After a one-month break so that our shop owners, artists and attendees could celebrate the Fourth of July with loved ones, the Franklin Art Scene is returning to downtown Franklin Friday, August 1 from 6-9 p.m.

  • Bagbey House – Antiques and Interiors will host author Donna O’Neil and illustrator Donna Brevard as they present their children’s book, “Frankie the Pencil goes exploring.” The collaboration was a natural progression from a friendship established in the early days of the Art Scene when the two Donnas used to sip wine together as they enjoyed the artwork of others.The book, “Frankie the Pencil goes exploring,” was inspired by a Franklin Fire Department pencil that sat in Donna O’Neil’s pen cup on her desk. During this upcoming art crawl, the pair will be offering books and prints from the book for sale at the ever-popular shop on Fourth Avenue.
  • Gallery 202, the always hoppin’ art crawl spot, is displaying work by local artist Vicki Sawyer on August 1– a series of whimsical paintings revolving around birds and animals, and the hats (and sometimes masks) that they would make out of natural elements.
  • Boutique MMM on the Public Square is exhibiting cowboy artwork by Joe Johnston, an artist who worked on farms and ranches in various western states before honing his craft. He works in pencil, as well as in ink, and oils. Don’t miss his Native American crafts, decorated mattes and frames, and other three-dimensional creations. His works have hung in The University of Texas School of Veterinary Medicine and private collections in the U. S., Canada, Scotland and Japan.
  • Susan Goshgarian McGrew will be debuting her “From My Studio Window” series on Friday at Jack Yacoubian Jewelers on Third Avenue South. Don’t miss a first look at her mixed-media work and plein air paintings!
  • Bob Parks Realty on Main Street is hosting Kay Keys Farrar, a painter who left the corporate world to embrace her creative gifts. She works mainly in oils to create still life and landscape pieces. She has been teaching art to women and children for the last eight years, and recently opened her own creative studio, EMBRACE.
  • T. Nesbitt & Co. on Second Avenue North welcomes Mel Cryar for the August art crawl. Mel captures light and life in oil paintings. A self-taught artist, she is explores color and texture in each of pieces, and draws on 30 years of hands-on experience in home design and handcrafted textiles to craft each work.
  • Regions Bank in downtown Franklin proudly presents Lou ‘el Oso’ Carillo, an artist that works on large canvases, and mostly in oils. In his rural studio in Thompson’s Station, Lou’s pieces are associated with Episodic Art — a new genre which Lou says “a form of art with intensity, contrast, and color. It is paintings with definite and defined movement(s) having flow and telling a story within each one.” Lou will exhibit his exotic works at the bank.
  • During the August Art Scene, O’More College of Design will display work by the dozens of elementary and high school students who spent time at Summer Studio, O’More’s annual summer art camp. Each year the culminating Summer Studio Gallery exhibition allows campers to experience the privilege of having their work shown to others. The projects have been pre-juried in several categories and the award-winning artwork will be prominently featured during the event.
  • The Heirloom Shop on Main Street is hosting Cindy Young on Friday, a painter whose love of nature has strongly influenced her work. Through her battles with Lyme disease and breast cancer, Cindy has found healing through art – and conveys that in her pieces.

The art crawl is free, but a $5 wristband includes unlimited stops on the trolleys that circulate throughout the circuit.

In conjunction with the monthly gathering coordinated by the Downtown Franklin Association (DFA), around 30 sites will host local artists on their properties, 6-9 p.m. Many of the locations offer refreshments, drink or live music. For more information about participants, go to www.franklinartscene.com. To see this month’s featured artists, visit the non-profit’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/FranklinArtScene.

Franklin Art Scene