Here are a few images from an installation I completed this week at a beautiful home at The Cliffs over in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, just south of Asheville and across the NC border.  These clients have been some of my most dedicated collectors and have the largest single collection of my work in the state of South Carolina. It's a pleasure to have such wonderful clients who celebrate my work and allow me the freedom to create unique pieces for their home.

The pieces above include my first ever fireplace mantel installation created for these folks several years ago.  The newest piece is featured on the sofa table; a collaboration between me and my friend Margie Bibb Johnson who's a ceramicist in Greenville, SC.

Take a look at this beautiful room designed by uber-designer, Carole Weaks from Atlanta, GA.  Carole included my sculptural art baskets in this covered porch during the Cashiers Designer Show House and Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles just did a feature article on the house.  Here's the link to read the article and see all the other fabulous rooms:​http://atlantahomesmag.com/article/carolina-cool/ 

If you're an artist, the thought of collaborating with another artist whose work you love is something you've entertained from time to time.  As with most great ideas, it's not the "if" questions, but the "how" questions that can end up in lots of head scratching!  Let me share 5 things I think are super important when collaborating with another artist.

1) Make Sure You Like Each Other's Work
This might go without saying, but when you're collaborating with another artist, it's important that you're into each other's work. Don't be nice. Don't just say yes to a collaborative relationship if it's not ringing your artistic bell. Otherwise, you'll be sorry!

A new client came to me last fall with a request to create a special, sculptural hearth basket for her all-seasons room fireplace.  They built a beautiful home nestled in the mountains of the upstate - Landrum, SC - at The Cliffs at Glassy Mountain and the home just exudes mountain elegance.

Situated among the rhododendron and flowing mountain creeks their home was the perfect setting for one of my sculptural baskets.  Even more exciting was the fact that I was able to create the piece in a way that was upon first glance sculptural art but upon closer inspection, a functional hearth basket.  

I delivered the piece today and enjoyed seeing it in it's forever home, accompanied by a hand-carved stone bear from Yellowstone. It looked right at home!