The weather was continuing to move east, and snow was in the forecast. Sadly my plans to drive down to Chattanooga and then up through the Blue Ridge Mountains to check out Asheville had to change.
Being from Minnesota and living there for 30 years, I don't mind driving in snow. In fact, I kind of like it. But I don't have much experience driving on mountain roads. Everything I owned for the year was in my car, and I really wasn't equipped to deal with getting stuck in the snow.
So instead, I hung out in Nashville for the morning, booked an AirBnB in Chattanooga for later that night, and took some time to meet up with one of the other artists from Robert Lange Studios, Adam Hall.
Adam's studio is at The Factory in Franklin, just a short drive outside of Nashville that was once an old stove factory that's been converted into a creative mecca for the area with talented artists like Adam and hip food and coffee shops sprinkled throughout.
I met him there for coffee and a socially distanced chat.
The section of the building Adam works out of used to be a stable. He has a great space that's light-filled and perfect for creating. The current owners even retained the romance of years gone by with sliding barn doors for each of the studios.
Adam is one of the most warm-hearted, positive guys you'll meet. A Nashville musician turned graphic designer turned fine artist, this proud dad of three cranks out gorgeous seascapes that make you feel like you're right in the ocean with the waves. His brushwork is luscious and he shared with me some of the cool new supports he's been playing with to add even more dimensionality to his work.
His current solo show, Current Journeys, is on display at Robert Lange Studios. As he said about the show, "Its been a roller coaster of challenges over the past 6 months but I wanted to keep my focus on a positive, uplifting message throughout each painting. Maybe, in some ways they are little vulnerable messages of hope, that in the end, remind me of the triumph over hardship."
It was a treat to talk to a fellow artist from our shared gallery, Robert Lange Studios, share a bit about what we've been up to, and honestly just be around another person that's enjoying the journey of making art and making it a way of life.
Check out his beautiful work here.
Afterwards, I pointed my car south and enjoyed the very short (only 2 hours!), beautiful drive to Chattanooga. I'd heard great things about the city and wanted to check it out. It was raining and quiet when I arrived, so I decided that I would come back another day to visit when the weather was better and exploring was more of an option.
So, I grabbed some dinner from Champy's chicken shack (yes, that's the drive through window to the right of the bird in the photo below - no I didn't consider my meal selection as retribution after not being able to sleep the previous night), found my AirBnB and settled in for the night, happy knowing that I'd be in Charleston the next day.
