Landscape Paintings by Cherokee Artist Jenean Hornbuckle

WNC Landscapes by Cherokee Artist Jenean Hornbuckle

Mountain Made gallery is happy to welcome Native American landscape painter, Jenean Hornbuckle to our family of local artists.

Jenean paints some the best mountain landscapes we have seen.

She believes that her extraordinary ability to capture the beautiful or our Western North Carolina mountains and to see their hidden power has been passed down over the years from her Cherokee ancestors.

She says that she has “a genetic memory (that) exists on a cellular level and is passed down from generation to generation,” a connection honored by her family.

Jenean’s mother was a Cherokee Nation citizen from Oklahoma, and her father was a member of Eastern Cherokee from the mountains of North Carolina.

Jenean was born on the Qualla Boundary near Cherokee NC. The Qualla Boundary is not a “reservation” but a territory held as a land trust for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

I paint to entice the viewer to go out and find these places and to experience the land. To listen to the quiet.

Her father worked as a forester, protecting and preserving the mountains, and Jenean’s paintings also preserve the beauty of the mountains, in artistic form.

While the aesthetics of her paintings come from traditional Cherokee culture, she developed her technical skills in college classes where she worked to earn her fine arts degree.

Jenean says, “I’ve lived my life in western North Carolina and there’s no place I’d rather be than on a creek side or mountain top. I heard a quote once that inspires my work: ‘I can not leave here, the land knows me.’ ”

If you are interested in taking a special piece of the mountains home with you this year, we invite you to come by the gallery to see Jenean’s wonderful artwork > Directions to Mountain Made Art Gallery.

Overcoming Winter Time Blues – January & February Are The Cuddle Up With Comfort Food Months

Beat Cabin Fever with Comfort Foods Rich in Omega 3

If you live anywhere in the US, especially on the East coast, you know as well as I that the last few weeks have been very difficult. And more cold weather

Many Southern comfort foods are popular not only because of their great tastes and affordability but also because of their hidden nutrient factors, especially in winter.

Eating lots of Omega 3 fatty acids are a proven way to overcome seasonal depressions like cabin fever.

Well known for being found in found in fish and nuts Omega-3 fatty acids are also inside many foods such as kidney beans, navy beans, squash of all kinds, green beans, collard greens and other fruits and vegetables that are popular with Southern cooks.

So it’s not unusual that we gravitate toward these traditional foods for not only their warmth in colder weather, but also for the effects that they have on our moods and attitudes.

As you know Mountain Made is essentially a North Carolina art gallery, yet we also carry a wide selection of books, both fiction and nonfiction, by local writers.

Many of our cookbooks showcase several of these comfort foods or heritage-based recipes such as southern pioneer or Cherokee cooking.

One such book is “Log Cabin Cooking: Pioneer Recipes And Food Lore”, by Barbara Swell. Ms. Swell has been cooking since she was nine years old after winning a blue-ribbon for her sugar cookies at a West Virginia country fair.

A former self-imposed pioneer now child counselor, Barbara lives with her husband Wayne and their three children near Asheville North Carolina and she has written a series of superb pioneer and vintage cookbooks.

Another popular author is Cherokee elder Johnny Sue Myers. Several of Mrs. Myers’s dishes were seen on the popular Travel Channel television show, “ Bizarre Foods “, when the show’s host Andrew Zimmern came to Western North Carolina to shoot an episode on Appalachian cooking.

While many of recipes in her cookbook, “The Gathering Place” offer details on the preparing and cooking wild game. she also has several traditional Southern recipes using more common foods found in the homes of many country cooks.

Another favorite is the reprint of the Southern classic cookbook, “The Book Of Corn Cookery”, by Mary L. Wade. Mary Wade’s book of corn recipes was originally published in 1917 and was widely distributed among various homes in the Southeast.

Her books were published at the height of the United States involvement in World War I and were intended to provide inexpensive alternatives to foodstuffs that were in short supply and needed for the war effort.

These books along with many other great local cookbooks are available for purchase…check out this “Pie for Two Bundle”.

We invite you to learn more about these books are take a moment to drop by our store (if the weather permits) and browse our wonderful collection nonfiction works as well as novels by local writers.

But as our gift to you here is a couple of wonderful recipes from our Mountain Made staff.

This recipe was graciously given to us by Melinda Knies, owner and manager of the Mountain Made Gallery.

Melinda says that this easy to make chicken and muffin dish is a favorite with her family especially in these cold winter months. It is a hearty yet simple to prepare recipe that your whole family can enjoy.

HOT CHICKEN SALAD
Ingredients:
2 CUPS chicken cooked and diced
2 CUPS celery, diced
½ CUP almonds, sliced
2 TABLESPOONS pimiento chopped
1 CAN sliced water chestnuts
½ TEASPOON salt (optional—I don’t usually add because everything you are using is seasoned)
2 TABLESPOONS onion, grated
½ CUP mayonnaise
3 TABLESPOONS lemon juice
1 CAN cream of chicken soup or cream of mushroom or cream of celery
½ CUP grated cheddar cheese
3 CUPS potato chips, crushed

Mix all ingredients except cheese and potato chips. Turn into baking dish. Top with cheese and potato chips. Bake 30 minutes at 350 deg. Serves 8-10

DILL MUFFINS
2 CUPS self-rising flour
1 ½ TEASPOONS dill weed
¼ – ½ TEASPOON ground black pepper
1 large egg
1 CUP (8 OZ. container) cottage cheese
½ CUP milk
4 TABLESPOONS ( ½ stick) butter melted
1 ½ TABLESPOONS coarsely grated onion

Heat oven to 400 deg. F. Line muffin pans (makes 12 muffins) with paper/foil liners. This is essential for these muffins as they will stick to any pan of any kind.

Thoroughly mix flour, dill weed and pepper.

Then mix egg, cottage cheese, milk, melted butter and onion and add to dry ingredients.

Scoop batter into baking cups.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until springy to the touch in the center. Cool before eating.

History of Arts and Crafts in Western North Carolina

American Arts & Crafts Live On Here in WNC

When visiting our gallery, visitors are often surprised at the range of mountain arts and crafts that we have on display. When they say, “You have some really good artwork in here…”, we always respond, “That’s because we have some really great local artists.”

Currently Mountain Made is proud to present the arts and crafts of 150 artists!

Asheville and the surrounding WNC region is “slightly” famous for our professional art communities because  the arts and crafts movement  has a long and rich history that can be traced back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

During early 20th century Western North Carolina was experiencing serious economic and social changes as it underwent a transition from farm-based communities to more industrial society.

Many traditional craftspeople and artisans found themselves struggling to adapt to these changes and to find ways to support themselves and their families.

In response to these challenges, a group of artists, craftspeople, and educators came together to form the Penland School of Craft in the Blue Ridge Mountains of near Bakersville, NC.

The school, which was founded in 1929, is dedicated to preserving and promoting traditional crafts and to providing education and training in a range of artistic and craft disciplines:

“Penland School of Craft is a national craft education center dedicated to the creative life. Penland offers total-immersion workshops in sixteen beautifully-equipped studios along with artist residencies, a gallery and visitors center, and community programs.”

Over the years, the Penland  has played a key role in revitalizing, training and promoting various types of arts and crafts in and around the region.

It has also attracted students and instructors from all over the world and has become a national hub for the production and sale of American handmade crafts, including pottery, textiles, woodworking, and metalworking.

Today, the arts and crafts movement in Western North Carolina is alive and well, with a vibrant community of professional artists and craftspeople who are dedicated to preserving traditional techniques and styles and to producing high-quality, handmade crafts for sale to the public in galleries like Mountain Made.

If you are interested, we invite you to come by and check out all the locally made arts and crafts in our gallery in downtown Asheville.

“Is All this Art Locally Made?” – The Question (Almost) Everyone Always Asks

“Are all your arts and crafts made here in Western North Carolina?”

Due to the outstanding craftsmanship of the art and crafts available in our gallery, almost everyone secretly wonders, “How can something so beautiful be locally made, especially here in [the backwoods of] North Carolina?”

The answer is yes!

As a local Asheville art gallery, we showcase a variety of different arts and crafts – all produced in Asheville and the surrounding Western North Carolina mountains.  We are always looking for the best and  our gallery features the works of over a 150 accomplished craftsmen, writers, musicians and artisans – in both contemporary and traditional mountain arts and crafts.

Below is a partial list of the kind of artworks that we have currently on display in our shop. If you have any questions about contemporary mountain arts or any of our artisans, then please contact us for assistance:

• handcrafted artisan jewelry made from gems, beads & precious metals
• fine ceramic art and hand-thrown earthen pottery,
• hand-sewn quilted wall hangings
• gourd art & woven baskets,
• hand-turned bowls & wooden accent pieces,
• original wall art and paintings,
• whimsical metal garden art,
• blown glass goblets and pitchers, plus fused & stained glass art,
• plus books and music CDs by our local authors and musicians.

(more…)

New Original Acrylic Paintings by Daniel Frisbee

 Colorful “Flowers” Series

Original Acrylic Paintings by Daniel Frisbee

We are happy to present one of our first 2023 art series, “Flowers” by Daniel Frisbee. These one-of-a-kind originals are affordably priced. We invite you to come by Mountain Made Gallery gallery and see these wonderful paintings for yourself…

About Daniel Frisbee

What Daniel says about his work:

“First and foremost, art comes from my heART! After trying tirelessly to make statements with
my work, have found that my inspiration does not come from how impress others, but how
honest am with myself.

It has been a journey, but both the struggle and joy from creating makes
me, put simply, honest.

I stopped listening to what I call “back noise” in my head, and just listen to my heART. It speaks
volumes.

I have found that what makes me happy as an artist and individual is to focus on life:
the experiences that have, not whether can be a successful artist.

I just want to create and give a perspective on love and life that is MY perspective, MY idea, and MY jo y.

That is what defines success for me … the love of my work.

I no longer have doubts. just create what I know, feel, and experience.”

 What are acrylic paintings?

Acrylic originals are created using acrylic paints, which is a fast-drying paint that is often waterproof once dry. Acrylic paint is used just like any other type of paint such as oils. Acrylic paintings can depict any scene the artist can envision like floral paintings, landscapes, and abstracts. Artists such as Daniel can mix colors and styles to create unique, one-of-a-kind piece of art.