Art degree at New York University.
Brooker has been a freelance artist for decades. She currently resides in Duluth. She’s been teaching high school art and witnessing the growth of Wesleyan’s visual arts program for 17 years.
From photography and ceramics to drawing and painting, Brooker loves working with and teaching about all types of art. Painting with a plenitude of textures and washes of color is her favorite.
Art teacher by day, artist by night
Once her young sons have gone to bed, Brooker can be found painting in her home studio surrounded by her work, an easel, tables and storage shelves.
The industrious working mom laments a lack of time. She craves longer stints in the studio to develop more robust work, both conceptually and physically.
For Brooker, painting is meditative self-care. It takes her away from the tasks of her daily life, fulfilling a need for self-expression and recreating the world around her. She derives satisfaction from depicting on canvas what she’s experienced while traveling.
Imagination takes flight
Brooker’s fascination with winged creatures began with seeing Raphael’s cupids when she was young. Later, she became enamored with birds on a wire and recently, she’s been painting birds and butterflies in flight. To the artist, they represent hope and resilience.
Her work is a pictorial ode to her father’s passing with spiritual undertones. Brooker finds flying animals and insects enchanting because they’re harbingers of something bigger than us. The artist believes there is more to this world than what we know and see.
Little loves
Wishing to spread beauty, calm and joy in the universe, Brooker creates artwork that reflects her personal experiences, wishes and dreams.
“When clients are moved by the same sentiment, it is a beautiful, spiritual connection,” she said.
The artist calls her 3”x3” and 6”x6” canvases “Little Loves.” Inspiration for these fast-selling pieces stems from a sentiment, quote or Bible verse featured on them.
Reflecting on the chosen words inspires the colors, textures and patterns the artist uses to represent them. Seeing clients emotionally drawn to her work warms Brooker’s heart. It tickles her to know that some pray and meditate with her tiny paintings before them on mini easels.
Brooker’s art
Brooker produces whimsical, textured and painterly acrylics on canvas ranging in size from 8”x8” to 46”x60”. Most of her canvases are 20”x30”. She works primarily with thicker acrylic paints, spellbound by the effects of experimenting with washes to create layers of unpredictable textures.
Palette knives are her tools of choice when creating texture with thick body Liquitex acrylic and Golden high flow acrylics. Intrigued by the unexpected, Brooker described her process.
“I cover every canvas with a layer of acrylic washes [water dotted with different colors of acrylic that bleed like watercolor and create a textural background] and however they land, color and texture-wise, I build from that as I’m inspired. I love that you don’t really know how it’s going to turn out at first,” she explained.
Robin’s egg blue, Payne’s gray (a dark blue-grey), golds, teals and some neutrals dominate Brooker’s palette. She’s drawn to abstraction because it’s harder than it looks, she said.
“Travel far enough, you meet yourself.” – David Mitchell
Traveling inspires Brooker’s landscapes. Working from pictures taken on her trips, she paints sceneries that captivated her, aiming to replicate their loveliness and the emotions she felt there.
“Italy is my heart,” she said, recalling her Cinque Terre series. She also painted an Ecuador series, enthralled by its mountains and verdant hills.
Wesleyan Artist Market
As an art teacher, Assistant Director of Fine Arts, Head of Visual Arts and a veteran exhibitor, Brooker has an insider’s perspective on the market. She sees how it comes together full circle.
She witnesses parents volunteering to put on this hugely successful event, giving generously of their time to the school. In turn, the faculty has more funds to better support students.
“It’s a beautiful testament to how much they care about the school and our mission. I’m very thankful,” she said.
Find Brooker’s paintings
Through her dedication to art education and her unwavering commitment to her craft, Brooker inspires others to embrace their creativity.
To view and purchase Brooker’s work, find her on Instagram @meaganbrookerfineart.
Learn more about Meagan Brooker in this episode of the Peachtree Corners Life podcast.
