At Suzanne Johnson’s studio in Grand Blanc, a rainbow of sparkling stones glitter like a treasure trove. Deep rubies, sparkling sapphires and multi-colored tourmaline shine from their settings. Suzanne’s approach to creating jewelry is as rare as the stones on display, and has made her famous in Genesee County. Today, Suzanne is known for designing

It has been said that one’s man’s trash is another man’s treasure. This rings especially true for Davison scrap metal artist, Stacy Rhines. Most people look at a pile of junk and see – well, a pile of junk! Stacy sees a turtle, a grasshopper or a snowman. His whimsical art, made from metal scraps,

Over the past 80 years, comics have woven themselves into the fabric of American culture, creating a modern mythology. New characters become gods, worshipped by readers and non-readers alike for the values they personify: Batman as the epitome of human ingenuity and vengeance, Superman as justice and virtue, Wonder Woman as feminism and nobility of

The words intriguing, salvaged and bizarre describe Todd Nikola’s art, if not the man himself. Sparks fly in a small workshop attached to a brick home on the corner of Miller Road and Ida Street. Todd is at it again, welding another of his unusual creations made from discarded metals. “I try not to pay

City-dwellers know that there are those who maliciously vandalize and damage property by spray-painting gang insignias and vulgar messages on public property. What many don’t know is that there are legitimate graffiti and street artists such as Charles Boike, who will almost certainly flip everything that you thought you knew about the underground art form

Crystal Pepperdine, founder and executive director of Flint Handmade, considers herself a “recreational” crafter. And while she’s a talented crafter, her skills extend further yet. “I was definitely a creative child, but my real talent is organizing things,” she laughed. By blending her organizational skills with her creative side, Crystal helped create a local conglomerate

This one is not for the faint of heart, but admirers of the raw and grit will appreciate the new look of comics created by Chad Gibson of Sinister Undertone Comics. Gibson designed comics filled with monsters of old: vampires and vampire hunters who are true to their traditional historical characterizations, and not the kind

“What is art to you?” I ask, not fully understanding the naiveté of my question. “Ha!” she chuckles. “I feel like I’m back in high school. We had to write, ‘Art is, dot dot dot.’” She pauses. “That’s such a postmodern question,” she replies. I think to myself, “How did I walk into that wall?

Flint artist Anni Crouter, who was featured in our November issue, has recently realized her dream of becoming a member of the American Watercolor Society. The gravity of the AWS honor was noted in the November article entitled “An Artist Aloft” in these words: “[to]be a member of the AWS is to be accepted into

A new exhibit opened last month at the FIA that promises to challenge viewers with its honest and outspoken art. Point of View: Contemporary African American Art from the Elliot and Kimberly Perry Collection is a compilation of paintings, photography, collage, sculpture, prints and video from some of the world’s most well-known, and unknown black

The word prolific is no exaggeration when used to describe local artist, Lavarne Ross. Better to call him a factory, producing art at a rate that could have kept up with General Motors in its heyday. While the number of paintings Ross has created in his lifetime is truly astonishing, even more incredible is the

Many of you have enjoyed the stories of rock ’n roll provided to My City Magazine each month by Flint native and godfather of Flint rock radio, Peter C. Cavanaugh. Amidst the trophies populating Cavanaugh’s brilliant career lays one of the foremost examples of rock radio done right and a pioneer of album-oriented rock: the