February Arts & Crafts Conference
Cherry Clock with ceramic tile face
February is a great month for me…it’s my birthday month (I’m a Groundhog Day baby) and every year Marty (my wife) and I take a trip to Asheville NC on the third weekend in February to attend the Arts & Crafts Conference and Antique Show at the Grove Park Inn. This show is definitely the place for enthusiasts (and collectors) of period pieces from the Arts & Crafts Movement (and lovers of Mission Style and Craftsman Style products). The Grove Park Inn in itself is a piece of work, not to mention all of the contemporary craftsmen that are reproducing products from the period and the actual antiques that you can see (and buy).
Sowers Farm - Framed ceramic tile
Many of you know that I am highly influenced by the Arts & Crafts Movement: the clean lines of the mission style wood furniture of Stickley and Roycroft, art tiles (and tile art) and pottery from Newcome, Roseville, Grueby, Rookwood, Pisgah and more. Although I am an owner (and student) of historic ceramic art tiles and pottery, Marty and I mostly just look these days (I was collecting period art tiles and pottery before they became fashionable and expensive). As we walk around the antiques floor, I allow all the different styles and colors to just seep in….and at some point during the year I’ll see it manifest itself in my work. This is also the place to be with people who know that hand crafted ceramic tiles are not just utilitarian, but a pieces of art….it’s good for my soul.
Along with lusting over all the great antiques, this is also a time for me to visit with old friends – Karim and Nawal Motawi of Motawi Tileworks (they make some of the best, if not the best, Arts and Crafts Movement tiles around). Motawi Tileworks attends every year – and it’s always a pleasure to see them.
Buffalo Mountain - Cherry framed ceramic tile
Of course the trip itself is great. Marty and I save up our Valentine’s Day celebrating for our weekend away and we get to spend some much needed and enjoyed time together. We talk and make plans for the coming year – both personal and for the business; we eat out, take some short sight-seeing jaunts and buy some Russell Stover’s chocolate. It’s always a memorable weekend that concludes a memorable month.
I hope you have something to look forward to this February!
