CONCRETE ARTIST

Jamie Go
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hotos
CONCRETE ARTIST
Andy McDaniel Creates Harmony With A Heavy Material
Story by Jamie Goodman
T
he first time I met Andy was on a beautiful summer evening in downtown Boone. Walking down Howard Street, I
noticed light spilling through the open doorway of a tiny
building I had never noticed before. I could see inside somewhat,
and spied what looked like stone sculptures on the floor inside.
Ever the curious art lover, I peeked in the door and saw a young
man sitting on a couch. That man was 37-year-old Andy McDaniel,
and he was about to open my eyes to a new world of art.
As everyone who meets him discovers, Andy is an amiable
person—slightly shy at first, but easy to chat with and full of
smiles. In a few minutes, we were deep in conversation, talking
about the building and his work. Throughout the room were a
mix of elegantly formed utilitarian items such as sinks and countertops, as well as finely crafted sculptures and wall pieces, all in a
mix of highly polished rich tones.
I asked about his medium, and his answer shocked me. These
smooth, gleaming pieces were not made of marble, of alabaster, of
slate or of any other fine-art stone, but of concrete.
Concrete?
“Yes,” Andy said with a smile. “Concrete.”
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The Tactile Takes Time
Even if you’re not normally a tactile person, the first time you
run your hand across the surface of decorative concrete, you’re
hooked. Unlike the rough concrete used for driveways, the ingredients of decorative concrete are finer; the grade of the pigments
and cement is much higher. And the result is a smooth, glass-like
surface that is cool and silky to the touch.
Some companies offer premade mixes for countertops now,
but Andy still prefers to mix his own. He takes pleasure in the
steady rhythm and flow of mixing a batch of concrete. “There’s
this really wild cacophony of combining ingredients and then
it ends up in a still, smooth-lined form. There are thousands of
years of geological evolution taking place in a few moments….”
A basic concrete pour involves a three-part process that can
take most of a day to complete. After the pour come four weeks
of cure time, followed by the labor-intensive but rewarding finish
work of polishing and sanding. The result is a beautiful surface
that mimics the elegance of finely finished marble or granite.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my time with Andy, it’s
that you can’t rush concrete.
Andy McDaniel (left) is a local craftsman who works in the innovative and surprisingly beautiful medium of concrete.
Among his artistic creations are his custom-formed sinks, such as the Tray sink (above). Photo by Dale Marie Shelton
Building a Business
Andy typifies the old expression, the background helps make
the man. He was born and raised in Asheville by a strong and freethinking family. His mother—who stayed home part time to raise
Andy, his sister and two brothers—has always been a staunch supporter. His father, a commercial builder, instilled in him a hardwork ethic and an understanding of construction. By age 10, he
was learning how to read blueprints and spent summers during
high school working on job sites, learning how to accurately measure and think through projects. When he wasn’t working, Andy
went for long treks into the wilderness with his grandfathers and
his father who instilled in him a love for tradition and for the natural world.
Curiosity, tenacity and a love for the unusual drew him to
concrete.
“I’ve always been a little off kilter and getting into things before it becomes popular,” he said.
It was this “off-kilter” personality that drew him to Boone.
His love of the mountains and snow led him to discover a littleknown sport in the late ‘80s called snowboarding. When it came
time to pick a college, he chose Appalachian State University. His
goal was to study biology while pursing his obsession with the
budding sport.
Andy eventually took time off from college to pursue snowboarding full time. He worked construction and remodeling jobs
to support his obsession. “Work, save, travel, play,” he said with a
laugh.
Though snowboarding was his passion, Andy slowly began to
acknowledge his talent for working with his hands and returned
to ASU in 1994 to pursue a degree in appropriate technology and
construction.
While still in school, Andy formed Builder Design Work
Group (BDWG) with his childhood friend Bobby Searcey. Their
first contract was building a house on the coast in Southport, and
other jobs followed with relative consistency.
Sustainability, a keyword for environmentally conscious
construction, became increasingly important to Andy. In the appropriate technology program at Appalachian, discussions of
sustainable materials were common, and the subject of concrete
kept coming up. He began to research the substance online and
in construction and design magazines, and the more he read, the
more he was intrigued.
“Pound per pound, concrete takes the least amount of energy to produce,” he explained. “All my raw materials come from
within a small radius, approximately 300 miles.” Purchasing
within a locally defined radius not only helps sustain the regional
economy, but also saves gas and energy because of the shorter
delivery distance.
“I’m not trying to save the world by what I’m doing; it’s just
part of the mystique that drew me to concrete,” he said.
In 1996, the same year Andy graduated from Appalachian, he
did his first concrete pour during a remodeling job. The owner of
the house wanted a concrete countertop, and Andy was eager to
try. The result was a success, and Andy was hooked.
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Jamie Goodman photo
TOP: One of Andy’s signature pieces is this elegant freeform vessel. Photo by Dale Marie Shelton
Andy smoothes wet concrete for a woodstove hearth for client
Penny Cromwell. Penny and her partner Merry Hart had “always
loved the medium” of concrete, and once Penny learned about
Andy’s artistry, she hired him to help remodel her living room
with a concrete hearth, concrete backwalls, and other accents.
“Every time I made something [in concrete], I just couldn’t get over the
beauty of it. Plus, I wanted less stress—to work less hours than construction
demands.” He laughed, and added, “I’ve found that I still work all of the time,
but if you love what you do it’s OK.”
He began passing up construction jobs to do more concrete pours. His
partner Bobby was among the many who thought he was in left field. Undeterred, in 1999 Andy delivered a presentation on his material as a design tool
to a group of local builders.
“It was like I was speaking German. I nearly got laughed out of the
building,” he said. “It took a while for the builders to catch on.”
The switch to working exclusively in concrete was cemented in 2001
when Andy lost his friend and partner, Bobby, to a massive heart attack at
the young age of 31. “That plus getting married and 9-11 reaffirmed life for
me. I wanted to do what came out of my heart.”
Andy had his first art show and reception in July 2006,
displaying sculpture such as this balancing piece entitled
Copper Bone Crescent. Photo provided by BDWG
The Fine Art of Concrete
“It’s a good rule of thumb—anything that booms in California, in 10 or
so years it will appear in the east,” Andy explained. “In the late ‘90s, there
were only a handful of contractors working exclusively in concrete in California.” In the east, Andy was way ahead of the curve.
“I always knew I wanted to do something different and create custom
work,” he said. “Concrete seemed to fit the bill.”
He worked principally on straight pours in the beginning—countertops, hearths, inside floors, walls. His first job that incorporated artistic elements was a floor scored and stained to incorporate 17th century Florentine
and Celtic designs.
“I knew I had the potential in me to create something unique, but I
didn’t think of myself as an artist. I still don’t,” Andy said.
Artist or not, he began to experiment even more, first with stains and
dyes across the surface of concrete, and then with shapes.
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2006 Winter Holiday Issue
An example of Andy’s counter work. “Concrete is not for
everyone,” Andy said. “There’s a certain type of person who
likes concrete—the type of person who’s maybe a little offbeat,” he added with a smile. Photo provided by BDWG
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2006 Winter Holiday Issue
High Country Magazine
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were made out of—yes, concrete.
But Andy, who has no formal training in art, and who in fact
stubbornly refuses to take a workshop, still has a hard time talking about the art side of his work. He is a tireless self-critic, always
challenging himself and creating pieces by feel rather than measurement.
“I don’t know if it’s obsessiveness or passion,” he said. “I will
keep going on and on until I get it.”
“You have to be passionate about at least one thing, and I
think a lot of people aren’t.”
Building a Life and a Family
But Andy is passionate about a lot of things. Many activities
keep him busy aside from his obsession with concrete. He loves
the outdoors, and revels in fly-fishing, bow hunting and gardening
BDWG photo
with his family. He still has a passion for snowboarding, and occasionally races for fun in local home“I used to mix everything in a
town events. He is a big bluegrass fan
wheelbarrow by hand and often would
who sings and plays multiple instruhave some left over. I couldn’t bear to
ments—his latest is the accordion—
throw it away, so I started experimentand he enjoys getting together with his
ing. I made little bowls at first, and one
friends for a jam session. He is a lover
day I realized that if I made this three
of history and feels a strong sense of
times bigger and put a hole in it, it’s a
tradition. He writes too, mostly poetry
sink!”
and songs, and his friends will tell you
Andy’s sinks have been a hit. Tothat he’s quite a witty armchair phiday, he receives commissions from
losopher.
across the country through his webIn short, Andy is a keen believer
site. Design on Tap, a high-end kitchen
of living in each moment. This belief
and bath supplier, has started carrying
was reinforced even more for him
his sinks in its local showroom, and he
when his father died earlier this year.
hopes one day to expand his region
“If you don’t take it and run with it,” he
through this company.
stated simply, “you might wake up one
“No one is doing the sinks I do,
day and it’s gone.”
and [they are] different by virtue of beBut nothing lights Andy’s eyes
ing handmade,” Andy explained.
more than speaking about his family.
He began receiving commercial
He met his wife Stephanie, now 32,
Andy’s jobs for businesses have included a
jobs as well. One of his most visible
at a music festival in the mid-1990s,
colorful bar in Anntony’s Caribbean Café in
jobs in the area is the long bar/counand they married in 2001. Son J.C., 4,
Asheville (top) and a room-length countertop in
tertop at the Mellow Mushroom restauwas born in 2002, and Caroline, 1-1/2,
charcoal grey at Mellow Mushroom in Boone.
rant located on Rivers Street in Boone.
joined the family in early 2005.
Jamie Goodman photo
As Andy experimented with forms
“Part of where I’m at in life is bewhile trying to expand his marketable
cause of my wife and kids. They keep
pieces, he also began to mold sculptures from the leftover mix.
me grounded,” he explained.
What he discovered was a natural inclination towards the artisOn a recent visit to their small home far out in the western
tic.
Watauga countryside, Honeybear the dog, MaryJane the cat, and a
“I would get these ideas in my head and the thoughts wouldn’t
miniature bulldozer sitting on a small pile of sand near the drivego away until I did them,” he admitted.
way welcomed me. Son J.C. had been busy at his “worksite.”
Andy started displaying his creations in his BDWG showroom
Stephanie met me at the door with baby Caroline in her
on Howard Street, next to his sinks and countertops. And people
arms. Warm and welcoming, she immediately began sharing her
began to notice.
thoughts.
“It was an accumulative effect. More and more people were
“We met at Lollapalooza [music festival]. Andy comes up and
saying ‘you’re an artist’ when they saw the pieces,” he said.
introduces himself to me with that old line, ‘Have we met beSomething in those words stuck a chord within Andy, and he
fore?’” she said with a laugh. Andy quickly countered with “I really
decided to pursue the idea of concrete as art. In spring 2006, he thought we had met before.” Nevertheless, it worked.
approached the Nth˚ Gallery & Studios, a local alternative gallery
The young family has had its struggles. Creating a business
in downtown Boone, about a possible show. The group jumped at
with a groundbreaking product is not an easy task, and they have
the idea of showing such unique work. In July 2006, Andy opened
made sacrifices. “All the things we’ve been through,” Stephanie
a dual show with abstract artist Tyler Deal, entitled Distillery. It
said, “has been a team effort.”
was a resounding success. People were amazed with his balancing
Stephanie holds a degree in exercise science from Appalasculptures, bowls and wall pieces that resembled fine stone but
chian State University, but elected to take time off from work to
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High Country Magazine
2006 Winter Holiday Issue
Family is extremely important to Andy, shown preparing
the grill with his son J.C, while wife Stephanie and daughter
Caroline—in the background with dog Honeybear—walk to
the garden to pick some okra for dinner.
Jamie Goodman photo
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Andy’s sculpture works include the mixed-media piece Blue Moon Pagoda and a flat wall hanging featuring hand-drawn and stained buffalo.
care for their children. She finds herself increasingly helping Andy with his concrete
business—maintaining the website, helping with marketing and even meeting with
clients when Andy is unable to.
“Not to be married and have that support system, I don’t think I would have
gotten to where I am at today without it,”
Andy said.
The couple has been together almost
12 years, but they seem like newlyweds.
“The thing I like best is that I would never
describe Andy as stagnant. He is constantly evolving, in music, in art, in everything,”
she said.
The evolution of his work is evident
all around their home. Concrete test pieces are installed throughout the house—a
kitchen counter, a computer station, a
child-height table—all samples created to
see how normal wear and
tear affect his products.
Sculptures stick out of the
yard, and pieces in progress
line the side of the porch.
A well-worn path leads
around the house to the
area outside his studio,
where more jobs wait in various stages of completion.
Among them are concrete
slabs for steps, a wooden
mold for a countertop and
small, unusual sculpture
shapes. The sculptures are
covered with plastic, and
Andy will only unveil a few.
“You have to have some surprises the next
time I have [an art] show,” he said, a twinkle in his eye.
Inside his shop, two
matching
custom-made
sinks colored a deep slate
green are in the final
stages of curing. They will
soon be shipped to their
new home in Minnesota.
“I’ve shipped sinks to California, Chicago, Alabama,”
he said. “I even had a guy
from the UAE inquire
about them.”
While Andy has yet to
ship any of his work internationally, his reputation is
growing. From the days of
one pour a year and being
laughed at during a builders’ meeting, in
nine years he has grown to having nearly
100 countertop, hearth and mantel pours
under his belt, countless sinks and a successful art exhibition.
“I’m so blessed in my life,” he said.
“But hopefully, this is just the beginning.”
Andy with his daughter Caroline outside his
workshop. Andy’s wife Stephanie mixes juice
on one of several concrete counters installed
in their house. These test pieces have helped
Andy observe the effect of daily wear and tear
on his product. Photos by Jamie Goodman.
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High Country Magazine
2006 Winter Holiday Issue
Find more information about Andy McDaniel, custom concrete and his company
Builder Design Work Group on his website at www.bdwgconcretestudio.com.
See Andy’s custom sink and counter work at the Design on Tap showroom located
at the Gateway Shopping Center on Highway 421 South in Boone. Contact Design
on Tap at 828-265-0505.
BDWG Concrete Studios showroom in downtown Boone is open by appointment
only. To schedule a visit, call 828-266-1599.
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