J. Michael Welton
I write about architecture, art and design for national and international publications. My work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, Dwell, Metropolis, and Ocean Home magazines. I was recently named architecture critic for the News & Observer in Raleigh, N.C. I'm editor of a digital design magazine at www.architectsandartisans.com, also also the author of "Drawing from Practice: Architects and the Meaning of Freehand" (Routledge 2015).
Subjects: Built Environment
Biography
A few links to my writing can be found here:http://www.newsobserver.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article38323821.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/hemingways-finca-vigia-restored-in-partnership-of-cuban-us-preservationists/2011/10/10/gIQAQ71zjL_story.html
http://www.dwell.com/articles/on-the-waterfront.html (Cover Story, Oct. 2011)
http://www.oceanhomemag.com/October-November-2014/Alexander-Gorlin-Beach-House/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/garden/09location.html
http://www.dwell.com/house-tours/article/minimal-north-carolina-home-built-tech-forward-west-coast-couple
http://www.metropolismag.com/May-2011/An-Optimized-Architecture/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/j-michael-welton/in-north-carolina-a-gutsy_b_790788.html
Areas of Research / Professional Expertise
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Architecture, art and design
Personal Interests
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Travel, reading and writing
Websites
Books
Articles
Book Excerpt: Drawing From Practice
Published: Aug 31, 2015 by Walter, the City Magazine for Raleigh, N.C.
Authors: J. Michael Welton
Subjects:
Built Environment
An excerpt from Drawing from Practice: Architecture and the Meaning of Freehand, featuring Chapter 13, on North Carolina architect Frank Harmon, with drawings of Thomas Jefferson's Poplar Forest and AIA North Carolina's Center for Architecture and Design.
New architecture book Drawing from Practice explores the role of hand-drawing in
Published: Jun 24, 2015 by Raleigh Independent Weekly
Authors: Jon Leon
Subjects:
Built Environment
Wake Forest-based architecture journalist J. Michael Welton, editor of the new book Drawing from Practice: Architects and the Meaning of Freehand, aims to restore the heritage of drawing to the authentic architectural vision it represents. Welton talked to 26 high-profile firms, several of them based in North Carolina, about the importance of drawing to their practice. The conversations prove that at its root, architecture is still an artistic discipline.
Book Review: Drawing from Practice
Published: Jun 09, 2015 by The Architect's Toy Box
Authors: Rita Catinella
Subjects:
Built Environment
Welton’s features and interviews on each practitioner are incredibly readable – and by that I mean written in clear, relaxed, flowing language that is absent of overly complex “architect speak” that would alienate those outside the profession. Overall, a nice book for those already practicing, those in school, or anyone who appreciates the power of hand drawing in the built world.
The Art of Freehand Architectural Drawing Is Alive and Well in a New Book
Published: Apr 30, 2015 by Architectural Digest
Authors: Architectural Digest Staff
Subjects:
Built Environment
As computers have increasingly eclipsed the notion of pencil-in-hand, has the art of the architectural sketch been lost to the ages? Drawing from Practice, Architects and the Meaning of Freehand(Routledge, $55), a new book out this month by author and journalist J. Michael Welton, argues that despite never-ending technological advances, freehand is still very much a part of the architectural profession today.
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