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.
Thomas Root
Thomas Root
Madison, MS
Wood
Mixed Media
Guild member since 2008
As a self-retired CEO of two companies, Tom found himself with time on his hands. He started making trivets out of wine corks for neighbors and friends as a method of filling some of that time. Soon his creations were so much in demand that he branched out to making lamps, wine bottles, fish, flowers, and butterflies out of wine corks. Tom cuts the corks in half to provide a flat surface and hot glues them to 1⁄4 or 1⁄2 inch laminated boards. When the design is finished, a frame is custom cut to match the board. Each piece of art comes ready to hang with hook, brackets, and wall spacers made from a bed of hot glue sprinkled with cork dust.
Alvin Schilling
Alvin Schilling
Purvis, MS
Wood
Bowls
Guild member since 1996
Alvin began woodworking in his father’s shop as a child, making birdhouses, lamps, tables, etc. In 1992, he began turning bowls and in 1995, attended the John Campbell School on hollow vessel turning. Alvin is drawn to the beauty of the natural edge bowl, as it retains more of the natural characteristics of the tree. Alvin’s work with a large paper company allowed him to visit wood-turners and lather manufacturers all over North America. This has led to an excellent level of versatility and creativity in his bowls.
Michelle and Dayton Scoggins
Michelle and Dayton Scoggins
Heidelberg, MS
Wood
Sculpture
Guild member since 2003
Dayton’s subjects are usually wildlifes. He has given extensive demonstrations across the United States and abroad and has won dozens of awards. Some of these awards include placing third at the invitational English Open Competition, held at the Queen’s estate in Sandringham, and representing the United States in an international event in Japan in 2007. He has taken first place awards in competitions in several states.
Charles Smith
Charles Smith
Rankin County Ms
Joined the Guild 2023
Wood Sculpture
I live on about forty acres at the end of a long gravel road outside of Star Ms. I am eighty one years old and I am a artist. I have a studio among the shade trees near the house my wife was raised in. This is where I do my work.
I am a self taught painter and wood sculpture. I am told my style is “primitive”. Say what you want, but my stuff is unique.
Wood sculpture is something that is taking up more and more of my time these days. I walk the wood near my home looking for abandoned homesteads hidden away. I find a lot of old growth cedar and cypress at these sites. The more twisted and gnarled a piece of wood is, the better. I dig out the roots, keeping them intact and take back to the house to clean and get started on the trimming and sanding and carving.
Before ever making the first cut I give the wood time to awaken from its long sleep and tell me what it is going to be.
I use small hand tools to carve and shape. I sand in a way to bring out the color and personality of the wood. Natural color is the best. The end result might serve a practical purpose, such as a table. But, I actually prefer it when one of my pieces stands as abstract art.
Jason Smith
Jason Smith
Clinton, MS
Wood/Gourds
Musical Instruments, Banjos, etc.
Guild member since 2014
Jason Smith is a builder and player of banzas. ‘Banza” was the name given in the early French West Indies colonies to a 4-string guitar-like instrument made of a skin-covered half gourd to which is attached a long, flat neck which supports strings. The banza was also called a ‘banjer,’ a banjar,’ and a ‘bandalore,’ and many other terms in the English colonies and mainland. Jason began learning his craft of banza construction in 1993 after meeting Scott Didlake of Jackson, MS. He uses high quality gourds grown primarily in Mississippi, and salvaged Mississippi heart pine, as well as imported wood to build banzas of many different sizes, scale lengths, and string configurations. Banzas can be built with or without frets.
Bryan Smyda
Bryan Smyda
Brandon, MS
Wood
Furniture
Guild member since 2002
Bryan has worked in many mediums, but he loves capturing the beauty of wood for fine furniture. His work ranges from custom kitchens, entertainment centers, beds, tables, mantles, to chairs. He loves to work with both domestic and exotic woods. The mix of traditional and contemporary designs produces a beautiful result.
Sis & D’s Spoons
Sis & D’s Spoons
Brandon, MS
Wood
Spoons
Guild member since 2001
The artistry of Sis & D’s began as an accident with a broken store-bought wooden spoon and some ice cream. Doug Lamb took tools and wood to his workshop to create a functional spoon that would serve his needs. Friends and neighbors saw the spoon and soon the process had to be expanded to fit a growing demand. Doug found a partner in fellow artist Celeste Wild and the adventure started. Their spoons are made from the finest hardwood with each piece uniquely designed to show the beauty of the wood and the imagination and skill of the artists. Sis & D’s spoons can now be found in all 50 states and in at least 22 foreign countries.
John Stenmark
John Stenmark
Madison, MS
Wood
Turning
Guild member since 2008
John likes the fact that the pieces of wood he works with continue to surprise him; one never turns out exactly the way he thinks it will, but they all add texture to his life. He has spent the last seven years concentrating on learning the skills required to practice his craft. He has learned to turn the usual forms and projects, and he has experimented with a variety of surface techniques, texturing, gilding, and patination, stone inlay, and carving. He expects to spend the next seven years stretching those skills and bringing even more innovative ideas to his works.
Adrian Sturdivant
Adrian Sturdivant
Brandon, MS
Wood
Turned
Guild member since 1995
The majority of Adrian’s work is wooden bowls (open and closed faced with and without natural edge) and hollow form art. He also turns Christmas ornaments, wooden pens, and an occasional spinal. He derives satisfaction from sharing enthusiasm for wood with others, especially with beginning woodworkers. Adrian has served as chair of the Mississippi Woodworkers and to work with Magnolia Woodturners, Inc., and to serve two years on the Board of Directors of the American Association of Woodturners, Inc.
Mike Thompson
Mike Thompson
Raleigh, MS
Gourds
Gourds
Guild member since 2005
Mike and Michelle began growing gourds on their farm in 1996 and were fascinated by their sizes, shapes, and characteristics. Making useful and beautiful items from gourds has grown into a wonderful experience for them. They make intricate cuts with a mini jigsaw to produce baskets, open bowls, and bowls with close fitting lids. They use a wood burner and rotary tools to burn and engrave designs. Mike uses hand-held gouges for chip carving and relief carving. They use stains and dyes on the exterior to enhance the natural beauty of the gourd. The transformation from a plain ol’ dirty gourd to a beautifully handcrafted gourd is not an easy one, they say. Part of the transformation is a chore and part is fun, just like life.
Terry Tjader
Terry Tjader
Petal, Mississippi
Wood
Guild member since 2007 Emeritus status since 2019
Allen Whittington
Allen Whittington
Natchez, MS
Wood, Fiber
Baskets (Nantucket ), Caning
Guild member since 1991
Johnny Wilson
Johnny Wilson
Crystal Springs, MS
Wood
Spoons/Bowls
Guild member since 2010
“Nugget” Wilson’s journey into designing a spoon or other kitchen utensils begins with a unique piece of wood. All decisions made concerning the shape and size are determined with the first feel of the wood. He uses the ‘leftovers,’ the bits and pieces, and the ‘nuggets’ that the carpenter can no longer use. He uses the burls and wild grain patterns that are not appropriate for what the cabinetmaker needs. His signature is the curved and crooked handles made to comfortably fit the cook’s hand.