Our State Magazine - 21 Artists of the Parkway

For Mark Crossley, metalworking strikes just the right balance between his background in chemistry and math and his passion for the arts. An alumnus of the University of North Carolina Asheville, Crossley returned to the city with his wife about four years ago and began selling his work online and in local galleries. He draws inspiration from walks along the Blue Ridge Parkway; back in his studio, he carefully re-creates the mountain flora he sees in copper and glass enamel. Crossley has experience in photography, theater, and music, yet he describes metalworking as his true artistic passion. “I love this artwork more than anything I have ever done,” he says. “I enjoy the realism I can put into my art.”