Some Artists to Get Excited About:
This year, there will be 140 participating artists showcasing their unique talent from near and far. Before we delve into some local artists, let's take a peek at some unique artists traveling to the Scenic City for a weekend showcasing their artwork.
Penny Dobson | @Penny Dobson's Art | Mixed Media
Image Courtesy of Penny Dobson's Art
Penny Dobson knew she wanted to pursue a career in art since she was a young child and did so even as an art teacher for many years until 2020 when she retired and began devoting all her time and attention to her art. Dobson has made art and taken it to art shows for almost 28 years and is a mixed media artist who loves oil paint, seed beads, gold leaf, alcohol ink, and handmade papers. Her subject matter is always animals, flowers, and birds, and what she paints is determined by the frame or object (she is particularly fond of vintage objects from the 70s) on which she is going to paint.
Sarah Mandell | @onceagainsam | Fiber Arts
Sarah Mandell started her indie craft business as a hobby in 2009, but after a few years it became her focus and dream job. She graduated from Maryland Institute College of Art in 2005 and has a background in interior design. Mandell primarily works with leather and needle felting to create jewelry and extremely detailed fiber art that comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and subject matters.
Abigail West | @upinthewoods | Printmaking
Abigail West is a printmaker and trail/ultrarunner based in Athens, GA, spending so much of her time in nature running trails watching the sunrise over the mountains and being surrounded by trees has inspired her to bring that openhearted feeling and her connection to nature to creating block prints. West’s block prints are all hand-carved and hand-printed in her home studio.
First Horizon Emerging Artist Program
The Emerging Artist Program is designed to nurture local talent and help them advance in their careers by providing exhibition space, festival prep, mentoring, portable screens, and extensive marketing related to the program. This program supports the emerging careers of these local artists by introducing them to the community and offering support. There are 5 artists selected every year.
Get to Know this Year’s Emerging Artists:
Bridget Enderle | @bridgeteenderle | Oil Paintings
Bridget Enderle is a newcomer to Chattanooga, hailing from Reno, Nevada where she taught drawing and painting at the University of Nevada, Reno. Enderle’s oil paintings bring deep meaning to everyday objects like ceiling fans and bath faucets. These mundane objects become metaphors for the human existence and the things we feel and deal with in our everyday lives.
Kristy Smith | @hollowhillcreative | Watercolor Paintings
Kristy Smith has been a life-long artist, always crafting and making pieces of art or acting (20 years in Philly making theatre!), though she didn’t pursue art fulltime until the past five years. Smith loves intricate work with rich textures, she takes inspo from everywhere but especially her garden and the woods outside in NW Georgia. Her watercolor pieces are filled with colors and whimsy, her illustrations and patterns carry so much depth they seem to jump out at you.
Katheryn Anne | @katherynannefineart | Oil & Copper Paintings
Image Courtesy of Kathryn Anne Fine Art
Katheryn Anne has found a way to blend her love of life, biology, and art into something beautiful. Anne creates oil paintings over pure copper leaf with birds and animals as her primary subjects focusing on the tension between fragility and strength, permanence and change. The mixed media and subject matter showcase the symbolic connection between humans and the natural world.
Naya Green | @naya_green_art | Oil Paintings
Naya Green’s oil paintings each tell such unique stories that reflect her view of life. At 19, Green dropped out school to pursue her art full time and delve into her passion for painting, sculpting, and whatever other medium she can get her hands on. Her paintings have a surrealist feel to them and typically have a story behind them.
Kristopher Young | @artbyyoungkris | Acrylic Paint
Image Courtesy of Art By Young Kris
Kristopher Young draws inspiration from Chattanooga, his life, and pop culture to create snapshots in acrylic paint. Young’s artwork has a dreamlike quality to them as if you’ve been swept inside his head for a glimpse of what he’s seen. Beautiful textures and great use of light.
