Rebecca Hook and the Beauty of Dogwoods

Necklace of blue topaz. green amethyst and citrine

Our new selection of Rebecca Hook's jewelry features the beautiful dogwood flower.   If you are not familiar with this small fast growing tree here are some interesting tidbits.

There are three species of native dogwood trees found in the United States and southern Canada, all of which have outstanding value for landscaping, as well as for birds and wildlife. Dogwood berries ripen from summer to fall, depending on the species, and are a magnet for birds. The dogwood trees are also useful as shelter and nesting sites for birds throughout the growing season.



The flowering dogwood is outstanding in its beauty, "the tree that elevates the clan to horticultural aristocracy," as author William Cullina writes. According to flower lore, the dogwood means love undiminshed by adversity.

The name dogwood comes from "dagwood" because of its use for making "dags" or daggers. Native Americans used the inner bark to treat malaria, and its young shoots for basket making.
(Info from Wild Ones)

Silver dogwood necklace 17"

Vermeil dogwood necklace with pearls 

Earrings

Blue topaz earrings

Black and White Drusy Collection by Elizabeth Rodgers

Black drusy necklace with sterling silver,  24K gold

“Nature is an endless combination and repetition of a very few laws. She hums the well-known air through enumerable variations” – Ralph Waldo Emerson 

True to Emerson’s quote, Elizabeth’s jewelry is a striking combination of sterling silver and 24K gold overlay. The ancient Korean technique called Keum-bo is achieved by heat and pressure, which gives a substantial appearance as well as a light, comfortable weight. Having worked as a professional jeweler for the past 25 years, Elizabeth is well-known for her Keum-bo jewelry. 

All of Elizabeth’s jewelry is one of a kind and incorporates beautiful stone combinations. And again, like Emerson, her artist choices of stones and colors create “enumerable variations” of pattern and form.

Bracelet of druzy, tourmalated quartz, palomino stone on sterling

Earrings of black druzy, 24K gold and sterling

Earrings of palomino stone and white druzy

What is a druzy?  Spelled many different ways, they all mean tiny quartz crystals that form within or on the surface of other stones.

When ground water carrying dissolved silica is forced into a porous area of the rock, rapid cooling often occurs, causing the formation of tiny crystals on the surfaces or in the cavities of the rock. The clear crystals often form on top  of previously deposited minerals.  This is called a drusy.  Some minerals found in this form are malachite, hematite, pyrite, carnelian.

Palomino stone pendant with white druzy

Basket Weaving Demos with Joe Bruneau at the Grove Park Inn

Melon basket

This Memorial Day Weekend, basket weaver Joe Bruneau will be giving demonstrations of his craft on Saturday May 28 and Sunday May 29 from 10 am until 4 pm at the Grove Park Inn in the SammonsWing.  

Reed basket with fringe

Melon basket with beads and fringe

Melon basket

Lengths of Pearl Necklaces with Dabney Sue Peterson

Peach 18" 12mm necklace

The Gallery has some stunning new Dabney Sue Peterson pearl necklaces of all colors, lengths and types of pearls, many with earrings to match.  Did you know that there is a special vocabulary used to describe the length of pearl necklaces?

Lavender pearls $495. necklace

While most other necklaces are simply referred to by their physical measurement, pearl necklaces are named by how low they hang when worn around the neck. A collar, measuring 10 to 13 inches or 25 to 33 cm in length, sits directly against the throat and does not hang down the neck at all; collars are often made up of multiple strands of pearls.

Pearl chokers, measuring 14 to 16 inches or 35 to 41 cm in length, nestle just at the base of the neck. A strand called a princess length, measuring 17 to 19 inches or 43 to 48 cm in length, comes down to or just below the collarbone.

10mm 5 ft. pearl rope

A matinee length, measuring 20 to 24 inches or 50 to 60 cm in length, falls just above the breasts. An opera length, measuring 28 to 35 inches or 70 to 90 cm in length, will be long enough to reach the breastbone or sternum of the wearer; and longer still, a pearl rope, measuring more than 45 inches or 115 cm in length, is any length that falls down farther than an opera.

(Info from Wikipedia)

18" Grey pearls 14mm necklace

Keishi pearls  18" necklace

18" 18mm petal pearls necklace

Gold keishi pearls 20" necklace

John Mac Kah's Notecards Capture the Real Cold Mountain

John Mac Kah note cards $2.75 - Cold Mountain left and a lone sycamore on right.

Many of you have read the book Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier or seen the movie staring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. There is a real Cold Mountain in the heart of Shining Rock Wilderness in Western North Carolina not far from Asheville.

Cold Mountain is located in Haywood County North Carolina. It is a place of legends, stories and music. Its silhouette is particularly haunting from the west.  Artist John Mac Kah paints these local scenes in oils, capturing the color and subtle nuances of his beloved mountains.  Our note cards give you a way to take a taste of the mountains home with you to share with others.

October on Cold Mountain note card - farmhouse oak  note card $2.75

Cold Mountain can be seen from an overlook on Blue Ridge Parkway near mile marker 412 which is the west view of 6,030 ft Cold Mountain. Blue Ridge Parkway is closed in winter due to poor weather at higher elevations however Cold Mountain overlook is assessable via Highway 276 which runs between Waynesville and Etowah near Asheville. Another view of Cold Mountain is near mile marker 431 at Haywood Jackson overlook off the Parkway.

Off Loom Bead Weaving with Willowsong

Willowsong necklace $1950. with drusy, quartz, amethyst, tourmaline, pearls and 24k gold overlay glass beads.

Trained in bead weaving by Native American friends, Willow as we call her, incorporates the peyote stitch with her own adaptation of free form bead weaving.  She uses glass beads in this set pictured that have been fired with metal oxides and salt (24K gold in this case).  Each batch of beads is crafted by tenured glass workers from the Czech Republic using skilled old world techniques.

Peyote stitch, also known as Gourd stitch, is an off-loom bead weaving technique. Peyote stitch may be worked with either an even or an odd number of beads per row. Both even and odd count peyote pieces can be woven as flat strips, in a flat round shape, or as a tube. Tubular peyote is used to make pouches or to decorate objects such as bottles or fan handles.

Many cultures around the world have used peyote stitch in their beadwork. Examples of peyote stitch have been found in artifacts from Ancient Egypt, and the stitch has also been used in historic and contemporary Native American beadwork. The name "peyote stitch" derives from the use of this stitch to decorate objects used in peyote ceremonies by members of the Native American Church. The name "gourd stitch" similarly derives from the use of the stitch in decorating gourd containers.
(Info from Wikipedia)

Earrings by Willowsong with green amethyst $275.

Native American Symbols in Jim Littlewolf's Jewlery

Bracelet $350. with  ivory, jet, turquoise, coral

Of Comanche descent, local silver smith Jim Littlewolf uses many Native American symbols in his jewelry along with gemstones like turquoise, coral, ivory, bone onyx and jet. 

Necklace of silver, coral, bone, onyx, and turquoise $525.

Although the specific meanings vary between tribes, most symbols can be interpreted very simply.  Here are some definitions of the symbols found in Jim's jewelry.

• Arrow - direction, force, movement and power
• Spirals - cycles of life, renewal
• Feathers - connection between this world and the spirit world
• Bear - the protector, physical strength and leadership
• Moon - Earth protector at night
• Horse - journey
• Sun rays - constancy
• Sun - Earth guardian during the day
• Squash blossom - abundance

Silver bracelet $245. with turquoise

Bracelet $450. with turquoise, coral, and  mastadonian bone

Feather ring $225.

Horse necklace $1150. with jet bear, carved bone, turquoise, onyx, and spiney oyster

Necklace $1200. with  orange coral, pipestone, turquoise, jet, and ornamented with real horse hair

Decorating with Mike Cowan's Yard Art

Mike Cowan yard art - ant $18. and spider $13

Using whimsical yard art is a great way to decorate your garden, planters or entryway. Mike Cowan creates fun critters of all sizes from scrap car parts, tools and found items. Not sure where to place these metal sculptures in your yard? Here are some quick ideas to get you started.

Cowan's dragonfly $26.

• Arrange an assortment of different size plant pots on your front steps or porch and add some small yard art creations like the ant or spider in containers among the flowers.
• Create a theme nook in your garden with a bird feeder or bird bath and place a hub cap snail or two on the ground nestled in  the flower bed.
• Move your indoor plants outside  to a corner of your patio and set them up on wood stools or metal plant stands with a collection of yard art in the ground and in the pots.
• Next time you have a cookout - add some fun with the metal ants lined up on the table in between the food plates. 
• Bring yard art indoors and use the snail or grasshopper for doorstops.

Whimsical grasshopper $55.

Yard art snail $50.

Hubcap snail $55.

May 22 Art Auction for Wood Carver Phil Brown at Folk Art Center

Goldfinch by Phil Brown $125.

One of our favorite artists,  Phil Brown, the woodcarver who creates exquisite birds, has been diagnosed with lung cancer.  He and his wife Gay, who is a potter, have minimal insurance and medical expenses are adding up.

The Gallery of the Mountains are participating in an auction to help raise funds for his medical treatment. The event will be held at the Folk Art Center, Asheville, NC on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Sunday May 22 from 1 until 6pm.

In addition to being a phenomenal artist, Phil is also a talented musician. Local musicians are planning a benefit concert  that Sunday, followed by the auction.  Hand crafted items from all of our area artists as well as craft classes will be auctioned off.

Stop by for some great music,  a chance to purchase a hand made item while helping out two very special artists.  Don't miss this!

New Glass Artist Michael Hatch Joins the Gallery

Michael Hatch Glass Vase $62.

Local glass blower Michael Hatch has always been fascinated by the process of working with hot glass.  He has been a glass worker for over 25 years.  He has studied glass at Penland School of Craft in Penland, NC and Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood WA after studying sociology and anthropology at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Large Hopi turquoise vase $150.

Inspired by the native American cultures of the Southwest, Michael incorporates vivid green and turquoise hues in his line of Hopi vases.

Turquoise glass bowl $75.

He is currently conducting a 3 year internship at the Energy Xchange in Burnsville, NC which is a complex that utilizes methane gas from the local landfill to power a hot shop for glass blowers and a pottery kiln, in addition to supplying radiant heat for the studios.  Michael is very excited to be apart of such an innovative and environmentally friendly project.

Hopi vase by Michael Hatch $150.

Green vase by Michael Hatch $75.

Glass vase $62.

Original Watercolor Paintings of the Grove Park Inn by Mista Whitson

Grove park Inn original watercolor $135.

If you are a fan of the historic Grove Park Inn Resort and Spa in Asheville then you will enjoy these original watercolors by local artist Mista Whitson.  She captures wonderfully the lush forested mountains that surround the Inn as well as the spectacular sunsets viewed from the Terrace restaurant.

Mista Whitson watercolor $135.

Whitson original watercolor $135.

Fritz Lauenstein Glass Ornaments and Pendants

Glass candy canes $22.

Artist Fritz Lauenstein is acknowledged as one of America's premier hot glass marble artists.  After studying art at Gould Academy in Maine, Goddard College in Vermont and Massachusetts College of Art, he began working with James Holmes, a decorative glass craftsman.  In 1991 Fritz set up his own studio.  Due to the unique, limited nature of Fritz's glass production, his work became highly collectible and is published in numerous books.

Fritz Lauenstein glass canes $22.

The precision of the "reverse twists" in his work is particularly notable.  In addition to creating marbles, Fritz also utilizes and alters the basic marble design in order to create other glass works, such as pendants, globe ornaments and candy cane ornaments.  The Gallery carries all of the latter designs.  His work contains some of the finest variation on the contemporary swirl, clambroth and Joseph Coat designs.

Globe ornaments $22.

Glass pendant $28.

Lauenstein pendant $28.