Waiting for the President!

Last weekend President Obama and his wife Michelle came to the Grove Park Inn for a short vacation.

At the Gallery, we spruced up and decorated in hopes that they would stop by for a look at our wonderful American made crafts.



Security was tight with Secret Service all over the hotel. Cars were searched on arrival and employees were told to use certain entrances. Very exciting!

On Friday night, Debra, Sallie and Cheryl caught a glimpse of the First Couple as they dined in the inside Terrace Restaurant across from the Gallery. Earlier that day, the President had played a round of golf on the hotel course and was clearly visible from the Sammons Wing. Hotel guests lined the windows, sipping drinks while they watched the golf game.

Penny Ross and Alice Davis

For an artistic memento of your stay here, we offer an original image of the the Grove park Inn created in colored pencil and reproduced for lovely unique magnets. The artists are local - Penny Ross and Alice Davis.

Steve Duncan

The carving of faces in rustic wood began with the ancient Celtic tribes of northern Europe and dates back to the pre-history of Stonehenge. In sacred forests, grim faced gods hewn by axe adorned tree trunks and provided a safe holy sanctuary.

The Celts believed that the great trees were spiritual embodiments of mystical Druid priests and great warriors. The old country belief was that the tree spirit or Green Man brought crop fertility and good fortune for it symbolized seasonal renewal.




Steve Duncan, a native of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is known for his hand carved canes and staffs. Using traditional hand tools and local hardwoods, he carves each stick in his self taught free hand style. Being both useful and collectible, each walking stick reflects its own nature as well as the artist's imagination.

Jonathan's Spoons

Wooden spoons are some of the simplest tools in our homes, yet have an unlimited variety of uses and designs to explore.

This collection of handcrafted cherry wood utensils has evolved over 30 years of experimentation in the woodshop and kitchen. These spoons can serve anything, from soup to spaghetti, pudding to pie; they can spread, scoop, strain, whisk, ladle, grab, cut, peel, paddle, or pour. Use them at the stove or on the table.

We hope you'll enjoy the balance, function and quality we have built into every utensil and that they will serve you with pleasure for many years.

Thanks to our wonderful customers for choosing American hand crafted spoons.

Andra Nus

Andra lived in Europe for several years, and her 3 sons wore booties very similar to the ones we carry. She adapted the design and made her own!

These baby booties are soft-soled made from lambskin with a unique ankle strap that holds the shoes securely in place on the baby's foot. They come in a variety of colors and sizes.

Kathy Goldstein

Born in London, England and raised in New York City, Kathy went to an art high school. Upon entering the work force designed booklets, and film strips, as well as adds for newspapers.

In 1981 she started doing stained glass and never looked back. Kathy made the move to Western North Carolina in 1990. She designs most of her work, specializing in nature, birds and flowers. Spider webs are her favorite and the most popular.



Her clear and colors webs are the highlight of the shop. Kathy's corner spider webs never cease to delight customers.

Kathlene Ford Walters

Kathlene makes one of a kind mixed media greeting cards that will bring a smile to your face. Using vintage photographs, silk flowers, ribbon, buttons, handmade paper among other things, she creates a collage of themed items to go with the occasion.

Her cards are wonderful for weddings, birthdays, friendship, thank yous - just about any event in your life.

New from Michael Smith

The Gallery now carries Michael's cotton Shibori t-shirts in both long and short sleeve. Great for summer wear teamed up with jeans, shorts or evening wear!

Amy Mozingo

Fabric artist Amy has made lovely hats using 1/2 inch strips of silk chiffon with a wire brim. Her hats are wonderfully versatile and machine washable!

They keep you warm in the winter and cool in the summer and because silk sheds water very well can actually serve as a mini umbrella in a light rain! If you wet the crown in hot temps it acts like an air conditioner altho your hair may look a little funky!




You can bend the brim into a variety of shapes - from a cowboy hat to a wavy brimmed flower child!

"In all that I do, I add to the beauty that surrounds and sustains us." Amy explains about her fun creations!

Lisa K. Walraven

After obtaining a BFA at the Ohio University in 1988, Lisa became involved in volunteering with a wildlife rehabilitation clinic at a nature center. She eventually became employed as a wildlife technician and worked there for 7 gratifying years. That experience, along with years of work as a bird bander, and bird surveyor, has allowed her to connect with wildlife, in many ways.

"Birds and animals are my motivation for creating. Often times, my work comes from cherished experiences with my subjects, and my love of the outdoors" she explains.

Lisa relocated to the Asheville area from Bisbee, AZ. In this new setting, she is enjoying the many venues of Asheville and has had several shows at locations such as: the Pi Aveda Salon, Lola Salon, Moments Café, Wild Birds Unlimited, Early Girl Eatery, the Woolworth Walk Gallery, as well as being involved with the East of Asheville Studio Tour.

Lisa's paintings are bright, bold, often graphic, sometimes painterly, stylized, and happy. She loves using oils, and often paints the backgrounds in acrylics. Her most current experimentations involve collage, encaustic and abstracts, but she is best known for her “bird heads”.

Suzanne Rehbock

It is said of potters that they make pots that look like themselves. Says Suzanne about this..."I am not sure about that but my pots do tend to resemble the human form."

This may not be evident at first because of her love of color and surface decoration but she loves to pay attention to the details of the shape and how a slight movement can change the feel of the pot.



She makes functional pottery for the kitchen because she likes to cook and serve food in beautiful handmade dishes. Often when working with clay Suzanne gets lost in the presnt moment, horus pass in an instant and ideas flow effortlessly. There is part of the maker in every pot.



The Gallery boasts her colorful dot patterns in plates, platters, mugs, berry bowls, pitchers, prep bowls and more. Her vases are striped in various patterns, and her candle bases and soap dishes feature a lovely turquoise glaze.

Raquel Stanek

Raquel has been working with glass since 1997. She lives and works on beautiful Bainbridge Island Island just outside Seattle.

She makes all her mosaics and fused glass. She hand cuts all the glass to fit which makes each piece special and unique.




The Gallery features her sushi plates and small bowls of her fused glass lines. We also carry her colorful bird and Christmas tree ornaments.

Silver Stag

Silver Stag creates handcrafted field gear for the men in your family.

Their knives have captured the essence of a by-gone era by combining skilled American labor with natural raw materials to produce unique, functional and attractive on-of-a-kind field tools.

The company exclusively uses North American shed deer, elk, and moose antler to manufacture their knives. Raw shed antler is trimmed, cut and sorted and endures various stages of prep work, shaping and buffing before and after the antler is permanently affixed to the blade.




Silver Stag cutlery is manufactured exclusively with American high carbon too steel, authentic hand forged Damascus steel and 420 or 440 stain resistant steels. All designs are assured to meet the needs of the most demanding sportsman.

Due to the exclusive use of natural raw material, combined with the unique hands-on manufacturing process, no tow Silver Stag knives will ever be alike.

Kathryn Speckman

Fiber artist, Kathryn Speckman found that her early interests centered around fashion - the shapes, colors, patterns and textures of what people around her were wearing in the 1930s and 40s. She remembers the deep wine color, the feel and flow of a bias cut silk velvet gown and matching sequined cloche saved in a box she found in her attic, a relic from a 1920s wedding. Kathryn was hooked and since has tried to reinterpret the mood and style of different eras with cloth, yarn and fiber.

Since 1992 and the creation of her business, she has focused on hats, collecting and making them, then adding embellishments, small accessories and scarves. Now felting has opened up a new realm in which to both explore and express the mood and creative vigor such movements as the Arts and crafts, Secession and wiener Werkstatte still offer to contemporary art and fashion.

The Gallery at present carries her felted flowers which are lovely worn as pins, added to hats or to decorate a scarf.

Elizabeth Westveer

Elizabeth was born in Columbia, South Carolina and has strong ties to the mountains of Western North Carolina. She spent much of her youth visiting family in the local area.

Spruce Pine became her home in 1996 when she married her husband. The local art community provided the sparks that developed in her studio.

Elizabeth is an avid traveler and has crossed the globe searching for inspiration for her pottery.



The Gallery features her lovely woven look trays in rich earth tones.

Ken Wheeler

Wood worker Ken Wheeler's tables and cabinets have a wonderful rustic feel to them that our customers love.

Local to the Asheville area, Ken uses found lumber to create his pieces. He uses late 19th century bead board and heart wood pine and also incorporates mountain laurel and rhododendron handles and decoration. He makes cabinets, bird houses and baskets.

Depending on the size and shape they can be used for pet leashes, house keys, outgoing mail in the hall. In kitchens, the cabinets can hold spices, recipes, canned goods and other food items. Bathroom cabinets are great for soap, shampoo and extra linens. Hand towels can be drape on the rack below. Use them in the den for storing video equipment and remote controls or just CD's!

His side tables have a folk art look to them with branches forming the legs. If you like the rustic look for your mountain home, Ken's furniture hits the spot!

New Silks By Joanna Alot

A new shipment of lovely spring colored scarves and ties came in this week from Joanna Alot!