Crafting from the Heart

1FurryFriends

Text by Lauren Eberle / Photography by John O’Hagan

A furry flock of keepsake collectibles calls this western North Carolina studio home. For their creator, Colin Richmond, crafting creatures great and small is a labor of love.

Colin Richmond is quick to admit he knew nothing of porcelain and carving when he made the move from corporate to craft in the late 1980s. “I grew up in a creative family that assumed you could do anything until you proved otherwise, so I dove in.” Colin began with mixed-media angels, earning a reputation locally for his attention to detail. In 1991, he read an article about German collectible sheep made from leather, wood, and wool. “That mixed-medium description was enough to trigger my imagination.” And despite a limited knowledge of sheep, the Asheville, North Carolina, artist set to work meeting with breeders and visiting farms.