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Reaching art lovers: One of the reasons Favorite moved to the Triangle, along with having a friend in Raleigh, was for marketing. "Within a day's drive you can reach half the population of the country, including a lot of good art shows." He and his wife, Bonnie, moved from Rockingham County to Mebane in 2000. "I love Mebane. It's a small town, but we have all the amenities. I can go downtown and at least five people will speak to me. My wife teases me that I should be mayor of Mebane." The artist, who still attends some festivals, is represented by galleries in cities including Santa Fe, Paris, New York, Chicago, and Golden, Colo.

Reaching artists: Favorite isn't in it only for himself. Two years ago he started Alamance Artisans, which now has about 100 members, and in 2001 he kicked off Arts at the Meadow, sponsored by the Orange County Artists Guild and the Meadowmont community, and ran that popular show for three years. "When I first started doing my art, I had some wonderful people coming in to my life, and I wanted to repay them by giving back," he said. "Also, being around artists stimulates me as an artist."

New direction: A Carolina Designer Craftsmen board member, Favorite was inspired by the guild's masterworks program, which invited members to make what they considered masterworks for their annual show Thanksgiving weekend. "At a meeting one of the artists who does tile was talking about her work and it just went 'click.' I could make ironwood tile. I told her I was going to steal her idea. So I'm making a wall hanging, 60-by-40, with 48 squares of wood, 6 inches by 6 inches, all placed on a large board as background. An inlaid tree in turquoise will go up the through the whole piece." Favorite is placing a $17,000 price tag on his masterpiece, which he'll unveil at the show. "I'm almost 70 and starting on a whole new area," he said. "We'll see what happens with this one."

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