Feature Articles

November Issue 2002

Woolworth Walk in Asheville, NC, Features Works by Sam Stark, Julie Thompson & Greg Bryant

In Asheville, NC, Woolworth Walk's featured artists of the month of Nov., 2002 are glass artist, Sam Stark; pastel artist, Julie Thompson; and porcelain artist, Greg Bryant. All are well known for their work in their chosen mediums.

Stark began his love affair with glass at the age of six. At thirteen he was fortunate enough to begin working with hot glass. Now after thirty one years he is more passionate about this medium than ever. Stark has assisted Swedish Master Willy Anderson at the Penland School of Crafts, been guest assistant to renowned glass master Dale Chihuly, second assistant to Italian Master Loredano Rosin and many others, as well as helping to set up and open glass programs and studios at College of Idaho and Peabody College in Nashville TN. His studies include Naples Mills School of Arts and Crafts, Naples, NY, and Haystack-Hinckley School of Crafts, Hinckley, ME.

Stark tries to emulate works of the Great Masters. By doing this he places himself at the point that they were when they conceived a certain technique or new form. Stark says, " It is like standing in the doorway of their understanding. It allows me insight into the minds of the greatest craftsmen ever to work with glass." When one views his wonderful paperweights to his larger pieces this is quite evident.

Flowers and the beauty of natural landscape are part of Julie Thompson's heritage, having grown up near rocky Wisconsin bluffs, winding rivers and tranquil lakes, she has nurtured that early inspiration through her art. She began studying art and exhibiting her work in her youth and soon was participating in state and local competitions. Thompson and her husband moved to the mountains of North Carolina in 1988 were they reside near the Blue Ridge Parkway. There she finds the majestic views a constant source of inspiration. Her impressionistic paintings are executed in oils, watercolor and her much loved pastel.

Gregory Bryant, originally from coastal Virginia, moved to Asheville last May to find an artistic community. "The Woolworth Walk was one of the first buildings I saw when I pulled into Asheville and it is now where I spend most of my time". His studio is set up there and visitors are always welcome to watch him at work and to ask questions. He is a self-taught porcelain artist. He obtained a degree in Geography but says its sole effect has been an appreciation for the land and it's mysteries. "I didn't know what I wanted to do when I was in college", Bryant says. It wasn't until years later while traveling in Europe and the Middle East that he decided to pursue a career in the arts. He studied photography and graphic art, but it was the clay that took hold. Out of his studio, Bryant creates his organically spiraling porcelain sculpture. Clocks, jewelry and mirrors compose most of his work. "I'm currently moving away from the functional though. I'm very excited about presenting my photography in flowing porcelain frames." Bryant finds inspiration from a variety of sources - whether it's music, film, the ocean, traveling, or just people watching in Asheville. "There's a distinct sublime feeling that visits me from time to time - I'm just trying to capture this feeling."

For more information check our NC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 828/254-9234.

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Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.