The Summer installment of the “Flying Solo” series at Nashville International Airport® (BNA®) is now open and features the incredible artwork of Wesley Howe, Meemi J.L’, Jessica Lewis, Michelle O’Patick-Ollis, Bob Rahmanian “Neurowaxx”, Kelly Spell, and various students in an initiative sponsored by Southwest Airlines® that helps keep waste out of landfills.
The Flying Solo series is a respected, rotating art exhibit that offers art organizations and gifted artists an opportunity to exhibit their work at BNA each season. The Summer 2024 exhibit, which is open now through October 21, 2024, is a part of BNA’s Arts at the Airport program.
Created in 1988, BNA’s Arts at the Airport is an ever-growing, ever-changing showcase of cultural diversity and creative talent in Tennessee. The terminal and surrounding facilities were designed to incorporate rotating public art exhibits and permanent acquisitions, and opportunities for live entertainment performances throughout the airport.
A brief biography of the featured artists and their work is as follows:
Wesley Howe
Urban Pulse and Natural Calm (acrylic paintings)
Location: Level 1, IAF Exit Waiting Area
@paintingsbywesleyhowe
Link to artwork
Wesley Howe, a native of Neodesha, Kansas, has called Nashville home for 40 years. He creates traditional, realistic acrylic paintings on hard board, reflecting still-life, landscapes, seascapes, and scenes from his global travels. Howe once owned a gallery in Atlanta, where he championed local artists. In his leisure time, he enjoys watching the Boston Red Sox, building model railroads, and exploring Nashville’s art scene.
Meemi J.L´
Pleasant Moments of a Small Town in Mid Tennessee (oil paintings)
Location: A/B Exit Waiting Area, near the Tennessee Tribune
Link to artwork
Meemi J.L.´ moved to Cookeville, Tennessee, from Hawaii 22 years ago. When she was young, her parents emphasized that appreciating art was essential in life. Her father strongly believed that any form of art – music, poetry, or painting – could enrich people’s lives and enhance their world experiences, as famously stated by Bob Dylan: “Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet.”
Later in life, no matter how far away from home she was or what direction she moved, her dad’s love of art remained deep within her. The artist chose “Meemi J.L.” as a professional pseudonym in memory of her parents, who are still very much alive in her heart and were the reasons she returned to the canvas. Her work is represented by the Appalachian Center for Craft Gallery at Tennessee Tech University, and the PhotoArt Gallery and Studio in Cookeville. Additionally, it is displayed at M.J.L’s Art Studio, 39 West Broad Street in Cookeville.
Jessica Lewis
Timeless Tales: The Magic of Childhood (oil paintings)
Location: IAF Exit Waiting Area, Level 1
@jessica.lewis.art
https://www.jessica-lewis.com/
Link to artwork
Jessica Lewis, an award-winning artist based in Nashville, Tennessee, has a strong foundation in art education. A Kentucky native, she attended the Governor’s School for the Arts as a teenager before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Louisville and Southern Illinois University, respectively.
Known for her distinctive child portraits, Lewis brings a fresh perspective to her work. Her background in creating large-scale themed environments for children influenced her focus on the figure’s relationship to its surroundings. Her paintings delve beyond physical appearance, offering glimpses into subjects’ inner worlds. Often inspired by her childhood and experiences as a mother, Lewis creates art that resonates across generations, capturing the universal magic of childhood.
A recipient of multiple awards from organizations including the Portrait Society of America and the National Oil and Acrylic Painters’ Society, Lewis earned “Most Original” in the 2022 NOAPS National Juried Exhibition. She is also a member of the Chestnut Group, dedicated to preserving Middle Tennessee’s landscapes and historic sites.
Michelle O’Patick-Ollis
There Will Come A Time (mixed media paintings)
Location: IAF Exit Waiting Area, Level 1
www.opatickollis.com
Link to artwork
Michelle O’Patick-Ollis is a multi-passionate artist whose work includes mixed-media coffee paintings, charcoal portraits, sculptures, and murals. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from East Tennessee State University and a Master of Fine Arts from Arizona State University.
After 17 years teaching visual arts at the intermediate and middle school levels, O’Patick-Ollis is now a full-time artist. Her work is in collections nationwide, including the New Britain Museum of American Art, Scottsdale Contemporary Museum of Art, University of Washington Book Arts and Rare Book Collection, and Tucson Museum of Art.
Bob Rahmanian “Neurowaxx”
Animated Mammals (mixed media)
Location: IAF Exit Waiting Area, Level 1
@neurowaxx
Link to artwork
With a background in music and media production and a deep admiration for Nashville’s music industry, Bob Rahmanian “Neurowaxx” brings a unique perspective to their art. The artist’s work often explores surreal and satirical themes related to consciousness, pop culture, and the simulation hypothesis. Rough sketches are digitally refined in Procreate and Photoshop before being transferred to physical substrates and painted with acrylics, spray paint, and oils.
Technology plays a crucial role in both his professional and artistic life, aiding in organization and creative exploration. The pseudonym “Neurowaxx” reflects a fusion of neurology and the malleability of wax, symbolizing the artist’s exploration of conscious experience and artistic form. By adopting a pseudonym, the artist aims to freely explore different styles without constraints of identity or ego. When not immersed in the creative process, Rahmanian works as an emergency and home hospice physician.
Kelly Spell
Full Circle (Quilts)
Location: Concourse A, Near Gate A2
www.kellyspell.com
@kellyspell
Link to artwork
Kelly Spell, an award-winning quilter from Hixson, Tennessee, has showcased her abstract modern quilts in publications, exhibitions and museums worldwide, including the National Quilt Museum, Asheville Art Museum and Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Since beginning her quilting journey in 2014, Spell has explored a range of techniques, blending cutting-edge methods with traditional American quilt-making. Fascinated by color theory, she experiments with how designs are perceived and recently started dyeing and printing her own fabric to further her exploration.
Various students in an initiative sponsored by Southwest Airlines®
Repurpose With Purpose Goes to School: The Sky is the Limit! (mixed media student work)
Location: Concourse D, near Gates D2, D3 and D5
Repurpose with Purpose is Southwest Airlines’® award-winning global environmental sustainability initiative that upcycles aircraft seat leather, helping keep waste out of landfills.
The program was founded in 2014 after Southwest updated its seat design, resulting in 43 acres of aircraft seat leather that was no longer needed. The new design at that time included a lighter weight leather, which had the potential to help decrease aircraft weight and thereby help increase the fuel efficiency of certain flights. Today, the Repurpose with Purpose program utilizes leather acquired through ongoing aircraft renovations and retirements.
After traveling millions of miles in the sky to connect Southwest customers to what is important in their lives, this aircraft seat leather is then transformed into new products by community partners.
Since 2021, more than 12,000 elementary, middle and high school students have had the opportunity to create upcycled art projects with Southwest aircraft seat leather through the Visual Arts Department at Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS). The seats were cleaned, deconstructed, prepared, and delivered to the schools by Nashville nonprofit partner, Turnip Green Creative Reuse (TGCR). Elementary students utilize Self Portrait Art Kits and lesson plans developed by TGCR.
Since 2014, Southwest has donated more than $2 million in grants and 1.4 million pounds of leather to provide employment, skills training, and other social benefits for communities.
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