Kathleen Carson & Bill Crowell a Simply Irresistible Combination

Fired & Forged. Those were the wedding vows of Bill Crowell & Kathleen Carson, and now for the first time they will be showing their own work at the Simply Irresistible Gallery under the same name. Since discovering their gallery, I find myself wandering up there every now and then when I need a breath of fresh air or to recharge my creative side. Today I find Bill first out in the forge. He's working on a festive metal mobile of stars and figures for the new Spartanburg Arts Center. Over on another table is the stock pile of table legs of various designs that he worked on over the weekend for the upcoming show. While he finishes up, I walk into the gallery and say hello to Kathleen who shares some of the tiles in process, and then I finally get to see some of the finished tables. They are beautiful pieces, each absolutely unique and colorful and festive. When Bill comes in and we settle down in a corner of the gallery and begin to chat, they start joking about how they want to change their story to see if anyone notices.

Bill: We fell in love as children in Canada and moved here to live.

Kathleen: I think I have some exes that would have something to say about that.

So, where do you want to start your real story today?

Kathleen: The focus right now is a show of our own work.

Bill: And by that we mean tables

Kathleen: That's how Bill got started. I was looking for table bases to fit my tiles. Bill said he could teach himself to weld and he did and here we are. What he discovered along the way that he didn't know before was that he is an artist.

Bill: Lost deep in my soul. And every now and then it runs back in and hides.

Kathleen: He took two blacksmithing classes at Penland Craft school, six years apart and other than that he's self taught.

How did you get started Kathleen?

Bill: She was born with a paint brush.

Kathleen: I pretty much have been involved with art all my life. I went Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, FL. Then, like many artists, went from job to job to job. My last job before I started painting tiles was as an illustrator for advertising agency which is why I have a wide range of styles.

You mentioned earlier liking bright colors…

Kathleen: Maybe that's the Florida experience, or just in me. I've always been fond of bright, bright colors.

How long have you been building tables together?

Bill: 14 years?

Kathleen: We've been together over 15 years. We moved here in 1991. Somewhere around 1993 Bill started welding, so about 14 years.

How else do express yourselves in your individual art forms?

Bill: I make a lot of hooks, fireplace screens and tools, driveway gates, and garden gates. I make some sculptures, like the Steel Magnolia sculpture. I go out and get flowers and sketch them fast before they shrivel. There's no second guessing nature.

Kathleen: Now and then I'll paint a platter. But mostly I do the tiles. What you don't see here in the gallery is custom tile work for kitchens and baths in homes. There was a point in time when the gallery space was simply set up for shipping tiles all over the world, and the forge didn't even exist here, it was up in Saluda.

What made you decide to do your own show?

Bill: Kathleen said, "Hey we've never had our own show." And I said, "Yeah."

Kathleen: The gallery was set up to show our own work, but then I had to fill the space and got busy. From the beginning I have focused on North and South Carolina artists that create mostly unique, one-of-a-kind items. For instance, artists like John Richards, Vickie Jo Franks, and Diane Postnieks always have interesting pieces to add to the gallery. Dot Pierce does these clever little glass mosaics. John Kenfield is always bringing in beautiful wood turnings. There are really quite a few local artists in this county. There is not much "production" work, unless it's very fine quality. Examples would be ceramics from Doug Dacy and Lucinda Pittman and leather painting from Mona. Its all fun and light hearted work and people bring family and visitors here as a destination. Currently I have about 50 artists here, and that has held steady for the past three years. November will be five years, and it took a while to get the look you see here now. I got so busy running the gallery, which is actually fun. You get to see new work all the time and meet the artists. And Bill got so busy with custom iron work.

Bill: I could only produce maybe ten tables a year for Kathleen to paint.

Kathleen: Two years ago we made some furniture for a couple who had a beach house. And, as part of the payment for making those tables we negotiated a week at the beach. We weren't able to take advantage of that until this past July.

Bill: And then we saw how cool our stuff was in their home, and said "why aren't we doing this."


Kathleen: We realized that was the work that completes us both.

Bill: I think I said I'd make her a hundred tables, but I'm close to 50 coming up on show time.

So he's got the tables, how are you doing with the tiles?

Kathleen: I'm trying to keep up. He gets ahead, and then I get ahead for a bit.

Bill: And then they're selling.

Kathleen: Six of the first ten sold right away.

Bill: (laughing) I'm going to quit making them if she can't keep them in here.

Kathleen: The neat thing about this part of our art is that it gives us the chance to experiment and do odd unusual things. You can stretch a bit. Bill's legs are getting really, really cool after doing nine dozen of them. Things he isn't able to do in the normal handrail jobs.

What are your favorites so far?

Kathleen: It's always the last one that comes out of the kiln. Right now I'm having fun with this saturated color and this theme of music. Ooh, Bill you should make another one of those twisty, viney ones.

These tables are little paintings. I always was a painter. It was such a thrill the first time I painted on tile. People are afraid to touch a painting. Tile is tactile enough to make people want to touch it.

Bill: And gravity is the only thing that can hurt it. If you could put a tile painting in a zero atmosphere it would last forever.

Kathleen: The only things that will survive until the end of time are bronze, plastic, and ceramics.

Bill: We bought this place back in 1997. It's been a battle to keep back the Kudzu. A million years from now when we're not here to fight the Kudzu you'll dig through and find nothing will be left but her tiles.

So how many tables will you hope to have for the show?

Kathleen: 30 maybe?

Bill: 30, I'll have mine done.

When is the show?

Kathleen: September 28th with a reception from 5-8pm. We'll try to always keep some of our work here. I would really like to explore the art furniture market more, send our work other places and bring other art furniture to our gallery.

Simply Irresistible Gallery and Saluda Forge are located up Ola Mae Way across from Stott's Ford. Meet Bill & Kathleen at the Fired & Forged show Friday evening September 28th from 5-8pm. Gallery hours are 9-5pm Monday-Saturday. Call 828-859-8316 for more information or visit simplyirresistiblegallery.com.