Toe River Arts | 2020 Online Benefit Auction

2020 Benefit Auction Catalog

Toe River Arts 2020 Benefit Auction Visit Us Toe River Arts 269 Oak Avenue Spruce Pine, NC 28777 Tuesday - Saturday 10:30 AM - 5 PM 828.765.0520 102 West Main Street Burnsville, NC 28714 Thursday - Saturday 10:30 AM - 5 PM We are proud to protect our customers and employees. You must cover your nose and mouth with a cloth covering in order to enter our gift shops.

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Thank you to our staff, board of directors, artists and numerous supporters who make the work we do possible.

Toe River Arts Staff Nealy Andrews | Executive Director Kathryn Andree | Exhibitions Manager Debra Carpenter | Sales Associate Brady Connelly | Marketing & Communications Coordinator Melanie Finlayson | Community Outreach Coordinator Jo Ann Townsend | Gift Shop Manager Toe River Arts Board of Directors Dennis McAvoy | Chair Linda Powell | Past Chair Christy Shuford | Treasurer Katherine McCarty | Secretary Sarah Holt Beth Kokol Cami Leisk Barbara Middleton Andy Palmer Martin Stankus Kirby Troutman Mark Woodham

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Toe River Arts 2020 Benefit Auction Welcome to Toe River Arts’ inaugural online auction!

Although we are unable to gather in person, we are gathering together online to celebrate art and to raise funds lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Toe River Arts has been an integral part of our community since 1976. This last year, we have undergone tremendous changes and are excited about many new projects.

Works By Garold Amsberry, Bill Brown, Debra Carpenter, Carrie DeVee, Nathan Favors, Loretta Forde and David Wilson, Lisa Gluckin, Becky Gray, Bea Hensley, Sara Holt, Jerry Jackson, Hasui Kawase, Beth Kokol, Delphia Lamberson, Robin Martindale, Dennis McAvoy, Jeff McDowell, Mary Mikkelsen and Henry Pope, Aldina Nash-Hampe, JR and Kristen Page, Gaylene Petcu, Kenny Pieper, Linda Powell, Melanie Risch, Nena Rowell, Michael Rutkowsky, Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky, Valerie Schnaufer, Martin Stankus, Noah Styles, Yaffa and Jeff Todd, Kat Turczyn, Jim Waters, and Mark Woodham.

Schedule Friday, July 17 – Sunday, July 19, 2020 Bidding begins: 8 AM on Friday, July 17 Bidding ends: 8:30 PM on Sunday, July 19

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Auction Preview Auction pieces may be previewed in person at our Spruce Pine Gallery through Saturday, July 18. Please keep in mind that Toe River Arts will be enforcing our COVID-19 protocol and guests will be required to wear a face covering that covers the nose and mouth and adhere to occupancy requirements.

Education and Outreach Call to Action During the auction, we will have a call to action to raise funds for our arts education programs. Toe River Arts strives to create sustainable partnerships with schools and other local organizations. Quality partnerships involve ongoing communication, the development of programs, and continued evaluation of our programs to better meet the needs of students, teachers and community partners.

We support our community through advocacy and professional development for educators, artists, teaching artists, non-profit & small business professionals.

Contributions of any amount can be made to this fundraiser throughout the duration of the auction. Donations can be made on the online auction page, or by calling our Spruce Pine Gallery at 828.765.0520 on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, between the hours of 10:30 AM - 5 PM.

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Bidding If you would like to bid on a piece in the auction, you must first create an account on our website. Create an account by visiting toeriverarts.org/my-account. Please note that your display name will be public. If you would like your bidding to be anonymous to the public, please change your username to “Anonymous.�

Bidding will begin at 8 AM July 17 and will end at 8:30 PM July 19.

Bidders must be at least 18 years of age and able to form legally binding contracts under applicable law.

When you place a bid on an online auction item, you enter a legally binding contract to purchase the item from Toe River Arts if you are the winning bidder. You are the winning bidder if your bid is the highest bid at auction close.

All purchases are final and we cannot accept exchanges or returns.

Proxy Bidding Proxy bidding allows bidders to place the maximum bid that they are comfortable bidding. If outbid, our auction system will automatically place your bid at the next increment until your maximum bid entered has been reached.

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Reserve Price Lot 37 and 39 have a reserve price. If the bidding for these items does not reach the reserve price, the item will not be sold. The reserve prices for these items are listed on their pages.

Payment Once you win an auction, you will receive an email with a link to complete your purchase. Please follow the directions in the email and complete the purchase within 24 hours of the end of the auction. If you wish to pay over the phone, you may call the Spruce Pine Gallery at 828.765.0520 between the hours of 10:30 AM - 5 PM, the following Monday. We will not be accepting checks or cash for auction purchases. Please note that sales tax will not be charged.

Shipping Auction pieces may be shipped anywhere in the United States, but additional charges may apply and are the responsibility of the purchaser. Pieces will be shipped the week after the auction.

Tracking numbers will be sent once your piece ships.

If you have any questions about these auction procedures, please call 828.765.0524 or email Nealy Andrews at nealy@toeriverarts.org.

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Toe River Arts | Call to Action

John Brown’s Little Big Band Avery Elementary School March 3, 2020

This donation page will be open Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Toe River Arts has worked with educators and students in Avery, Mitchell, and Yancey counties to ensure both students and educators have access to inspirational arts programming and professional development.

Over the past year, Toe River Arts has continued to offer free guitar and banjo lessons to middle school students through its TAPS (Traditional Arts Programming for Students) programming, brought the John Brown Little Big Band to area elementary schools, and worked with community partners to assemble and distribute 600 art activity packets to students sent home due to school closures. Toe River Arts staff is working diligently to reengineer existing programming into an online format, as well as develop new opportunities for educators. This October Toe River Arts, along with BIG INK, will bring a large-scale printmaking workshop to the community. Now more than ever, ongoing public support is critical to the organization’s educational programming.

Funding helps Toe Rivers Arts place instructors like Sam Maren in area schools.

Maren, a guitar and banjo instructor, is “an arts educator and without places like Toe River Arts…I have a hard time connecting. I give private lessons, but I much prefer to work in the school system, and in the community.” It is this connection that arts educators like Melisa Cadell deem essential to their students’ development. “I think the most critical part that Toe River Arts can play in arts education, at least for my students, is to provide a connection with the artists of the region to the students to be able to talk to artists…and make a real connection,” says Cadell.

Contributions of any amount can be made to this fundraiser throughout the duration of the auction. Donations can be made on the online auction page, or by calling our Spruce Pine Gallery at 828.765.0520 on Friday, July 17 and Saturday, July 18, between the hours of 10:30 AM - 5 PM.

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Toe River Arts 2020 Benefit Auction Index by Page Number Garold Amsberry 12 Garold Amsberry + Linda Powell 14 Bill Brown 16 Debra Carpenter 18 Carrie DeVee 20 Nathan Favors 22 Loretta Forde + David Wilson 26 Lisa Gluckin 28 Becky Gray 30 Bea Hensley 34 Sarah Holt 38 Jerry Jackson 40

Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 42 Beth Kokol 44

Delphia Lamberson 46 Robin Martindale 50 Dennis McAvoy 52 Jeff McDowell 56

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Mary Mikkelsen + Henry Pope 58 Aldina Nash-Hampe 62 JR + Kristen Page 64 Gaylene Petcu 66 Kenny Pieper 68 Linda Powell 72 Melanie Risch 74 Nena Rowell 75 Michael Rutkowsky 76 Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky 78 Eric Ryser 80 Valerie Schnaufer 82 Martin Stankus 84 Noah Valentine Styles 88 Yaffa + Jeff Todd 90 Kat Turczyn 92 Jim Waters 96 Mark Woodham 98

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Garold Amsberry | Lot 1

Garold Amsberry Black Pod Bowl Thrown and altered clay 3.125H x 16W x 6.25D in Starting Bid: $44

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Garold Amsberry Midnight Sun Pottery “I started creating in clay during high school. From there, I found work making production pottery in the Annapolis Pottery studio and I received my BSA with a concentration in Ceramics from Frostburg State University.

What I get from clay is the challenge. There is always what the clay, glazes and kilns are doing and what you are trying to get them to do. I am constantly thinking of what the clay can become.

I find inspiration from the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina as well as the rich community of amazing artists that surround me.”

— Garold Amsberry

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Garold Amsberry + Linda Powell | Lot 2

Garold Amsberry + Linda Powell Square Serving Tray Clay with ironoxide wash 1.75H x 14.75W x 12.75D in Starting Bid: $56

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Garold Amsberry Midnight Sun Pottery “I started creating in clay during high school. From there, I found work making production pottery in the Annapolis Pottery studio and I received my BSA with a concentration in Ceramics from Frostburg State University.

What I get from clay is the challenge. There is always what the clay, glazes and kilns are doing and what you are trying to get them to do. I am constantly thinking of what the clay can become.

I find inspiration from the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina as well as the rich community of amazing artists that surround me.”

— Garold Amsberry Linda Powell High Country Ceramic Arts “My approach to art is much like my approach to personal life: whatever it is, it is—with the exception that I will fight for fairness and those underprivileged.

I gravitate towards clay as a visceral medium and work in partnership with it.

Sometimes I tell it what to do and other times the clay and glaze have their own suggestions. Sometimes we disagree.” — Linda Powell

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Bill Brown | Lot 3

Bill Brown Rhododendron Blossom Steel with glass gaffed by Kenny Pieper 3.25H x 9W x 8D in Starting Bid: $160

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Bill Brown is an abstract expressionist sculptor and painter living in Western North Carolina.

Brown’s art education began early as a son of sculptor, designer, and Penland School of Craft Director William J. Brown. He was immersed and influenced by that dynamic world of art, craft and explorative creation during Penland’s pivotal years during the 1960s and 70s, through 1980.

Bill Brown has been a full-time studio artist for over forty years, focused on creating sculptures that range from large-scale outdoor work to intimate interior pieces. His primary material is steel, and he uses a variety of forging techniques in much of his work. His sculptures are widely shown in gallery and museum exhibitions and are represented in collections throughout the USA. The Rhododendron Blossom is an interpretation of the beautiful native rhododendrons found throughout the mountains of North Carolina, brought to life in forged steel and glass.

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Debra Carpenter | Lot 4

Debra Carpenter Picking Poppies Oil on canvas 28H x 24W x 1.25D in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Debra Carpenter DEARELIJAH “With both parents in administration and academics, I had an extensive array of art education available to me from an early age. We moved often and the only constant was my art. I earned my first box of oils in 1969 which began a lifelong obsession. I graduated high school in 1971, and six months later I left to travel Europe and the near East for the next five years.

Until 1980 I painted only what I saw, and was inspired by old masters. They inspired me to employ new techniques, study light, color, and select interesting subject matter. In 1982 I returned to the states to study at University of Memphis, majoring in Fine arts with an intensive focus on painting, and minoring in graphic design and interior design.

Three of my professors influenced me in particular. One studied under Hans Hoffman, so emphasized color; one was the head of the graphic design department and focused on design, layout and perspective; the third taught his interpretation of Jung’s archetype of the artists’ subconscious mind and subconscious awareness.

In the end, they collectively told me, ‘If you are going to be a painter then the rest is up to you. Go paint!’

I worked as an interior designer, and painted commissions and wall murals to make a living until 2002. Other than the occasional mural, I have painted for myself full time ever since.

I think we’re all a little mad, some only hide it better than others. After nearly forty years, it seems I am lost as to how to label, or summarize, my madness with words. Painting is a communication, a reaching out, from the canvas, to the artist, to the viewer. In my canvas I see characters emerge, as you may see in the clouds, from the layers of letters I write to my son, Elijah. A subconscious world just beneath the surface; it is my obsession to share that madness with you.” — Debra Carpenter

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Carrie DeVee | Lot 5

Carrie DeVee Vase Trio - Set Hand built marbled clay, cobalt decals Lg: 7H x 3.25W x 3.25D, Med: 5.625H x 2.5W x 2.5D, Sm: 4H x 2.25W x 2.25D in Starting Bid: $52

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Carrie DeVee Blue View Pottery Potter Carrie DeVee and her husband moved to Burnsville in 2013. As recent empty-nesters, they sold a little horse farm in the Sandhills of North Carolina and moved to the Black Mountains. So began the new adventure of mountain life.

“After retiring from medical profession, I had a chance to delve back into art, which had always been a passion kept at bay while raising kids, horses, and dogs. I took a pottery class and fell in love!

Five years later, with my own working studio, and pottery in several galleries, I am able to enjoy the next chapter in life as an artist.” — Carrie DeVee

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Nathan Favors | Lot 6

Nathan Favors Walnut Bowl Walnut with turquoise and copper inlay 3H x 15W x 15D in Starting Bid: $130

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Nathan Favors Bowl Maker Born in Philadelphia and raised on Maryland’s eastern shore, Nathan Favors spent much of his life running his own landscaping and tree removal business with the help of his six sons. Through the years Favors was exposed to a variety of tree species and gained a huge amount of respect to nature and all its beauty. This also instilled in his mind a desire to find a way to preserve this beauty, not just destroy it.

In 2000 Favors visited a woodturners’ exhibit. There he saw how through woodturning, he could transform the trees that he had grown to love into works of art that he could share with the world. From there, Nathan embarked on a journey to master this ancient craft. Through observing methods of lathe work and through trial and error, Nathan taught himself the craft and hasn’t looked back since. He currently works out of his studio in Bakersville, NC. Favors prefers maple, walnut, ash, cherry, oak, Manzanita and buckeye. His only requirement is that the wood be burls. Burls are natural deformities of the grain on trees, caused by injury to the tree or by virus, fungus, mold growth or insect infestation. Nathan loves how burls offer the most unique results in the woodturning process.

Most of Favor’s pieces are produced using a lathe, even though Nathan has hand carved some pieces in the past. Each piece is painstakingly sanded by hand and finished with natural oils to bring out its beauty. With woodturning, each piece is unique and never replicated. That is the amazing beauty of the woodturning craft.

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Loretta Forde + David Wilson | Lot 7

Loretta Forde + David Wilson Vase Blown, sandblasted glass 10H x 6W x 6D in Starting Bid: $150

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Loretta Forde + David Wilson Forde – Wilson Glass Loretta Forde and David Wilson make hand blown glass work that is both functional and affordable, as well as exotic and sculptural. One of a kind pieces include experimental neon and glow in the dark glass. Items range from tumblers, paper weights, ornaments, bowls, perfume bottles, and unique, decorative artwork.

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Lisa Gluckin | Lot 8

Lisa Gluckin Confetti Cups - Pair Slip cast and hand painted porcelain 4.75H x 3W x 3D in Starting Bid: $38

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Lisa Gluckin Lisa Gluckin Studios Lisa Gluckin is a studio artist based in Asheville, NC. She has been a resident artist at Grovewood Village since 2012. She creates slip-cast ceramic vessels with individualized markings as well as earthenware pieces that explore texture, shape, and color through one-of-a-kind, hand-built forms.

Gluckin’s work is bold and playful, and touches on ideas of energy, vulnerability, and trust.

Lisa Gluckin began her exploration with clay more than 20 years ago at Greenwich House Pottery, the oldest non-profit ceramics studio in the country, located in the West Village of New York City.

After devoting 10 years of study at Greenwich House—while also working in theater, radio and other areas—she moved south to the mountains of Western North Carolina to fully immerse herself in all things ceramic at Penland School of Craft.

While at Penland, Gluckin studied under talents such as Cristina Cordova and Tom Spleth. She then went on to complete a three-year residency at the EnergyXchange, the former craft incubator studios in Burnsville, NC. Aside from her personal work, Gluckin worked as the Scholarship Auction Coordinator at Penland School of Craft, and has taught ceramics at Penland’s Kids Camp as well as taught with Arts Matters – MACAW, a teaching artist program in Mitchell County. Lisa has also worked with Toe River Arts in their residency and after-school programs.

“Learning to trust—this is the true quest—surrendering to the clay and allowing my sub-conscious to guide me.” — Lisa Gluckin

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Becky Gray | Lot 9

Becky Gray Hand built, carved clay 19.75H x 6W x 6D in Starting Bid: $320

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Becky Gray The figurative sculptures of ceramist Becky Gray provide a quiet place where one may reflect upon the narrative possibilities of the human condition.

“The dichotomy within man mimics that of nature—full of beauty on one hand and destruction on the other,” notes Gray. “In my work, however, I endeavor to convey the inherent goodness within mankind, whether quietly masked or direct.”

Gray’s works are hand built; she uses thrown forms, extrusions, coils and slabs combined in different ways to create pieces that are sculptural and often ceremonial in nature. Her works are raku-fired with light reduction, generally sprayed with water and then put into hardwood sawdust to cool. The result is an aged, often stone-like or metallic appearance.

Gray received a BFA in Art and a BA in English from Meredith College in Raleigh, North Carolina. Gray also attended Auburn University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Penland School of Craft.

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Becky Gray | Lot 10

Becky Gray Hand built, carved clay 22H x 7W x 6D in Starting Bid: $320

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Bea Hensley | Lot 11

Bea Hensley Forged steel 6.5H x 11W x 4.5D in Starting Bid: $160

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Bea Hensley (1919 - 2013) from the Blue Ridge National Hertiage Area: Bea Hensley learned blacksmithing from Daniel Boone VI, who came from a long line of blacksmiths. When Hensley was four years old, his family moved from Tennessee to Burnsville, NC, and they settled beside Daniel Boone VI’s smithy.

Hensley was fascinated with Boone: “I used to stand in the door and watch Daniel in his shop.”

After high school, Hensley inquired about working for Boone to apprentice with the master. Boone recognized Bea’s talent and took him into the workshop.

“When I was about fifteen, everybody had a horse to shoe. Some people had a number of horses to shoe,” he explained, talking about his early blacksmithing days. In addition to shoeing horses, he worked on pieces used for carriages or logging such as ‘J’ bars and grab skips. In 1937, when Daniel Boone VI received the exclusive contract for restoration ironwork to be done in colonial Williamsburg, he built a new forge in Spruce Pine as his base of operations.

After World War II, Bea Hensley returned to the forge to help with the restoration work, and it was he who finished the job in the early 1950s.

After buying the shop from Daniel Boone VI, he went into ornamental ironwork full time. Over the years, he mastered forms from candlesticks and candelabras to giant ornamented metal gates and exquisite knives.

Hensley received a North Carolina Folk Heritage Award in 1993 and the National Heritage Fellowship Award from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1995.

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Sarah Holt | Lot 12

Sarah Holt Floral Swag (Peonies + Lilies) Soda fired porcelaneous stoneware 15H x 8W x 3D in Starting Bid: $90

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Sarah Holt Domesticated Dirt Studios Sarah Holt grew up in Illinois, and spent most of her childhood in the woods, gardens and prairie around her family home, acquiring a knowledge of the natural world that inspires her work today. She started working in clay as a teenager at Parkland College in Champaign, IL. Sarah first came to the area for a clay concentration at Penland School of Craft in 2009, and later returned to take several more concentrations and summer workshops. Between Penland classes she completed a four-year apprenticeship with Michael Schwegmann at Boneyard Pottery in Champaign, IL (where she also taught pottery classes), and was an Artist in Residence at the St. Petersburg Clay Company in St. Petersburg, FL. Holt’s work has been featured in exhibitions at the Morean Arts Center for Clay in St. Petersburg, FL, Baltimore Clayworks, and the Strictly Functional Pottery National in Lancaster, PA, and she was commissioned by Penland School to make 550 mugs for the patrons of the 2015 Penland Benefit Auction. Sarah moved to Mitchell County in 2014 to assist local potter Gay Smith and work for other area potters. Now she and her husband Joe are building their home studio in the Penland community.

“I believe that the quality of life is improved by the everyday use of functional art that has a personal meaning and value, making daily routines into rituals. I make simple elegant pots with carved decoration based on native plants and garden flowers as well as on old china patterns and my mother’s quilting calicoes. I have recently begun making large vessels with sculpted floral decorations, and decoration studies that are sculptures on their own. My pieces are fired in salt/soda kilns, giving their surfaces warmth and spontaneous decoration. I want my work to be approachable, comforting, and to hold a meaningful place in the owners’ everyday life.” — Sarah Holt

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Jerry Jackson | Lot 13

Jerry Jackson Untitled Acrylic and paper 18H x 9.5W x 1.25D in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Jerry Jackson is the current executive director of John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC. Jackson received an MFA from East Carolina University.

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Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 | Lot 14

Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 Rain at Yasuniwa, 1946 Color woodblock print 10H x 14W; framed: 15.75H x 19W x 1D in Starting Bid: $160

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday July 17 at 8:00 AM and will close on Sunday July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Hasui Kawase 川瀬巴水 From the Ronin Gallery: Born Bunjiro Kawase in Tokyo, Hasui Kawase was the son of a silkbraid merchant. He began his artistic career studying Japanese-style painting with Kiyokata, as well as Western-style at the Hakubakai. His talent was clear, exhibiting in the Tatsumi Exhibition of Painting at age nineteen.

However, soon after seeing Shinsui’s series Eight Views of Lake Biwa, Hasui turned his attention to woodblock printing in 1919. Watanabe was the first to recognize his artistic genius, and Hasui Kawase soon became the most popular artist working for this prestigious publisher. Hasui traveled widely in Japan and his subjects are most frequently landscape themes. The prints are based upon small, quick sketches and watercolors taken from nature.

Unfortunately, during the earthquake of 1923, all of his woodblocks and over 200 sketches were destroyed. Undaunted, Hasui continued to produce his landscape prints. In 1956, the Japanese government’s Committee for the Preservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage designated Zojo Temple in Snow and the documentation of its production as Intangible Cultural Treasures, the greatest artistic honor in postwar Japan. All of his prints are signed “Hasui” usually with a variety of red seals reading “sui.” Though Watanabe published the majority of Hasui’s prints, Doi, Kawaguchi, Sakai and others published some as well.

Regarded as a major Japanese landscape artist of the 20th century, Hasui Kawase’s prints are characterized by their serenity of mood and flawless composition.

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Beth Kokol | Lot 15

Beth Kokol Creamsicle Paper pulp painting, maple frame 11H x 14W; framed: 11.75H x 14.25W x 1.25D in Starting Bid: $160

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Beth Kokol Beth Kokol Studio “Nature’s forces, both calm and chaotic have long been the foundation of my work. I reference this organic energy with color, mark-making and texture. My paintings can be still and quiet, or can evoke energy and turbulence. I work in many media including paper, jewelry, wood and metals.

I mix a range of media into my paint pigments to create a range of viscosities. I pour, squeeze, brush, drip, fling and smear layers of paint, often waiting days for each layer to dry before moving on. This very fluid foundation allows me to use glazing techniques as well as feature brush marks and palette knife work. At times I squeeze heavy paint directly from the tube, using it as a drawing tool to create strong lines and defined movements. As of late I have begun to return to mixed media where I am combining my images, using paint and silk. Often these images are of moments in my life or moments I imagine will someday come.” — Beth Kokol

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Delphia Lamberson | Lot 16

Delphia Lamberson Silver, garnet Earrings: 1.75H x 0.25W in Bracelet: 8 in, 0.375W in Starting Bid: $146

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Delphia Lamberson | Lot 17

Delphia Lamberson Sterling silver 19.5 in, 1.25W in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Delphia Lamberson | Lot 18

Delphia Lamberson Silver, lapis 3.5H x 0.375W x 0.25D in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Delphia Lamberson | Lot 19

Delphia Lamberson Brooch Silver, turquoise 1H x 1.75W x 0.5D in Starting Bid: $120

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Robin Martindale | Lot 20

Robin Martindale Long Legged Pot High fire clay, glaze 9H x 11W x 11D in Starting Bid: $50

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Robin Martindale’s artmaking is a meditative process. To her, visual art is a way of communicating that is as visceral as music but much more subtle. With her work Martindale is interested in expanding visual awareness. She was trained as a sculptor but has taught graphic design, illustration, history of graphic design, product and chair design, drawing, as well as many levels of sculpture.

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Dennis McAvoy | Lot 21

Dennis McAvoy Tall Vase with Crystalline Glaze Clay with crystalline glaze 18H x 9W x 9D in Starting Bid: $140

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Dennis McAvoy McAvoy Pottery “My work today is a result of all past experiences and influences. I have chosen to work mainly with crystalline glazes to embrace the challenge and complexity in developing a glaze that works as I expect. Because of the nature of the glaze, no two pieces will ever be alike. I like the unpredictability of the results along with the precise path that must be followed to get there. My goal is to develop a unique body of work that will be both functional and decorative that collectors will enjoy using and displaying.” — Dennis McAvoy

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Jeff McDowell | Lot 22

Jeff McDowell Brown Trout Forged iron with beeswax finish 3H x 22.5W x 3.5D in Starting Bid: $40

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Jeff McDowell is a traditional blacksmith specializing in hardware, railing and sculpture with a strong background in metal fabrication and welding.

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Mary Mikkelsen + Henry Pope | Lot 23

Mary Mikkelsen + Henry Pope Clay 8.5H x 8W x 4D in Starting Bid: $40

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Mary Mikkelsen + Henry Pope Mikpo Pottery Mary Mikkelsen and Henry Pope started making pots in the late 60s. Mikkelsen and Pope both discovered clay in school in California along their paths to other degrees. Pope strives to make useful pots that enhance a sense of the pleasure and meaning of the daily routines in life. Mikkelsen takes a more abstract approach, experimenting with surface treatment and brushwork patterns in order to enhance the viewer’s response to the form of the object. The pair work together to produce functional pottery meant to be held and enjoyed by the viewer.

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Aldina Nash-Hampe | Lot 24

Aldina Nash-Hampe Apple Picking Time Oil on linen 18.75H x 17W; framed: 19.5H x 17.5W x 1.5D in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Aldina Nash-Hampe Born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, Aldina Nash-Hampe has lived a well-traveled life, collecting experiences that have influenced her bold and expressive style. She was a rower in Seattle and an occupational therapist in Asheville.

Her paintings are vibrant and expressive, with depth reflective of her eclectic background. Her landscapes are both inviting and bold, leaving the viewer to wonder how she must have felt as she painted the mountain landscapes around her.

Aldina Nash-Hampe studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Boston University, and with artists Paul Gorka and Jim Lueders. She has lived in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and in Mexico, and has traveled extensively through Europe, all of which has influenced her work.

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JR + Kristen Page | Lot 25

JR + Kristen Page Sprouted Slate Blue Teapot Thrown stoneware 7H x 10W x 6D in Starting Bid: $48

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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JR + Kristen Page Page Pottery JR and Kristen Page are husband and wife artists and craftspeople living in the mountains of North Carolina. They met in the professional crafts program at Haywood College where they both graduated.

“Pottery for us is a way of life. A lifestyle we cherish greatly. We strive to make each final piece the best it can be. Taking great care and consideration to each material, process, tool and technique that is used. In giving our all into our craft some part of us goes into the work as well; giving birth to pots that have their own personality. As potters, our goal is to make compelling, personal art pieces that can be used.”

— JR + Kristen Page

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Gaylene Petcu | Lot 26

Gaylene Petcu Garden Gate Oil painting 7.5H x 9.5W; framed: 15H x 17.25W x 1.75D in Starting Bid: $130

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Gaylene Petcu Gaylene Petcu moved to Western North Carolina in 2007. After working in the Midwest as an illustrator for twenty-six years, her transition to painting mountain landscapes and flowers was a welcome change. A Laurel of Asheville cover artist, Her oil and pastel paintings have been exhibited in several galleries in western North Carolina.

“The Blue Ridge Mountains have held me spellbound since my visits as a child. How gratifying it is to be able to live and paint here. Extraordinary views of remote high ridges and small farms tucked into valleys provide the creative spark for my landscape paintings. Challenged by the ever-changing light, weather and seasons, I find great reward in expressing the quiet peace I feel in these ancient mountains.” — Gaylene Petcu

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Kenny Pieper | Lot 27

Kenny Pieper Ripple Vase | Urn, 2020 Blown glass 9H x 7W x 7D in Starting Bid: $76

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Kenny Pieper Pieper Glass Kenny Pieper was born in Birmingham, Alabama and raised in the mountains of North Carolina.

He began his craft career in high school when he studied at the Penland School of Craft. Initially, he studied pottery with Norm Schulman and Cynthia Bringle. Later, he found his passion for glass under the tutelage of Richard Ritter. After high school, in 1978 Kenny moved to Detroit under scholarship at the Center for Creative Studies; he subsequently received his B.F.A. from California College of Art and Design, in Oakland, CA. He then spent sixteen years working as a glassblower in the San Francisco East Bay area. Pieper’s career came full circle when he left California and moved back to North Carolina. While constructing a studio there, he worked at Penland School of Craft and managed the glassblowing and lampworking studios.

It was during this fruitful time that he developed his expertise in the tradition of Italian glass. Reflecting the harmony and beauty of his surroundings, Pieper produces an exquisite line of glass vessels and sculpture.

Kenny Pieper is deeply moved by the process of his medium. As an experienced glassblower of 41 years, Pieper relishes the dance of working with fire and glass in its liquid state. He is also intrigued by the luminosity of glass and its jewel-like qualities. Informed by the classical vessel, he seeks to convey elegance, harmony and beauty. His goblets, vases, and bowls celebrate function and elevate the user’s experience.

He has work in the collections of Corning Museum of Glass, Museum of Fine Art Boston, New Bedford Museum of Glass, Asheville Art Museum, New Orleans Museum of Art, Hickory Museum of Art, Racine Art Museum, as well as many private collections.

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Linda Powell | Lot 28

Linda Powell Geode Tray Clay with ironoxide wash 2H x 14W x 10.25D in Starting Bid: $64

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Linda Powell High Country Ceramic Arts “My approach to art is much like my approach to personal life: whatever it is, it is—with the exception that I will fight for fairness and those underprivileged.

I gravitate towards clay as a visceral medium and work in partnership with it. Sometimes I tell it what to do and other times the clay and glaze have their own suggestions. Sometimes we disagree.” — Linda Powell

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Melanie Risch | Lot 29

Melanie Risch Volcano Vase Clay and glaze washes 6.75H x 9.75W x 5D in Starting Bid: $44

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Nena Rowell | Lot 30

Nena Rowell Book with found fabric mola insert 1H x 8.75W x 9.75D in Starting Bid: $48

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Michael Rutkowsky | Lot 31

Michael Rutkowsky Chicken Roaster Thrown reduction fired stoneware 8H x 9W x 9D in Starting Bid: $70

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Michael Rutkowsky Rutkowsky Pottery “I make a wide array of pottery forms that are both functional and decorative. My pots are an expression of my love for the process and medium of clay, slips, and glazes, all of which I have formulated and continue to make from the raw materials. Firing to cone 10 reduction, the outcome is never completely predictable; leaving room for chance, which I find very exciting and rewarding. Mine is not a self-conscious approach to art. I use simple tools and materials, spontaneously allowing the ongoing process of the work to suggest its own variations, and encouraging a more intuitive approach to creativity.

I am inspired by standing at the wheel and pulling a form out of a lump of soft clay, shaping it as close to collapse as it will allow…then doing it again. Next, I apply wet slips on the form to provide contrast and accent the form—they are beautiful when wet and shiny, and still impressionable. When the pot is dry enough to handle again, I slip trail linear designs in a gestural motion to record repetitive but distinct patterns affected by the firmness of the pot and the slips being trailed. This is when the world feels right to me. The feeling is often repeated when handling and inspecting the pots pulled from the kiln while still warm. The firing brings its own conclusion to the process.” — Michael Rutkowsky

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Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky | Lot 32

Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky I Am Here Now Stoneware with sgraffito, brass hanger 13.5H x 13.5W x 2.75D in Starting Bid: $100

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky Rutkowsky Pottery “I am drawn to creating with various media but creating three-dimensional artwork with clay touches me deep down in my soul. I am addicted to water to begin with, so mud has been a part of my life since I played in puddles at a kid. I draw inspiration both from my love for being outside, and deep spiritual yearnings. I find myself thinking of ‘Earth & Sky’ almost constantly. Currently I am exploring colors and designs used in the folk-art painting style of my Scandinavian heritage as well as those of the cold, deep oceans, and starry night skies. I ask; ‘Who am I, and why am I here?’

Using the sgraffito technique in my process, I have developed a line of work that is purposefully spiritual in nature, but also includes pieces with social commentary or a commemorative message.

I obtained my degree in art nearly 30 years ago and focused my career on making pottery after moving to Burnsville in 2010. I am a full-time potter sharing my life and studio with my potter husband, Michael. Together we are Rutkowsky Pottery.” — Ruth Fischer Rutkowsky

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Eric Ryser | Lot 33

Eric Ryser Snowblind Acid etched, forged and fabricated steel 6H x 7W x 7D in Starting Bid: $150

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Eric Ryser Eric Ryser Forge Trained as a traditional object maker in nonferrous metals, Ryser’s past ten years have been strictly focused in iron and steel. Ryser uses nitric acid to etch detailed patterns in plate steel.

Previous experience with intaglio printmaking has resurfaced in his metal work, as Ryser uses the same process as a printmaker would in dealing with multiples: once the pattern is determined, it is then etched into steel while still in plate form. After printing, the plate is then struck.

The striking then becomes the act of forging or fabricating the material into a physical object. In doing all of this, it allows Ryser to explore the realm of twodimension while continuing to be a three-dimensional artist.

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Valerie Schnaufer | Lot 34

Valerie Schnaufer Dwelling with River Rocks Ceramic with found objects 19.5H x 6W x 1.25D in Starting Bid: $98

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Valerie Schnaufer Rabbit Hop Studio “My ceramic work begins with forms found in nature. During days spent hiking the mountains of Western North Carolina and combing the beaches of Green Turtle Cay, Abaco Bahamas, I collect from nature treasures that continue to fascinate me for their form, beauty or unusual characteristics. These forms often cause me to take a second look, wanting to further explore their qualities and uniqueness. I treasure these gifts and begin to construct a ‘home’ of sorts from slab so that the observer may enjoy the form as well as the dwelling in which they reside. Just as in nature, no two are alike. I am continually drawn to the elements of nature, the surprises and the ever changing qualities that exist.”

— Valerie Schnaufer

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Martin Stankus | Lot 35

Martin Stankus Saggar Globe Saggar fired ceramic with aluminum 7H x 7.5W x 7.5D in Starting Bid: $64

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Martin Stankus Tin Roof Pottery Martin Stankus has worked with clay for over twenty years, specializing in the production of saggar and raku fired ceramics as well as garden related stoneware. Retired from a career in city planning, he now pursues ceramics full-time.

Stankus refined his skills at the NCSU Craft Center, Penland School of Craft, John C. Campbell Folk School, Dan Finch Pottery, and numerous other workshops. Stankus moved to Burnsville, NC four years ago, and works out of the High Country Ceramic Arts studio while completing construction of a new home studio. “The low fire technique I utilize in my saggar work is spontaneous with unanticipated results that are intriguing to me. The use of natural materials to create the smoke and fuming atmosphere within the firing chamber and interaction of the aluminum foil with the vessel surface creates decorative details that are unique to each piece.

I use aluminum foil as a saggar to contain the smoke and gases created by the combination of iron chloride, sugar, seaweed, copper wire, tree leaves, fern fronds, and other organic elements. I find the experimentation of combining and layering different combustibles an exhilarating process with unlimited surface possibilities. The spontaneity and hands-on characteristics of the firing process, the endless variations in surface effects, and the degree of surprise in the final result continues to stimulate my interest in the this firing process.� — Martin Stankus

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Noah Valentine Styles | Lot 36

Noah Valentine Styles Waking Clay 8.25H x 15.25W x 9.5D in Starting Bid: $210

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Noah Valentine Styles “Garrison Keillor said that anyone who thinks sitting in church can make you a Christian must also think that sitting in a garage can make you a car. The same goes for being an artist: having the right kind of mallet and marble won’t make you Michelangelo. In fact, Michelangelo created David from a piece of marble that had been twice discarded by other sculptors. This is one of the reasons why I like to incorporate found objects into my work. For me, being an artist is about being able to see something beautiful in imperfect, broken and battered things.

Clay is my favorite medium because of its suppleness, strength, and willingness to be transformed in both form and texture. I don’t usually think about the finished product while I sculpt, but rather how the transformation of discarded objects and clay makes me feel.” — Noah Valentine Styles

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Yaffa + Jeff Todd | Lot 37

Yaffa + Jeff Todd Memorial Day, 2003 Hot sculpted and flame worked glass 2H x 3.125W x 3.125D in Starting Bid: $240, reserve price: $500

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Yaffa + Jeff Todd Yaffa Todd & Jeff Todd Glass Yaffa Todd was born in Tele Aviv, Israel.

After completing her BFA in ceramics at the Philadelphia College of Art, she worked as a studio potter for two years. She began graduate school at the Rochester Institute of Technology in January 1975, majoring in glass. During her second year at RIT, she began extensive investigation into opal glass systems, specifically fluorine opal glasses that became the subject of her master’s thesis.

This research is still ongoing.

A native of Philadelphia, PA, Jeff Todd majored in jewelry and glass at Southern Illinois University. He became interested in glass in the early 70s, taking classes at SIU and at the Penland School of Craft. His skills with metalworking and glassblowing may be seen in many of his early pieces.

The Todds’ Nature Weights are traditional style paperweights. By using the lensshaped horizontal form, they create a window for the viewer to look through.

Most of their images come from childhood memories and their present environment. They use the gardens around their house, the river behind their studio and the magnificent North Carolina Mountains for inspiration.

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Kat Turczyn | Lot 38

Kat Turczyn Wild Lavender Oil painting 12H x 24W x 1.5D in Starting Bid: $200

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Kat Turczyn Kat’s Flat Art “I am attracted to both a bold, loose style but also tight and fine brushwork. I am attracted to soft and nuanced texture, hard lines, and strokes by palette knife. My passion for perfection gets me up in the morning and I am thrilled to be able to express my creativity in this way.” — Kat Turczyn Kat Turczyn retired in 2006 after a forty-year career as a statistical analyst in the Washington, DC area. She and her husband Mark moved to the mountains for Western North Carolina in 2009, and she began painting portraits in pastels. She paints animals and landscapes, making portraits and abstractions as well.

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Jim Waters | Lot 39

Jim Waters Still Got the Blues Oil and cold wax on panel 24H x 24W x 1.25D in Starting Bid: $460, reserve price $750

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Jim Waters “My paintings in encaustic wax are filled with circles and squares, golden rectangles, arcs and grids.

The paintings are multilayered, incised, scraped, and cut. Fields of motion and color are painted over, hidden and revealed again as an allegory for the underlying meaning and history of our world.� — Jim Waters

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Mark Woodham | Lot 40

Mark Woodham Untitled Forged Steel 19H x 14W x 1D in Starting Bid: $60

Bidding information: Bidding on this piece will begin on Friday, July 17 at 8 AM and will close on Sunday, July 19 at 8:30 PM.

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Mark Woodham MW Studios Mark Woodham is new to Western North Carolina as a wood and metalworker, but is no stranger to the arts business. For 25 years, Woodham owned and worked in a glassblowing studio in Columbia, SC. During that time he engaged in wood and metalworking as a hobby, in which he felt truly expressive. In early 2017 Woodham made the leap from hot glass in the Midlands of South Carolina to organic woodgrain and cool metal lines in the mountains of Burnsville, NC. His work focuses on the union of wood and metal to create functional and decorative accessories and sculpture. With reverence for the subject matter, Woodham is inspired by flora, fauna, and cultural artifacts.

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