By Julie Ann Bell
For Anne Henschel, woodturning began out of simple curiosity and grew into a lifelong passion. “Many years ago, I picked up a log and a sharp tool and never looked back,” she says. Linda Girardi recalls that she broke a treasured plate and decided to repurpose it into a mosaic. This began an ongoing exploration of different styles of mosaic art. Both artists are members of Trackside Studios in the River Arts District.
Linda Girardi, artist
Creations from wood, fiber, stone, straw and other raw materials date back millennia for practical uses such as bowls, baskets, tools, furniture and clothing. These uses continue still, alongside fine art creations. Henschel’s work followed a similar trajectory. “In the beginning,” she says, “I concentrated primarily on traditional functional forms—bowls, hollow vessels and boxes. While I still enjoy making those pieces, I now find myself reaching further inward creatively. The more experience I gain, the more interested I become in exploring abstract and esoteric designs that challenge both technique and imagination. I enjoy experimenting with asymmetry, texture, natural defects and unexpected forms that allow the wood itself to tell part of the story.”
Girardi also follows the lead from her materials, whether it is large pieces of ceramics or very tiny strands of glass. “One of my favorite types of mosaic is called picassiette (translates literally from French as ‘plate thief’), which incorporates broken bits of porcelain dishes.” Since moving to Asheville three years ago, she has created a number of picassiette pieces inspired by log cabin blocks—melding together quilting and mosaics. With smaller ceramic tiles, glass, beads and stones, she creates mini-mosaic jewelry. And smaller yet, she fashions micro-mosaics. This craft, developed in Rome in the 18th century, involves cutting spaghetti-like strands of glass, called filato, into tiny pieces to create miniature paintings. She recently attended a workshop in Ravenna, Italy to fine-tune her Roman stucco and micro-mosaic techniques.
Anne Henschel, artist
Both artists find inspiration from their materials and the world around us. Girardi’s mosaic subjects range from flowers and animals to buildings and graffiti. Henschel explores the colors, textures and grains of each piece of wood. When she begins turning a piece, “the grain often suggests its own direction, and part of the joy is learning to work with the material rather than against it,” she says, further elaborating that “woodturning reminds me that beauty does not come from perfection; it comes from character, resilience and transformation.”
Fine art crafts abound at Trackside Studios, a member of the Blue Ridge Craft Trails. We represent artists who create with wood, glass, fiber, metals, gemstones and clay, and offer many craft-based classes including mosaics, jewelry, needle felting and pyrography.
Trackside Studios is located at 375 Depot Street in the River Arts District. Hours are 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, and by appointment. Learn more at TracksideStudios.com.
