Hammerhead Stoneworks

This is a photo montage/panorama of the steps I built this past winter in the Montford district of Asheville. The step treads are made of the full-color variant of Pennsylvania bluestone. The wall, columns and step risers are made of granitic gneiss, mostly from the Hooper’s Creek quarry in Fletcher. The steps and columns are mortared; the wall is completely dry. Click the image for a larger view.

Sandstone steps and wall buried in snow. Looks positively comfortable right now. Click the image for a larger view.

Last Friday I led an hour long workshop for craftspeople and artisans on how to market their work. It was part of Handmade in America’s Art, Craft and Design Expo at the North Carolina Arboretum. The main push of my talk was that marketing is education and that craft artists should focus their marketing efforts on the 3 P’s: product, process and person. I also talked a bit about setting goals, making a cohesive plan and punk rock.

I’ve recently started a new project in West Asheville, building a drystone patio under the deck of a new green-built home. In this image sunlight filters through the decking. I’m using a sandstone, presumably from Tennessee. I’ve switched suppliers recently and am pleased with the colors and durability of the stone.

I spent most of the winter in the historical Montford district of Asheville, building a set of radial stone steps, three big columns and some drystone retaining walls. The house is featured on a tour from HandMade: The Western North Carolina Craft, Architecture & Design Expo taking place June 25-26 at the N.C. Arboretum. The Asheville Citizen-Times ran a story on the house that featured an image of the steps and mentions of Hammerhead and its marbles! Click the photo above or this link to check out the story. There are other images of the work in a slideshow linked from the main article.

I recently finished this small drystone path and patio behind an Asheville residence. The patio is square, but the perspective of the photo makes it look like a trapezoid.