_Laurie McCarriar is an Asheville-based photographer and artist geek. Her multi-layered photographs bring movement, depth and texture back to still images. No wonder her camera of choice is a Canon Vixia HFS20 HD video camera with a built-in still camera.

_Laurie comes by her photographic skills naturally. Her photo genes go back to her great-great grandfather, James McCarriar, who had a photographic salon in Baltimore MD during the Civil War. Several years ago, she was fortunate enough to find and acquire a print of his in a cool case with a label from his studio.

_How she became a geek is a little more sketchy, although with spies, math majors and physics majors in her immediate family, maybe it is no surprise. Add that to an addiction to watching Mission: Impossible every week in her formative years, and well...

_Laurie studied printmaking and art history at Ohio Wesleyan University, and later worked doing meticulous research into the collections of the Columbus Museum of Art for the publication of the Museum Handbook. As Assistant Head of Art Production at Design and Production Inc. in Northern Virginia, she managed and produced graphics for countless exhibitions including the US Pavilions at the Knoxville and New Orleans World's Fairs, and installations at the Smithsonian Institution. As CEO and founder of McCarriar Graphics, she produced graphics and assisted in design and installation of exhibits at the Tennessee Aquarium, Charleston SC Visitor Center, the Sackler Gallery of Fine Art, Hearst Castle, Adkins Arboretum, and many others.
(Above) Graphics, production and installation of interactive exhibit in classroom at National Zoo, Washington DC

_Upon moving to Asheville NC in 2006, Laurie landed in the up and coming River Arts District, and has been managing the River Arts District website and producing the Studio Guide for several years, helping in the growth of the organization from about 68 artists in 2006 to almost 200 today.

Today, Laurie's studio is located in Northlight Studios, one of the newest studio buildings on Depot Street. She maintains her art studio, small gallery and Artist Geek HQ there, helping artists in Western NC and beyond learn simple tech tools to make their businesses thrive.

_I've been playing hammered dulcimer for about 12 years... well, I actually started learning it back in the 80s, then locked my instrument away in a closet during the 90s and didn't get serious until March of 2000. I've been fortunate to have Ken Kolodner as my teacher all along, and have learned so much from him. Although I think he is going to kill me if I do not get my CD finished.
My hammered dulcimer was built by Nick Blanton, Shepherdstown, WV

Me posing in our front yard. This must have been shortly before I was scared by a camera somehow. I've tried to stay on the other side of the lens ever since.