Janet Lockerby McCoig, an East Tennessee native now living in North Carolina, is a metal artist with a fresh approach to this traditional craft. 

Janet's medium of choice includes copper, silver and brass sheet metal,  which she manipulates using traditional hand tools to create three dimensional representations of the observed world. Some of her favorite and most unique tools were passed down from her grandfather, which gives the artist a sense of time and place when she holds one in her hand, thus infusing each creative experience with a sense of memory.  

The inspiration for her work is drawn from her surroundings: the memory of a hiking trail may lend itself to the creation of a trillium brooch, just as a drive down a mountain road may result in the creation of an abstract piece modeled after a tin roof.  

Janet holds a B.A. from the University of Tennessee where she majored in anthropology with a minor in geology.  Using the background in anthropology to explore cultural design motifs and decorative embellishments of everyday objects has had a great influence on her work. Understanding the properties of semi-precious gemstones has proved the value of her studies in geology. It is the culmination of these educational experiences, along with her grandfather's tools and long walks in her native Appalachian landscape that are represented in each object she creates.