Blog Posts (20)
David Patchen
“I’m always surprised by the reactions to my work, but I hope everyone who sees it finds amazing eye candy in it—whether it be colors, detail, pattern or glass’ ability to suspend objects in space.” One would argue that there is more than simply eye candy in David Patchen’s breathtaking blown-glass pieces. Patchen’s pieces are truly unique creations that exist as experiments in light, color, and composition. Several... Read More »
Slow-Motion Soul Suspension
Bill Steber clearly remembers the pivotal moment in 1992 that fueled his obsession with documenting the disappearing culture of the Delta and northeast Mississippi’s hill country. Steber, then a photojournalist, was assigned to shoot a travel story in Mississippi. On the return home via Highway 61, he visited James “Son” Thomas, a blues musician and folk artist. Entering the house, Steber passed one of Thomas’ more interesting... Read More »
Mark Lacey | Celebrating Six Strings
No other city in the world celebrates the six-string like Nashville, Tennessee. On every street corner, dive bar stage or Music Row writers’ room, somebody is plunking out a tune. Because of its sound, size, and portability, the guitar has inspired both professional musicians and casual players. Here in Music City, we have access to some of the world’s finest luthiers, or guitar... Read More »
Ensworth High School
At Ensworth High School, the arts curriculum is based on a foundation of understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment. An environment of open creativity and respect for the arts, students say, allows Ensworth students to find their passions and provides an atmosphere where students feel comfortable pursuing their dreams. Musician Calvin Settles II, performer Claire Glassford, designer Andrew Gallivan, and photographer Genny Mayden are four of many students that... Read More »
Whitney Ferré | Creatively Fit
Whitney Ferré is an artist, teacher and author, but when you start to peel back the layers, you begin to unveil both the complicated woman and the woman with the amazingly uncomplicated theory. My journey with the Chicago native began in the late 1990s as she was making her debut on the national television show called Our Place, which aired on HGTV. As her producer, I had no idea that she had far bigger plans than just to demonstrate crafty... Read More »
Paul Lancaster
Paul Lancaster lives in his own world, though I am fairly certain that creativity has him on speed dial. Just a few hours with this shy and gentle man are enough to let you know you are in the presence of someone very special, someone unique. Years before James Cameron ever conceived his groundbreaking film Avatar, Lancaster had already created a vast body of work that could have been used to storyboard the film. Considered a visionary painter, he is much... Read More »
Sharaku Who?
r The city of Edo, modern day Tokyo, Japan, experienced the rise of a new form of pop art in the period between the seventeenth and the twentieth centuries. Ukiyo-e, or woodblock prints, became all the rage because their mass production rendered them affordable to a broad audience. These prints were not the prize of royalty or nobles; they were manufactured to sate the visual appetite of townspeople. Ukiyo-e translates literally as “pictures of the floating... Read More »
Debra Fritts | Stories in Clay
“The only way I know how to work is by telling my truth. That is part of being a storyteller,” says Atlanta sculptor Debra Fritts. “You let the intuitive process take over, and that’s where the magic happens.” The magic of art is something that has long been a part of Fritts’ life. She was born in Nashville and grew up in Middle Tennessee. As the child of a Lutheran minister and a resourceful mother,... Read More »
Poetry | "Lyric"
I loved you for a moment. This moment, Because there is no other, Only now, This breath Which whispers With perfect grace What my heart avows This moment, That belongs to us, Only us. I wanted you for a lifetime. This lifetime Dawns with embraced minds That hasten tender Inspiration Yet touch caresses On untended places Longing solace This lifetime, That belongs to... Read More »
Appraise It
Clayton Sumner Price (American, 1874-1950) The Rider, oil on board, signed C. S. Price Price grew up in a large ranching family in Iowa and Wyoming. An accomplished carpenter, homesteader and horseman, C. S. Price was 31 years old before he sought formal art training at the St. Louis School of Fine Arts. He left the school after one year to accept a job in Portland, Oregon, as a magazine illustrator. Working for Western- themed magazines, Price created... Read More »
