The Franklin Art Scene — the monthly art crawl showcasing local artistic talent — is offering guests the chance to travel around Downtown Franklin from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, filling up their “passports” at all participating venues.
Guests will receive a “passport” card during the event. Those who visit and receive a stamp at each location will be entered to win an evening out in Franklin, including a $75 gift certificate to 55 South and two tickets to a movie at the Franklin Theatre.
Temperatures may be chilly, but guests won’t have to brave the cold for too long. The Toasty Trolley will run during the free event, serving hot drinks and allowing art lovers to hop on and off around the 16-block historic district. Coordinated by the Downtown Franklin Association, the February Art Crawl will feature eight participating locations in and around downtown.
In addition to warm refreshments, drinks and live music, Art Scene locations are slated to offer a sweeping variety of work, ranging from vintage-style lamps and turned wood to detailed sketches and original paintings, including:
● Bagbey House and More, located at 134 4th Ave N, will be showcasing the talents of new owner, Phil Baxter. His repurposed lamps and lamp shades bring a unique vintage style to any home. Visitors are encouraged to check out his lamps, as well as his other repurposed items.
● Historic Franklin Presbyterian, located at 435 Main Street, will host two artists- Rosie Morton and Dolly Georgieva-Gode. Bulgarian artist Dolly Georgieva-Gode works in colored pencils, acrylics and oils to create vibrant colorful images with great attention to detail. Her background as fashion designer and published illustrator has helped her develop an eye for beauty and sophistication.
● Imaginebox Emporium, located at 311 North Margin Street, will be featuring the original illustrations created by Cory Basil. Basil’s creations are painted using multiple mediums, including watercolor, oil, and gauche. In addition to his various original sculpture works, high-quality art prints, and published works of literature and poetry, he also creates fully unique and reflective commissioned pieces as well.
● Landmark Booksellers, located at 114 E Main St, will feature photographer Debbie Smartt. Known for her passion for photographing Williamson County, Debbie is just as fervent about volunteering her photography skills and time to many nonprofit organizations, including The Heritage Foundation, Franklin Tomorrow, Help-Portrait and Find-A- Grave.
● Merridee’s Breadbasket, located at 110 4th Ave S, will host Pam Brown, who uses painting as a release to her attachment for planning and perfectionism. The materials she uses, such as spray paint, enamels and resin, are uncontrollable to an extent as life can be, and each painting is unique and one-of- a-kind.
● Emily Newman is the featured artist for February at Savory Spice Shop, located at 324 Main St. This self-taught artist specializes in heavily textured oil and acrylic painting. All mediums used are heavily textured in style, giving them a three dimensional appearance.
Her monochromes compliment many environments from the office to the home, and the abstracts please admirers of modern and contemporary art styles.
● Ben Paty’s wood works will be on display at the Williamson County Visitor Center, located at 400 Main St.. As a member of the Tennessee Association of Woodturners, he has been turning wood for the past three years and has developed techniques from master crafters.
● The Williamson County Archives, located at 611 W Main St, will feature artist Leslie Morales — an abstract artist who uses color and line to express on canvas the world she sees.
Professionally, she used her keen eye and artistic abilities decorating film sets in Los Angeles and across the United States. She currently teaches at Watkins College of Art Design and Film.
For more information about the event, please visit www.franklinartscene.com or the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FranklinArtScene.com.
