Little River Arts Article

At Little River, Art is a family business

Little River Art is a fine art production company founded by Knoxville native, Thomas Cover. Tom grew up captivated by the splendor of the lakes and rivers in East Tennessee, including the Little River.

After studying fine art at the University of Tennessee, Tom began a long and successful career in the furniture industry. Then, in 2004, Tom set out on his own with Little River Art, combining his love of art with his keen insight into home fashion trends to start selling original art from local artists.

Now, 18 years later, Little River Art has grown into a family of 7 artists and their support team. Together the Little River family operates a full-service painting studio, frame shop, and art gallery. Tom leads the family in servicing the needs of the most discerning interior designers throughout the Southeastern United States. In 2009 Michael Cover joined his dad at Little River Art to cut and craft superior moldings that complement a large selection of high-quality art. From the breathtaking landscapes of the Southeast painted masterfully by Aleksandr Cherepov, to the whimsical abstract dreamscapes painted by Mary Ann Taylor, Michael Cover uses his expert eye to elevate each painting with just the right frame.

Family is the foundation of Little River Art. Tom is married to prolific artist J Austin Jennings. She runs Little River’s sister company, Red Dog Master Prints. Jennings and her son, Ben O’Niell, work diligently to offer the highest quality giclée prints on canvas of the Little River Artists’ original work.

After printing, each giclée is hand finished with a textural coat that seals in the archival inks used by our top-of-the-line large format printer. The finished product is a beautiful artwork finished, framed, and ready to hang. Every step of the way, our family of artists check for quality and fidelity to the original.

We believe the creation and collection of high-quality art is an integral feature of the well-appointed home. That means for us the highest possible quality is the only option.

Even with all the changes success has brought as an art broker through the years, Tom Cover has never lost his grassroots love of painting the many waterways that surrounded his home in East

Tennessee. His often ethereal canvas creations are among the most collected, alongside the paintings of noteworthy artists: J Austin Jennings, Aleksandr

Cherepov, and Mary Ann Taylor