COVER STORY
A View On Artists From Atop Lookout Decades of vibrant tradition and culture on display
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ITNESSING THREE DOES CROSS THE TWO-LANE mountain road and only encountering three stop lights on my one-hour drive, the journey to the Rising Fawn Studio Tour was as inspiring as the artists I encountered. By Jessie Gantt-Temple Pulse contributor
Green pastures (and all green lights which I considered a sign that I needed to get to this gem as soon as possible) surrounded the wet pavement until I hit the top of Lookout Mountain. A stone’s throw from Cloudland Canyon State Park, lies a bounty of creative souls who embrace nature and have rekindled a time-honored tradition. What was once the Plum Nelly Clothesline Art Show, founded by local printmaker Fannie Mennen in 1947, resurged just over a decade ago renamed the Rising Fawn Studio Tour. Throughout the decades, there have been many name changes from the
Plum Nelly Festival turned New Salem Festival to the now Rising Fawn Studio Tour. However the feel of community and creativity never wavered. After many successful years, from starting with 300 visitors in the 1950’s to presently almost 20,000, the Plum Nelly name left the mountain (to permanently reside with the storefront in North Shore) and the event took a hiatus. Until three years ago when artists and Lookout Mountain residents Bonnie Cayce, Claire Vassort and Nikki Oliver wanted to continue the tradition of bringing together artists on the mountain as well as encourage visitors to partake in the joys of their creations. “We all have our strengths and
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weaknesses but we all collaborate to make it a great event,” says artist Claire Vassort. “The tour for me is awesome because it’s a community event with both the community of artists as well as community of local and not so local folk. That’s the beauty.” Originally from France, Claire Vassort opened Silks By Claire just off Plum Nelly Road in 2006 and offers classes as well as finished products like lanterns, scarves, frames, prints and greeting cards. “I started painting silk when I was sixteen. My mother would get together with other ladies and learn different mediums. Then she got to the silks class and thought it was little too time consuming so she gave me all her silk painting tools and said, ‘Here go play.’” A common theme you will see with Claire’s design are fluid, colorful trees. “Trees are my favorite but I do like to branch out,” she laughs as the
pun came as naturally as her designs. “I always keep an eye out for odd trees to tell stories about the human condition. Trees communicate through their roots and they support each other— it’s like a metaphor for community, corporation and collaboration—and that’s kind of my message.” With over thirty years of art experience, Claire enjoys teaching as it gives her an opportunity to share what painting has done for her and encourage others to experience it for themselves. “Teaching it, teaches me,” she said. “I’m a teacher by trade and I’m trying to use the medium of silk painting to bring people together to facilitate that we can get to know each other by working together to create.” She taught at Townsend Atelier for around three years and currently teaches class at her studio on Lookout but will also come to you and rent a space to host private classes. Contact Claire via her website clairevassort.com to schedule an appointment to visit the studio or for commission work. She loves doing commission as it is another chance to collaborate and she enjoys the process of getting to know her customers. “The commission work creates a closer connection to the artist,” she says. “The first step is the customer has homework to reference my website and find three pieces they like best then I usually see a trend in color or design and we finalize their custom piece.” This year, she is trying to gear her projects more towards community. Last year, she ran a free program of silk painting classes at the Chattanooga Library with over one hundred students. This year, she is a member
