Congratulations to the Winners and Finalists of Paradise City Arts’ 2026 Collectors Recognition Awards! Thousands of you, our patrons, participated in this competition. Voters recognized artists & makers for their achievements across all media categories based on design, skill, originality, and imagination. The votes were remarkably close, and we thank everyone for their participation.
Vanessa Chatwood Kerby, Ceramics (First Prize Winner)
Vanessa is a ceramic artist, painter, musician and educator. She holds an M.A. and BFA in Art Education from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and has been a practicing art educator since 2010.
Working out of her studio in Goshen, MA, Kerby has channeled her passion into ceramics. The artist draws inspiration from moments of revelry, psychedelia, and sacred rituals, reimagining medieval iconography and Victorian sensibilities for a contemporary audience. Her work begins with sketching her ceramic project, planning the illustrative aspects, then using hand building and wheel-thrown techniques to create the desired forms. She employs a range of surface design methods for drawing and patterning, with a focus on Sgraffito and Mishima techniques complemented by metallic luster and crystalline glaze combinations. With each piece, she endeavors to create a tangible connection to the past while embracing the possibilities of the future, seamlessly combining craft and art.
Vanessa is the owner of Goshen Ocean Ceramics, an independent, woman owned business specializing in functional ceramic art and commissioned collections. She currently has collections for sale at PINCH in Northampton MA, Gallery in the Woods in Brattleboro VT, The Joinery Gallery in Easthampton MA and The Sawmill River Arts Gallery at the Montague Bookmill in Montague MA. Vanessa is an exhibiting artist with Paradise City Art Festivals in Northampton MA.
William Lamountain, Metal (First Prize Winner)
Lamountain ForgeWorks started in 2021 as a passion project seeking to tap into the universal stream of creativity to make functional pieces of art.
“I have always felt a deep connection to humanity’s innate vision to take raw materials and craft breathtaking things. This desire has connected us as a people throughout history. It is my mission to carry that tradition forward with every project.”
Kyra Teis, 2-D Mixed Media (First Prize Winner)
“I create color-driven contemporary art shaped by hand-painted textures, sophisticated color relationships, and a mixed-media process that bridges traditional materials and digital flexibility. My practice brings together strong design instincts, organic backgrounds, and floating geometric forms that hold a clear, distinctive point of view.
With a 30-year career in children's book illustration under my belt, I've turned my attention in the past few years to chasing color and texture free of text but full of story. Each art piece anchors impressions from life experiences...fascination with Japanese textiles and color palettes...joyful interactions with the natural world...observing architectural details in urban environments. The result is a growing body of work that speaks the structured language of the modern world while offering thrilling imperfections found only in things hand-made and time-worn.
At Paradise City Festivals, I hope to share my work with collectors who crave the emotional zip of strong colors, tempered by structured compositions. My goal is simple: Offer art that lives well in people’s homes while holding a small, private reserve of texture and memory for whoever stops to examine them closely.”
Caitlin Burch, Glass (Finalist)
“I am a second-generation glassblower and self-taught lampworker. Glass—along with the handmade life that surrounds it—has been a constant presence in my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up with an understanding that making things by hand is more than a profession; it is a way of moving through the world, of paying attention, and of finding beauty in both process and form.
My work has evolved alongside my relationship with glass. I was first juried into the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen for my torchworked glass and sterling silver jewelry, and later juried again for my handblown glass. Over more than two decades as a professional glass artist, color has become one of the most recognizable elements of my work. I am especially drawn to reactive and silvered glasses, using striking and reduction techniques to coax out layers of color, depth, and variation. There is an element of discovery in the process that I love—the chemistry of the glass and the atmosphere of the flame leave their own subtle mark, ensuring that no two pieces are ever quite the same.
What first drew me to glass—and what continues to hold me—is its inherent grace and beauty. Molten glass is fluid, luminous, and constantly moving. The challenge is not simply to shape it, but to work in partnership with it: to capture some of that movement and vitality while allowing the material's characteristics to remain visible in the finished piece. Glass can be quiet and expressive, subtle and bold, controlled but also wonderfully unpredictable.
For me, working with glass is also a form of meditation. My father, a glassblower, has always spoken about “dancing with the glass”—learning its rhythm, responding to it rather than forcing it, and ultimately learning to live with it. Those words have stayed with me throughout my career.
After a lifetime surrounded by glass, I understand that dance in a way I could not have when I was younger. Glass has become part of the rhythm of my days and part of how I understand myself as a maker. Even after all these years, there is still discovery in it—the heat, the movement, the color, and that fleeting moment when molten glass becomes something lasting.
I still love the dance.”
Hetty Friedman, Wearable Fiber (Finalist)
Born in Brooklyn, Hetty Friedman fell in love with weaving at a Connecticut arts camp in 1966—and it has been a lifelong passion ever since. Her journey has taken her from an MFA in Visual Design and an MBA in Inventory Control Management to a 30-year management career in the garment industry, where she developed the business and production expertise that would later shape her artistic practice.
In 2009, Hetty founded Hetty Friedman Designs, creating handwoven scarves, shawls and other textile pieces known for their rich color, texture and unexpected combinations. Her work is sold through museum shops, women’s boutiques, juried art shows and from her studio in Newton, Massachusetts.
Hetty’s work is inspired by the Bauhaus artists Joseph and Anni Albers, Guatemalan Indigenous weavers, Matisse and Picasso. She frequently hand paints her yarn and embraces the unexpected, combining strong and unusual colors to create textiles that are both contemporary and deeply rooted in the traditions of weaving. Her work is woven on a 36-inch, four-harness LeClerc, an eight-harness Macomber and a Baby Wolf Schacht eight-harness loom. Her Newton studio is filled with a collection of yarns, colors and materials that fuel her creative process.
Hetty’s commitment to Guatemala is at the heart of Crafts for a Cause, which she founded in 2000. Combining her love of handwoven textiles with her connection to the Guatemalan Highlands, she partners with a Fair Trade weavers’ cooperative and travels there to work with Maya backstrap weavers, sharing techniques and collaborating on new products. Through Crafts for a Cause, she supports organizations focused on reproductive health and education and issues affecting women and girls.
Hetty continues to bring together art, design, business experience and social impact through her weaving and community work.
Patty Bolz, Jewelry (Finalist)
“I create my jewelry in 18k and 22k gold with a strong emphasis on both form and texture, and am often inspired by elements found in nature. I am especially drawn to the structure, strength and boldness of inorganic formations which translates into much of my work. The pieces I create are handcrafted, employing age-old goldsmithing techniques, and my goal is to design jewelry that is both dynamic and wearable.
All of my pieces originate in the studio and begin with a sketch. Core Collection work begins with models which I either fabricate in silver, or carve in wax before casting in silver. The model is then molded, allowing for a piece to be built multiple times.
My one-of-a-kind work is built directly in 22k gold. While these pieces also begin with a sketch, they lend themselves to spontaneity and creative freedom during production. The final product is unique and often quite different from the original design. Jewelry pieces in this collection are not replicated.
My work has been exhibited in galleries and shows throughout the country and featured in books and publications showcasing contemporary jewelry design.”
