What the Silkworm Saw
byWeaver uses a magnifying glass to make her intricate patterns When Vicki Essig arrived in Western North Carolina more than two decades ago, the first…
Art + Craft
The Life of a Copper Dragonfly
byWelder took flight from a rough proving ground People who torch metal for a living have to be practical, and Catherine Murphy is no…
Life on the Margins
byDea Sasso not only judges a book by its cover — she judges every page inside it, plus the binding, as well. She’s devoted…
Digging for Answers
byParents often cringe when their kids major in art. The paint on the canvas and the ink on the diploma are barely dry when…
Live and Let Dye
byPatricia Spangler has more than enough leaves in her life. “They’re everywhere. Our home has a two-car garage. It’s full of leaves. I open…
A Parliament of Art Owls
byFrom her Cliffs at Walnut Cove home snuggled into a hillside, Julia Peterson has a bird’s-eye view of the wilderness. Inspired by a Frank…
One Way to Fly
byGrowing up in Brooklyn, Asheville artist Cleaster Cotton remembers the day her mother brought home an injured bird. “My mother was an activist for…
A Mark in the Woods
by“It’s too nice to use.” Book artist Chad Alice Hagen gets this freighted compliment a lot. “I have heard the refrain many times,” Hagen…
Fire on the Mountain
by“We think of fire as something that’s out of control generally, but my art form — pyrography — translates to ‘drawing with fire,’ and…
Iron Constitution
byIt’s a fitting career trajectory for a blacksmith: Matthew Waldrop forged his company, Northern Crescent Iron, the hard way. Success was followed by setbacks,…