In 2007,
Matt left his possition with a graphic design / promotional advertising / custom print shop in Asheville to stay at home with his new-born daughter. When Matt decided to rejoin the workforce in 2009, he quickly found that, due to "The Great Recession," jobs were few and far between. He eventually joined a local art supply & custom pricture framing store in Hendersonville and grew fond of the customers, his fellow co-workers, and the idea of working in the art material industry. In July of 2010, Matt opened The Starving Artist.
That hot July day, The Starvng Artist opened with a modest offering of drawig and painting supplies. Custom picture framing was soon added. As years went on, more and more product lines were added, the selection of framing options expanded, fine art reproductions and giclee printing were added.
Today,
we would like to think of The Starving Artist as a one-stop-shop for artists of all levels. We offer a large variety of art materials so you can get exactly what you need. From paints, canvases, and brushes, to printmaking and mixed media materials we trust that you'll find The Starving Artist one of the most diverse and well stocked art supply stores in Western North Carolina. We like to say we have canvases from 2" x 2" up to 48" x 60" and virtually every size in between.
For the not-so-common requests, we also offer over 50,000 items for special order. There is no shipping charges for in-store pick-up. So, if you only need one brush or color of paint, you won't have to worry about high shipping costs or placing large orders to meet minimums for freer shipping from other on-line retailers.
When it comes to framing your art, we're happy to do as much or as little work as you need. Of course you have a full service custom frame shop at your disposal. Our framing department is experienced with a wide variety of mediums and framing techniques including; pastels, needlework, shadowboxes, antiques, and just to name a few. But for the do-it-yourselfers, we also offer frame molding, either assembled and ready to go or in lengths if you want to cut and join it yourself. We also offer a full assortment of Crescent and Bainbridge mats and backing boards by the sheet or custom cut. If you need any of the little bits of hardware to finish your piece, we've got that too.
We also offer a wide range of custom printing. If you are looking to promote yourself and your art, we can print business cards, post cards, rack cards, brochures and banners just to name a few. If you are looking to reproduce your art to, we also offer a Giclee printing service. To go with these printing services we also offer a graphic design and photography services. Whether you need fliers for an upcoming show, or photos for your website, we'll be able to help out when you need us.
Above all, The Starving Artist is focused on meeting the needs of our local arts community and more importantly you, the artist.