Ellington

Elizabeth Robinson, owner of Spirit House Glass in Fondren Corner (2906 N. State St., 601-212-6635) is the only Mississippi artist represented by ArtFulHome.com and artcommission.com. Both sites strive to connect artists with those looking to acquire art.

The organizations chose Robinson to be on their sites in September. ArtFulHome used a jury—headed by former curator of the Smithsonian Institution's Renwick Gallery Michael Monroe—to select her work. Artcommission.com chose her for her ability to do commission work.

Robinson's glass birds are on display in the fall and holiday catalogs and on the front page of ArtFulHome.

"It was kind of not exactly planned—coincidental—for me to wind up on both of (the sites) at the same time," Robinson said. "It seemed serendipitous to me."

Toni Sykes founded ArtFulHome.com as The Guild, an art publishing company, in 1985. In 1999, theguild.com became one of the first online art galleries. Three years ago, Sykes left the company to start artcommission.com, which gives people seeking commissioned artwork an easier way to find artists.

"A lot of the artists represented on (ArtFulHome and artcommission.com) are peers of mine on a national level, whose work I've kept up with," Robinson said. "I've been a glass artist for 30 years. This (series of glass birds and fish) has been my first commitment to a series of work that could be represented as a catalog. It's a huge commitment for this work that can be represented in a catalog and then purchased, and the patron knows what they're getting."

Robinson is a former president of the Craftmen's Guild of Mississippi and an active member of Jackson's art community. Her work has been featured around Jackson, including at the Mississippi Crafts Center (950 Rice Road, 601-856-7546), the Mississippi Museum of Art (380 S. Lamar St., 601-960-1515) and, of course, her Spirit House Glass.

Robison said in a press release that she hopes to expose organizations such as ArtFulHome and Artcommission to Mississippi artists.

"It's fun for me to watch all the energy of the younger artists who are staying home instead of moving away from Jackson," Robinson said. "During my time, we stayed because we wanted to, but a lot of our contemporaries left to go to New York or out to the west coast to be a part of art movements that were already under way. It's fun to watch (young artists) be determined to make it happen here."