Meet Julia, Magdalene, and Other Life-Changing Muses
Nicholas Swann worked in the construction business for 12 years, until he realized that team projects didn’t equal personal fulfillment. “I got so burnt…
Europe Provided the Blueprint for Architect’s Painting Career
For Michael Robinson, creativity has always been about two mediums: painting and architecture. The latter has economically sustained him for decades. The former has…
They’ve Been Crafting Rings Around the Industry for 40 Years
Kathleen Doyle remembers the moment she realized she and Tom Reardon were built to last. It was the mid-’80s. Doyle and Reardon, already well-established…
Portrait of the Artist as a Born Instructor
Many middle schoolers can draw. Far fewer of them know how to critique the formal elements of a drawing, breaking down its use of line or shape. But…
It Was the Right Place (Must Have Been the Right Time)
When Rob Travis was a kid, he’d visit his grandmother once or twice a year in rural Georgia, and she taught him to identify…
Painter Turns Away from the River, Heads Deeper into the Forest
Cheyenne Trunnell was around 12 years old when she encountered her first piece of abstract art. So when she saw the painting, created by…
Picture Leaving Big-City Success to Visit Skeet Ranges
Colby Caldwell, an internationally esteemed photographer, took a risk by coming back to Western North Carolina. He’d grown up in Mills River, but moved…
Jewelry Designer’s Backstory is as Rare as Green Amethyst
Every once in a while, Melinda Lawton enters into what she calls “stream-of-consciousness jewelry making.” She’ll sit down to work without a specific plan;…
Sealing Others’ Bonds is a Means of Keeping His Own
For twins Eddie and Stephanie Aaronson, collaboration is their birthright. Their inherent ability to work intuitively with one another — including smoothing over rough…
Looks Mean Everything to this Late-Career Sculptor
Back in 2001, during Bill Holmes’ first pottery class, every other student in the room was making bowls. Holmes, however, was more ambitious. He’d…