I ventured out today for my first whati'dbuy trip, taking a look at art on display in downtown Asheville and seeing what I'd choose to add to my collection (if I had the space and/or money to do so).
Now I knew there was a reason I had wanted to take off work this week and go downtown, instead of waiting until today; but not until I drove into town and straight into the Asheville Christmas Parade did I remember why. The crowds and roadblocks sent me driving around in circles, block after block, as I tried to make my way as close to Biltmore Avenue as I could. I decided that if I waited and returned in an hour the parade would be over and I could reach the center of town easily.
So I headed east on a side trip to Hancock Fabrics, in search of red and pink fleece, which to my delight I found at half price (if you buy scraps). Since I am making fleece hats these scraps will do the job.
After an hour, I returned to town and easily found parking right in the front of the Asheville Art Museum . Each November, the museum holds their Holiday Market inside a small front room where you can enter, free of charge, and view work by a handful of local artists. It runs for one week (November 17th- 22nd, 2009).
Here, I found whati'dbuy for under $100 (u100). It was a painting by Moni Hill.
She is an Asheville artist who paints on reclaimed wood. Her paintings are simple, colorful and cheerful, and I especially liked the paintings with birds. I couldn't find pricing on the artwork or on her website www.monihill.com, but from what I can tell from other websites, her work is generally priced between $30-$80 dollars. I also found whati'd buy for over $500 (o500) here. It was pottery by Becky and Steve Lloyd of Lloyd Pottery in Clyde, NC. Their porcelain pottery has detailed black and white patterns carved into the surface. The plate I liked most was priced at $400 but I could easily see myself wanting to buy more than one piece of this exquisite pottery.
The streets in the center of downtown were still busy with street sweepers and leaf blowers cleaning up litter from the parade, a health care demonstration was just beginning on Pack Square, and I wasn't sure if I was even legally parked, so I decided to head a few blocks over to find another gallery. I parked (legally) on Lexington Avenue and started heading uphill - stopping into Nest Organics for my first visit. They sell organic children's clothing and housewares. I found glassware made of recycled glass with 15% of proceeds going to charity, and I also found a box of colorful notecards made from recycled paper for just $14.95. As much as I enjoyed their store, I realized it was a distraction from my main purpose of the day, to find art, and so I moved on.
I ended up at the Kress Emporium just up the road. This important architectural landmark was built in 1928 of terra cotta tile and now hosts the work of more than 80 local artists. There is certainly something for everyone's taste and budget here.
I found whati'dbuy for around $300 (a300) here. It was the work of Tracy Melton of Knoxville, TN. His booth contained his tree rings paintings - colorful paintings on dead elm tree pieces reminiscent of the rings from the life of the tree. He has some smaller works for sale on etsy.com that you can buy in sets of three for around $50, but I really liked the larger pieces I saw on display at Kress. They were priced from $58 to $100 a piece. I would have chosen to buy atleast three paintings to display together above a mantel or bed, and I could easily see someone buying enough smaller tree rings to cover a wall. They were my favorite find of the day.
I enjoyed my first whati'dbuy trip to town and look forward to many others. I hope to post weekly about local artists, their work and how they enrich the Asheville art scene.
Upcoming visits... the River Art District, West Asheville galleries, more galleries in downtown.
