Painter, Poet, Sculptor

In Memoriam  1976-2012

Ananda Fuller was a lifetime resident of Hickman County. She was thirteen years old when, in a dramatic moment, her life changed.  She was diagnosed with an inoperable cancer.

With great courage, determination, and an incredible positive attitude, Fuller became a cancer survivor of 23 years.  The intensity of her life inspired her to write poetry and to create art through painting, sculpting, and collage.  She became a published poet; her book of poems is entitled Little Pieces of Nonsense. Several of her poems won the International Poet of Merit Award.  In addition, she received the Editor’s Choice Award from the National Library of Poetry.

Fuller developed a signature visual art style portraying people, animals, and landscapes. Her sketches became paintings, exhibiting warmth and humor through color and shape.

In February 2012, Martin Methodist College presented Fuller's paintings on canvas and rocks at the Barton Art Gallery located on campus. The pieces on display made regular life feel otherworldly. Many artists, such as Sammie Nicely and Bernice Davidson, have collected Fuller’s work. They have noted the direct and profound effect the shapes have on our perceptions.

This gentle spirit passed on December 1, 2012, at the age of 36; leaving us a world she created in art to remember her.

Sculptor

Daniel Sheridan, born in 1990, has lived in Tennessee most of his life. He has always been a creative person that enjoys different forms of art. Sheridan's interest in welded art began while he was in high school. The first few pieces of art were made while he and his father were teaching themselves how to weld. Now, in working for a metal fabrication company, he has gained a sufficient amount of knowledge and skill regarding the craft.

Most of Sheridan's art begins in the scrap yard. It takes only one interesting piece of metal to inspire him. As he finds additional pieces of metal to use, you can see a sculpture being formed. He really enjoys making whimsical figures from rusted industrial metal. For him, this craft is relaxing, which allows him an opportunity to forget about the rest of the world.

Sheridan's work has been exhibited at the Toyzini Gallery in Lyles and at the Martin Methodist College in Pulaski. In addition, he has been included in many regional artists' circles.

Painter, Sculptor

Emily Allison finds items for her art in places most people would ignore. This is the reason we find wit and fancy in her creations.

Figures, called Josephines, are made of paper-mache and re-purposed objects like teak salad bowls, tomato cages, glass bottles or clock parts. "I like starting with junk and transforming it completely," Allison said.

She acquires a lot of re-cycled tin from second-hand stores, family, and friends. She is even guilty of making certain food choices based on the packaging. Allison once said, "Sometimes you just have to eat the Belgian chocolate to get the tin.  I should put that on a t-shirt…."

Allison makes 3-D mixed-media collages using a variety of re-cycled materials.  For example, items such as plywood, magazines, bottle caps, hardware, circuit boards, wire, and much more will find their way onto a blank canvas waiting for her magic touch.

"I like puns.

I like junk.

I like kitsch.

Shake and bake.”-Emily Allison

Photographer

For over ten years, Emily Naff has pointed her camera in exotic locations around the world.  Since buying a farm in Hickman County, she has started looking closer to home for photographic inspiration. 

American Gothic by Grant Wood has become an icon of the American Farmer. In Naff's new series of photographs, she hopes to honor the tradition of the New American Farmer by focusing on those with small sustainable farms. She asked each of the farmers to pose in a style reminiscent of the painting by holding tools and/or objects representing themselves and their farm. These farmers have made a decision to farm in ways that is healthy for the animals, the land, and the people. Farming is not just a career; it is a lifestyle choice that is embraced with body, mind, and soul.

“This series is really just a good excuse to hang out with interesting people and visit beautiful farms,” Naff said.

 For more information about Emily Naff, visit www.emilynaffphotography.com 

Painter

"I live in Tennessee, teach art, and do freelance work. The imagery that I work with is often inspired by dreams and visions, and reflects of a love of nature and magic realism," Maxwell said. 

The following is a list of selected exhibitions and awards:

The Rymer Gallery, Second Annual Director’s Choice Juried Exhibition - 2014

Nashville Arts Magazine Spotlight, Centennial Art Center Exhibit - 2014

Nashville Tomato Art Festival, Art and Invention - 2012, 2013

Centennial Art Center, Group Show - 2011

Renaissance Center, "Renaissance Regional Art Exhibit” - 2001, 2004, 2005, 2007

Contact Maxwell for pricing and availability of original artwork. Commissioned work is welcomed. For additional information, visit www.hannahmaxwell.com

Author, Painter

Jo Neace Krause was born in eastern Kentucky in Breathitt County during WWII. Her family migrated to a town near Cincinnati, Ohio, where she attended Ohio State University. She married historian John Thomas Krause and lived in Buffalo, New York. Presently, she lives on a farm in Coble, TN.

Krause shares her creativity by painting and writing. Her visual art can be found on the cover of her book, in various fine art galleries, and hanging in the Kentucky Folk Art Center in Morehead, KY. 

Her short story collection, The Last Game We Played, was selected as the first winner of The Hudson Prize (formerly known as The Ontario Prize).

In her own words:

“I was born in Kentucky, my family moved to Cincinnati and later we moved to West Virginia. I don’t miss any of the places I lived in before.  Now we live in Coble, part of Hickman County.  I really do not like leaving home.  Everyone should paint. Everyone should be made to paint. My artistic mission is top secret.”

Glass Etchings, Painting

In Memoriam   1926-2016

Martha Hinson was a native Tennessean with boundless enthusiasm and imagination. In her own words, "I'm as squirrely as a bed bug, nutty as a fruitcake, far out and out on cloud nine most of the time."

Although she had no formal art training, Hinson developed her artistic techniques and style on her own. "Mostly by trial and error, and that's a method you don't forget," she said. 

Hinson’s creations - painted rocks, clever clay toadstools, and driftwood designs - first received attention from craft fair devotees. Her media went on to include glass etchings, watercolor, and oil painting. Several of her works appeared in municipal buildings. Some of her paintings were sent to Japan as a representation of Tennessee Art. In addition, she was commissioned to produce a series of historical portrayals of the Nashville area.

Hinson's hobbies included golf, traveling, and learning about other cultures.

Hinson's approach to art was like every aspect of her life - filled with joy and zest - which was experienced by everyone around her.

Sculptor

Paul Aydelott hails from a family well established in the rolling hills of Hickman County. For many years his studies and work led him to travel throughout the state.

Since his retirement, his homestead has become his inspiration for astounding carvings; carvings made from beautiful hardwoods from around the county.

Aydelott has exhibited his work at Samitch Gallery, Toyzini Gallery, and many others in the region.

“Toyzini”

Painter, Sculptor

Growing up in Hickman County, Randy Toy has had the advantage of  hearing stories told by interesting people all his life, stirring his imagination. The images in his paintings are always telling a story. His creativity displays the simplicity of form and color found in the style of Outsider Art.

Toy's pieces, through painting or sculpting, frequently reference things in life we do not fully understand. Through his art, he offers solace in his imaginative explanations, e.g., aliens, spaceships, and otherworldly landscapes.

Toy received the name of the "Great Toyzini" while earning a Bachelors of Fine Art degree from Austin Peay University in Middle TN.  He has been a Curator and Exhibit Designer for the Cheekwood Fine Arts Center in Nashville, the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis, and the Mississippi River Museum.

Toyzini's work has been a part of collections, exhibits, and in publications which featured outstanding Folk Artists across the nation. He is the owner of Toyzini Gallery in Lyles, TN.