Stoney Lamar, nationally renowned wood sculptor, teacher, and member of the American Craft Council board of directors, will give a brief talk on Craft in Community on Monday, October 4 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Saluda Center. This will be followed by a reception and show of five area artists: Stoney Lamar, Holly Wilkes, Mark Gardner, Michael Hughey and Kelly McCullough.

Stoney Lamar received his B.S. degree in industrial arts from Appalachian State University. A friends borrowed lathe led him away from his original goal to design and build furniture, however, to sculpt woodturning. Transcending the round object, he uses multiple axes to sculpt asymmetrical forms and create texture. By juxtaposing asymmetrical and symmetrical elements in his work, the figurative, architectural or abstract wood objects are imbued with a sense of movement, balance, and tension.

Holly Wilkes says, I have been involved with fiber arts for many years. Most of this time my focus has been on all types of weaving, but in recent years I have concentrated on tapestry weaving. I weave abstract or nonrepresentational tapestries and representational tapestries of the mountains of North Carolina.

Mark Gardner says, My work continues a series of highly carved and patterned vessels. The inspiration behind these pieces comes from several sources including the art of Benin, Africa and the islands of the South Pacific. I am attracted to the rhythm of the repeated patterns carved on various ceremonial objects.&bsp; I like the subtle quality of the carving, like the black on black ceramics of the Southwest. That you may not notice how intricate some of the work is until you are right next to the piece is, for me, an important aspect of the finished piece.

Michael Hughey has been fascinated by letters and alphabets since childhood; the book arts of calligraphy, design, illustration, and typography continue the long love affair with beauty in graphic form to this day. He uses pen, quill, brush, ink, pigments, gold, and a little alchemy to translate an ancient and noble craft into elegant contemporary graphic works.

Kelly McCullough has been a successful professional ceramist for 10 years. She uses a surface technique known as sprigging, which means McCullough hand carves flowers, dragonflies, or palm trees in hardened plaster. Each one is then individually applied to the surface of the pot by hand.

The Saluda Center is located at 64 Greenville Street in Saluda.