19th Century Artists
Little is known about the county’s artists during the 19th century. There were some, as the ads below show, but the artistic talent of one man was recorded in two articles for The Heritage of Cleveland County. Johnnie Morehead Queen wrote an article about the old Sharon School, writing,
“One teacher, Mr. Balfer (sic), was described as being hump-shouldered, but he was a real artist. He could make any animal, even an elephant, seem to come alive on the board.“
Pat Poston had researched the history of the old Broad River Academy and discovered R. J. Balfour taught school there as well. She wrote:
“Balfour was a talented artist, and when he drew a picture of a baptizing, performed by Tom Dixon, every figure was recognizable.”
R. J. Balfour was Robert J. Balfour. Information about him is limited. What is known from census records is that he was born in New York in 1852, was living in Kings Mountain and working as a school teacher in 1880, and by 1900 had moved to Grover where he reported his occupation as “Collector.” Balfour married Jane Bryson in Cleveland County, NC in 1878. How did a Harvard-educated man from New York wind up in Cleveland County? Where did he and his wife end up? The back story may be forever lost to history. Read more of Mrs. Poston’s story here.
20th Century Artists
in Memoriam
Stephanie Pogue was born in Shelby and attained international recognition for printmaking. Below is a sampling of her work.
Mary Helen Hambright Patrick, 1922-2006. An accomplished visual artist herself, she was also a patron of the arts, serving eight years on the Board of Directors of The Shelby Art League and the Board of Directors of the Kings Mountain Little Theatre in its early years.
Linda Bowen Putnam was an award-winning art instructor for the Cleveland Community College Continuing Education Program;
She also shared her love of art with children, whom she loved to teach painting.
Bob Shepherd
Active Artists and Galleries
In 2010, Nico Amortegui was operating a small business in uptown Shelby. By 2011, he had recaptured his artistic spirit and become a full-time artist.
Known for large-scale paintings and murals, Nico’s mural works can be found in numerous cities including Charlotte, Winston-Salem, Durham, Atlanta, DC, and Tel Aviv. Visit his website here.
Hal Bryant is a retired art professor who taught painting and photography classes at Cleveland Community College. In recent years, he has been focusing on digital photography projects.
Ann Hord-Heatherley, a native of Lawndale, is a mixed-media figurative artist. She is a member of the Southern Highlands Craft Guild, and an artist member of NIADA, an international organization of doll artists, and patrons. See her work here.
Jean Hord Roberts, another Lawndale native (and sister to Ann) is a talented painter. Her work ranges from landscapes to people and other creatures of nature.
Jesse James Lott is a folk artist from Shelby. Also employed by Cleveland Community College, he is known for his generous gifts of art to people he meets.
Randy McNeilly has earned the honor of North Carolina’s most award-winning photographer. Most recently he had two images scoring perfect 100’s at the 2015 Southeastern Professional Photographers’ Association Convention. Out of the 1,100 entries, one of McNeilly’s was awarded “Best of Show.” Visit his website.
Phillip Philbeck is an acclaimed landscape artist. His studio is located in upper Cleveland County. View his work here.
William Joseph Suttle
Joseph Suttle’s interest in art began as a child when he was confined to a wheelchair for years with a hip disease. He has been painting and teaching art most of his life. He now works and teaches in his studio in Monroe, NC. Read more…
Bob Trotman, a resident of upper Cleveland County, was named to the College of Fellows of The American Craft Council in 2020. A self-taught sculptor, his work is held in the permanent collections of many museums including the Museum of Art of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution, and the Museum of Art and Design in new York, (among others). View his work here.
Other Cleveland County artists currently active include:
| Susan Bell | water media, collage, pastels |
| Pat Edwards | pastels and cards |
| Darrin Griggs | woodcut prints |
| Susan Jones | pottery |
| Charlie McDonald | painting |
| Terrie Melton | cards, collage, acrylic painting |
| Martha Moore | watercolor, oil painting |
| Beverly Putnam | fiber |
| Connie Rupprecht | pottery |
| Katie Shires | jewelry |
The Cleveland County Arts Council is located in the historic Shelby Post Office on Washington Street directly across from the Earl Scruggs Center. This organization was started in 1986; its history can be accessed here.
Each year the Arts Council sponsors the Carolina Pottery Festival at the LeGrand Center in Shelby. This year the following potters’ work will be featured. For more information, visit here.
- Pamela Bailey — Pam Bailey Pottery
- Tom and Kathy Banfield — Banfield Pottery
- Dianna Bessette — Glazed Expressions
- Bobbie Black — BH Black Pottery
- Elizabeth Cahill — Elizabeth Cahill by Hand
- Kyle Carpenter — Green Thumb Pottery
- Cathy Cash and Bruce Jordan — Jordan Mill Pottery
- Debbie Chapman — Skunk Hollow Pottery
- David Clark — Mudslinger Pottery
- Lisa Claytor — Mud Slinger Pottery
- Jan Collier — Happy Toad Pottery
- Lisa and Pat Connell — Connell’s Clay
- Lourdes (Lu) Cuevas — Barro Decor LLC
- Rita Diehl — Diehl’s Pottery
- Sandy Forbes — Legacy House Clay
- Gene and Nan Freeman — Foo’s Pottery
- Maria Frey — Potteria
- Vicki Gill — Bluegill Pottery
- Mary Grum — Kickwheel Studio
- Mark Guess — Caveman Pottery
- Kim Haig — Kim Haig Pottery
- Dan Hebert — Pots by A’bear
- Eric Holder — Eric Holder Pottery
- Dorothy Houlditch — Red Feather Pottery
- Virginia Hurley — Tigersmoon Design
- Becca Irvin — Becca Irvin Pottery
- Misty Johnson — Misty Mountain Studio
- Susan Jones — Susan Jones Pottery
- Melissa and Jeff Kniceley — Talking Mud Pottery
- Ed Lane — Ed Lane Pottery and Design
- Mike Ledford — Joe’s Lake Pottery
- Dollie Letourneau and Mike Lahr — Ravenswood Pottery
- Nikki and Matthew Lonon — Lonon Pottery
- Amanda Maishman — Ceramic Sorcery
- Keith Martindale — Keith Martindale Pottery
- Pam McLeod — Pamdora’s
- Jodi McNeely — Jodi Lynn Pottery
- Raine Middleton — Raine Middleton Pottery
- Olivia Mourglea and Carolyn Walker — Walker-Mourglea Pottery
- Richard Dana Paul — Peaceful Path Pottery
- Deborah Celeste Perkins — Pottery by Celeste
- Remo Piracci — Pottery by Remo
- John and Scottie Post — Hog Hill Pottery
- Rebecca Reiff and Sally Tatham — Black Pug Pottery
- Gail Richard — Mud Pie Pottery
- John Saunders
- Lisa Schmidt — Everyday Earthenware
- Jennifer Schraw — JLS Pottery
- Renwick Price Shealy — Renwick Arts, LLC
- Cris Tadesse — Crisanthemum Ceramics
- Tom and Abby Whitaker — Potter at Large
- Tricia Woodland — Woodland Pottery
Southern Arts Society, Inc. (SASi) is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 by A. B. Mauney Snow and local artists. Although based in Kings Mountain at 301 N. Piedmont Avenue, membership extends throughout the two Carolinas.
Former Artists and Galleries
Ford McDonald was the art teacher at Shelby High School from 1968 until his retirement in 2009. Doug Pruett was the art teacher at Crest High School for many years. Steven Greenway left Shelby for California in the 1970s to study at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. He returned in the late 1970s to establish his business in commercial art.
Ernest Gaye was active in the Cleveland County art scene in the 1990s.
Shelby native Leah Dedmon Cheston lives in Washington, DC where she and her husband own and operate Right Proper Brewing Company. Pieces shown are from “Time’s Web” Painting and Digital Media exhibit at Wake-Forest University, 2004.
Buffalo Creek Gallery was located at 104 E. Warren Street across the street from the Earl Scruggs Center in Shelby. Theirs was a cooperative art gallery that was established in 2006. At one time the gallery carried the work of over 50 local and regional artists, featuring pottery, handcrafted jewelry, fiber art, photography, paintings, drawings, hand woven baskets, hand blown glass, cards, woodwork, and more.
It closed in 2025.
| Buffalo Creek Gallery Members | |
| Susan Bell | water media, collage, pastels |
| Pat Edwards | pastels and cards |
| Darrin Griggs | woodcut prints |
| Susan Jones | pottery |
| Terrie Melton | cards, collage, acrylic painting |
| Martha Moore | watercolor, oil painting |
| Beverly Putnam | fiber |
| Connie Rupprecht | pottery |
| Katie Shires | jewelry |
Cleveland County History 