Towels and scarves from the artist Tom Vieth

I got the opportunity to meet Susan Vieth and she told me all about her husband Tom and their adventure moving to France where Tom paints every day.

As an established professional artist, Tom Vieth has paintings in private and corporate collections throughout the United States and Europe. Through his oil and watercolor paintings, Tom shares scenes of everyday France. The lively energy of Tom’s brushstrokes and bold use of color invite you into his painted world.

Susan has immersed herself in the joie de vivre of the French lifestyle. Hers is a world of cultural exploration: shopping at the daily markets, cooking, and learning first-hand the history, local traditions, and daily rhythms of life in a small village. She told me that while she enjoyed her laid back lifestyle she really wanted some more stimulation and a challenge. 

So she has taken some of Tom's paintings and created these wonderful towels and scarves.

I fell in love with the colors, his technique (reminds me somewhat of our own Brenda Behr's watercolors), his scenes and Susan! 

While not printed in the USA they are of a very nice quality.

You can purchase the towels one at a time or as a set of four.

The scarves are available one at a time.

Suncatchers from Hamid

Hamid Emami studied art and design at Southwest State University in San Marcos, TX. In 1994 he set up a studio and soon started designing a unique line of stained glass suncatchers, sculptural lamps, and other larger art pieces. 

Today, Hamid continues to live and work in his studio in Austin, raising his two children who often can be found right beside him in the studio.

His suncatchers make a great one of a kind gift for an anniversary, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Birthday, Easter, Wedding, Shower, Christmas, Halloween, Housewarming, Keepsake, Congratulations, Teacher appreciation, Best friends forever or Bridesmaid present.

Click on any image to go to his page on our website. then click on the image you are interested in for dimensions and the opportunity to purchase.

Thank you for your interest. 

NEW Funky Wall art!

These whimsical works of art are designed by the hand of artist Tracy Pesche, nicknamed Trā by her family and friends. 

Not a day goes by that you don’t find her hard at work designing and creating pieces that will surely make you smile. 

Each piece is hand cut from wood, hand painted and embellished with a variety of adornments including wire and metal. 

Upon a closer look, you will see that each has layer upon layer of paint, adding great dimension. 

Tracy was born in 1981, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Augustana College and her Bachelor of Fine Arts from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. We are pleased to be representing her work here in New Bern!

For sizes and prices visit our website by clicking here.

I know it when I see it

I was just on a business trip and took "Still Life With Bread Crumbs" by Anna Quindlen with me. A line in the novel is the title of this post,  I know it when I see it.

I am often asked how do you pick what you sell in the gallery?

Like the line in the book I just know it when I see it.

I look for things that are innovative, something I haven't seen before or at least not done in the same way.

I can look at a piece and know who might buy it.

The piece has a nice aesthetic.

It is good quality and will last.

Pieces that are properly priced

People are often surprised that I often choose things that are not necessarily my taste. I'm thinking of my customers and what else we have in the gallery that it might go with.

Here are some of the artists I have found recently who will be sending us work in the next few months.


Love them all.

This is a large tree of life sculpture that hangs on the wall - coming soon! Love the weight, size, meaning. Would look great in an entryway, over the fireplace, outdoors on the gate.

These wine openers are really neat, each design is burned by hand and we'll have some with New Bern on them. What I like the most is the fact that we can have custom ones done just for you, with your name, a symbol, or whatever you like. The only extra charge is a little for postage.

We have a nice collection of both soaps and things made from bees wax. I was given a bar of this soap and it was wonderful. We also have tea related items so their honey goes well with that. Packaging is as important as the product inside. If you can't get people to pick it up to look at it it won't sell. We'll have honey comb, soap, skin cream, and honey from these folks soon.

I've been following this artist for years and finally met her. Love the bright colors and whimsy. Her work will appeal to folks that like our StoryPeople, Elisa Drumm, and Justine pieces!

In another post I'll write about other new pieces and artists we have coming.

A Dynasty of Craft Volume 3 Elisa Drumm

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Elisa Drumm Van Auken received her B.F.A. in Textiles from the Rhode Island School of Design and worked for several years as a colorist and designer for Gilbert Frank in New York City. 
She later moved to the Boston area with her husband and started her own line of hand-printed clothing under the name of E. Drumm Designs. 

Eventually, the sewing machines were traded in for power tools and Elisa started exploring wood.




Today, Elisa designs, cuts, carves, and paints a line of limited edition wood pieces in pine and MDF. 

This whimsical collection includes clocks, mirrors, furniture and wall pieces. Her work is greatly influenced by her love of early American Folk Art, the American Southwest, and colors reflecting her earlier years as a surf wear designer in New York. 

Each piece is individually created by hand in her studio. Many of her pieces include cast pewter accents designed by her father.

We are so pleased to represent the Drumm family in our gallery.

A Dynasty of Craft Volume 2

Leandra Drumm has been creating art her whole life. Her grandparents and parents Don and Lisa Drumm are artists (see previous post) as well as her older sister, Elisa, so it might just run in the family. 

Her early summers in the seventies were spent immersed in the arts and crafts at North Carolina’s famous Penland School where her parents taught classes amongst other up and coming artists like world renowned glass blower Dale Chihuly. 

Her parents encouraged her to become an engineer, but the when she took her first art class in high school, her art teacher sent her to the University of Akron to take classes. While finishing up her BFA in graphic design at Kent State University she tried her hand at selling pewter jewelry and glassware etched with her designs, and Leandra Drumm Designs has been going strong ever since (over 20 years).

Leandra began with etching her designs in crystal and functional glassware, and has over the years done more sculptural work in pewter and in combination with stained glass. Leandra’s artwork combines visual storytelling and whimsical imagery with functional purpose. 

Her sculptural switch plate covers and night lights make turning on lights an event. Her work has been featured in Bon Appetite Magazine, the Boston Sunday Globe, and newspapers in Chicago, Nashville, Cleveland and Akron.

We have Leandra's switch plate covers in 7 rooms in our house!

A Dynasty of Craft Volume 1

We have had the good fortune to have known and have carried the work of the Drumm family for many years. 

Don Drumm was born in Warren, Ohio in 1935. After studying medicine for two years at Hiram College in Hiram, Ohio, he decided to pursue a career in art. He transferred to Kent State University where he received a B.F.A. and an M.A. 

He subsequently worked as a designer for the Industrial Design firm “Smith, Scherr and McDermott” for two years.

In 1960 Drumm opened his own studio, as a full time practicing Sculptor and designer/craftsman 1971, together with his wife, Lisa Drumm, he expanded the studio to incorporate a one-room gallery. Since then the enterprise has grown extensively.

In the late 1950s Drumm pioneered the use of cast aluminum as an artistic medium. In addition he has been a pioneer in the use of contemporary building materials, and techniques for the creation of Arts and crafts. The 1960s brought about many teaching opportunities for Don as he was artist-in-residence at Bowling Green State University and taught at Penland School of Crafts.

He continues experimenting and constantly creating to this day. Drumm has won numerous awards along the way, including: Ohio Designer Crafts' “Lifetime Achievement Award”, “Outstanding Contributors of the Century”,  first recipient of the Outstanding Visual Artist Award in 2000, and the first recipient of the American Institute of Architecture (AIA) “Artist and Craftsman Excellence” award.


As I alluded to to in the title to this post, the Drumm legacy extends beyond Don himself. The Drumm family has a wealth of artistic and creative talent that spans the generations.

Lisa Drumm, Don's wife, was born in Erie, Pennsylvania to Catharine Plavcan, artist and art critic for the Erie Times News, and Joseph Plavcan, renowned painter and art teacher. After receiving a Bachelor's of Fine Arts Degree Lisa taught art all levels including classes at University and at the  Penland School of Crafts.

An artist in her own right known for creating soft sculpture dolls, Lisa also manages Dons studio.

Tempus Fugit

I would say that life is issuing a kind of Carpe Diem announcement to me, a Tempus Fugit warning.  

Every time I turn around someone close to me is have a life changing event.

Last year was a year of change for us too.

I started concentrating on the big picture at Carolina Creations and less on the day to day. Michael had major health issues which lead us to leaning heavily on the girls that help us. Several of them have had their issues too. So we forge ahead the best we can. 

Fortunately our artists continue to send us wonderful work!

One of our newest artists creates these beautiful Tree of Life sun catchers. 

Made in North Carolina, each is one of a kind.

The concept of the tree of life is that everything is connected, so as things happen to those around us they affect us too.

These photos don't do these sun catchers justice, they are beautiful. The stones are semi precious, and each tol comes with the meaning of the stone.

See them on our website!

Hand crafted Valentine Card Show and Sale Benefitting Craven County Schools Art Program

9th Annual Hand crafted
Valentine Card
Show and Sale
benefitting Craven
County School
Art Classes

Cards are created by
School art classes
and sold at
Carolina Creations
for $3 each with ALL
proceeds going back to the school.

The cards will be hung in the gallery 
the week of January 9th with the 
opening reception during 
ArtWalk, Friday, January 9 from 5-8 pm.
Open to the public.