Tim Brown spent his childhood immersed in nature, passing long days by the stream behind his childhood home. Decades later, he still draws from that scenic landscape. Only now, he spends his days as a full-time artist at Hands Gallery, and his pottery is inspired by the nature surrounding the Appalachian mountains.
Brown joined the gallery in 2018 and has since taken on the role of vice president of the cooperative. Brown said their mission statement is to “support local art, to support local artists and to bring art into a community that I think deserves art.”
As a co-op gallery, Hands Gallery is run by 15 members who each work a couple of days a month and have their work stationed at Hands Gallery, alongside 35 other artists who do not work in the store but are represented with smaller displays.
“Every piece is unique. It’s ever-changing,” Brown said. “You’re never going to come in here and not find something new. And you’re never going to come in here and not find something for most people; you’re going to find something you like because of the diversity of what we have to offer.”
Hands Gallery first opened its doors to Boone in 1975, during the height of what Brown described as the arts and crafts movement of the ‘70s. This past summer, the gallery celebrated its 50th anniversary as part of Boone’s local art scene.
“There was kind of an arts and crafts movement in the ‘70s where there were a lot of idealistic artists that came to Boone,” Brown said. “Boone was, you know, affordable, rural and a place that was good to make art.”
It wasn’t until 25 years ago that the gallery settled into its current location in the heart of downtown Boone, sharing a wall with Macado’s.
Brown’s art echoes his childhood spent in nature. His ceramic pieces are covered in birds, hellbenders and idyllic flowers like the poppies he used to grow in his backyard. Many of his pieces feature spirals, a form found throughout nature, from the intricate designs of a snail’s shell to the colorful shapes of distant galaxies.
During his time as an undergraduate student, Brown originally pursued pre-med but felt unfulfilled. After switching to an art major with a minor in English, he later went on to the University of Notre Dame, where he received his master’s in fine arts. Over the years, his art style has continued to change and evolve alongside him.
“When I’m working, I do one thing, and I look at it, and then I say, ‘Oh, now I have another idea, and this is what I’m going to do next,’” Brown said. “And then it’s just these little decisions, and I just keep tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, moving forward.”
Alongside Brown, Eric Reichard is an artist at Hands Gallery. Reichard teaches at App State and works as the director emeritus for the craft enrichment program.
Reichard’s discipline is in pottery, often focusing on miniature, unique pots and vases that are popular within the shop, according to Brown.
“This is pottery in a nutshell,” Brown said, describing Reichard’s work. “All the little micro refinements of life that put together a pot that looks good.”
A few displays overlay Cindy Pacileo’s ceramic figurines, ranging from smiling peas in a pod to colorful strawberry cows. Pacileo has been part of Hands Gallery since six months after it opened, making her one of the gallery’s founding members. According to Pacileo, there is a simple reason the gallery got its name.
“Because that’s what we have in common,” Pacileo said. “It’s our hands; we all work with our hands.”
Hands Gallery is located at 543 W. King St. and is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.
