Decades of Study and Thousands of Miles in, Blower is Still Hot for Glass
byJohn Almaguer’s artistic epiphany wasn’t reverent or momentous. It just made him giddy — “like a kid in a candy shop,” he says. “No…
MEDIUM
the Ceiling of Traditional Glasswork
byBeing the first executive director of the two-year-old North Carolina Glass Center, Kari Rinn has found a labor of love. The facility in the…
“If You Don’t Feel it, it’s Not Doing You Any Good”
bySteve Mann is a commercial photographer and the co-owner of West Asheville’s Double Crown, the atmospheric pocket bar where he shelters his other passion:…
Quilter Deconstructs the Fabric of Tradition
byJudy Simmons began by making a traditional quilt. But she didn’t like working with a fixed pattern. So for the second one, she tried…
Miniature Works can Ignite Major Spiritual Awakenings
byMost people believe an artist leaves a bit of themselves in their work, but when Amanda Heinz-Stevenson builds her matchbox shrines, she hopes just…
After Looking at a Child’s Hands, She Quit her Job to Revive an Ancient Art Form
byPortrait by Matt Rose In 1997, Julie Schantz became so smitten with henna body adornment, or mehndi, that she quit her job as a…
Her Watercolors Flow Like the River that Shaped her Childhood
byKathryn B. Phillips disagrees when people tell her watercolor is the most difficult medium. She politely redirects, choosing a softer word. It’s not difficult…
From the First Day, his Jewelry Career was Set in Stone
byMost makers chase various muses en route to a career. Not Roberto Vengoechea. “I was born to do this,” says the jewelry designer. “I…
His Work is über-Meticulous, but his Studio is a Raging Hot Mess
byPatrick Ober of Ober Metalworks has worked with metals since 1992. But while most machinists use computerized pneumatic tools, Ober does everything manually, with…
The Woman Who Wouldn’t Retire Found Herself Reinventing the Basket
byAfter years of operating Eat No Evil, a natural-foods restaurant in New Orleans, Patti Quinn Hill retired in 1987 and moved to Western North…