Featured Artists
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Contemporary American Craft
Rockledge Design Studios
Artist Biographies:
About Christopher Royal Born in Greensboro, North Carolina, Christopher Royal grew up in the
south and went on to study Theater at the North Carolina School of the Arts from 1982 to 1987. After
graduation, he moved to Chicago where he worked as an actor for six years.
In between acting jobs, Royal began making and selling a successful line of contemporary jewelry and
in the process learned to manipulate a full range of metals. His quest to create something truly unique
and his fascination with architecture and design led Royal to create a series of miniature chair
sculptures made from brass, copper, steel, glass and intricate bead work.
In January of 1995 his art chairs caught the eye of the window designer for Tiffany & Company, and
she displayed the entire line in the windows later that month. Royal went on to design and build
sculptural display pieces for countless Tiffany windows over the next several years. At the same time,
Royal's "Art Chairs" were selling in galleries across the country and eventually became so popular that
he could no longer keep up with the demand of producing such labor-intensive handwork. This led to
the creation of a new line of miniature chairs cut from nickel silver, which have the added allure of
function. Each chair has a clip incorporated into the designing in order to hold photos, place cards,
business cards, etc. Royal's "Clip Chair" designs have been extremely popular and continue to sell in
fine stores all across the world.
In the fall of 1998, Royal met Fred Garbotz of Rockledge Design Studios, and the two began
discussing plans to translate the miniature designs into full size chairs. This has developed into a full
line of furniture including chairs, barstools, tables, lamps, mirrors and accessories and more.
About Fred Garbotz Fred Garbotz was born in Rhode Island and grew up on the East Coast. After
completing his B.A. in Business Administration at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, Garbotz
continued his education at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. There, in the 1970's, he
majored in both art and architecture. He then began his studies under several mid-western sculptors.
His unique and playful style of art was born under their tutelage.
For the past 20 years Fred has worked primarily in metal as an art form. He began with copper and
brass, then evolved into steel and aluminum, and now combines all metals plus glass for accents.
Today his work spans a wide spectrum including both sculpture and furniture. He prides himself in
creating pieces that marry form and function. "To me, my art is fun. Using the human body in a
simplified form, my furniture becomes more than function. I like to think that there is an underlying
personality in each piece that speaks out to you in a light and friendly way."
His sculptures, whether twelve inches high or twelve feet high, also reflect this philosophy that art is
to be enjoyed.
About Louise Matlock Even as a teenager, Louise Matlock threw her considerable energies into
various forms of creative arts, mainly oils, interior design and decorating - even some acting. Although
she enjoyed these explorations, none of them provided that special appeal that was truly satisfying.
She set about to learn from those sculptors she'd been admiring: Fritz van Eeden, Ellen Pavlokos, Burt
van Scoy, Bob Coon, Yvonne Weinstein and Stephanie de Barney. Louise taught clay sculpture at the
Brevard Art Center and Museum, and tutored her more promising students. Her works have been
displayed at museums and galleries, and she has won awards, including "Best of Show."
Louis credits her mentor, Fred Garbotz, founder of the Studios, with being a master of combining
artistry and whimsy and function, and for bringing her actively into the Studios - a whole new world
for Louise.
About Fred Babb
In 1984, Fred bought a Kiln and begins making small ceramic sculptures with faces in them. During
one firing, and explosion occurs and one face is sent off into a spiraling orbit, ending at the bottom of
the kiln. That face, after a few months of sitting on a studio shelf, was eventually painted and became
a pendant for Julia, his wife. Many friends commented on it and said that it should have earrings to
match. So Fred and Julia together developed a line of ceramic jewelry called Ear Heads. Because that's
what they were - Earrings and pins that were faces. Eventually, the line grew to include other
products such as T-Shirts, Clocks, Cards, Magnets and Mugs. They have over the years acquired a
somewhat irreverent bent, poking fun at human behavior and how it relates to art. In 1991, Ear Heads
officially became WHAT IZ ART and a store of the same name was opened in Cambria, CA where
Fred and his family moved in 1988. The moral of this true story is: if something blows up in your kiln,
it's not necessarily a bad thing
