Winter Marlborough • Show Stoppers

The Paradise City Arts show in Marlborough, Massachusetts showcases 170 of the “best-of-the-best” of America’s most exciting independent artists, designers and master craft makers. Many remarkable artists were selected to exhibit here this November. 

We are pleased to welcome a fresh crop of exhibitors to the show. From those artists participating in Paradise City Arts Marlborough, we have selected six as our Show Stoppers. Please welcome these six and dozens of artists to Paradise City Arts this fall!

Gia Andre is the visionary behind Woman to Women, a wearable art brand based in South Orange, New Jersey. With deep roots in generational craftsmanship, the artist transforms antique textiles (like heirloom quilts and vintage fabrics) into zero-waste, seasonless garments that honor history while reimagining the future of fashion. Her designs are a blend of heritage, sustainability, and soul.

After stepping away from a career in finance following the birth of her son, Andre returned to sewing, a tradition passed down from her great-grandmother. What began as a healing practice quickly evolved into a purposeful brand centered on circular fashion. Every piece is designed with intention, cut to minimize waste, and finished by hand. “Fashion is both my inheritance and my future,” she says.

Andre finds inspiration in themes of preservation, identity, and the quiet strength of women’s stories. With each garment, the artist invites us to see clothing not just as fashion, but as a living archive where the past is stitched into the present, and legacy is worn with pride.

 

Glass artist Olga Gobernik-Kon lives and works between Israel and the United States, creating luminous mosaics that blur the line between painting and stained glass. Born in Kazakhstan and raised in the foothills of the Tien Shan mountains, the artist draws inspiration from the earthy tones, shifting skies, and vibrant sunlight of nature’s palette. That sunlight, especially the fierce radiance of the Israeli sun, plays a central role in her work.

Originally trained as an architect-designer, Gobernik-Kon brings a strong structural foundation to her art. She studied at the Wertzberger College of Applied Arts in Tel Aviv, where she discovered her passion for stained glass and mosaic techniques.

Rather than traditional wall panels, her mosaics are created on transparent glass bases, designed to be illuminated from behind. As sunlight filters through layers of richly colored fragments, her pieces come alive- shifting, glowing, and changing throughout the day. The artist calls this process “painting in glass,” a medium that captures not only form and color, but also mood, emotion, and atmosphere. Her work is a personal response to the world around her.

 

Wood artist Donald Boudreau’s creative journey began on the open sea. In 1992, the native Bostonian and his wife Carol sold everything they owned to sail around the world aboard their 49-foot boat, Domicile. After six years and 25,000 miles (carrying with them a growing collection of exotic wood) they dropped anchor, ready to return to life on land.

That voyage became the foundation for Boudreau’s artistic practice. Settling in South Florida, he began crafting finely made wooden boxes using the stunning woods collected during their global journey. From richly grained African padauk to silky Hawaiian koa, Boudreau works exclusively with natural materials, no stains or dyes, letting the wood’s inherent beauty speak for itself. In 2011, his craftsmanship caught the eye of the U.S. State Department, which commissioned him to create cuff link boxes for Presidential gifts to foreign dignitaries.

Now based in Massachusetts, Boudreau shares his expertise through teaching at Woodcraft of Walpole, Boston’s Artisan’s Asylum, and private lessons. His life and work are testaments to craft, adventure, and the enduring beauty of natural materials.

 

Vermont-based ceramist Mucuy Bolles brings a rich and varied life to the potter’s wheel. Born in the Mayan village of Komchen, Mexico, Bolles has lived many creative lives: a professional dancer with companies like Alvin Ailey and Lar Lubovitch, a Broadway performer in The Lion King, and a James Beard-nominated chef. Now in her fourth year as a professional potter, she channels her Mayan heritage and multifaceted past into sculptural ceramics that are both playful and profound.

Bolles’ ceramics often explore themes rooted in Mayan mythology, symbolism, and language. With guidance from her father, a Mayan linguist and ethnohistorian, she incorporates ancient glyphs and cultural motifs into her work, bridging past and present. Her creative process is diverse, blending wheel-throwing, hand-building, and sculpture. She fires in electric, raku, pit, and wood kilns, and often integrates feathers, pine needles, and other natural elements. Bolles continues to evolve as an artist, her work a dynamic fusion of ancestral memory, personal transformation, and a deep reverence for the natural and spiritual worlds.

 

Chad Ypon is a Mamaroneck, New York-based jeweler whose journey into metalwork began far from home. After earning a degree in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York, he set off to travel and landed in Nepal, where an unexpected stay with a family of royal jewelry artisans changed his life. Mesmerized by their craft, from hand-forged tools to heirloom-quality designs, Ypon was inspired to begin making jewelry himself. That hands-on apprenticeship ignited a 15-year evolution in metalsmithing and leatherwork, with his photography still informing his visual storytelling today.

Born and raised in Manila, Philippines, the artist draws from his cultural heritage and global experiences, exploring themes of identity and transformation. Originally rooted in traditional techniques, his style has grown increasingly sculptural and experimental, often integrating mixed materials and textures. Every piece begins with a sketch and is brought to life through the ancient lost-wax process, creating forms that feel personal and powerful.

Ypon works solo in his home studio, handcrafting each piece and overseeing every detail from concept to final polish. His jewelry is not only wearable, it tells stories, honors history, and invites deep connection through beauty and intention.

 

Jackie deRuyter didn’t take the typical path to becoming a sculptor. Based in Brewster, Massachusetts, she holds a PhD in Cellular Biology and spent years teaching at the college level before trading microscopes for a sewing machine.

Her sculptural work draws from a deep well of creative experience, beginning with sewing clothes, quilts, and toys for her children. Today, deRuyter transforms layers of painted canvas, collage, and intricate stitching into abstract, self-supporting forms – no internal armatures, just skillfully built structure. Her pieces often feature graceful curves, punched-out negative space, and an unmistakable sense of movement. Inspiration comes from everywhere: caterpillar-bitten leaves, weathered bulletin boards, and the textures of everyday life.

With no formal art degree, the artist brings the precision of a scientist and the endurance of an ultramarathoner (her other passion) to her studio practice. Her work has been exhibited at the Cahoon Museum of American Art, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, and beyond. Whether sewing, sculpting, or training for her next marathon, deRuyter’s process is a perfect mix of art, science and stamina.