Get to Know the Cover Artist

For the Sycamore series, you used photos provided by Blackberry and collaged them on top of older photos, right? What were you looking for in searching for the right pictures to accomplish the vision you had? Were they all from the same time period?
Originally, yes, that was the idea. Some portions of the series were created that way and others took a slightly different path. The challenge was – how do you create an 11-piece installation that honors the spirit and history of Blackberry, from both a visual standpoint and a narrative standpoint, that can speak to everyone who views it. And by everyone, I mean anyone from guests who have no idea what the backstory is, to loyal employees who are part of the history, all the way to the people featured in the piece itself.

All the black and white images used as the backgrounds of each piece are sourced from the National Park Service of the Tennessee portion of the Great Smoky Mountains. These images are local to the surrounding area and historical – they date all the way back to the 1940s when the area was first designated as a national park.

Using the Smoky Mountains as the back drop to set the scene, I then incorporated imagery using photos that had been passed along by various team members and the Beall family, as well as vintage magazines that were sourced in the Knoxville, Maryville, Walland area on site visits. The piece was intended to create a vision of the past, present and future, with references to some of the Mountain's quirks in the smaller pieces – for instance, a handful of stories surrounding visits by the local fauna, namely bears and rattle snakes.

The first large piece that was placed on the left was made to name and show key members of the Blackberry family and team who have played a significant role in the development of the Farm and Mountain. In that image, you see Sandy Beall holding a photo of the Farm when it first operated as a bed and breakfast in the 1940s/50s by the Lasier and Jarvis families. Next to him is Sam Beall who is holding a rendering/drawing of what the Mountain would become, which has been unveiled and passed to Blackberry President Matt Alexander and Matt Smith, Blackberry’s director of development – instrumental figures in helping see that dream come to fruition.

The piece then moves to center featuring Kreis Beall and Mary Celeste Beall who are seen grounded with a child by the river. The river is intended to symbolize the new beginning that the Mountain has brought as life has shifted, Sam has passed, and Mary Celeste has assumed the role as proprietor, all while remaining a full-time mother to her children. The piece immediately to the left, of Sam jumping into a watering hole, is placed where it is to show the continuation from the larger piece on the left to centerfold at the river. That’s the cover piece of Volume 004!

The piece all the way on the right of the room was originally of a ranger overlooking the Smokys. The text was taken from a magazine from the 1940s enticing people to visit Tennessee for vacation. The piece is purposefully ambiguous. The figure looks to the land symbolizing what is yet to come.

The other pieces combine Sam's love for biking, hiking and other aspects that the Mountain brings to the guest experience.

This whole series came together using a confluence of information – stories from the team, lots of pictures, emails forwarded to me that Sam had sent team members discussing his ideas, dreams, wishes, etc. and then hours and hours of searching through databases to find the perfect images that could accompany this narrative that had emerged from all the information that was shared with me.

How did you approach the art you created for Blackberry Mountain, both for the Sycamore event room and the cottages?
Each of the 30 or so pieces were commissioned, so nothing existed yet. It was just a figment of my imagination, which was an exciting undertaking. I spent as much time as I could in the area and worked closely with the Blackberry Design team. Color was an important aspect of creating this body of work. I had every fabric swatch, color sheet and furniture for each room and used it to dictate my own color palettes. Each piece was created using local materials and vintage magazines from the surrounding Walland, TN area. Pieces were cut and laid out by hand, scanned digitally and printed large format.

How would you describe your art?
I would describe my work as intentional and intuitive mixed media collage. Humor and joyful irreverence are important pillars in my pieces, which often comment on the absurdity of everyday life. Every element, almost down to the last detail, are purposefully placed and attributed with meaning. The ultimate goal, however, is for each viewer to unpack what they see. I find the most interesting aspect of creating work is not the concepts that I weave into them but rather what my viewers pull out of them. It's a bit of an exercise of looking in the mirror. But I suppose that is what all art is, right?

What do you like most about creating this style of mixed media collage?
I am a classically trained photographer, so collaging has become my version of painting so to speak. I was never particularly talented at drawing or painting but wanted to explore my work beyond the lens. So, I think what I enjoy most about working in this medium is the ability to push the boundaries of reality. We often believe the camera is objective (although it is far from it), so the ability to create compositions that without question live in an alternate, surreal reality has just been a really fun way to look at and explore the world.