![]() Thanks to the fine folks over at TheNiceNiche.com for featuring me this December on their blog. The website is focused on featuring artists, small businesses and their trades in short, visual essays. Here's the link to my feature, enjoy: http://www.theniceniche.com/this-week/matt-tommey-basketry-artist
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![]() My love affair with copper started many years ago when I started adding a simple, polished copper kudzu leaf to my traditional baskets. It was a unique way to put a signature on a my work and gave me an excuse to work with this incredibly malleable material. Over the years I moved away from my copper kudzu leaves and started weaving with copper as a way to use the material in more interesting ways. But now, leaves seem to have my heart again! Inherent in my work is this deep desire to communicate the... well, the nature of nature. What I mean is, I really what you to think "wow, did this beautiful piece actually grow out of the earth?" I've often said "Every Basket Begins with a Walk in the Woods" and it's really true, not only from a material acquisition standpoint but also an inspiration standpoint. I love seeing cones, nests, pods, leaves, branches and river rocks as they all interact in nature and supernaturally all that goes into my creative well. When I get back to the studio, my art is the natural result of a supernatural experience. This latest work I'm doing with copper is very exciting for me because it feels like I'm creating pieces that are so closely intertwined with nature. I've developed a new leaf design - this fern stem - and I've started electroplating some actual organic material (electroplating is a jewelry technique for plating gold, silver, platinum, etc) with copper as well. Think about that... A literal pine cone, seed pod or leaf covered completely in copper. WOW! Right now, the options seem endless and I'm so happy to be moving down this creative path. I hope you enjoy seeing the results! Most of the time, I'm working in luxury mountain homes here in Western North Carolina, but because of the incredible tourism industry here in Asheville and great hotels like the Omni Grove Park Inn I'm privileged to have my work travel to many different places around the country. Such is the case with this beautiful tabletop centerpiece.
Recently, this client was on vacation at the Omni Grove Park Inn here in Asheville and saw my work displayed both there and at the Grovewood Gallery. They loved how this piece incorporated natural materials into their modern rustic decor. Seeing my work intrigued her enough to search me out in the River Arts District and commission a piece for a recently renovated space in her home. This tabletop centerpiece is about 42" x 18"x10" and will live on a rustic farm table below a Chihuly-like chandelier. It's the perfect addition to this rustic modern decor! Each year, our River Arts District Artist association hosts a Spring and Fall Studio Stroll. Over 180 artists in 25 studio buildings open their studios to the public for an incredible of art, sharing and shopping. Even though many artists like me are open all year round, the studio stroll creates an opportunity to share our work with thousands of visitors and locals alike.
This year, a local couple from North Asheville came in the studio looking for one of my wall hangings for an area in their kitchen / breakfast room. As you can see in the picture above, I'm glad to report they found a piece that fit the bill The piece they chose was a beautiful piece of my branch art featuring 5 kudzu and bark baskets nested in a unique Henry Lauder Walkingstick branch. The baskets were covered in encaustic wax and brought a beautiful pop of color and whimsey to this traditional space. I'm so glad it worked and I know they will enjoy this piece for years to come! In fact, as I was hanging the piece this morning my client said "I can't wait for the girls I go walking with every morning to come over and see this new piece!" Sounds like it's time for a coffee date! Find out more about how I can create a beautiful piece like this for your home. New Wall Hanging Installed at new Mountain Home in Anderson Creek Retreat, Ellijay, Georgia10/28/2015 "When I first saw your work at the American Craft Council Show in Atlanta this past March, I just knew this was what I wanted in our home." Well, if that doesn't make you feel great, I'm not sure what will! Today, that's what my client told me as I was hanging their new wall hanging in their home located in the serene mountain setting of Anderson Creek Retreat in Ellijay, Georgia.
I did indeed meet this couple in Atlanta at the ACC show back in March 2015. After a few emails, I arranged for a home visit to see the space and talk about possibilities. That was fun! "This house has been in the making for over 20 years... in our dreams" they said. Only just finished this summer, the home is a testament to high-end luxury building in a rustic modern aesthetic. In short, it looks like it's a 150 year old farm house that's always been right there with the simple addition of lots technological conveniences and modern amenities. A couple of the things that were important to this client were simplicity and connection with the land. It's on that foundation that I began the design process. I visited the home once again this fall and harvested the mountain laurel branches, bird nest and wasp nest from their property. We took the raw branch inside, talk about ideas and then I was off to the studio to do what I do best... create. After a brief sketching session, I started weaving and wa-la, the piece was born. I used the decor of the great room for color inspiration including creams, greens, turquoise, blue and dark walnut. I was very pleased with the outcome and so were my clients! Today was installation day and for me, that's the most fun! I absolutely love connecting with me client, seeing them excited and enjoying this special piece I've created hanging in it's new home. If you're considering a piece like this for your home, please contact me for a consultation. I'd love to dream a little with you and create something special for your home. ![]() It's always a good thing to Google yourself from time to time because you never know what you're going to find. Luckily this time, I found a wonderful feature article about my work on DailyArtMuse.com, a leading blog touted as "a curated collection of contemporary fine art." Thanks DailyArtMuse! Here's the link to the article. ![]() This weekend I have the pleasure of teaching a short workshop for 6 students at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts. During the weekend, we'll go out and harvest materials from the local area, learn to prepare those materials and then make some incredible sculptural pieces. For many students, this will be the first time - or first time in a long time - that they've made a basket, so i'm honored to be able to introduce them - again - to the incredible world of basketry. For more about my basket weaving classes, you can check out this page. For more about Arrowmont, click here. I hope you'll join me at my studio in 2016 for a workshop in Asheville, NC's River Arts District! As long as I've been creating unique woven art for luxury mountain homes, beautiful outdoor porches have always been my favorite spaces. They literally ooze mountain elegance and it's such a privilege to have my work featured in these spaces. Today, I got to install my second piece in one such space in beautiful Cashiers, North Carolina.
The wall hanging sculpture piece I created for this space is on a shake wall as you exit the porch, entering the great room of the house. As you view the piece you can literally see gorgeous mountain cliffs and a waterfall to the left as the gentle breeze wafts through the porch. It's the perfect spot to relax with a glass of sweet tea and let time stand still. Coloring for this piece was inspired initially by a blonde mountain laurel branch I harvested from the forest. It's unique color lent itself to a brighter color scheme but well within the look and feel of natures bounty. To that end, I used some greens and turquoises with the copper botanical accents to make the piece something really special. I hope you agree! And, just in case you happened to get bored sitting on this porch, your eyes can shift to the other end of the porch. There, you'll find one of my only lit fireplace mantel sculptures featured on a beautiful rock fireplace. Yes, this room is truly spectacular! (Just a note: this now makes 6 special pieces of my work in this home. What an honor! The pieces include a tabletop collection for a sofa table, bark and wire freeform basket in the den, bark vessel in the master bath, wine bottle basket in the wet bar outside the wine cellar and the fireplace mantel sculpture on the outdoor porch.) I'd love to create a special piece or two for your outdoor porch! Contact me to get started! ![]() Creating a special piece of woven wall art for someone is truly a privilege! I met this wonderful couple at the July 2015 Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands. They were instantly drawn to one of the wall hangings I had featured in my booth but unfortunately for them, it was already sold. Luckily, I enjoy creating commissioned work and so after a brief discussion, we settled on the direction for the piece. One of the things I enjoy about the commission process is, if possible, visiting the home of my clients. I like to get a feel for the home, their taste and the ultimate environment where the piece will live. All of these things give me the emotional and artistic context for creating a special piece of art for the home. Upon visiting this home in particular, I noticed that they really loved dark, rich colors including lots of reds, burnt siennas, coppers, golds and walnut. Understanding their color palette gave me exactly what I needed to create this piece. While I incorporated the rich color palette into the piece, I also highlighted with some yellows, greens and turquoises in order to give the piece some selected highlights. I think it turned out nicely! Today, I installed the piece in it's forever home and as you can see, it fit just beautifully! The clients were extremely happy and so was I! If you're interested in having me creating a special piece of woven art for your home, please contact me to start the conversation! ![]() In a world filled with so much cheap, mass produced crapola, the expertly crafted work of master artisans stands in stark contrast. It's refreshing to see see work thoughtfully designed and executed by craftsmen of every medium who love their work, the creative process and the interaction with their clients. That is what the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is all about. Ever since I moved to Asheville in 2009, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands has been one of the highlights of my year. Even before I was a member of the Guild, I would go and see the show just to be around these incredible artists and the beautiful work they produce throughout the year. Luckily, I now get to count myself among the members of the Guild since 2011 and what an honor it continues to be! This year, as usual, I'm downstairs on the arena floor. The Fall show is really fun and there are tons of people there from all over the country, most who are visiting for what we call "Leaf Season" here in the mountains. I love that because it means that the work we create here in the Asheville, NC area is being seen all over the country and internationally when it goes to it's forever home. Yesterday, I was privileged to sell a piece that's now headed to Europe as a gift for a family member. WOW! Each year, the Craft Fair of the Southern Highlands is held the 3rd weekend of July and of October. For many it's a must see with vacations being planned around their attendance. If you've never been, or if you've not been in a while I hope you'll consider coming to the show this weekend! The fair runs Thursday - Sunday, October 15-18 from 10am - 6pm daily downtown at the US Cellular Center in Asheville, North Carolina. |
AuthorMatt Tommey is a sculptural basketry artist and basketry teacher working in East Texas. His work is commissioned and collected around the country. Archives
March 2024
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