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Whistle Bio Chris Abell was raised in the mountains of North Carolina and spent most of his youth exploring them. Inspired by the traditional mountain fiddle music of his home, Chris began playing the dance music of Ireland and Scotland on the simple system wooden flute and tin whistle for personal enjoyment. Intrigued as much by the instruments themselves and their fabrication as by the music, he began his professional training in flute-making with Brannen Brothers Flutemakers in Boston.
Mr. Abell was associated with Brannen Brothers from 1983 until 1995 specializing in keywork fabrication; and it was during this period that he began developing instruments of his own design, beginning with a new wooden pennywhistle. These whistles have become widely used in the Celtic and other traditional music genres and also were important instruments for developing the techniques and tools needed for the later projects of wooden flute and headjoint making. While continuing to make keywork for Brannen Brothers, Chris set up his own shop, The Abell Flute Co. in Concord, Massachusetts. His first wooden whistles were produced in 1985, headjoints in 1986 and the first Boehm system flute in 1988. In 1995, Chris moved back to the mountains of North Carolina continuing to exclusively make wooden Boehm system flutes and headjoints and the wooden pennywhistles. Inspired by the exquisite tonal quality of the simple system wooden flute and finding the metal flute lacking in the pungent, reedy tone qualities of the early wooden instruments, Chris has used his expertise from the years of training at Brannen Brothers to design and produce a new wooden Boehm system flute at the highest level. The flutes and headjoints produced by the Abell Flute Co. offer players a rich new palette of tonal colors while retaining the proper intonation and range that modern flutists require. His instruments are currently being played in all musical settings (orchestral and solo playing, chamber music, recording studios) by professional and amateur players worldwide. Chris now lives in Asheville, North Carolina with his wife, flutist Kate Steinbeck, and their two children Galen and Lucy. He is constantly striving to improve both the design and production techniques of his instruments, focusing especially on headjoint voicing. When he has the time, he enjoys exploring the mountains with his family and studying jazz guitar. Statement Almost all cultures in the world have an instrument related to the whistle; i.e., an end blown "flute" with a simple fingering system. Our whistle is descended from the Celtic and Gaelic musical traditions and is used primarily to play the dance tunes and airs from Ireland, Scotland, and Brittany. Although some beautiful music can be produced on the popular, inexpensive metal whistles, these instruments are somewhat limited in their musical attributes; therefore, we have designed some important changes into Abell Whistle to address the qualities we felt the metal whistle lacks. One, our whistle must be able to produce a strong, centered, rich tone easily through two octaves; two, it must be tunable in either direction from concert pitch without compromising intonation or tone quality; and three, it must be manufactured simply and with an elegance worthy of the music for which it is intended. It is the combination of African Blackwood and Sterling silver that fulfills our requirements of beauty, durability, and tonal quality. The Blackwood is a very stable wood providing a warm, reedy tone while maintaining structural durability; and the sterling silver, while elegant in its own right, offers the ability to build the whistle with a tuning slide without sacrificing simplicity or beauty. The silver tuning slide not only satisfied our requirement for the tunability of each whistle, it also allowed us to design interchangeable bodies onto one mouthpiece in different keys. |
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Group Leaner
Bio Karen Ives was born in Texas and moved to Chapel Hill, North Carolina at the age of seven. “Ever since I can remember, I have been creating something with my hands. Both of my parents are involved in the arts; my mother is an art educator and fiber artist and my father is a woodworker and liturgical designer. I grew up surrounded by color and sawdust.” Ives received her BFA from the University of North Carolina-Asheville in 1993 and an MFA form the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2000. She lives with her husband and their two daughters in Asheville, NC where she teaches and creates. Ives enjoys building site-specific sculpture whenever possible and has received two project grants from the Asheville Area Arts Council. Statement My sculpture is about social situations and everyday routine. I usually take a familiar idea and put it in an awkward or unfamiliar place creating a tension that can be good and/or bad. Sitting close to someone, looking someone in the eye, being low to the ground instead of in a chair, all seem to make most of us uncomfortable. I want to bring this tension out into the open and play with it. I enjoy using my hands to create and build. My sculpture shows an interesting love of color and pattern in combination with wood and fabric. Silkscreening, woodblock printing, layering of paint and experimenting with upholstery, embroidery, and applique are all obsessions I explore. With each series that I create, a narrative of some kind takes place between the forms, their surroundings and the viewer. I try to create a restful feeling in my work, one that allows us to explore the forms and engage in interesting or maybe awkward conversation. |
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Concetta PLEASE NOTE: This piece is not part of the live auction. It is an example of the work of Jeff Kinzel. Jeff's donation is to create a portrait for the winning bidder. Bio Jeff Kinzel received his B.A. from Boston University, and studied art at the National Academy School of Fine Arts in New York and at the University of Iowa. He has worked at the Andy Warhol Foundation and as a studio assistant to Ellsworth Kelly. After a four-year stint working as a middle-school teacher in North Carolina, he currently conducts art classes for young people and runs a photo-scanning business in Asheville. He continues to work as an artist, most recently focusing on foil portraits. Statement Commercial foil is a new medium for fine artists. It lends itself to printmaking, but takes from collage and painting traditions as well. With foil, I am expanding upon the Pop Art tradition of combining photographs with the latest art medium. |
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Laughing Stock Bio "Jimmy O'Neal defies artistic categorization. His fascination with the time-space continuum draws him to all corners of arts and sciences. The metaphysical works that result are peripheral evidence of the worlds that lay beyond our conscious mind and perception." - Brad Thomas, Curator of the Museum of Davidson College
Jimmy O'Neal (born 1967 in Atlanta, Georgia) was classically trained in "painting" at an early age while also demonstrating interests in physics, science, and biology. He was offered a scholarship to attend Savannah College of Art and Design in 1985. There he started showing work professionally in major galleries during his second year of college. With numerous gallery and museum shows, international commission travels to Holland, Zurich, and France as well as theatrical experience, 3d video work and recording contracts under his belt, Jimmy decided to go to graduate school where he started working on larger projects such as painting the world's largest painting for the Guinness Book of World Records in 1995. After experiencing the immersive qualities of an 80,000 square ft. painting, he started working on interactive realities, conceptual time machine installations as well as developing his own mirrored paint to immerse the viewer within a single brush stroke. With his interest in immersive work and the sociological systems they create, he was commissioned in 1999 to produce an installation work on a three hundred acre peninsula by Andreas Bechtler. This project entitled OV project serves as a hikable experience on a spiritual and esoteric level based in the sacred geometry of nature.
O'Neal lectures to diverse groups nationally and internationally such as museums, college universities, architects, designers, galleries and children. His interest in sparking the creative mind has led him down many paths exploring diverse medium while maintaining a strength in classical forms. This has also led him to develop such technological artworks as "brain machine", a device that paints from EEG connections to the artist. This work placed him in the public eye via television interviews, etc. and he was chosen for a large scale exhibition entitled, "Painting 4", comprised of four revolutionary painters from around the globe (Ingrid Calame, Katharina Grosse, Michael Lin, Jimmy O'Neal) for The Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University in 2003. With this came more museum shows as well as corporate commissions. A recent large scale mirrored work of "The Nine Muses" was installed at the new Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia in 2007 as well as a recent museum acquisition of the interactive "REVOL ANGELS". He is currently working on a solar electric hybrid car for the Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE with the emphasis on an affordable car design as a work of interpersonal, conceptual fine art. Jimmy lives and works in the mountains of Western North Carolina with his wife and three children. |
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Mountain View Cottage (Winning bidder will also receive a signed copy of Richard Oversmith's book) Bio Richard received formal training in Fine Art and Illustration at Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While at Kendall he was invited to study at the Royal College of Art in London, England. There he gained experience in plein air painting and found direction in his work as an oil painter. He graduated from Kendall College with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1995 and moved back to his home state of North Carolina to pursue his dream of becoming a professional artist.
The natural beauty of Western North Carolina has proven to offer infinite inspiration for Richard's impressionistic landscapes. From rolling mountains to abundant waterfalls, the majestic Biltmore Estate to a simple farm scene, this region evokes the artist’s muse. Richard finds inspiration not only at home but in his many travels. He has painted all over the USA and has recently spent six months living and painting in Brittany, France. Whether at home or abroad, Richard surrounds himself in the elements of the scene while painting, in true "en plein air" fashion. In the studio, his sense of vision and mood guide him to produce still lifes ranging from the classic to the imaginative. |
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Pulleyn Art Piece Statement I am in love with the basic material of ceramics: wet clay. I have, for some wonderful reason, become comfortable with the language of clay so that working with it is exhilarating, frightening, mysterious...and totally satisfying.
While I have no academic background in clay, I have studied under some great teachers including: Kathy Triplett, George Bowes, Richard Notkin, Steven Heinemann, Yeh-Wen Kuo, Richard Burkett and Anne Hirondelle.  Other art pieces by Rob Puellyn
I am most creative when I’m working with restrictions. Some of my ceramic work for the last several years has had as its restriction - the ability of the pieces to hold water. Many of my forms are obvious in this, others less so. I think of these works as sculpture with a hidden ability to be functional. Other work I do is more obviously sculpture. I enjoy creating both. The surfaces of my work are manipulated both before and after I fire them. I do a lot of “marking” in the wet stoneware clay and apply multiple layers of underglazes, stains and oxides. The pieces are usually fired many times to build up layers of color and texture. I rarely use glazes. With each piece, I force myself to do something I’ve never done before: a form, a texture, or a color, for instance. This means each piece is an experiment of sorts. It also means I destroy a lot of evidence, but it keeps the anxiety level sufficiently high and the joy of success addictively sweet. Prior to my work in clay, I was involved with contemporary fiber for 30 years. Old man." Located: Marshall, NC |
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Appalachian Quilt #7 Bio David Earl Tomlinson is a self-taught metal artist living and working in the Asheville area for 12 years. He participated in the 2008 Southern Living Magazine Idea Home in Asheville and has been invited to install a piece in the upcoming "Handmade! in America" expo, also in Asheville.
Past clients include the Orange Peel, Zambra, and many other commercial and private businesses and collectors. David Earl is always accepting new commissions for custom metalwork and more.
Statement The pieces in this series are inspired by Western North Carolina's rich quilt making history. As a metalworker, I became inspired by the simple beauty of rust and patina patterns I found on salvaged metal and began to imagine designs that allowed the patinas to stand out on their own. The components of this piece were harvested from the salvage yard, cut, arranged, and spot welded. All of the rust in Appalachian Quilt #7 is naturally occurring. |
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