Ashton Hill
President - Cofounder - Gallery Director
Ashton Hill is the creator of visionary artworks she affectionately calls "fairytale surrealism" under her pseudonym Kettle Head Art, and a founder of the Pigment Sanctuary Art collective. As an artist, director, and event coordinator, she has made her mark on the East Coast creative scene for nearly a decade. Chasing knowledge from university education to master mentorship, from individual studies to collaborative practices, Ashton has followed her artistic passion into all the spaces that the muses have led. Influencing social change and community improvement have also been part of her purpose, and has exhibited itself in her involvement with outreach and gallery coordination. As director of the Pigment Sanctuary at events such as Mountain Music Festival in the New River Gorge, West Virginia, she has bolstered a community of artists that spans the East Coast. Ashton is currently studying under the tutelage of Master painter Philip Rubinov-Jacobson in the long lineage of mischtechnik, aiming towards apprenticeship. She majored in fine art, psychology and education in her college years and has expounded on her educational pursuits through a variety of self motivated experiences over the last decade.
You can find more about her and her work at www.kettleheadart.com
Lacey Vilandry
Vice President - Cofounder - Gallery Director
My love for painting stems from the artistic practice my mother instilled in me as a child. It was the one thing that provided not only a way to escape in stressful times, but also a way to slowly manifest the world I wish to see. For nearly a decade I have been a live painter with the crew of magical beings that make up the Pigment Sanctuary. This is where I experienced the immediate impacts of the power that art has on individuals. I graduated with a BFA from James Madison University in 2016, and during the summer of 2017 and 2018 I continued my education with the Vienna Academy of Visionary Art. I am exploring all the different paths open to me, and while I’m excited to see where I go, I am thoroughly enjoying the journey.
Billy Morgan
Director of Media - Cofounder
I am an independent filmmaker residing in Princeton, West Virginia. I have been involved
with filmmaking ever since I was a child making action movies in the backyard. Having had
experience in public television, I decided to hit the road with several friends to create the
Amazon docuseries: Wandering Down the Road. Now my passions lie with film making to create change in communities like Princeton. I want to lift artists and inspire viewers to live their passions. Above all, I want to capture the heart and soul of everyone who appears in front of my lens. I find that too often we miss the interesting stories that make us who we are because it can be intimidating to be in front of a camera. I dig to find the driving forces that connect us to ourselves and each other, while making a comfortable space for the interviewee. I believe that if we, as creatives, can show the world how much love is poured into our work, if we can show them the real us rather than a mask, we can inspire hope in everyone who experiences it.
Harrison Crawford
Administrative Assistant
Harrison Crawford visualizes the abstract fantastical world of deities and divinities and solidifies them on the canvas for their audience. Visually they are well known for their juxtaposition of the saccharine and satanic, personifying the invisible forces that guide human nature. In the same way, they work with ideas, pulling possibilities from a place of fantasy and employing an almost magical ability to create space for those ideas to be discussed and made practical. Seeking to be more than just the renderings on the canvas, they are beginning to facilitate an environment that is culturally and imaginatively intoxicating.
Deeply dedicated to art, civically and technically, they sought tutorship from masters like Prof. Phillip Robinson and Mantra Cora, specializing in the Mische technique, as well as great artist citizens like those of the Riff Raff Collective. Helping to create a new world with all they were capable of in Princeton, West Virginia, they hope to continue to grow both exponentially and magnificently with new mediums, moments, and artners.
Shannon Shine
Treasurer - Executive Assistant
Shannon Shine is not only an artist but also a light barer, healing facilitator, passion project coach, energy work practitioner, with a focus in energy medicine for healing trauma and coping with anxiety and life changes. Coming from a life of many traumatic experiences and much loss Shannon created a platform and various programs to help others find their way out of dark times and into a lifestyle of light using art and other creative outlets. Shannon is connected to the spirit world through an energetic channel that has guided her through out her life and creation process, she has very strong intuition and a deep connection to color and expression that shows through her art. Shannon’s art style is whimsical colorful and full of texture and layers of emotion. From dreamscapes, animal imagery, to oracle and mythical influences her pieces vary in visual aspects but each holds a special intention and journey for the viewer. Shannon is also an author, podcast host, and community event, and gallery organizer. As a podcaster Shannon is the co-founder of the Bring Me 2 Life Network which is a platform for other media and podcast creators to also share their passions. You can find more about Shannon and her offerings directly at www.shantasticshine.com Or check out her biggest passion project the Bring Me 2 Life Network at www.bringme2life.com
Rachel Rowse
Branch President - Willmington Chapter - Gallery Director
Artist Rachel Rowse grew up in Vancouver, Canada and graduated with her BFA and a minor in psychology from Appalachian State University in North Carolina in 2018. Rachel focuses on using illustration as a tool for education. She uses drawing typically done in pencil, pen and ink, and watercolor to produce colorful, surreal images that open up a space to learn and talk about concepts otherwise left undiscussed. Her work draws off themes from her background knowledge in psychology as well as her experiences from every day life. Rachel is currently working out of Durham, NC. In addition to her own work, she is working as a digital artist for a small independent clothing company based out of Wilmington, NC called Love That Baby.
Dacotah Rae
Secretary
Dacotah Honovi is the creator of MadameCoyoteArt. She is an admirative collector of treasures found amongst moss laden forest floors, of and among the branches of trees. Dacotah has a fondness of utilizing such things of nature to inspire her “folk” craft, as she believes a connection with earth (,its trees of forgotten language and its creatures) is powerful. Being a self-taught artist of raw materials, she upcycles leather and fabrics to create things of utility, body flair, and decorative pieces adorned with ritual and beauty. Through raw authenticity she hopes to reflect alluring imagery of both old and all worldly creations interwoven with magic and earthly talismans. There has always been a resonance for her with handmade crafts, objects of antiquity, and things of raw form. Dacotah believes that the intricate architecture of what remains of a creature are beautiful emblems of their spirit's uniqueness; even after they have traveled on from it. She feels the astounding fortification of its existence through evolution's intent on survival, still shines through its bones.
Dacotah has landed in Princeton, WV. She was living in what she admiringly calls her witch hut outside of Lexington, VA on community land. She has recently leapt to contribute her frequency to that of a group collective. She is looking forward to discovering the harmonies that may be potential through synchronizing with others in a way that she never has before. She is amongst beautifully intricate artists all with common goals. To create, grow, inspire and build community. Dacotah hopes to plant seeds of hope through her journey and within her craft as it grows. She believes that by encouraging each other's raw uniqueness and process through creativity, we can potentially heal ourselves and solidify stepping stones for the next generations.