FOUR Volume N°3 Preview: The Magic Issue

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the magic issue · summer mmxiii · free 1

Charlotte Fashion Week presented by charlotte seen — september 10-14, 2013 purchase tickets at www.charlottefashionweek.com

Tuesday, September 10, 2013: kick-off 6:30pm · Residence Southpark · 4300 Sharon Road · Complimentary Admission

wednesday night · alice in wonderland bridal

friday night · Emerging + Recyclable Designers

6:30pm · The Mint Museum Uptown · 500 South Tryon Street After Party Bubble Champagne Lounge · 210 East Trade Street, Suite A200

6:30pm · Hilton Charlotte Center City · 222 East 3rd Street after party Label · 900 NC Music Factory Blvd

thursday night · suits + stilettos

saturday night · designer + recyclable show finale

6:30pm · The Courtyard at NC Music Factory · 1000 NC Music Factory Blvd after party Bamboo Sky · X nightclub · 950 NC Music Factory Blvd

6:30pm · Hilton Charlotte Center City · 222 East 3rd Street after party Label · 900 NC Music Factory Blvd

sponsored by: dsw designer shoe warehouse, keffer hyundai, dolce lusso salon and spa, coca cola, charlotteseen.com, hilton center city, newks express cafe, charlotte radiology, carolina wellness, sterling event group, four magazine, x nightclub, label, bubble, kiss 95.1, miles interiors, belk, clt insider, elevate lifestyle, paschal promotions, socialflockers, good eats and meets, one 80 vodka, h2o drying solutions, bamboo sky, osso, ticketbud, vincent voci with voci center, cbay, carolina premium beverage, 2 crown imports, cicerone, iwed, gaston wilson send out cards, rodan and fields-jennifer gallman, liqueur desserts, sky's the limit cakes, glenn roberson, cats studios

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Four Magazine volume №3 ¡ summer m m x i i i

nicole camack founder + editor-in-chief ciara bird founder + creative director contributing photographers joshua galloway, ashley sellner, angel butler, erik danielson, anna naphtali, zeke ruelas

contributing writers ariene c. bethea, cpmaze, alice welsh doyle, j. ward, rachel noreika

cover artwork

Anne Sofie Madsen

artists + illustrators nadia sanwar, nico amortegui, jessica moss, britt bass turner, jen ramos, sally king benedict, so yoon lym, amy judd, jordan carlyle, jimi thompson, michelle robinson

intern kendra diaz advertising + distribution advertising@fourmagazine.tv stockists@fourmagazine.tv

visit us online

www.fourmagazine.tv twitter.com/fourmagtv facebook.com/fourmagtv @fourmagtv

contact

four magazine PO Box 480815 Charlotte, NC 28269 USA +1.980.224.0258 info@fourmagazine.tv

published quarterly All rights of this publication are reserved by FOUR magazine, Little Bird, LLC or third parties.

All artwork is copyright of the contributing artists and may not be reproduced without their explicit permission.

Their presence in the magazine implies that FOUR is authorized to publish them. This publication cannot be reproduced electronically, digitally, in printed or any other form, format or media without the explicit, written permission and approval of the copyright holders. FOUR accepts no responsibility for the documents submitted.

Every effort has been made to contact and properly credit copyright holders— please contact us regarding corrections or omissions.

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FRESH SALON AT THE PROMENADE ON PROVIDENCE. 6 5349 BALLANTYNE COMMONS PKWY

+ SUITE 800 + CHARLOTTE

www.AFRESHSALON.com

704 841 2100

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A ng el Butle r Photographer

1. Exploring through travel photography.

2. My latest journey deep in the forest, a herd of vibrant butterflies swirled chaotically.

3. A hummingbird or sunflower.

â„–3 contributors 1.

What would be your dream subject or muse?

Three Questions

R ac he l Noki a Writer

1. A Balinese-inspired beach house.

2. I see magic everyday.

3. A refreshing breeze.

2.

A n n a H olling sworth Photographer

1. Photographing under water.

When was the last time you saw magic?

2. Having my baby girl; the fact that I grew a human being inside my body.

3. I'd like to be a bird. Or maybe a lion‌

3.

If you weren't human, what would you be?

J . War d Poet

1. A jam session with The Roots, Mos Def, Langston Hughes, Countee Cullen, Jill Scott and Erykah Badu.

2. 2010 Individual World Poetry Slam; my mind was blown for several days after.

3. Megalodon.

A r i e ne B e t he a Writer

1. Dwell with Dignity, a nonprofit.

2. Seeing my husband fix patients' mobility issues with his hands.

3. A beautiful male peacock.

Nicole Camack Storyteller

1. Enigmas + poignant words + electrifying creative chaos and revolt.

2. In a random, uncontrollable laughtil-I-can’t breathe moment. Nothing’s ever that funny – until it is...

3. The rose that grew from concrete.

cp m az e Poet

1. The perfect muse exists in places where easy answers can't be found.

2. The last time I saw Jack Daniels.

3. Every hot woman's favorite vibrator.

C i ara B i r d Creative

1. A dinner party at Kelly Wearstler's followed by a European cruise, with unlimited paint and canvases.

2. Every time I open my favorite books.

3. A cat in Cleopatra's palace.

A l i ce Welsh D o yl e Writer

1. Talking to Karl Lagerfeld and Coco Chanel at the same time.

2. In the scent of a garden gardenia, a beautifully appointed room, and a perfect mushroom risotto.

3. A beautiful exotic bird or maybe a great work of fiction.

Jo s hu a G al l oway Photographer

1. Photographing Zoë Saldana.

2. When my idea for a fairy tale visual narrative came together like a book I read as a kid.

3. A cheetah because of its incredible speed.

A s h l e y Se l l ne r Photographer

1. The homes of creative families; homes that tell a story.

2. While photographing my children at the beach, they came alive between shots.

3. Light – it provides warmth, dispels darkness, and sustains life.

№3 letter

volume n°3

t he m a gi c i ssue

diver & aguilar

do you believe in magic? Does your life enchant you? Are you fiendishly floored with fascination?

The secret? The mayhem of creation lives within these windows of chance.

Volume Three is enchanted with magical mixtures of creative coupling and crossover madness that only works because it should. We looked for blurred lines and grey spaces where artists and creators cross-pollinate and blossom: where one goes mad over learning past the extension of their craft, and the seemingly odd and opposite collaborations are so different they actually complement each other to spawn something beautiful.

Why is it necessary to be bound by category when the real magic exists in the coloring outside of the lines? If you find yourself fitting neatly into a category, exorcize yourself. Don’t become the thing they most expect you to be.

You hold the wand to your own life. Abracadabra that bitch. Don’t settle for amazing. Be downright magical. And by chance if you ever find that you’re not, add a new trick to your bag…

Be marvelously mad. Charm them all.

nicole camack and ciara bird, founders of four magazine 11

â„–3 contents

014 fusion

fashion + form

024 the alchemy of an artist 038 asphalt

&

angel

044 malo

fashion + poetry

art + passion

048 secrets from a st ylist 054 a recipe for st yle 064 home at l ast

072 untitled

food + interiors

092 color ama

art + trash

fashion + art

078 regine bechtler

art + fashion

fashion + theory

104 elevators in metropolis

109 yin

&

&

interiors + art

interiors + architecture

070 tr ashed studio

106 closet

words + art

casa

yang

fashion + interiors

love + creation

122 eerie elegance 124 this or that

poetry + architecture

fashion + illustration fashion + passion

nadia sanwar, malo, anna naphtali, anne sofie madsen 12

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“and above all glittering eyes t around you beca secrets are a in the most un those who don't b will neve

nadia sanwar

l, watch with the whole world ause the greatest always hidden nlikely places. believe in magic er find it.� — Roald Dahl

In a majestic world with candy-coated shadows and whimsical compulsions, fantasy and insanity intertwine for illusions of grandeur. photography by sharon mor yosef art director: karim cherif at united135 styling: pedro dias hair stylist: mark van westerop / makeup artist:Â yokaw pat featuring stephanieÂ

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the alchemy of an

art ist. written by nicole camack

love liquids on canvas. salt waters in purity. inflictions inflected. the inner child. the mÊlange of everything no one wanted. orphaned desires. afterthought. afterbirth. obsession. shadows. palpitations. the caged bird. high noon. the overthought. the unsaid. what the fucks. fast forwards. rewinds repressed rewinds re-pressed. the ends. cliffhangers – the wallow in white spaces. womb wounds. fascinations untamed. the deep end. fallen fruit. the bitter in the sweet chaos. embers. marvelous storm clouds. the throes in pillows. mad, mad musings. the beast in the beauty. silence. lingering loudest. with a dilated Iris.

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jessica moss where are you from and where are you now? i was born in anaheim. i’ve moved and have traveled quite a bit, so i will represent for orange county, tampa bay, pittsburgh, all of north carolina and chicago. / what is your current state of mind? i’m currently working towards a mfa in art administration and policy management from the school of the art institute of chicago. after working as a studio artist and developing my own practice for many years, now i’m hungry to learn more about the business of art. /what is your idea of perfect happiness? i find i am at my happiest when i am finding a solution to problems. there are some that find serenity in relaxation and meditationsome sort of slowing down. to me, there is no better calm than that which follows a storm of enlightening work. /what is your favorite movie without naming it? the mermaid just wants to figure out where she belongs. / open a nearby book and copy the first line you like. “what a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness.” -leo tolstoy. / where would you like to live? i’d like to live in a challenging, creative community that fosters experimentation, collaboration and exploration. / what do you most value in your friends? honesty, loyalty and optimism! / who are your favorite artists? jean michael basquiat, yayoi kusama, kerry james marshall, lucian freud, barry mcgee, james terrell, andy warhol, ellen gallagher, frida kahlo, shepard fairey… this list could go on forever. /what is your motto? you have the same amount of hours in every day as beyonce. jpln.mysupadupa.com @jesseplane

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nadia sarwar

where are you from and where are you now? i'm from a small village in staffordshire, england and now live in brooklyn. / what is your current state of mind? tenacious. / what is the trait you most deplore in others? opportunism. / what is your favorite journey? any dream. / open a nearby book and copy the first line you like. memories of the outside world will never have the same tonality as those of home and, by recalling these memories, we add to our store of dreams; we are never real historians, but always near poets, and our emotion is perhaps nothing but an expression of a poetry that was lost. / where would you like to live? positano, italy. / what do you most value in your friends? humour, reliability, creativity. / what would be the title of your memoir? written. nadiasarwar.com • froufrouu.com 30

sally king benedict where are you from and where are you now? atlanta, georgia. / what is your current state of mind? anxious. / what is your idea of perfect happiness? wide open spaces, clean air, cold fried chicken for lunch, a baby laughing, uninterrupted studio time. / what is your greatest extravagance? indulging in fancy foods. / what is your favorite journey? becoming a mother. / which words or phrases do you most overuse? "i mean, seriously" / what natural gift would you most like to possess? the ear to play an instrument. / if you could choose what to come back as, what would it be? myself, but braver. / what is your most treasured possession? polaroids. / open a nearby book and copy the first line you like. "i love you right up to the moon-and back." / where would you like to live? on the beach and in the mountains. / what would be the title of your memoir? a sally special. / what is your motto? life's too short. sallybenedict.com 31

so yoon lym where are you from and where are you now? i was born in seoul, korea. 10 days after my birth, i went to live in kenya for one year and in uganda for six years. my family came to the states when i was seven. they were originally planning on just visiting new york city en route back to seoul, but my father found a job in new jersey. i am currently living in northern nj. / what is your current state of mind? i am in a new jersey state of mind. i received a one year approved sabbatical to concentrate on my work as an artist for a year. / what is your greatest fear? having to work 17 more years as a public school art teacher to achieve a full pension and wondering if there will be any social security left when it is time for me to retire. “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” - george orwell / which living person do you most admire? i don’t admire people. i admire the things they do or don’t do. / what do you consider your greatest achievement? never abandoning my original desire to be a painter over the years, despite the doubts, financial challenges, bumps in the road, setbacks, rejections, etc. / if you could choose what to come back as, what would it be? a cloud. / what is your most treasured possession? time alone. / open a nearby book and copy the first line you like. “you will not have any doubt that psychological time is a mental disease if you look at the collective manifestations.” / what creative fusion would you like to see? mike patton + so yoon lym (a creative and physical fusion would be lovely) / what would be the title of your memoir? “i am just too much.” soyoonlym.com 32

amy judd where are you from and where are you now? born and raised in a small town called sandwich, kent, england. now i live and work in south london. / what is your favorite journey? my two hour train journey home to kent, time to read a pile of magazines and listen to new music. it always feels the same, even now it makes me feel like i am 20 again and coming home from the university for the first time. / what or who is the greatest love of your life? my partner renato, he is my handsome portuguese rock. and my folks who are my favourite people and are an amazing example of how to live and love. / what do you consider your greatest achievement? being able to make a living from doing what i love and not having to get up too early. / what is your most treasured possession? a large colourful glass mosaic lamp renato and i brought back from our trip to egypt, we both love it and it reminds us of our "inside joke" about smuggling it back to england. / who is your favorite artist, writer, musician? i do not have one favourite artist, they change day to day, the artists i love are fairly different to my paintings but have definitely inspired aspects of my work. a book that has stayed with me is "perfume" by patrick suskind, sinister yet oddly erotic. hicksgallery.co.uk 33

michelle robinson where are you from and where are you now? i'm originally from maryland/brooklyn. i currently call los angeles my home. / what is your current state of mind? wandering eagerness in slow motion… / what is your idea of perfect happiness? honestly…a hearty glass of wine accompanied by a delicious home-cooked meal followed by amazing lovemaking. / what is your greatest fear? truly falling in love…i'm not talking about that puppy love nonsense… i mean that "you haven't shaved your legs for a month and your partner will still rub them with no hesitation" kind of love. / which living person do you most admire? my mom. / what natural gift would you most like to possess? the ability to learn a new language quickly. / what or who is the greatest love of your life? the person i'm going to be... / what do you consider your greatest achievement? getting through my pubescent and teenage years…this world can be a cruel place for a young mind and growing body. / what is your most treasured possession? my free will. / what do you regard as the lowest depth of misery? having a broken heart in a small town dirt broke with no car. / open a nearby book and copy the first line you like. "all you need is a little intuition." / where would you like to live? new york with cali weather…it doesn't exist but can a girl dream? / what would be the title of your memoir? "but it was worth it." / what is your motto? "why not?" michellizm.com @mister_michelle

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Secrets from a stylist interior design by emily henderson interview by ariene c. bethea photographs by zeke ruelas

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ix an ounce of 70’s Palm Springs; a dash of kooky British grandma; and one 2013 eclectic artist and you’ll get HGTV Design Star, Emily Henderson’s personal style. She blends tons of character and oodles of personality to create her picture perfect space.

You are such a colorful person, both in your wardrobe and in your interior styling, yet you went with white walls in your living room. Why? And when is it okay to go with white walls? The reason is totally counter intuitive, but colorful walls paired with colorful things make a room look like a circus – made this mistake before. The room can look like a kid's room. If you like color, you should go with white walls to balance the color. White works best in a room with lots of light because without the light, white can read dead.

Many designers both in fashion and interior design favor neutral spaces, possibly because they are surrounded by color and pattern all day. What made you surround yourself with colorful pieces? To me, if someone works with trends and patterns a lot it’s strange that their space doesn’t look like them. I love Cynthia Rowley’s stuff and how her home reflects her style. For me, I don’t have a huge emotional connection to my things; I switch them out a lot. I mix big and crazy with trendy and kooky. I switch things out all the time; I love to redesign and restyle. I don’t have to live with it for 10 years. I’m my favorite client!

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What was your style diagnostic when approaching your living room? I gravitate towards seventies bird sculptures. I’ve loved them since I was little. I mix my current items in with them.

The chairs are mid-century straight and masculine, and I soften them with throws and pillows.

What percentage of your living room is vintage?

I would say 70-80% of the room is vintage and 30% of my accessories are vintage. The new stuff is the textiles, pillows, rug and throw. The shelving unit is from West Elm and I love how simple it is. The sofa is vintage but has been reupholstered. I mix my vintage accessories with classic pieces from West Elm and Ikea.

What items did you spend the most money on?

The least? The two leather safari chairs were the biggest splurge at the time. Believe it or not, framing art was a close second. After itemizing all the pieces it became very expensive to buy and frame. I don’t splurge on throw pillows and accessories because I change them out a lot.

Styling is a highly personalized process for completing a space. What factors about a client do you keep in mind when selecting pieces? I try to match accessories to their personality and sense of humor to make them smile, mixed with some quiet moments. I splurge on pieces that represent them the most. I find that clients are proud of those things and show them off to friends and family.

When do you start styling for a space? After you’ve picked out the paint color? Or after you have selected the furniture pieces? Not until the end. I’m consistently hoarding and collecting all the time. But I have purchased things early in the process before install and so much had changed that the items didn’t work anymore. Since the items are so specific to the client I end up having to keep them.

An expensive lesson learned!

You started out doing commercial styling for magazines and advertising campaigns. What commercial styling tips do you bring to your residential projects? I’m obsessive with details and how things are placed. I care a lot about the personality of the space and whether people can picture themselves in there. In commercial styling, you care more about the space being full of personality not just furniture and accessories. I bring that obsession with me in my residential projects.

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What is one of the most insane things you have done to get a room styled perfectly for a photo shoot? Hmmm… let me think. We moved trees in from the outside for one shoot. We needed them for a shot. Oh and one time we had to place all the furniture at a slight angle to get a shot. It looked like wonky town. Then, we had to create a beach inside the studio. We got 60 bags of sand, a backdrop and sea grass in the middle of winter. We couldn’t afford to travel for the shoot so it’s the next best thing. It was both weird and exciting at the same time.

What is your approach to decorating with knickknacks?

Can there be too many? So here’s the thing… collectables should be displayed together. Only keep the rare and unique ones. You should care that the collection is good, not just big.

It should look intentional together, not like a hoarder. I use collectibles on shelving units mixed in with art, but I keep coffee table surfaces pretty clean.

So what would the Emily Henderson movie set design look like? The Royal Tenenbaums meets Marie Antoinette meets Footloose.

Learn more secrets at: stylebyemilyhenderson.com

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a recipe for

Style.

With a flair for food, flowers, and all things stylish, Julia Cole Rosenbaum creates one-of-a-kind parties around the Southeast. She gives four a taste of her talent by stirring up a little magic at her family home. interview by alice welsh doyle styled by julia cole rosenbaum photographs by anna naphtali assistant: bridget williams and jan wilkinson, chef assistant: kent graham hair: heather lynn paulavage, honey and associates salon / makeup: juliza benedict artistic impressions by juliza wardrobe: styling linda m. martinez of styled now / clothing provided by sloan boutique , jewelry by kristen morris jewelry all flowers from mayesh wholesale 44

A tasty cheese and fruit presentation sits on a platter made out of a wooden plank from a tree that has to be removed from the yard at home. Cole had 25 made, which she also uses for chargers.

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on’t let the sky-high louboutins, the girly party dress, and abundant curls fool you. Julia Cole Rosenbaum knows her way around a kitchen, knows how to fire a shotgun, and knows a thing or two about creating magical memories. Through her company, Julia Cole Styled Catering and Events, the native Charlottean takes her clients' passions and turns them into unique occasions. “Nothing I do is cookie cutter. I don’t work with preset menus,” says Cole.

“I really get to know my clients' likes and dislikes: what their favorite ingredients and flavors are; what makes them salivate; a quirky food they love.” She loves the idea of taking a favorite late night snack and putting a twist on it for a wedding reception – something that really shows someone’s personality. And even though young, she really enjoys cooking old-fashioned

Southern comfort food – with a few surprises. Her mac and cheese, for example, will have some smoked Gouda and bacon in the mix.

Cole grew up in the kitchen watching her parents cook.

“My mother made the sides, and my father was the meat master. He made some of the most mouthwatering meat dishes that you ever put in your mouth,” she says. Her family also owned restaurants, and in later years ran a catering firm, so weekends were often spent in the kitchen with Cole perched on a stool to hang out and absorb. She naturally fell in love with food and cooking, and she was always the one in the kitchen whipping up meals for her friends. She is also humble about her gifts, and admits she is still learning. “I am like a sponge.

I take every opportunity to learn from others,” she says when describing her work with Charlotte chef Kent 45

The gazebo includes a chandelier Cole created from deer sheds and moss, a French mirror, and a variety of velvet and needlepoint pillows.

The tabletop vignette features collectibles from the family home, a colorful bounty of flowers and greenery, and a welcoming fruit plate.

Cole’s family home is elegant with lots of pink—the perfect setting for a ladies’ luncheon, bridal shower or other feminine affair.

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Graham. Her natural abilities were further honed when she worked at Jim ‘n Nicks Barbeque at their flagship Birmingham location.

She is also a natural with floral arranging and tabletop design, which means her firm provides the total package when it comes to parties, and no detail is left to chance. “I really didn’t know I had that talent in me,” admits Cole. “I just started doing it as an extension of cooking.”

Her flair with flowers and design resulted in a job creating a tablescape in Lisa Leek’s cookbook, One Hundred Days of Real Food, and she food styles and set designs for Carrie Vitt’s upcoming second cookbook Deliciously Organic.

While she may create beautiful food and settings, Cole is a self-professed tomboy who is “more at home in cowboy boots” than the aforementioned Louboutin stilettos and “doesn’t mind dealing with fish guts” on a boat at the Governor’s Cup fishing tournament in Edisto, South Carolina.

She hunts deer and wild game such as quail and duck, rides horses, and fishes, having spent much time in the Alabama Black Belt and at a farm in Williston, South Carolina. This experience makes her comfortable with preparing game dishes, not something all cooks can claim. Her stuffed venison, using meat harvested by her client, caused him to exclaim that it was “the kind of meal that would turn a vegan into a carnivore.”

The four team was fortunate enough to spend time with Cole at her family’s Myers Park home and watch her in action while experiencing her generous personality and charm. juliacoleentertains.com

Cole putting the finishing touches on an arrangement with hydrangeas spray roses, eucalyptus, and trailing ivy spilling out over a huge silver pedestal vase.

Mix, not match suggests Cole who used china from several collections, including hand painted plates from Dresden, Tiffany & Co., and French patterns such as Marie Antoinette a Caroline.

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Cole created an English countryside-style picnic with blue and white china, embroidered linens, and an oversized centerpiece full of flowers and other greenery.

The picnic menu includes homemade biscuits, smoked salmon with crème fraÎche on crostini, and an elegant trifle served in an oversized glass goblet.

Tablecloth by Front Door Fabrics, farmtable by Olde Tyme Marketplace 121 N. White Street Marshville, NC.

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colo rama A Celebration & Theatrical display of Colour & Bespoke Mens Style.

Have we lost our sense of individuality? Is this due to the ease and convenience of buying mass produced clothes? Or do the powers that be continually tell us how we should conform to society rather than express our unique identity? There is probably truth in all these arguments, and fashion is just one way in which we can choose to display our creativity.

photography by diver & aguilar fashion director: filippo la bruna in collaboration with francesco casarotto grooming by jason crozier

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blauer jersey complrto emrico coveri shirt papillon eton porchette fefe shoes socks bresciani straw hat borsalino 55

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complete calvin klien collection polo paul smith tomatoe print blouse and pants dirk bikkrmbergs sport couture vest tonello coppola dolce & gabbana jacket dopiopetto tonello pants daniele alessandrini macrorighe shirt dolce & gabbana clutch bag etro 57

shirt pants and hat prada scrpe church's bresciani socks right page

jacket frankie morello brioni shirt tie clutch tino cosma pants floral print tonello borsalino alberto guardiani shoes benetton united colors sweater shirt mash pvc jacket and pants msgm woolrich wollen mills borsalino hat nero giardini shoes

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shirt jacket above etro clutch tie eton under jacket sisley eton shirt pants emrico coveri papillon and clutch tino cosma waistband day right page

nylon jacket puma nara shirt vest cliver tie tino cosma, coppola borsalino pants enrico coveri sunglasses l.g.r hogan

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suit dolce & gabbana shirt tie enrico coveri jacket viktor & rold fred perry shirt papillon tito cosma pants enrico coveri gallo socks jersey liu.jo floral shirt dolce & gabbana herno trench and pants papillon valentino shoes 63

nylon jacket geospirit brioni shirt tino cosma tie pants frankie morello borsalino alberto guardiani shoes jacket enrico coveri shirt etro tino cosma tie eton clutch pants tonello shoes rocco p jacket daniele alesandrini tie enrico coveri clutch fe fe pants valentino shoes calvin klein collection

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THE MOBILE EVOLUTION OF CLASSIFIEDS.

CONNECT With the people who can help you complete any project

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yin&yang Imagine two mad scientists sharing the same artistic synergies, creating concoctions of vicarious wiles within crossover collaborations.

These seemingly odd couples bewitch the perfect complements to bound us all in absolute awe and creative compulsion.

photographs by joshua galloway and angel butler introductions by nicole camack interviews by ciara bird

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richard wright & elizabeth steinfels This daring duo Wardrobe Stylist and Production Designer defines creativity across industries and eras, including Hong Kong Vintage, film, and commercials.

How did the two of you meet, and how long have you been together?

We were introduced to each other at Thomas Street Tavern through a mutual friend.

As it turned out we were neighbors. We have been together for almost 13 years.

What were you doing before coming together?

Richard: I was decorating a mall for a special event and building sets for a local play. Elizabeth: I had just moved to Charlotte and was working at a friend's screen printing shop.

What do you admire most about your partner's talent/skill?

Richard: I admire her taste. Not just what she likes—also what she does not, and how black and white that difference is for her. She is not wishy-washy ever. I'm astounded by her work ethic… no second in the day ever wasted. Elizabeth: He has the practical knowledge along with the spatial reasoning to bring a concept to life.

Can you describe your individual creative workspace, and how yours either differs and/or is similar to your partner's? Richard: There is a good bit of crossover in our workspaces… we share a library of books and music and an office space. I have a workshop that Elizabeth would probably use more if I kept it cleaner.

But most of my creative work takes place in the field… often far away fields.

Elizabeth: Mine is an organized chaos, I always have many projects going at once, but I still know where everything is. Richard works more on the computer these days, but will still drag out a hundred books when he is researching something, this is very distracting for me; I can always get lost in our collection of art, design and photography books.

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How do you deal with creative differences? Never-ending discussions.

If you are experiencing a creative slump, or artistic obstacle or sorts, how does your partner help you? Richard: It seems that, often, Elizabeth simply knows the answer—or at least has an idea or concept that can get me over a hump. Often it's on the tip of her tongue, but she is pretty good at research too. She'll say, "hold on a sec" and go pull out a giant book from the shelves, flip to a page, and voila... Elizabeth: He is always playing 'the devil's advocate'. This drives me crazy; he thinks he is being helpful.

What projects have you done around town that people might recognize? Richard: Most recently the movie Mud and the upcoming Prince Avalanche. Elizabeth: The store (Hong Kong Vintage) of course, but people are probably more familiar with commercials they see everyday that I have worked on.

Passion: Richard: Making things work the way I want them to.

Elizabeth: Partly a thrill of the hunt, uncovering treasures, never knowing what I will discover next.

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Interesting Factoid: Richard: With the exception of the college years, I have lived in Charlotte non-stop since I was four years old.

Elizabeth: One of twelve children, grew up sharing one bathroom.

Career Highlight: Richard: Witnessing a standing ovation for the US premiere of George Washington at the NY Film Fest screening in Alice Tully Hall‌ A surreal experience to be on that side of it.

Schooling: Richard: Studied cinematography at both SVA & UNCSA. Elizabeth: Attended the museum school of the art institute of Chicago to study painting, dropped out.

Modest Goal: Richard: Visit all seven continents.

Elizabeth: So many‌ walk the Appalachian Trail, play classical guitar, learn Portuguese.

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