In her book “Artist’s Way,” Julia Cameron writes that while artists may create in solitude, they need a community to support their efforts and to believe in their talents. The group of local artists in the most current “Down a Country Road V Art Show” are just that. Curator and participating artist Anne Goetze has brought together a group of friends and talented local artists for a show starting November 11, 2023 and running every Saturday and Sunday through December 10, 2023 at the Theta General Store near Columbia, Tennessee.
“A friend of mine, Bill Schleicher, owns this old general store in Theta, Tennessee,” said Goetze, “and he renovated it. It has a lot of space, and it worked out really well during the pandemic. I could do times slots for people to come. So, it was safe….”
That was the first show. It ran one weekend, as did the other three group shows under the “Down A Country Road” title. This latest showing will be the first to run for a month. Its theme is “Americana,” displaying each artist’s interpretation of their surroundings as part of the American way of life as they all have varied lifestyles and points of view.
“The artists come from all over [Middle Tennessee],” added Goetz, with most from Nashville and the Franklin area. “It is a nice, eclectic group….”
Buddy Jackson, who is known to many due to his winning of about 200 Addy Awards for his work in advertising in the 1990s and his two Grammy Awards, is one of the artists. On his Instagram he describes himself as a “pathological liar, know-it-all, attentionally stunted, drunk with power.” His work has a vintage feel about it, but it is all thoroughly modern.
“He is talented no matter what he does, paintings, sculpture, photography,” said Goetze. “He does it all. In this particular show he will have his paintings.”
A singer-songwriter and horse trainer, Karen Brooks’ artwork reflects her life as a true cowgirl. She will also be performing music one of the weekends of the showing.
A photographer who has traveled extensively, Stacy Zaferes’ photography covers a range of subject matter, from lushly colored photos of nature and travel to stark close-ups in black and white.
Nathan Collie is a bird photographer. He also has a book out of his photographs, “A Moment with Birds,” which chronicles birds during the four seasons. A fourth-generation photographer, he describes on his website that his subject matter as “reflecting the landscape and wildlife, with birds in particular, of Middle Tennessee, the American West and the Gulf of Mexico. He prints with Japanese papers to create an organic two-dimensional surface and give texture to the image.”
John Fisher is a mixed media artist who focuses his creative lens on the landscapes around him. His style is soft and muted with influence from impressionism.
An award-winning photojournalist and two-time Pulitzer Prize nominee, in 2016 John Partipilo moved into the world of fine art photography. Working as a photojournalist for 40 years, he is heavily influenced by his journalism roots. It is a style he describes on his website as “Zen Photography,” finding the story that is in front of you at the present moment.
“He has some portraits of people and some scenes,” explained Goetze. “He lives in Nashville, so his Americana is city based, where mine is the country.
Goetze’s own work is paintings and mixed media painted photographs. Living out in what is left of the country, she uses what she sees around her as her subject matter. She is also a plein air artist, working from an easel outside of the studio painting what she sees in natural light.
Also painting what she sees in the wild, Kisa Kavass documents the wild horses in the West. Kavass was born in Adelaide, South Australia, then at the age of five her family relocated to the United States, finally settling down in Nashville, Tennessee. A love of animals led her to America’s wild horses and the raw beauty of both them and the land they inhabit. Since the first trip out to see the wild mustangs, her website notes, she has returned many times and has become well acquainted with the members of the herds and their stories. Recently she has also become involved in domestic horse rescue.
Using recycled bits and pieces, sculptor Val Adams works in both wood and metal to create everything from a roaring lion to a human torso to a guitar.
“No telling what he is going to come up with,” said Goetze. “I haven’t seen all of it yet, but I know it is all excellent.”
Then there is Kimiko Sakai. Born in Japan, she currently lives in Nashville. Her work uses bright colors and blends a cross-section of artistic styles, including cartooning.
“She will have mainly portraits,” said Goetze, “but portraits that are really unusual. It’s not as in realism, and it’s not abstraction either…It is in between. They are cool looking with elongated necks…and I just love them.”
The location of the show is an old country general store that, once inside, looks like an old saloon. There will also be music from Ricky Rector, Suzi Ragsdale, the building’s owner Bill Schleicher and as mentioned, Karen Brooks on Sunday afternoons.
John McEwan, a founding member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, will be visiting the exhibit at some point and bringing along his book, “The Life I Picked: A Banjo Player’s Nitty Gritty Journey.”
“Part of the experience is the pretty drive,” explained Goetze. “We do not what anyone driving at night.”
They want all of their visitors to experience the old general store out in the country and the art in the daylight. The store is located at 2278 Les Robinson Road, Columbia, Tennessee. It is off Carter’s Creek Pike, halfway between Franklin and Columbia. The exhibit will be open from 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. or by appointment by calling (931) 797-1746.
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