Category Archives: Modern Makers

The Hammock House | Samsel Architects

Enjoy this short story about one of our favorite pastoral modern homes here in the region designed by Samsel Architects. Cheers to everyone involved!

AIA Small Project Awards for 2019

It’s a lovely adventure to get lost down the rabbit hole of these small projects. We found the simplicity and detailing intriguing and refreshing for today. Enjoy!

BIG’s tiny cabin in Upstate New York, a prayer room in Arizona and an outdoor toilet with gabion walls are among the 12 winners of this year’s AIA Small Projects Awards. Announced today, the annual American Institute of Architects Small Projects Awards recognises small and low-budget projects completed in the USA over the past year. Read on here for an inspiring overview of each Small Project Awards 2019 winner from the AIA courtesy of dezeen online.

Modern Inspiration | Jean-Michel Basquiat

“Basquiat’s work was deeply thoughtful—the products of his ravenous observations of the world around him. “I don’t think about art while I work,” he told writer Isabelle Graw in 1986. “I try to think about life.””

As an aspiring artist I found his fearlessness and authenticity inspiring. Alexxa Gotthardt wrote this piece on Basquiat for Artsy that came across our facebook feed. Enjoy the complete article here. Happy Creating!

Support for Artist Eric Knoche

Hi Folks! As you know artists are a big part of our Modern Asheville community and we are all too happy to support them and what they bring to our Asheville area community. Eric Knoche, also, happens to be a neighbor to John and myself and suffered a big loss being housed in the old French Broad school which burned just down the street from us. In support we all are passing along his request for assistance. Thanks for any consideration. Cheers!

Greeting friends, colleagues and patrons,

Unfortunately I am writing today with some bad news:  On Feb 5, the building where I had my studio burned to the ground due to arson.  I lost all of my tools and equipment, all of my finished inventory, 15 years of sketchbooks and four months of finished but unfired work.

I am hesitant to ask for help, but have been encouraged to do so by my friends and colleagues.  So, if you would like to help me out, here are a few ways to do so.

1. Please consider contributing to the GoFundMe that my fiancé, Kristin, has helped me set up. We are hoping to raise $20,000. I will use this money to finish the small studio I started building on my land last year and also for living expenses as I begin from scratch to build a new body of work. If you would like to contribute to the GoFundMe Campaign, a link is here
I am grateful for contributions in any amount.

2. My gallery in Asheville, Blue Spiral 1, has generously offered to temporarily alter the terms of our agreement in my favor.  For the next two months Blue Spiral 1 is donating half of their share of the sales of my work back to me.  So if any of the work they have in their inventory appeals to you, purchasing it in the next two months is exceptionally beneficial to me.  You can see the work I have there here.  I am most grateful for all of the support I have received for my work over the years.

3. I could also really use some physical help.  If you live in western North Carolina and would like to donate a day or half day of your time I would really appreciate it.  Here is a list of things I need help with: Hanging drywall, eaves, painting and trim for the little studio I have been working on on my land; splitting wood for the kiln; other kiln prep; clay making; carpentry (rebuilding some of the tables and racks that were lost.  If you have a little extra time and would like to come help me, please reach out.

4. Please consider sharing with anyone you think might be interested.

(You can find some news articles if you google ‘”french broad school fire.”  They do get some details wrong but the overview is correct).

I’ve written a bit about the event on my website

Thanks so much for your continued support.  I really appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Eric

Down the “Mid-Century” Rabbit Hole

Artist Roger Capron | You know how it goes — you are scrolling the internet and one image pops up and suddenly you are off into a new visual world. That is exactly how it worked when I saw the above image and got lost in the rhythm, colors and geometry of this tile piece. Roger Capron had been a prolific French artist born in Vincennes, France on September 4, 1922. Interested in drawing, he studied Applied Arts in Paris from 1939 to 1943 and worked as an art teacher in 1945. He died on November 8, 2006 leaving behind a considerable body of work that is recognized worldwide. I know you’ll want to see more so go HERE. Cheers!

Modern Fans

Ceiling fans are always a topic of discussion when we tour homes with clients and one of the first things, along with light fixtures, to get changed out of homes to add a more modern aesthetic. Finding affordable options wasn’t always easy, but finding options with clean lines is easier today. One of our modern news and shopping feeds sent us this link at 2Modern. We thought they pulled together a nice assortment of options. So, stay cool as you stay cool in your home. Cheers! Kelly and Troy

Happy Birthday | Frank Lloyd Wright

In honor of one of our most celebrated architects I thought it would worthwhile to re-share this fascinating interview of the man himself. He would have been 150 years today. Happy Birthday!

1953 Frank Lloyd Wright interview by Mike Wallace | I scoured the internet for something of interest to watch last night. It is not always very fruitful, but this time I found something “fantastic” — at least from my viewpoint. If you’ve never seen this before I’m happy to share this treasure with you today. His belief in individualism and his views on the lack of intellectualism and “mobocracy” hit home today. I won’t say more, but simply encourage you to spend 50 minutes to watch this interview with a true visionary who is, obviously, very comfortable in his own skin. Enjoy the segment here . Cheers!

Crossville Tile Showroom

We stopped in last night to visit Crossville Tile and other home interior vendors at the Airport Design Center last night for the Asheville Home Builder’s Association After Hours Gathering. We loved their selection of dimensional modern and mid-century styled tiles. Stop by for a visit sometime. Cheers!

How does an artist afford Asheville?

By the Citizen Times | Here is a nice article featuring some of our friends regarding artists making a living here in Asheville. Go here to read. Enjoy!

Koolhaus in NYC

Enjoy this brief video of Rem Koolhaus discussing one of his thoughtful projects in New York. Cheers!

New Mid-Century Home Goods at Atomic

screen-shot-2017-02-24-at-6-29-35-amMegan and Todd are always up to something new. Check out some of their latest locally designed and fabricated mid-century style furnishings at Atomic. Stop by and see them this weekend. Cheers!

Congrats to Asheville’s Samsel Architects

samsel-2016-aia-nc-firm-awardAIA North Carolina’s 2016 Firm of the Year | We want to congratulate all our friends at Samsel Architects for winning Firm of the Year this year from AIA North Carolina. Thanks for the design integrity you bring to the mountains and our community. Cheers from us!