6 Left Photo: Prism Arc II Nature influences basket maker Melanie Walter as well. With over 100 long leaf pines on her property in Ogden, Walter has an ample supply of pine needles for making baskets. "I put on a pot of coffee and head out,? says Walter, during a break from her duties at Port City Pottery and Fine Crafts, where her baskets are sold. "I've been doing this for 15 years and the trees are still beautiful to me.? The baskets are Native American in origin, and are made from needles that fall from the long leaf pines that are indigenous to this area. Similar in some ways to the sweetgrass baskets that Charleston, S.C., is known for, these pine needle baskets are a dying art form, Walter says. "They're based on a spiral concentric circle,? Walter says. "You build one row on another, shaping as you go. I add all kinds of natural elements in my pieces, such as sliced black walnuts, bamboo, hickory nuts, sweet gum balls, corn cobs. I try to incorporate it with something green, something natural, so that it shows folks how much beauty there is in the world around us.? That appreciation for uniqueness also lives at Crescent Moon, a hand-crafted glass art gallery in the Cotton Exchange. "Our slogan is `the only thing mass-produced here is originality,'? laughs co-owner Joan Loch. Loch and her husband, Mike, left the corporate world in New Jersey in 2005 and purchased the Crescent Moon in January 2007. They fell in love with glass art and Mike soon discovered he has a natural talent for working in the medium. His pieces, as well as work by artists like Lucid Visions and Henrietta Glass, can be found at the Crescent Moon for prices ranging from $75 to $2,000. "We're starting to have more of a glass community,? Loch says. "Wilmington's always been known for pottery and clay and now there's getting to be more glass blowers, more people working with stained glass and fused glass and blown glass.? Recently, with studios opening and offering lessons or furnace time, more people are finding that glass can be an affordable hobby, Loch says. "We get asked all the time if there's a studio where we can learn or we can use a furnace,? Loch says. "Now that you can go down and practice something you love, I think we're going to see more people with an artistic flair getting involved with the medium of glass.? A short walk along the riverfront in the direction of Chandler's Wharf is where you'll find artist Clay O'Neal working at Shadowbox Studio Gallery, which is housed inside the Old Wilmington City Market on South Water Street. O'Neal, who creates mixed media paintings, has spent the better part of the day working on a collage using components like silver mesh. He has managed to find time to joke around with a half dozen young

12a message18 22 42 44 46 54 70 60 32 38downtown wilmington7 8downtown wilmington's art and culture, get involved at the cameron art museum1112the downtown art scene includes unique performance opportunities14a home like no other family is the heart of the home at st. james plantation.a sense of placethe st. james chapel19new woodlands park homesites planned for october release212223golf 's best-kept secret -irelandin other words, links golf is nothing like american golf. nothing. that's why anyone who calls him or herself a golfer needs to take a week or so and travel to experience the differences.27the charm of orton plantation 29'going green' becomesa neighborhood affair32going green: anall-volunteerfire department 36it could be said that a community gets the fire department it deserves. and thanks to community-wide support, the st. james fire department has evolved into one of the best firehouses in the area.3839splish-splashing is fun and exercise for this group of ladies.4142harborwalka new 45st. james university47plantationsome of the first neighbors ann o'malley met in st. james plantation were flowers. drives around the community introduced her to various gardens she wished to know better. today, o'malley is roaming those yards, and she's brought a few hundred people along. "you can drive by all of these houses and see how beautiful they are in the front, but there are things in the back,? o'malley says, joining several folks nosing about powder blue hydrangeas, sunny yellow lantanas, and soft pink mimosas decorating pattie accordino's lush rear lawn.505152531 45556fun + learning = owner spotlight: 59he said, she said 61st. james properties, llc resale division 3891 ridge crest drive the reserve collection3310 sparkleberry court the nature view collection3565 st. james drive the links collection4135 south lagoon court the links collection3030 marshwinds circle, villa 1104 the plantation villa collection3776 ridge crest drive the reserve collection3840 worthington place the reserve collection3350 club villa, villa 305 the plantation villa collection4152 skeffington court the nature view collectionhole by holehole #11hole #127576