Richard Moore

Many years ago Richard watched a broom maker at a craft show create a Shaker-style broom on original Shaker equipment built in the 1800's. He was fascinated with the artistry, form and simple flowing quality of this old world craft.

He later learned the craft from a Master broom maker in Pleasant Hill, Kentucky and purchased Shaker equipment from his teacher.

Moore makes two types of brooms - one is the round broom, a Shaker favorite for corners, edges, ceilings and fireplaces. The round broom is ideally suited for all surfaces except for sweeping expanses of floor. This is what the flat broom was invented for by the Shakers at about 1850. They were also the first to use wire to secure the broom-corn to the hardwood handle.

One important fact about broom-corn is that it is considered "living" on a cellular level and will retain a "memory" of where it is stored. For example, if you store your broom resting on the floor, the bottom of the broom will conform to the floor surface. it will not go back to it's original shape. For this reason, you must hang your brooms when not in use.



Moore's brooms are made from Arkansas grown broom-corn and the handles are cut from domestic trees - all hardwood of varying species (dogwood, hickory, sassafras, sumac, sweet gum, ash). Trees are not felled to make brooms - the handles are a by-product of aged out trees that have come down in lightning strikes, twisters etc. Hemp is used by the Shakers and Moore as well to securely tie up the broom-corn. Hemp will not disintegrate, rot or wear down and is far superior to nylon. Moore's brooms will last for many years with proper care.

Mary Mikkelsen and Henry Pope

Mary and Henry ( Mikpo Pottery) use a fine white translucent porcelain and a variety of stonewares - dark and light firing - to make a broad range of functional and sculptural pieces. Each piece is hand thrown or constructed from slabs and is individually decorated with food-safe materials.

Their functional work is safe to use in microwaves or dishwashers.





Customers love their Oriental motif using small colorful birds, herons and bamboo along with carvings in the pottery to give it texture. We have a wide selection of platters, bowls, vases, mugs and jars for dinnerware or just to display.

Julia Mann

Julia came to the mountains of Western North Carolina in 1980 to study art at Western Carolina University. She obtained a BFA in ceramics and glassblowing. She also fell in love with the art community in the area. She stayed to continue her education at Haywood Community College studying production pottery.

Julia has an interest is many mediums but it always comes back to clay - creating her own glazes, and style and making it work. She resides in town and works out of her studio in Asheville.

The Gallery carries her full line of plates, pitchers, bowls, goblets, mugs, spoon rests and vases.

Len Lindsay

Len was born in Massachusetts and was first introduced to crafts by his mother who taught him to knit at an early age. He continued knitting into college as a student of North Carolina State University where he was the "Wolf" mascot for games and events.

He discovered his love for clay in 1973 and later started using crystalline glazes which actually grows crystals in the kiln giving the pottery a very deep interesting glaze.

Len's work is included in many collections - NC Museum of Science and Industry, Indianapolis Museum of Fine Arts, and People's Museum Bei Jing.





The Gallery carried his lovely crystalline glazes as will as his traditional ones.

Lisa Conard

Lisa is a local Asheville potter who features maple leaves on her ceramics. She is self taught with over 20 years of experience.  Working in her studio, Lisa throws, glazes and fires all of her pieces by hand herself.

To create her lovely leaf pottery, she uses high fire stoneware and a creative glazing process that includes pressing and actual leaf into each piece. Her work is inspired by her breathtaking surroundings of her native mountains.

Enjoy the simple beauty of her work and you will see how well it blends in with many other dish colors you may already have at home.

Christine Kosiba

Christine began sculpting as a little girl, finding clay alongside creeks then squeezing and shaping it into creations she would later dry on her windowsill. Her affinity for animals also found it's way into her later work too.

Clay continues to inspire and ground her unlike any other medium. She derives her inspiration from the natural world and her work often incorporates symbolism related to nature's lessons and spirit - the connectedness we all share.



Christine has lead and taught numerous ceramic workshops and classes over the last twelve years. She has facilitated community projects in the ceramic arts in Arizona, Georgia and North Carolina and her work is seen in galleries across the country.

She has a deep appreciation for nature and draws from the natural energy that surrounds her living in the mountains of western North Carolina. The wisdom of the bear, antics of the raven, grace of the deer - all elements of this area that nourish her spirit.

Cindy Hendrick

Cindy Hendrick grew up in the hills of western Connecticut in a pre-revolutionary farmhouse. There were few other houses around but there were hundreds of acres of woods and fields to explore and observe the many animals that lived there. And there was always a succession of wounded or lost animals coming through the house, which gave the artist the chance to observe animals up close.

These and many family pets provided studies for childhood drawings and personality studies. Art was always present in her home. Both parents were painters at one time, and Cindy's father was a cartoonist. He created a series called "The Mountain Boys" and his work appeared in various magazines and syndicated newspapers from the 1930s through the 1960s. He worked in a studio over the barn.



Over the last four decades she has studied art at UNH, the Manchester Institute for the Arts and privately with many accomplished painters and artists. Cindy and her husband have raised three boys as well as assorted household pets. Gardening is also a favorite pastime and many of the background flowers in the illustrations come straight from her garden.

Today she lives in another 200 year old farmhouse in western New Hampshire with her husband and various animals, wild and domestic, overlooking the Connecticut River Valley.

The Gallery carries her whimsical and detailed cards - of wooded and pastoral scenes and the animasl who inhabit these areas. We even have Cindy's paper dolls - Cedric Bear and Lou Lou Rabbit - remember these?.

Another Birthday!

Part-time staff member Cheryl had a birthday recently. It was postponed because of a snow storm so the rest of the gang got two parties in one!



Sallie made her fabulous chocolate cake again and everyone was here to celebrate! Even Madge got in on the photo op!





This photo shows all of the full and part time staff for the Gallery!

New for Spring from Jean Saake

Lovely ceramic bell with hand painted bunny and carrot on the sides. What a lovely gift for Easter!