Dell Hughes’ Talent Transforms Passionate Interests into Fine Art
In looking back over the list of 23 artists who’ve been featured under this byline, it is an understatement to describe the group as one of amazing diversity. When I was first asked to write this column, the name of the publication in which it appears, The Greeneville Neighbor, suggested an irresistible approach. The introduction of artists who are also among our neighbors in this community has made it possible to feature talented folks from the West Coast to upstate New York. But there is great satisfaction in turning the spotlight on the locals, those gifted individuals who are so much a part of the permanent community fabric that their talent is at risk of being taken for granted. Greeneville has benefited richly from the talent, dedication, and passionate energy of Dell Hughes. If you have attended a local theatrical production in the last twenty years, or visited local galleries and museums, or observed a Civil War reenactment, you have seen Dell’s wonderful work whether you realized it or not. So permit me to share with you some perspective that will enable you to give Dell Hughes the appreciation he has earned in Northeast Tennessee.
Most of our featured artists displayed an early talent for art, but Dell takes the cake in the “precocious” category. “I remember seeing a Mobil Oil sign with a Pegasus drawn on it,” he says. “I drew the winged horse and showed it to my mother. She didn’t believe I had drawn it so I turned the paper over and did it again. She still has that picture in a small frame. I was two and a half at the time. I’ve been drawing and painting ever since.” Even before starting school, Dell was defining his own artistic tastes. “I was reading and drawing pictures from comic books before I started the first grade,” he says. “I collected only certain types of comics with certain styles of artwork. I am a realist. The artwork had to be as detailed and as realistic as possible.” Throughout his life, Dell’s career and intense varied interests have both shaped and been expressed by his artistic efforts. Drawing and painting have broadened out into theater and film, sculpture and writing. A veteran of Vietnam, with service in both the Navy and the Army, Dell took up residence in Greeneville in the late 1980’s after a transfer from his work in Army recruiting. Born in Bradenton, Florida, of parents from South Carolina, Dell says he “never felt comfortable in the flat, hot terrain” of his native state. Early vacations in the mountains were a revelation. “I felt like I was coming home.” He met his wife Jane (who will be featured for her own artistry in this column) as his date for his high school prom. They married in 1970 and together made the move to Greene County in 1989. Dell’s affinity for the mountains proved to be no coincidence. As it happens, his family had roots in Northeast Tennessee, with branches from the Hughes family tree living in the area since before the Revolutionary War. Hughes Tavern, owned by Dell’s family, was a meeting place for John Sevier and the men planning to carve out a new state from the North Carolina territory west of the Appalachian Mountains. In Dell’s case, ancestry has taken the form of more than just a geographic attraction. “My family owned and operated a trading community near Cumberland Gap. They not only sold goods but made them, which is probably where my creativity comes from.” The variety of media in which Dell is proficient he attributes both to this genetic heritage as well as his technical work in theater, motion pictures, and reenacting. “Getting involved with theater groups and the movie industry allowed me to see that there was an outlet for my interest in creating things that did not exist and recreating things that did.” This talent was even useful in Army recruitment, for which Dell created a life-size John Wayne figure in complete battle gear, which traveled with him to schools and colleges. The result of his varied interests and love of detail has been work in an amazing array of creative forms. “I can turn my hand to metalworking, woodworking, tailoring, leathercraft, painting, and sculpting to create a piece of some historic period,” he says.
Theatergoers in this area have appreciated Dell’s talents, both as a performer and in his technical wizardry, for years. His love of history has found an outlet in reenacting drawn from several segments of America’s past, which has taken the form of both performing and craftsmanship. “For many of my interests in reenacting there is involved a duplicating of items: clothing and equipment that is no longer available.” But this affection for earlier times has also found expression for Dell in the form of fine art. In collaboration with artist/historian Dr. Robert Orr and popular local artist Joe Kilday, Dell co-created historic-themed murals for the Nathanael Greene Museum, including a panoramic image of Greeneville in the 1860’s which has appeared on a museum-fund raiser postcard and on the cover of Orr’s biography of Andrew Johnson. Sculpturally, Dell has brought forth busts of Confederate General John Hunt Morgan and of Andrew Johnson, the latter featured as part of the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial Celebration Collection at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center. It is these pieces that reflect Dell’s current emphasis and future direction. “I have really been doing more and more sculpting,” he says. “I enjoy recreating people in miniature and even life size. For the last three years I have been selling 12” articulated recreations of the characters from the old TV series Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Girl from U.N.C.L.E.. I hold the copyright on these figures and have sets of them in nine countries and more than half the states in the U.S.” This variety of expression defines Dell’s course in the future and is also something of a life plan. “I guess I’m more of a pseudo-Da Vinci in that I do art and also design gadgets and build stuff,” he says. “My art and theater keeps me young and active. I plan to retire at the age of 237.”
Such anticipated longevity gives Northeast Tennesseans a lot to look forward to from Dell Hughes. His work, featuring the Andrew Johnson bust for the Bicentennial Celebration Collection, is available with great pride at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery art Center.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Neighbor Featured Artist #23: Jane Wilson
Jane Wilson Shows Mastery in the Art of Chocolate
It occurs to me that all of the artists introduced and explored in previous columns have something in common. Their creations have longevity. Paintings, sculptures, quilts, and even songs endure long after those who have made them pass into history. So it must be observed that the definition of art cannot be based on the length of existence of its expressions. Ice sculpture is an art but it melts. Live theater is an art that exists only until the final curtain comes down. Wine-making is an art that ends when the bottle is empty. Fine food is one of the arts that is most universally appreciated but which disappears when the meal is over. Among the culinary arts, chocolate making is near the top. So Jane Wilson, proprietor and resident artist of Blue Ridge Chocolates, should attract your interest. Whether you know her already or are just meeting her in this feature, she is, by the very nature of her specialty, one of the most popular artists in Northeast Tennessee.
Jane’s chocolate has a European heritage. Her first encounter with confections was as a child and came from the impeccable hands of her German grandmother, who owned a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C. “I remember the first time I was ever in that shop,” she says. “A lady sat with her hand on a block of milk chocolate. The heat from her hand melted the chocolate and coated her palm. Then she’d coat a nut meat with the chocolate in her hand and set it on a tray with a whirling motion that made a pattern on each individual candy. I was hooked.” In practical terms, the quality that raises Jane’s own European sweets out of the ordinary comes from more than just the use of organic creams and fair trade Belgian chocolates. It comes from darker chocolate which yields a bonus in both anti-oxidants and flavor. It comes from the fact that she makes her own marzipan (starting from the whole nut), that delectable almond based paste that has the ability to take both shapes and colors. Above all, it is the fact that she brings both artistry and playfullness to her her confections that makes them irresistible.
Jane Wilson speaks with the beautiful cadence of East Tennessee and grew up near Elizabethton. The culinary arts were a family tradition; in addition to her grandmother, both her mother and aunt were caterers. Although she spent years as a resort hotel chef, her affinity with art extends into other media, particularly textile design. “My mother told me that my first creation was done when I was three and was given a needle and thread. I sewed the clothes I was wearing to the carpet.” She later studied at the Art Center Association in Louisville, and design at both ETSU and Eastern Kentucky University. Her early “attachment” to textiles led to a career in their design, with her products eventually collected in several different countries. More of her working life was spent as a chef at hotels in North Carolina. With her return to her childhood home in East Tennessee came also a return to her earliest memories of fine foods, her grandmother’s chocolate shop. “I came home both in geography and in making chocolate, which is something I really enjoy. I guess it was working my way back home.” She recalls the elegant small dinners her grandmother hosted, complete with chocolate leaves pealed from dipped rose petals, and petit fours made with candied rose petals from her tiny garden. The inventiveness of Jane’s creations; truffles, molded chocolate eggs filled with chocolate bunnies and orchids, woven birds nests with marzipan eggs, shortbreads with impressionist-style irises painted in icing, white chocolate frogs on royal-icing lily pads, chocolate bears or motorcycles on cookies, bear paws with caramel pads and almond claws; come not only from her design skills and art training but from her family role models. “My mother was a craftsperson in addition to her cooking skills. My father, who was in industrial design, taught me to think like an engineer. Making what you needed with your own hands was normal.” In her own business, Blue Ridge Chocolates, this innate inventiveness adds charm to Jane’s confections, in which marzipan carrots get their color from saffron and cranberry juice with green chlorophyll tops recreated from the memory of Jane’s grass-stained jeans.
With such artistry as part of her nature, it’s little wonder Jane Wilson found her way into James-Ben Gallery in Greeneville. “She came in, presented a tray of chocolates on the counter in front of me and said ‘this is what I do with my art school training’ ,“ recalls gallery owner James-Ben Stockton. “In her playfulness and splendid creativity, she is so much like other artists I work with except that her medium is chocolate, which has an amazing ability to bring people in the front door.” Like other affiliate artists with the gallery, she is willing to accept individual commissions. “I love to do special things for people”, she says. This proved particularly timely at a moment when Stockton was challenging his artists to create pieces to celebrate the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial. Jane responded with a gingerbread replica of the Johnson Tailor Shop, from which the dark chocolate roof can be removed to reveal Tennessee Truffles, with dark chocolate enrobing a molasses buttercream filling, a co-creation of Jane Wilson and Stockton, who conducts cooking classes himself. “Marquis Mountain South is planning a focus piece on Jane, the gingerbread Tailor Shop, and the Tennessee Truffle in their august issue,” he says.
In meeting Jane Wilson of Blue Ridge Chocolates, folks in this area have a great deal to look forward to. Even more than the availability of her confections at James-Ben Gallery, and the likelihood of more original creations in chocolate in the future, is the prospect of learning some of Jane’s secrets. “I’d enjoy teaching the craft and business of chocolate,” she says. Plans are being completed for a 3 day chocolate workshop to be offered this fall at the Gallery.
Blue Ridge Chocolates, for a discreet individual indulgence, a sampling selection, or in basic large quantity, can be found at James-Ben Gallery in downtown Greeneville.
It occurs to me that all of the artists introduced and explored in previous columns have something in common. Their creations have longevity. Paintings, sculptures, quilts, and even songs endure long after those who have made them pass into history. So it must be observed that the definition of art cannot be based on the length of existence of its expressions. Ice sculpture is an art but it melts. Live theater is an art that exists only until the final curtain comes down. Wine-making is an art that ends when the bottle is empty. Fine food is one of the arts that is most universally appreciated but which disappears when the meal is over. Among the culinary arts, chocolate making is near the top. So Jane Wilson, proprietor and resident artist of Blue Ridge Chocolates, should attract your interest. Whether you know her already or are just meeting her in this feature, she is, by the very nature of her specialty, one of the most popular artists in Northeast Tennessee.
Jane’s chocolate has a European heritage. Her first encounter with confections was as a child and came from the impeccable hands of her German grandmother, who owned a chocolate shop in Washington, D.C. “I remember the first time I was ever in that shop,” she says. “A lady sat with her hand on a block of milk chocolate. The heat from her hand melted the chocolate and coated her palm. Then she’d coat a nut meat with the chocolate in her hand and set it on a tray with a whirling motion that made a pattern on each individual candy. I was hooked.” In practical terms, the quality that raises Jane’s own European sweets out of the ordinary comes from more than just the use of organic creams and fair trade Belgian chocolates. It comes from darker chocolate which yields a bonus in both anti-oxidants and flavor. It comes from the fact that she makes her own marzipan (starting from the whole nut), that delectable almond based paste that has the ability to take both shapes and colors. Above all, it is the fact that she brings both artistry and playfullness to her her confections that makes them irresistible.
Jane Wilson speaks with the beautiful cadence of East Tennessee and grew up near Elizabethton. The culinary arts were a family tradition; in addition to her grandmother, both her mother and aunt were caterers. Although she spent years as a resort hotel chef, her affinity with art extends into other media, particularly textile design. “My mother told me that my first creation was done when I was three and was given a needle and thread. I sewed the clothes I was wearing to the carpet.” She later studied at the Art Center Association in Louisville, and design at both ETSU and Eastern Kentucky University. Her early “attachment” to textiles led to a career in their design, with her products eventually collected in several different countries. More of her working life was spent as a chef at hotels in North Carolina. With her return to her childhood home in East Tennessee came also a return to her earliest memories of fine foods, her grandmother’s chocolate shop. “I came home both in geography and in making chocolate, which is something I really enjoy. I guess it was working my way back home.” She recalls the elegant small dinners her grandmother hosted, complete with chocolate leaves pealed from dipped rose petals, and petit fours made with candied rose petals from her tiny garden. The inventiveness of Jane’s creations; truffles, molded chocolate eggs filled with chocolate bunnies and orchids, woven birds nests with marzipan eggs, shortbreads with impressionist-style irises painted in icing, white chocolate frogs on royal-icing lily pads, chocolate bears or motorcycles on cookies, bear paws with caramel pads and almond claws; come not only from her design skills and art training but from her family role models. “My mother was a craftsperson in addition to her cooking skills. My father, who was in industrial design, taught me to think like an engineer. Making what you needed with your own hands was normal.” In her own business, Blue Ridge Chocolates, this innate inventiveness adds charm to Jane’s confections, in which marzipan carrots get their color from saffron and cranberry juice with green chlorophyll tops recreated from the memory of Jane’s grass-stained jeans.
With such artistry as part of her nature, it’s little wonder Jane Wilson found her way into James-Ben Gallery in Greeneville. “She came in, presented a tray of chocolates on the counter in front of me and said ‘this is what I do with my art school training’ ,“ recalls gallery owner James-Ben Stockton. “In her playfulness and splendid creativity, she is so much like other artists I work with except that her medium is chocolate, which has an amazing ability to bring people in the front door.” Like other affiliate artists with the gallery, she is willing to accept individual commissions. “I love to do special things for people”, she says. This proved particularly timely at a moment when Stockton was challenging his artists to create pieces to celebrate the Andrew Johnson Bicentennial. Jane responded with a gingerbread replica of the Johnson Tailor Shop, from which the dark chocolate roof can be removed to reveal Tennessee Truffles, with dark chocolate enrobing a molasses buttercream filling, a co-creation of Jane Wilson and Stockton, who conducts cooking classes himself. “Marquis Mountain South is planning a focus piece on Jane, the gingerbread Tailor Shop, and the Tennessee Truffle in their august issue,” he says.
In meeting Jane Wilson of Blue Ridge Chocolates, folks in this area have a great deal to look forward to. Even more than the availability of her confections at James-Ben Gallery, and the likelihood of more original creations in chocolate in the future, is the prospect of learning some of Jane’s secrets. “I’d enjoy teaching the craft and business of chocolate,” she says. Plans are being completed for a 3 day chocolate workshop to be offered this fall at the Gallery.
Blue Ridge Chocolates, for a discreet individual indulgence, a sampling selection, or in basic large quantity, can be found at James-Ben Gallery in downtown Greeneville.
Neighbor Featured Artist #22: Dane Hinkle on CD Baby
Dane Hinkle Spreading His Wings as Independent Singer/Songwriter
Folks who read this column know who Dane Hinkle is because of his music and his previous feature as a Neighbor artist. But now, so do music lovers in Germany, England, Japan - and all over the world. When something wonderful happens to one of your neighbors, you want to know about it. Dane is a rising star among independent musicians who have discovered that the Internet has the power to reach a global audience and the flexibility to let ordinary people with extraordinary talent stay true to their roots while letting their light shine forth. His evocative blend of folk and rock with a base of soulful harmonica has caught your ear for the past several years. Now CD Baby, one of the world’s largest online CD distributors and sources for digital downloads, currently has Dane's latest CD “Me Now” premiered at #21 among its Editor’s Picks in the acid rock genre. CD Baby was founded in the late 1990’s by a full-time independent musician as a means to sell his own music online. His efforts attracted the attention of musician friends and colleagues in a similar situation and grew into a thriving business. CD Baby has been described as the “utopian” online store for independent musicians; the artists get most of the income from their sales and deal with a distributor that values the integrity of those it represents. CD Baby operates from four solid principles – its artists are paid weekly, they receive contact information about the fans who buy their products, there are no minimum sales in order to stay on the active roster, and the company accepts no advertising or paid placement of music. Every CD distributed has been “juried”; listened to and given the thumbs up or down by the CD Baby staff. Since 2004, the online company has offered the option of digital music downloads through such sources as Apple iTunes, Emusic, and Napster. Nearly a quarter of a million musicians make their work available through CD Baby, making Dane Hinkle’s current place among the editors picks especially worthy of bragging rights. Since its founding, the company has sold more than 4.5 million CD’s worldwide and paid out more than 75 million dollars to independent musicians.. For Dane Hinkle, music was the focus through which he healed the emotional wounds of years of dangerous work as a smoke jumper firefighter. For the past seven years, the writing, performing, and recording of his own music and songs has become an increasing commitment through which he’s traveled a long road in a short amount of time. “I guess I’m most comfortable with the label ‘singer/songwriter’,” he says. While speaking very little about the hazardous work that is now a part of his past, he acknowledges its worth in the music he’s now expressing. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that you can’t be afraid of what’s coming out of you. Music is about emotion and the experiences I had out in the field gave me some scary lessons in what ‘real’ feels like. Your emotions were completely uncensored.” His early efforts in song-writing came through from dreams and he still receives inspiration from this source. Much of the distinctive style that can be heard on Dane's recordings is the result of his need to manage his own spontaneity. “I bought my own recording studio because I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a song. I can stumble over and get the basics laid down and then I don’t have to try and remember it when I wake up in the morning.” He took the same care in mastering the technical aspects of recording as he has in writing and performing his music, spending about a year becoming proficient with his digital recording equipment. He plays all the instruments as well as doing all the vocals on his recordings because it gives him greater control over the final sound. “I think wanting that degree of control isn’t so much ego as it is being honest,” he says. “A painter wouldn’t be happy letting someone else put the final brush strokes on a landscape or portrait. I sit in the studio and the music is what comes out of me. Some people, even kids who aren’t old enough to remember, say my songs take them back to the ‘60’s. But I’m just letting it come out, not making a statement – if they hear politics or protest, it’s because essential, powerful, defining music was such an part of the ‘60’s." I was interested that CD Baby described the “Me Now” CD as a mix of Piedmont blues, rockabilly, and acid rock.” Because of the spontaneity of his creative style, Dane has taught himself to do all his own instrumentation as a matter of convenience. As a result, he can capably find his way around vocals and bass, lead electric, and acoustic guitars. “I really feel like I’m most proficient on the harmonica,” he says. “I also like to play with other bands and do some harmonica solos but not as the front man.” But he also feels that his one-man approach to producing his music has created some of the attraction generating its increasing popularity. “Since the harmonica is what I do best, I feel that the music is noticed and picked because it has the element of sincerity and simplicity – the sound isn’t overproduced because I’m not as proficient with the other instruments.” Even with a finished product that is notable for simplicity, Dane is aware of an increasing commitment to his music - “I put more than 2000 hours of studio time into ‘Me Now’.” – and pleased with both his own progress and the reaction he’s getting. “I like it that the kids are picking up on my songs. It’s that 1960’s connection – we’re getting back to a place where the changes around us are reflected by the music we make and listen to. I don’t know what the odds are of having gotten this degree of recognition from such self-made creativity in such a short amount of time.” Dane Hinkle can be heard in live performances here in Greeneville, including regular Thursday appearances in the Brumley at the General Morgan Inn and at Ella’s, now open on East Andrew Johnson Highway next to Popcorn Video. His CD’s are proudly available locally at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center, and online both in CD form and in digital downloads (including #21, Editor’s Pick acid rock, “Me Now”) at CD Baby.
Folks who read this column know who Dane Hinkle is because of his music and his previous feature as a Neighbor artist. But now, so do music lovers in Germany, England, Japan - and all over the world. When something wonderful happens to one of your neighbors, you want to know about it. Dane is a rising star among independent musicians who have discovered that the Internet has the power to reach a global audience and the flexibility to let ordinary people with extraordinary talent stay true to their roots while letting their light shine forth. His evocative blend of folk and rock with a base of soulful harmonica has caught your ear for the past several years. Now CD Baby, one of the world’s largest online CD distributors and sources for digital downloads, currently has Dane's latest CD “Me Now” premiered at #21 among its Editor’s Picks in the acid rock genre. CD Baby was founded in the late 1990’s by a full-time independent musician as a means to sell his own music online. His efforts attracted the attention of musician friends and colleagues in a similar situation and grew into a thriving business. CD Baby has been described as the “utopian” online store for independent musicians; the artists get most of the income from their sales and deal with a distributor that values the integrity of those it represents. CD Baby operates from four solid principles – its artists are paid weekly, they receive contact information about the fans who buy their products, there are no minimum sales in order to stay on the active roster, and the company accepts no advertising or paid placement of music. Every CD distributed has been “juried”; listened to and given the thumbs up or down by the CD Baby staff. Since 2004, the online company has offered the option of digital music downloads through such sources as Apple iTunes, Emusic, and Napster. Nearly a quarter of a million musicians make their work available through CD Baby, making Dane Hinkle’s current place among the editors picks especially worthy of bragging rights. Since its founding, the company has sold more than 4.5 million CD’s worldwide and paid out more than 75 million dollars to independent musicians.. For Dane Hinkle, music was the focus through which he healed the emotional wounds of years of dangerous work as a smoke jumper firefighter. For the past seven years, the writing, performing, and recording of his own music and songs has become an increasing commitment through which he’s traveled a long road in a short amount of time. “I guess I’m most comfortable with the label ‘singer/songwriter’,” he says. While speaking very little about the hazardous work that is now a part of his past, he acknowledges its worth in the music he’s now expressing. “The most important thing I’ve learned is that you can’t be afraid of what’s coming out of you. Music is about emotion and the experiences I had out in the field gave me some scary lessons in what ‘real’ feels like. Your emotions were completely uncensored.” His early efforts in song-writing came through from dreams and he still receives inspiration from this source. Much of the distinctive style that can be heard on Dane's recordings is the result of his need to manage his own spontaneity. “I bought my own recording studio because I’d wake up in the middle of the night with a song. I can stumble over and get the basics laid down and then I don’t have to try and remember it when I wake up in the morning.” He took the same care in mastering the technical aspects of recording as he has in writing and performing his music, spending about a year becoming proficient with his digital recording equipment. He plays all the instruments as well as doing all the vocals on his recordings because it gives him greater control over the final sound. “I think wanting that degree of control isn’t so much ego as it is being honest,” he says. “A painter wouldn’t be happy letting someone else put the final brush strokes on a landscape or portrait. I sit in the studio and the music is what comes out of me. Some people, even kids who aren’t old enough to remember, say my songs take them back to the ‘60’s. But I’m just letting it come out, not making a statement – if they hear politics or protest, it’s because essential, powerful, defining music was such an part of the ‘60’s." I was interested that CD Baby described the “Me Now” CD as a mix of Piedmont blues, rockabilly, and acid rock.” Because of the spontaneity of his creative style, Dane has taught himself to do all his own instrumentation as a matter of convenience. As a result, he can capably find his way around vocals and bass, lead electric, and acoustic guitars. “I really feel like I’m most proficient on the harmonica,” he says. “I also like to play with other bands and do some harmonica solos but not as the front man.” But he also feels that his one-man approach to producing his music has created some of the attraction generating its increasing popularity. “Since the harmonica is what I do best, I feel that the music is noticed and picked because it has the element of sincerity and simplicity – the sound isn’t overproduced because I’m not as proficient with the other instruments.” Even with a finished product that is notable for simplicity, Dane is aware of an increasing commitment to his music - “I put more than 2000 hours of studio time into ‘Me Now’.” – and pleased with both his own progress and the reaction he’s getting. “I like it that the kids are picking up on my songs. It’s that 1960’s connection – we’re getting back to a place where the changes around us are reflected by the music we make and listen to. I don’t know what the odds are of having gotten this degree of recognition from such self-made creativity in such a short amount of time.” Dane Hinkle can be heard in live performances here in Greeneville, including regular Thursday appearances in the Brumley at the General Morgan Inn and at Ella’s, now open on East Andrew Johnson Highway next to Popcorn Video. His CD’s are proudly available locally at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center, and online both in CD form and in digital downloads (including #21, Editor’s Pick acid rock, “Me Now”) at CD Baby.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Neighbor Featured Artist #21: "Dusty" Anderson
Artist Dusty Anderson An Innovator in Glass Imagery
I have a confession to make. Even though I consider myself an artist, I can’t draw worth a flip. In previous columns you’ve heard me go on about how broadly I define art, how many different expressions it can take, and all that is absolutely true. That being said, maybe it’s fair to say that we really admire the things we can’t do ourselves. So in my heart of hearts, my greatest admiration in art is reserved for the artists I designate with a capital A, - those who who can draw. Something about the ability to create in lifelike two dimensions that which actually exists in three seems miraculous to me. Many years spent in association with the arts has not lessened this feeling for me. If anything, becoming informed about the many different ways images can be created has widened my appreciation for them all. When I find a new technique that I haven’t seen before, it’s like discovering art all over again. This was my reaction on first seeing the work of Dusty Anderson, whose creations in glass bridge the gap between drawing and carving. It is for situations like this that I’m glad that this column includes visual images so you don’t have to rely on my descriptions to appreciate Dusty’s pieces. I’ll be very much surprised if you don’t find them as amazing as I did.
Dusty Anderson is from Michigan by birth, from the South by upbringing, and a free spirit by inclination. “My Father’s job moved us to Alabama when I was young,” she says. “Growing up on the Chattahoochee River had to have helped shape my love for wildlife art.” She displayed a talent for drawing and illustration while in high school, and did “silly cartoon t-shirts for classmates”, even realizing that she could earn some money along the way. But this creativity was self-guided. “Growing up and going to small schools meant that I never had any art classes until I attended college.” Encouragement for Dusty, not only to draw but to think creatively and originally, came from her mother. “She provided blank paper and colors instead of coloring books,” she says. In her late teens, she went out on her own to, as she says to “find myself”. She supported herself with her art work and by her sign painting skills. In the 1980’s, Dusty’s mother encouraged her to go back to school to see if she could channel her talent into a career in advertising design. “I enjoyed the life drawing class,” she says, “but I found I was a ‘mood-drawer’ . I could meet the assignment deadlines but found that I didn’t do my best work under those restrictions.” She also encountered an experience common to many good artists, including several featured in this column. “I was told by a teacher that everything I knew about drawing and art was wrong - that I had to forget it and learn how to do it their way. That irked me, since I had been selling my art since I was fifteen and figured my way couldn’t be all wrong.” James-Ben Stockton, local director of Greeneville’s regional gallery,who appreciated Dusty’s work from the moment she walked through his front door, wasn’t surprised to hear this story. “I have had so many good artists tell of being victimized by bad art teachers that it seems like a sort of rite of passage for them. The only positive thing I can say about such experiences is that, for the artists who persevere inspite of such treatment, these experiences seem to motivate them to be true to their own originality.” Toward the end of her college soujourn, Dusty got the chance to paint the lettering on the town’s water tower. “I knew then that a degree in advertising design wasn’t going to be for me.”
The pathway into her current art form, which is engraving/carving on glass, came from a personal motivation. “I had an old van that I’d painted a dusty rose,” she says. “I wanted roses carved into the windows and found someone who could do the work but who quoted me more than I could afford. Being an artist myself, I decided to try my hand at it and have really enjoyed developing my technique into the fine lines and details that I’m able to achieve now.” The subject matter for Dusty’s pieces was influenced by those childhood memories of growing up on Alabama’s Chattahoochee River. Wolves, deer, turkeys, owls, bears, and racoons have come to life through her artistry. (As a heads-up to the families of outdoorsmen in the area, these pieces would make wonderful Father’s Day gifts!) Dusty’s skill has recently led her to branch out into portraiture in glass. A fine example is a marvelous image of Andrew Johnson, done in honor of the 17th president’s 200th birthday (http://www.james-ben.com/johnson_collection.htm). Dusty can work from photographs and notes that portraits are not necessarily limited to people. “Her motorcycle portraits are dynamite,” says gallery director Stockton. Dusty’s work is available by individual commission.
Like many others, Dusty Anderson has found this region to be a wonderful haven for a restless soul. “Over the years, I’ve moved around this fantastic country quite a bit, but when I found East Tennessee, I feel I’ve finally come home.” As with other creative transplants to the area, the move has been both satisfying and stimulating. “By meeting other artists and going to art shows, I’m constantly finding new forms of art I’d like to try,” she says. Considering the success of her current creativity, the possibilities for Dusty are worthy of eager anticipation. Her work is locally available and original commissions can be arranged through James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
I have a confession to make. Even though I consider myself an artist, I can’t draw worth a flip. In previous columns you’ve heard me go on about how broadly I define art, how many different expressions it can take, and all that is absolutely true. That being said, maybe it’s fair to say that we really admire the things we can’t do ourselves. So in my heart of hearts, my greatest admiration in art is reserved for the artists I designate with a capital A, - those who who can draw. Something about the ability to create in lifelike two dimensions that which actually exists in three seems miraculous to me. Many years spent in association with the arts has not lessened this feeling for me. If anything, becoming informed about the many different ways images can be created has widened my appreciation for them all. When I find a new technique that I haven’t seen before, it’s like discovering art all over again. This was my reaction on first seeing the work of Dusty Anderson, whose creations in glass bridge the gap between drawing and carving. It is for situations like this that I’m glad that this column includes visual images so you don’t have to rely on my descriptions to appreciate Dusty’s pieces. I’ll be very much surprised if you don’t find them as amazing as I did.
Dusty Anderson is from Michigan by birth, from the South by upbringing, and a free spirit by inclination. “My Father’s job moved us to Alabama when I was young,” she says. “Growing up on the Chattahoochee River had to have helped shape my love for wildlife art.” She displayed a talent for drawing and illustration while in high school, and did “silly cartoon t-shirts for classmates”, even realizing that she could earn some money along the way. But this creativity was self-guided. “Growing up and going to small schools meant that I never had any art classes until I attended college.” Encouragement for Dusty, not only to draw but to think creatively and originally, came from her mother. “She provided blank paper and colors instead of coloring books,” she says. In her late teens, she went out on her own to, as she says to “find myself”. She supported herself with her art work and by her sign painting skills. In the 1980’s, Dusty’s mother encouraged her to go back to school to see if she could channel her talent into a career in advertising design. “I enjoyed the life drawing class,” she says, “but I found I was a ‘mood-drawer’ . I could meet the assignment deadlines but found that I didn’t do my best work under those restrictions.” She also encountered an experience common to many good artists, including several featured in this column. “I was told by a teacher that everything I knew about drawing and art was wrong - that I had to forget it and learn how to do it their way. That irked me, since I had been selling my art since I was fifteen and figured my way couldn’t be all wrong.” James-Ben Stockton, local director of Greeneville’s regional gallery,who appreciated Dusty’s work from the moment she walked through his front door, wasn’t surprised to hear this story. “I have had so many good artists tell of being victimized by bad art teachers that it seems like a sort of rite of passage for them. The only positive thing I can say about such experiences is that, for the artists who persevere inspite of such treatment, these experiences seem to motivate them to be true to their own originality.” Toward the end of her college soujourn, Dusty got the chance to paint the lettering on the town’s water tower. “I knew then that a degree in advertising design wasn’t going to be for me.”
The pathway into her current art form, which is engraving/carving on glass, came from a personal motivation. “I had an old van that I’d painted a dusty rose,” she says. “I wanted roses carved into the windows and found someone who could do the work but who quoted me more than I could afford. Being an artist myself, I decided to try my hand at it and have really enjoyed developing my technique into the fine lines and details that I’m able to achieve now.” The subject matter for Dusty’s pieces was influenced by those childhood memories of growing up on Alabama’s Chattahoochee River. Wolves, deer, turkeys, owls, bears, and racoons have come to life through her artistry. (As a heads-up to the families of outdoorsmen in the area, these pieces would make wonderful Father’s Day gifts!) Dusty’s skill has recently led her to branch out into portraiture in glass. A fine example is a marvelous image of Andrew Johnson, done in honor of the 17th president’s 200th birthday (http://www.james-ben.com/johnson_collection.htm). Dusty can work from photographs and notes that portraits are not necessarily limited to people. “Her motorcycle portraits are dynamite,” says gallery director Stockton. Dusty’s work is available by individual commission.
Like many others, Dusty Anderson has found this region to be a wonderful haven for a restless soul. “Over the years, I’ve moved around this fantastic country quite a bit, but when I found East Tennessee, I feel I’ve finally come home.” As with other creative transplants to the area, the move has been both satisfying and stimulating. “By meeting other artists and going to art shows, I’m constantly finding new forms of art I’d like to try,” she says. Considering the success of her current creativity, the possibilities for Dusty are worthy of eager anticipation. Her work is locally available and original commissions can be arranged through James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
Neighbor Featured Artist #20: H.R. Lovell
Tennessee’s Artist-in-Residence Maintains a Presence in Greeneville
Isn’t it interesting how often treasures are found in unexpected places? Although great cities like Paris, New York, and Chicago are celebrated as the centers of fine art, with many opportunities for students seeking to launch their careers, quite often it is the countryside that produces artists of true genius. In such cases, it can seem that providence places creative doorways in the paths of folks unaware of their own potential. Once through the doorway, they seem to enter a place where serendipity rules, so that one connection leads to another, and creative advancement accelerates. A good example of this happenstance is found in the story of H.R. Lovell, Tennessee’s Artist-in-Residence, and a self-described “farmer who paints.” Twice now in the last ten years, the General Assembly has selected him to represent and exemplify our state at its best. With roots deep in agriculture, and from a farm that might be found in any one of Tennessee’s three regions, Lovell truly does embody the state in which he was born. As someone whose paintings were first shown in Greeneville more than five years ago, he is an artist/neighbor worth spending some quality time with.
H.R. Lovell was born and raised in Cheatham County, Tennessee, and still operates his family’s farm there near Ashland City. Although he considers his art career to have started when he was nearly thirty, the talent he has cultivated was there all along. “I could always draw,” he says. “I was drawing before I even started school but it was always in black and white.” Self-taught, Lovell got his first chance to experiment with color when asked to do a drawing of a friend’s childhood home. Not satisfied with the result in colored pencil, he re-did the piece using a set of dime store watercolors. “To be honest, I thought it looked pretty loud,” he says. But the friend was pleased and paid ten dollars for the work. “I was thinking all the time that I might have overcharged her,” Lovell recalls. He continued to experiment and seek advice about better materials. When he had several paintings done another friend noticed that one was of her grandfather’s homeplace. After purchasing it, the painting traveled with her to her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a real estate agent, one of her clients was legendary Navajo artist R.C. Gorman, to whom she showed Lovell’s painting. The result was an invitation to exhibit at Gorman’s Navajo Gallery. Having no familiarity with the art world, Lovell at first declined. “I had to confess that I’d never heard of R.C. Gorman, much less having any idea who he was,” says Lovell. “Then he called me and told me to watch the Today Show the next morning. Sure enough, he was featured and interviewed. I did some rethinking and told R.C. I’d come out to New Mexico, even though I only had six paintings.” After the show at the Navajo Gallery, Lovell’s production was back to square one, since all six paintings sold, even after Gorman tripled the prices. This would prove to be a recurring pattern in Lovell’s career. “I was getting ready to do a show in Nashville a few years later but before it opened, Mel Tillis asked to see my paintings and ended up buying all of them. We had to cancel the show.” His wide base of collectors makes Lovell’s originals a scarce commodity and has led to his production of high-quality giclees of most of his paintings.
One Saturday afternoon in the 1990’s, H.R. Lovell discovered James-Ben Gallery in Franklin, TN. “He was out for a drive and wandered up the stairs,” recalls James-Ben Stockton. “We’ve always focused on creating a relaxed, low-key experience for visitors and H.R. really connected to that. I found his paintings to be both superb and unassuming, reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth. And his personal story was a great example of how art can open doors into a new experience.” Stockton found out that Gorman had, in fact, nicknamed Lovell the “Andrew Wyeth of the South”. James-Ben Gallery offered Lovell his first one-man show. “While we were in process of putting it together, H.R. was first designated Tennessee Artist-in-Residence by the General Assembly,” says Stockton. “The opening reception became an occasion which our state legislators attended and where H.R. was presented with the official proclamation.”
Lovell works in both watercolor and egg tempera, a technique employed by the Renaissance masters from the days before oil paint came into common use. “He tends to choose subjects that evoke memories in the minds of viewers,” says Stockton. “Old homes, abandoned farm wagons, quilts – and remarkable portraits ranging from the marvelous faces of World War I veterans to young Mennonite girls – H.R. has a wonderful gift for touching hearts.” Most paintings begin with pencil sketches, connecting them with Lovell’s earliest efforts in drawing. A segment on PBS’s Tennessee Crossroads brought Lovell to the attention of a wide variety of art enthusiasts. With every passing year, that particular show is rated among the top five requested for repeat airings by viewers. Lovell’s work has been discovered and collected by such notables as Randy Travis, Burl Ives, Tanya Tucker, Pat Head-Summit, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, and Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Bush administration. All are drawn to the work of a man who combines a good heart with astonishing talent. “One of his more recent paintings contains a wonderful personal story,” says Stockton. “H.R. was doing an iris painting as a tribute to the state flower. One of his biggest fans and collectors was terminally ill and kept asking to see it even if it wasn’t finished. H.R. took it to his hospital room one Tuesday and they spent the afternoon talking about it and reminiscing. It was their last visit.” “I was so glad that I was able to give him such enjoyment that day,” recalls Lovell. “In his honor, I renamed the piece ‘Tuesday’s Gift’.”
Since moving to Greeneville, James-Ben: Studio and Gallery has introduced H.R. Lovell’s work to a Northeast Tennessee audience. A one-man show and reception featuring Lovell originals was mounted in the gallery, in part through the generosity of the son whose late father inspired “Tuesday’s Gift.” Lovell’s paintings are a tribute to Tennessee, and a wonderful thread connecting the different regions of the state. His work is always available through James-Ben at Greeneville’s regional gallery. Meet H.R. Lovell through the gift of his artistry. He is truly a distinguished artist/neighbor.
Isn’t it interesting how often treasures are found in unexpected places? Although great cities like Paris, New York, and Chicago are celebrated as the centers of fine art, with many opportunities for students seeking to launch their careers, quite often it is the countryside that produces artists of true genius. In such cases, it can seem that providence places creative doorways in the paths of folks unaware of their own potential. Once through the doorway, they seem to enter a place where serendipity rules, so that one connection leads to another, and creative advancement accelerates. A good example of this happenstance is found in the story of H.R. Lovell, Tennessee’s Artist-in-Residence, and a self-described “farmer who paints.” Twice now in the last ten years, the General Assembly has selected him to represent and exemplify our state at its best. With roots deep in agriculture, and from a farm that might be found in any one of Tennessee’s three regions, Lovell truly does embody the state in which he was born. As someone whose paintings were first shown in Greeneville more than five years ago, he is an artist/neighbor worth spending some quality time with.
H.R. Lovell was born and raised in Cheatham County, Tennessee, and still operates his family’s farm there near Ashland City. Although he considers his art career to have started when he was nearly thirty, the talent he has cultivated was there all along. “I could always draw,” he says. “I was drawing before I even started school but it was always in black and white.” Self-taught, Lovell got his first chance to experiment with color when asked to do a drawing of a friend’s childhood home. Not satisfied with the result in colored pencil, he re-did the piece using a set of dime store watercolors. “To be honest, I thought it looked pretty loud,” he says. But the friend was pleased and paid ten dollars for the work. “I was thinking all the time that I might have overcharged her,” Lovell recalls. He continued to experiment and seek advice about better materials. When he had several paintings done another friend noticed that one was of her grandfather’s homeplace. After purchasing it, the painting traveled with her to her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. As a real estate agent, one of her clients was legendary Navajo artist R.C. Gorman, to whom she showed Lovell’s painting. The result was an invitation to exhibit at Gorman’s Navajo Gallery. Having no familiarity with the art world, Lovell at first declined. “I had to confess that I’d never heard of R.C. Gorman, much less having any idea who he was,” says Lovell. “Then he called me and told me to watch the Today Show the next morning. Sure enough, he was featured and interviewed. I did some rethinking and told R.C. I’d come out to New Mexico, even though I only had six paintings.” After the show at the Navajo Gallery, Lovell’s production was back to square one, since all six paintings sold, even after Gorman tripled the prices. This would prove to be a recurring pattern in Lovell’s career. “I was getting ready to do a show in Nashville a few years later but before it opened, Mel Tillis asked to see my paintings and ended up buying all of them. We had to cancel the show.” His wide base of collectors makes Lovell’s originals a scarce commodity and has led to his production of high-quality giclees of most of his paintings.
One Saturday afternoon in the 1990’s, H.R. Lovell discovered James-Ben Gallery in Franklin, TN. “He was out for a drive and wandered up the stairs,” recalls James-Ben Stockton. “We’ve always focused on creating a relaxed, low-key experience for visitors and H.R. really connected to that. I found his paintings to be both superb and unassuming, reminiscent of Andrew Wyeth. And his personal story was a great example of how art can open doors into a new experience.” Stockton found out that Gorman had, in fact, nicknamed Lovell the “Andrew Wyeth of the South”. James-Ben Gallery offered Lovell his first one-man show. “While we were in process of putting it together, H.R. was first designated Tennessee Artist-in-Residence by the General Assembly,” says Stockton. “The opening reception became an occasion which our state legislators attended and where H.R. was presented with the official proclamation.”
Lovell works in both watercolor and egg tempera, a technique employed by the Renaissance masters from the days before oil paint came into common use. “He tends to choose subjects that evoke memories in the minds of viewers,” says Stockton. “Old homes, abandoned farm wagons, quilts – and remarkable portraits ranging from the marvelous faces of World War I veterans to young Mennonite girls – H.R. has a wonderful gift for touching hearts.” Most paintings begin with pencil sketches, connecting them with Lovell’s earliest efforts in drawing. A segment on PBS’s Tennessee Crossroads brought Lovell to the attention of a wide variety of art enthusiasts. With every passing year, that particular show is rated among the top five requested for repeat airings by viewers. Lovell’s work has been discovered and collected by such notables as Randy Travis, Burl Ives, Tanya Tucker, Pat Head-Summit, Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen, and Norman Mineta, U.S. Secretary of Transportation in the Bush administration. All are drawn to the work of a man who combines a good heart with astonishing talent. “One of his more recent paintings contains a wonderful personal story,” says Stockton. “H.R. was doing an iris painting as a tribute to the state flower. One of his biggest fans and collectors was terminally ill and kept asking to see it even if it wasn’t finished. H.R. took it to his hospital room one Tuesday and they spent the afternoon talking about it and reminiscing. It was their last visit.” “I was so glad that I was able to give him such enjoyment that day,” recalls Lovell. “In his honor, I renamed the piece ‘Tuesday’s Gift’.”
Since moving to Greeneville, James-Ben: Studio and Gallery has introduced H.R. Lovell’s work to a Northeast Tennessee audience. A one-man show and reception featuring Lovell originals was mounted in the gallery, in part through the generosity of the son whose late father inspired “Tuesday’s Gift.” Lovell’s paintings are a tribute to Tennessee, and a wonderful thread connecting the different regions of the state. His work is always available through James-Ben at Greeneville’s regional gallery. Meet H.R. Lovell through the gift of his artistry. He is truly a distinguished artist/neighbor.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Neighbor Artist #19: Ellen McGowan
Great-Grandmother Sculptor Brings One-Person Show to Greeneville
Currently, Greeneville has the privilege of experiencing first hand the sculptural works of one of Tennessee’s best known artists. Because sculpture is grouped among the “fine arts” , and has been linked over the centuries to such legendary figures as Phidias in classical Greece, Michelangelo in the Renaissance, and Rodin in more recent times, the medium can seem too lofty for the average person. But sculpture is brought down to earth and in touch with ordinary folks through the hands of Ellen McGowan. This talented and feisty West Tennessean has for years been a favorite of visitors to James-Ben: Art Center, both in Franklin and Greeneville. The gallery has now realized a goal that has been many months in planning, the mounting of a one-person show featuring the sculpture of Ellen McGowan, which will continue through the month of May. Since Greeneville has been introduced to a wider variety of her work, it seemed good to devote this column to introducing her as an artist/neighbor.
A native of Memphis, Ellen McGowan recently returned to her home county after years of living in Middle Tennessee. The daughter of an Englishman who came to this country to study medicine and a mother who was a musician, Ellen had focused on art before even starting school. “My mother had an artist friend, and one day she was painting a picture for me,” she remembers. “I tried to draw a tricycle in the picture. I couldn’t do it, so I kept practicing and was determined to get it right. I was probably 5 years old, but I knew then that I wanted to be an artist.” Growing up in Chicago after her family relocated gave Ellen the chance as a child to study at one of America’s great art centers, the Art Institute. College brought her back to Tennessee, where she would receive both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Fine Art. She married her husband Robert, a botanist, just before his departure for service in World War II. Upon his return, they turned their attention to family and careers. Ellen completed her college work after her children were born. Her studies included the Memphis College of Art. “I taught art and music while my husband taught botany. I thought to myself, I am not going to teach the rest of my life,” she recalls. “I bought a potters wheel and a kiln. I made pots, and I found I liked putting faces and different things on them.” From these elements, a turn in the direction of sculpture seemed natural for Ellen. “I began working sculpturally in the late 1960’s, creating small figures in clay that I dug locally and fired in a salt kiln I built myself.” Further studies included valuable time spent with master sculptor Bruno Lucchesi. Because she was more interested in creating figures of “everyday people doing everyday things”, the pieces created at the beginning of her career in sculpture were what she calls “genre pieces”. Exhibited singly or in groupings, her works won numerous awards and led to commissions from patrons including some prominent names. She created all of the original pieces of the Alex Haley collection, depicting the Pulitzer prize-winning author’s childhood. “He was an extraordinary man,” she says. “He would tell stories of his childhood and I would sculpt the stories into the originals for the collectibles to be cast from.” Lee Trevino and Bette Midler would also commission the creation of sculpture to capture memories. Both former governor Ned Ray McWherter and long-time lieutenant-governor John Wilder have entrusted treasured moments to Ellen’s skillful hands, as has entertainer Tom T. Hall.
In the 1990’s Ellen enlarged her efforts to create larger works in concrete and bronze as public display pieces and for commercial production of garden sculptures. She is still the primary designer for Mid-South Ornamental Concrete Company. Her larger works now grace the facilities of such museums as those of Christian Brothers University in Memphis, the West Tennessee Regional Art Center, and the Alex Haley Museum in Henning, as well as more emotional sites such as the Memorial Garden at the Lewis County Hospital in Hohenwald, Agape Family Services in Memphis, and the Perry County Time Capsule at the Bicentennial Capital Mall in Nashville. Corporate commissions for Ellen have come from such entities as BellSouth, Nashville Metropolitan Airport, and First American Bank. Among the celebrity patrons mentioned earlier, she has not limited herself to her smaller scale works but has also brought forth life-size portrait bronzes, such as that of Lee Trevino’s daughter, Olivia. There is a continuing source of satisfaction for Ellen from her concrete garden sculptures, which reside in locations all over the country. “My great-granddaughter told me the other day she saw one of my ‘little girls’ in a yard on her way to school,” she says. But the smaller, personality-rich clay figures which she started making back in the 1960’s still are highest in her affection. “As I now enter my eighties, I have recently resumed concentration on my more personal work. I am treating myself to all ‘genre pieces’ in my old age since that’s what I love to do.” Unable to resist the charms and foibles of her fellow humans, she carries a sketch pad with her and quite often captures delightful moments of spontaneity. One piece catches an affectionate interlude between an elderly couple and is titled “Never Too Old to Flirt”. “My work is personal,” Ellen says. “All my work has to be personal. I don’t want a piece to look like a computerized image.”
It is Ellen McGowan’s ‘genre pieces’ which Greene Countians can enjoy at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center. “I’ve known Ellen since I first moved my jewelry studio to Franklin, more than twenty-five years ago,” says James-Ben Stockton. “She and I have both been fortunate enough to have careers in art and have shared quite a few laughs about the twists and turns along the way.” It is the family focus of Ellen McGowan’s work that will appeal to Northeast Tennesseans. Her return to the style of sculpture that began her career is mirrored by her return to her native Shelby County and her family, which now consists of four generations. “My great-granddaughter, Jordan, wants to save the earth,” she says. “She is taking after my husband.” Through the month of May, and throughout the year, the work of Ellen McGowan is available at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
Currently, Greeneville has the privilege of experiencing first hand the sculptural works of one of Tennessee’s best known artists. Because sculpture is grouped among the “fine arts” , and has been linked over the centuries to such legendary figures as Phidias in classical Greece, Michelangelo in the Renaissance, and Rodin in more recent times, the medium can seem too lofty for the average person. But sculpture is brought down to earth and in touch with ordinary folks through the hands of Ellen McGowan. This talented and feisty West Tennessean has for years been a favorite of visitors to James-Ben: Art Center, both in Franklin and Greeneville. The gallery has now realized a goal that has been many months in planning, the mounting of a one-person show featuring the sculpture of Ellen McGowan, which will continue through the month of May. Since Greeneville has been introduced to a wider variety of her work, it seemed good to devote this column to introducing her as an artist/neighbor.
A native of Memphis, Ellen McGowan recently returned to her home county after years of living in Middle Tennessee. The daughter of an Englishman who came to this country to study medicine and a mother who was a musician, Ellen had focused on art before even starting school. “My mother had an artist friend, and one day she was painting a picture for me,” she remembers. “I tried to draw a tricycle in the picture. I couldn’t do it, so I kept practicing and was determined to get it right. I was probably 5 years old, but I knew then that I wanted to be an artist.” Growing up in Chicago after her family relocated gave Ellen the chance as a child to study at one of America’s great art centers, the Art Institute. College brought her back to Tennessee, where she would receive both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Fine Art. She married her husband Robert, a botanist, just before his departure for service in World War II. Upon his return, they turned their attention to family and careers. Ellen completed her college work after her children were born. Her studies included the Memphis College of Art. “I taught art and music while my husband taught botany. I thought to myself, I am not going to teach the rest of my life,” she recalls. “I bought a potters wheel and a kiln. I made pots, and I found I liked putting faces and different things on them.” From these elements, a turn in the direction of sculpture seemed natural for Ellen. “I began working sculpturally in the late 1960’s, creating small figures in clay that I dug locally and fired in a salt kiln I built myself.” Further studies included valuable time spent with master sculptor Bruno Lucchesi. Because she was more interested in creating figures of “everyday people doing everyday things”, the pieces created at the beginning of her career in sculpture were what she calls “genre pieces”. Exhibited singly or in groupings, her works won numerous awards and led to commissions from patrons including some prominent names. She created all of the original pieces of the Alex Haley collection, depicting the Pulitzer prize-winning author’s childhood. “He was an extraordinary man,” she says. “He would tell stories of his childhood and I would sculpt the stories into the originals for the collectibles to be cast from.” Lee Trevino and Bette Midler would also commission the creation of sculpture to capture memories. Both former governor Ned Ray McWherter and long-time lieutenant-governor John Wilder have entrusted treasured moments to Ellen’s skillful hands, as has entertainer Tom T. Hall.
In the 1990’s Ellen enlarged her efforts to create larger works in concrete and bronze as public display pieces and for commercial production of garden sculptures. She is still the primary designer for Mid-South Ornamental Concrete Company. Her larger works now grace the facilities of such museums as those of Christian Brothers University in Memphis, the West Tennessee Regional Art Center, and the Alex Haley Museum in Henning, as well as more emotional sites such as the Memorial Garden at the Lewis County Hospital in Hohenwald, Agape Family Services in Memphis, and the Perry County Time Capsule at the Bicentennial Capital Mall in Nashville. Corporate commissions for Ellen have come from such entities as BellSouth, Nashville Metropolitan Airport, and First American Bank. Among the celebrity patrons mentioned earlier, she has not limited herself to her smaller scale works but has also brought forth life-size portrait bronzes, such as that of Lee Trevino’s daughter, Olivia. There is a continuing source of satisfaction for Ellen from her concrete garden sculptures, which reside in locations all over the country. “My great-granddaughter told me the other day she saw one of my ‘little girls’ in a yard on her way to school,” she says. But the smaller, personality-rich clay figures which she started making back in the 1960’s still are highest in her affection. “As I now enter my eighties, I have recently resumed concentration on my more personal work. I am treating myself to all ‘genre pieces’ in my old age since that’s what I love to do.” Unable to resist the charms and foibles of her fellow humans, she carries a sketch pad with her and quite often captures delightful moments of spontaneity. One piece catches an affectionate interlude between an elderly couple and is titled “Never Too Old to Flirt”. “My work is personal,” Ellen says. “All my work has to be personal. I don’t want a piece to look like a computerized image.”
It is Ellen McGowan’s ‘genre pieces’ which Greene Countians can enjoy at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center. “I’ve known Ellen since I first moved my jewelry studio to Franklin, more than twenty-five years ago,” says James-Ben Stockton. “She and I have both been fortunate enough to have careers in art and have shared quite a few laughs about the twists and turns along the way.” It is the family focus of Ellen McGowan’s work that will appeal to Northeast Tennesseans. Her return to the style of sculpture that began her career is mirrored by her return to her native Shelby County and her family, which now consists of four generations. “My great-granddaughter, Jordan, wants to save the earth,” she says. “She is taking after my husband.” Through the month of May, and throughout the year, the work of Ellen McGowan is available at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Neighbor Featured Artist #18: Medha Karandikar
Artist Neighbor Bridges India and Appalachia
Every year, the coming of spring brings with it a new set of clothes for the mountains to wear. Because the Appalachians are part of one of the oldest mountain chains on earth, this process of beautiful renewal has been going on for millions of years. It is only in recent time that human beings have added their part to this cycle. The original inhabitants of Northeast Tennessee, who gave the Great Smokeys their name, left a fairly light footprint on the land. Since their time, all successive generations adding their unique mark to the cycle of beauty have been immigrants. The Scots-Irish and Germans play a large role in the culture of Appalachia. But the future will be shaped in part by those coming to America in the 20th and 21st centuries. Artist Medha Karandikar is a wonderful example of this. A resident of Morristown, she has brought the influences of India into the artistic life of Northeast Tennessee, adding a distinctive spice to the culture of Appalachia.
Medha Karandikar was born in India. “I lived there for a good part of my life and later moved to the U.S. eleven years ago with my husband and two children,” she says. Entirely self-taught, she was attracted to art from her childhood in Mumbai. “It all started when I was given a couple of used canvases to try my hand at,” she recalls. “I had to cover them up with house paint to get a clean surface to paint on. Later I would accompany an artist cousin on sketching trips around Mumbai, which gave me the chance to use her art supplies. Helping her with exhibits and shows gave me inspiration.” While her personal artistic journey took shape during her childhood and early adult life in India, Medha feels strongly that a major aspect of her creativity is American. The more open culture of the United States, she believes, lent energy to her creative drive. “Although I have drawn and painted all the time, this country has given me the most encouragement, opportunity, and inspiration,” she notes. Medha works in a variety of media, harmonizing colored graphite, pen-and-ink, watercolor, paper collage, and acrylics into designs which also include her own style of calligraphy. While art for display is the most visible form of her creativity, it is not the most basic element of Medha’s self image. “Writing, drawing and painting have been my passion, in that order,” she says. “Painting is just an embellishment to what I write and draw. Happenings around me affect my psyche tremendously, and come out in the form of writing. Doodling while talking on the phone often gives me good ideas to work on larger pieces.”
It was Medha’s work in collage that particularly caught the attention of gallery director James-Ben Stockton. “I’ve always adored collage,” he says. “It’s an art form that is open to anyone, regardless of skill level or previous experience.” Since becoming affiliated with James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center, Medha has had the chance to teach collage in a workshop format through the gallery and shares Stockton’s enthusiasm. “Paper collage can be thought of as a basic building block of artistic expression,” she says. “It helps free the mind to view existing colors and forms as raw material from which other images can be assembled.” In the past few years, Medha’s art has gained increasing attention in East Tennessee, in no small part due to her involvement in her adopted community. Stockton credits her with a knack for retaining her style while gaining acceptance in the region. “A few years ago, I challenged my artists with a request for pieces with historic themes and childhood memories,” he recalls. “Medha produced art from her memories of India, including folk dances and visits to the railway station. They made for a delightful connection between Greene County and Bombay.” Recently, Medha’s work was selected for inclusion in Artstravaganza!, Knoxville’s yearly fine arts show. Further recognition came when her “Dragonflies” painting-collage was chosen as the March image for the event’s inaugural “Art of Healing” calendar. Even more recently, Medha was invited to be in residence and teach classes at Tennessee River Arts Village in Perryville. “In addition to being talented as an the artist,” says Stockton, Medha is warm, engaging, and articulate. Students will not only learn from studying with her but can expect to have a wonderful time in the bargain.”
In the future, Medha would like to continue her exploration of collage using printed paper as though it were paint. She continues to work as a writer, allowing her emotional expressions to give rise to symbolic sketches, which later can evolve into detailed drawings of paintings. At the same time, she is continually nurtured by her family and home. “My husband and children are my biggest support system,” she says. “My mother inspires me by her gentle questions about what I’ve been doing - it prompts me to to something creative.” A recent visit to Medha’s home exposed Stockton to another art form, cooking. “The food she prepared for us was so wonderful I’ve asked her to teach the July 19th “Fresh from the Garden” Artisan Cooking School class: an Indian Inspired Vegetarian Meal.”
So take the opportunity to meet your artist/neighbor from Morristown, Medha Karandikar. Her work is available locally and displayed with great delight at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
Every year, the coming of spring brings with it a new set of clothes for the mountains to wear. Because the Appalachians are part of one of the oldest mountain chains on earth, this process of beautiful renewal has been going on for millions of years. It is only in recent time that human beings have added their part to this cycle. The original inhabitants of Northeast Tennessee, who gave the Great Smokeys their name, left a fairly light footprint on the land. Since their time, all successive generations adding their unique mark to the cycle of beauty have been immigrants. The Scots-Irish and Germans play a large role in the culture of Appalachia. But the future will be shaped in part by those coming to America in the 20th and 21st centuries. Artist Medha Karandikar is a wonderful example of this. A resident of Morristown, she has brought the influences of India into the artistic life of Northeast Tennessee, adding a distinctive spice to the culture of Appalachia.
Medha Karandikar was born in India. “I lived there for a good part of my life and later moved to the U.S. eleven years ago with my husband and two children,” she says. Entirely self-taught, she was attracted to art from her childhood in Mumbai. “It all started when I was given a couple of used canvases to try my hand at,” she recalls. “I had to cover them up with house paint to get a clean surface to paint on. Later I would accompany an artist cousin on sketching trips around Mumbai, which gave me the chance to use her art supplies. Helping her with exhibits and shows gave me inspiration.” While her personal artistic journey took shape during her childhood and early adult life in India, Medha feels strongly that a major aspect of her creativity is American. The more open culture of the United States, she believes, lent energy to her creative drive. “Although I have drawn and painted all the time, this country has given me the most encouragement, opportunity, and inspiration,” she notes. Medha works in a variety of media, harmonizing colored graphite, pen-and-ink, watercolor, paper collage, and acrylics into designs which also include her own style of calligraphy. While art for display is the most visible form of her creativity, it is not the most basic element of Medha’s self image. “Writing, drawing and painting have been my passion, in that order,” she says. “Painting is just an embellishment to what I write and draw. Happenings around me affect my psyche tremendously, and come out in the form of writing. Doodling while talking on the phone often gives me good ideas to work on larger pieces.”
It was Medha’s work in collage that particularly caught the attention of gallery director James-Ben Stockton. “I’ve always adored collage,” he says. “It’s an art form that is open to anyone, regardless of skill level or previous experience.” Since becoming affiliated with James-Ben: Studio & Gallery Art Center, Medha has had the chance to teach collage in a workshop format through the gallery and shares Stockton’s enthusiasm. “Paper collage can be thought of as a basic building block of artistic expression,” she says. “It helps free the mind to view existing colors and forms as raw material from which other images can be assembled.” In the past few years, Medha’s art has gained increasing attention in East Tennessee, in no small part due to her involvement in her adopted community. Stockton credits her with a knack for retaining her style while gaining acceptance in the region. “A few years ago, I challenged my artists with a request for pieces with historic themes and childhood memories,” he recalls. “Medha produced art from her memories of India, including folk dances and visits to the railway station. They made for a delightful connection between Greene County and Bombay.” Recently, Medha’s work was selected for inclusion in Artstravaganza!, Knoxville’s yearly fine arts show. Further recognition came when her “Dragonflies” painting-collage was chosen as the March image for the event’s inaugural “Art of Healing” calendar. Even more recently, Medha was invited to be in residence and teach classes at Tennessee River Arts Village in Perryville. “In addition to being talented as an the artist,” says Stockton, Medha is warm, engaging, and articulate. Students will not only learn from studying with her but can expect to have a wonderful time in the bargain.”
In the future, Medha would like to continue her exploration of collage using printed paper as though it were paint. She continues to work as a writer, allowing her emotional expressions to give rise to symbolic sketches, which later can evolve into detailed drawings of paintings. At the same time, she is continually nurtured by her family and home. “My husband and children are my biggest support system,” she says. “My mother inspires me by her gentle questions about what I’ve been doing - it prompts me to to something creative.” A recent visit to Medha’s home exposed Stockton to another art form, cooking. “The food she prepared for us was so wonderful I’ve asked her to teach the July 19th “Fresh from the Garden” Artisan Cooking School class: an Indian Inspired Vegetarian Meal.”
So take the opportunity to meet your artist/neighbor from Morristown, Medha Karandikar. Her work is available locally and displayed with great delight at James-Ben: Studio and Gallery Art Center.
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