Two artists open their loft as part of South Side Home Tour

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - May 15, 2010

By Kevin Kirkland

Visitors to Louise Silk and Steve Root's loft on the South Side are always discovering something new -- even when they haven't changed anything.

"They say 'I never noticed that before,' " Ms. Silk said, laughing. "There's too much to look at."

An artist's live/work space is bound to be a little busy, but add another artist into the mix and you get a visual riot. The eye candy starts with Ms. Silk's memory quilts on walls that range in height from 71/2 to 15 feet. Her collection of nearly 60 Kilim and other handmade Oriental rugs covers much of the 2,700 square feet of concrete floors.

When she moved into the brand-new South Side Lofts in July 2001, she had all of that space to herself and one high-school-age daughter. Then she met and married Mr. Root, a clinical social worker, photographer and sculptor. With a green thumb to match his artist's eye, he added greenery to the loft.

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