I've recently added a new feature to my booth at Nostalgia on McCalla that I hope you will like- a SALE crate! I'm pretty excited about it, for you and for me.

My studio has been completely the opposite of a productive place to work for too long. I've moved some things out recently and all ready feel like I can breathe better, and more importantly, have started painting more.

The SALE crate will be updated regularly, so check often. It is mostly original artwork- my summer gift to you!

San Francisco smells like pot and the ocean.

Ocean Beach

 I'm just kidding. It mostly smells like pot.

"Special" Truffle Salesman in Dolores Park

I went there for the first time a couple of weeks ago to visit some friends who have been living out there the past few years.

Graffiti in The Mission

I arrived without much of a plan which was fine since my friends gave me a lot of guidance and let me tag along to places they were all ready going.

Of course, when I returned home, people were like, "Oh, you went to San Francisco!?! Did you do this and this and that...?" to which I replied, "Uhhhh, no."

Out of all I managed to do, I somehow missed a lot of tourist hot spots. Ohhhh, well, I'll just have to go back, I guess.

Tourist Shot

I did shuck oysters next to the body of water from where they formerly lived, and I'll never regret not going to Alcatraz instead.

My friend shucking oysters

While I will spare you the details, I'll share a few careful observations.

There they are!

Such as, people in San Francisco are very serious about their food and drink. It's wonderful and also really fun to make fun of.

"Oh, yes, I'll take the farm fresh egg for $18, please."

"I am SO glad their kale salad is young."

"That bartender looks so smart using that antique hand-operated coffee grinder."

Fisherman on coast north of San Francisco

Of course, everything was delicious- one shocking thing is particular: Their Toast.

Did you know toast is in? It is so in, y'all, and will surely be sweeping the nation to the east coast in a year or two. I can't wait.

Rooftop View

Another thing I observed is that all people in San Francisco are in their late twenties or early thirties. All of them.

Highway one between San Francisco and Santa Cruz

I'm exaggerating again, but while I did my usual people watching, walking the streets and museums and sitting in restaurants and coffee shops, it struck me that everyone was my age, which made me wonder: If all these people who are my age are running this city, does this mean I'm an adult? 

This thought was unsettling, but I'm shaking it off.

The Observatory Tower in De Young Museum

My friend who has lived there a couple of years has a theory that people move to San Francisco to stop time. When the seasons change, the climate does not, and this alongside the ability to constantly be in an altered state of mind keeps many from acknowledging the passage of time.

Muir Woods

Whether this is true or not, I got the impression that a lot of people move there for work but don't intend to stay there forever. But you could say that for a lot of larger cities.

Which is why, for me, it was a lovely place to vacation.

Looking out my friend's apartment window

San Francisco and the Bay Area are beautiful, and I hope to return there one day. I'd like to see some more touristy things, but mostly I want to go back and eat toast and oysters and sushi and strawberries and drink a hundred lattes.

Until then, I will just have to be content eating farm fresh eggs (also known as "eggs") for $1 and drinking $3 beers in my hometown. Oh, the humanity.

Today, I feel a strong pull to be in the mountains, more severe than the usual beckoning. Work keeps me away, so I went on a walk instead, across the bridge that runs over the interstate exit by my apartment. Looking beyond the pavement, cars, and buildings, far off in the distance, I can see the Smoky Mountains. Well, not today, because it's hazy, but I imagined them there, and wondered why they were speaking so loudly today.

It's getting hotter. I walk outside and feel the symptoms of summer approaching, the constant dampness of certain areas of my clothing, the feeling of dirty hands- swollen and salty- personal attributes I have to accept for many months ahead.

Looking out from the city, I realize the mountains' allure is stronger when the seasons change.

Summer in the mountains means a cold but refreshing river and possibly a yellow tube. Lush green grass and trees. A soft path for miles upon miles.

It means other things, too. Bugs. The fear of snakes. A mixture of sunscreen and sweat in my eyes.

It's all meant to be taken in tangibly- good and bad.

It's not just any mountains that call, but the Smoky Mountains- soft, unintimidating, and welcoming from afar. Challenging and life-altering in their midst.

And there's not just any road to get me there, but the one through Townsend, past the Alcoa plant, the Drive-In in Maryville, the flea markets and antique shops scattered along the way, the boiled peanut man, the winding two-lane road through the smaller hills that opens up into that calm and peaceful valley- my favorite doorway to the Smokies.

I'm going soon, to properly welcome this looming southern summer.

Please come to The Square Room this evening to hear me speak at PechaKucha Night Knoxville Volume 7.

I am the third speaker out of nine, so if you arrive at 7pm, you shouldn't miss my presentation. I will be speaking about the progression of my work since college and what it has been like making the transition from artist to artist and businesswoman.

Hope to see you there!

PechaKucha Night Knoxville
7pm at The Square Room
4 Market Square
Knoxville, TN 37902

This weekend is the Dogwood Arts Festival (DAF) Art Fair in Market Square. The DAF booth will feature ten of my paintings made especially for the festival (shown below). Their booth is located near the intersection of Union and Market, near the Tennessee Woman Suffrage statue.

The Art Fair will run 11-9 Friday, 10-9 Saturday, and 11-5 Sunday and will showcase 83 local and regional artists plus some good food. Hope you find time to saunter through.

White Blossoms in Clear Ball Jar on slate

White Blossom in Turquoise Ball Jar on wood

Pink Blossoms in Blue Ball Jar on slate

Pink Blossoms in Kerr Jar on wood

I am currently working on putting together a display at Nostalgia on McCalla that will feature furniture by four talented designers and my own artwork, all made from salvaged materials.

Table made by Eric Griffin

The opening for the display will be during Nostalgia's First Friday Earth Day-themed celebration which is today, April 5, from 6-9pm. The display will be up all month thanks to Nostalgia's generous support of Knox Heritage and the fine designers in this show.

Table made by Eric Griffin

Storage Table made by Eric Griffin

Furniture will be by Dakota Montgomery, Dean Yasko, Eric Griffin, and Austin Ferber. Several of their pieces have been made using salvage from The Knox Heritage Salvage Room.

Tile Table by Austin Ferber

Hanging Shelves made by Dean Yasko

I will also be displaying artwork made using windows as well as other raw building materials such as hardware, windows, screens, and doors.

Storage Table by Eric Griffin

Hope to see you tonight, but if not, please stop in at Nostalgia on McCalla during the month of April.

Potting Table by Dakota Montgomery

Mini Salvage Show
at Nostalgia on McCalla
1401 McCalla Ave.
Knoxville, TN 37915
865-622-3252
Facebook Invitation

Hanging Shelves by Dean Yasko

I was interviewed recently by Jennie Everett Caissie for Blank Newspaper. You can view the story here on their website or read it below. Such an honor to be considered a Knoxville Girl!

Knoxville Girl: Beth Meadows

Salvaging Knoxville’s Art Scene 

KG: So, Knoxville Girl, are you originally from Knoxville?

Beth: No. I am from Memphis and I came to Knoxville in 2002 to study art at UT. When I graduated in May of 2007 most people I knew were moving but I decided to stay because I love the mountains and I had really started enjoying Knoxville. I remember the first time I went to First Friday. I was in college and I borrowed a bike and rode from campus to downtown and it was an exhilarating experience. I decided to do it every month. I felt like the Knoxville arts scene was really just starting to get going and I really wanted to be a part of it.

KG: A lot of kids like to draw and paint when they are young but lose that creative spark as they get older. What made you decide to study art in college?

Beth: When I was young I drew all of the time. I didn’t really know what it meant to be a professional artist but I knew I wanted to go to art school. But I did try to change my major several times in college because it scared me too much. I think mentally I wasn’t prepared to make the kind of work I really wanted to make. I just felt I wasn’t ready yet, if that makes sense. It takes a lot to be confident in your work.

KG: What is the oldest piece of your art your parents have on display at their house?

Beth: My parents are really sweet and they bought a lot of my artwork when I was in college. I am sure they have boxes and boxes of my art from over the years. My parents do have a painting hanging up that I made in high school. My dad took a photograph of a mountain landscape that I painted.

KG: You are quite an active blogger, from writing for The Sunsphere is Not a Wigshop to your own blog WithBearHands. How did you get involved as a blogger?

Beth: I was invited to be a writer for the Sunsphere is not a Wigshop blog not too long after I graduated. It was one of the greatest things that ever happened to me. I wasn’t a big blog reader, but I loved writing and I eventually started writing way more than the other writers. There were seven other writers but I felt like I was the most active. We even won Best of Knoxville for two years. Our perspective for that blog was to pretend that we were tourists in Knoxville and that made me love Knoxville even more because I could look at it from the standpoint of what is new here, what have I not seen, and what can I go find out and share with other people. Then I started my own blog, WithBearHands, which now is a blog mostly about what I am creating right now. I really want to use my blog to promote art in Knoxville.

KG: A lot of artists have poor web presence but yours is pretty impressive. Do you have any formal training in web design?

Beth: I have a great friend named Luke who built my website in college. He is a genius. He taught me how to update it myself using code and really set me up for success. I also learned a lot from just being on etsy. The reason I started my own blog was that people on etsy have their blog and then move to Facebook. Anyone can do etsy and blogs but it just takes time.

KG: You also helped to start in the 17th Street Studios at Redeemer Church. Tell us about that.

Beth: I go to church at Redeemer Church in Fort Sanders and they weren’t using the second story of this wing of the church. Pastor Eddie Young, who does a lot with young people, said he didn’t know what to do with the space and I suggested artist studios. So in May 2010 I wrote a proposal with two other people and we submitted to the church and now we have about 13 artists working up there. It is really cool. Each artist has their own studio and there are common spaces too. Artists just apply to me, then there is an interview process, and it’s only $40 to $50 a month. But there is not any heat or air or running water on the floor. It’s kind of basic, but it is a great space to work.

KG: I started Knoxville Girl to introduce the un-sung heroes who do so much to make this community great. Do you ever do any volunteer work or donate your talents, art or time?

Beth: Recently I started in the Big Brothers Big Sisters program and I just got matched so in a couple of months I will have my new Little Sister who is in sixth grade. I wanted to do it because I needed a challenge and this will definitely be a challenge! In college I did a lot of volunteer work but I mostly jumped from organization to organization. I even organized a play group at KARM. But my favorite experience was after I studied abroad I came back and decided to give rides to international students. It had been so awesome when people gave us rides over there. So I decided to do it at UT. My friend said it’d be creepy but I made flyers and put them up all over campus and I said if you are an international student I will give you a ride anywhere, just call me. I tried to organize other drivers but it ended up just being me. So I would take students to get their driver’s license or to the store and they started inviting me to parties and giving me gifts from their countries. And I still keep in touch with some of them from China and Macedonia and Romania… all over the world. I’ve never seen more appreciative people.

After college I started working for Knox Heritage as a volunteer. I was living in Maplehurst at the time and the buildings were falling apart and it just led me to Knox Heritage. They eventually hired me as their administrative assistant and then they hired me full-time to work in their salvage program, which was a dream come true because I love working with my hands and working with materials. I realized that so much of that needed to be recycled because people may not necessarily see the value in them so I started making artwork using materials from the salvage. I curate the “Salvage Show” for Knox Heritage, which has happened twice now. About 20 Knoxville artists make furniture and art out of the salvaged and donated materials and proceeds are shared by the artist and Knox Heritage.

KG: Knoxville has so much going on all of the time. What are some of your favorite things to do in Knoxville?

Beth: I’ve really started doing a lot of new things lately. The other night I went with a couple of friends to the Bearden Beer Market and we did their 5K where you run with a group of people then you drink beer afterwards. It was hard but I would love to keep doing it. I also have a friend who coordinates square dances at The Laurel Theater and it is so much fun. Of course I also still do First Fridays but right now I am in my studio a lot. Plus I love music but as an artist I am on a very limited budget so I love that Knoxville has so many amazing free art and cultural things to do. Basically, if it is free and cultural, I am there. Especially if there is beer! But really, anymore, I am up for whatever.

KG: This ought to be fun. Tell a little-known fact about you.

Beth: A little known fact about me is that I had open heart surgery in high school. But on a lighter note, I like some of Michael Bolton songs. The video for “Said I loved you... but I lied” has fire, flames and stallions, and a lady on the beach. I do like some cheesy music like that. That should be embarrassing enough.

KG: What would you like to see happen in Knoxville over the next five years?

Beth: I think the Knoxville art scene is on a good path, but we have not arrived. It needs a lot of work and the only way that will happen is if good artists can find the means to stay and work here. I stayed in Knoxville to help with that any way I can. I want to see higher standards of art and venues that display art in Knoxville and want to see more people in Knoxville buy artwork.

KG: Where can readers learn more about your art and upcoming projects?

Beth: I have a booth at the new Nostalgia on McCalla and I will have a show at Bliss Home in July, but mostly I am in my studio doing a lot of custom work so I don’t have a lot of shows planned right now. I also have a picture hanging in Bistro at the Bijou or you can also go visit Chyna Brackeen or Peggy Hambright. They have some of my art. But the very best way to visit my Facebook or blog WithBearHands or visit WithBearHands.com

KG: There are so many inspirational women in this town making a difference and changing peoples’ lives for the better. Who would you say is your “Knoxville Girl”?

Beth: Peg Hambright who owns Magpies Bakery. She is a baker and artist but she is an awesome business woman too. She does so well in communicating her product, her color-schemes, her designs, and how they sell themselves; she just does such a great job. She really inspires me.

I'm not really asking you this (I'd feel silly doing that), but it is a question I've been asking myself over the past several months, and I'll tell you why.

I'll kill you with my bear hands acrylic on canvas

To give a little background to those of you who do not know, the name With Bear Hands spawned from a painting I made a few years ago called I'll kill you with my bear hands (above). It's one of my favorite paintings, a good blend of dark humor.

Booth Sign for Dealer at Nostalgia on McCalla

In trying to think of a title for this blog long ago, there was this natural progression of abbreviating that painting's title. So much of what I enjoy doing involves using my hands, my bare hands, to be precise. I decided to use bear instead of bare to add a bizarre element, maybe confusing, hopefully kind of funny. There's really no other explanation than that.

(Well, I also like bears. They're pretty dang cute, and they can also kill you. Sidenote: I saw a black bear for the first time in the Smoky Mountains last year (in the woods and not from my car). We locked eyes, and within a second, he ran the opposite direction. I was in love, mesmerized, happy, scared, exuberant, so glad he ran the other way, bewildered by the fact that he could tear me to pieces, but I scared him more. Amazing...)

Small mason jar paintings on salvaged wood

As time has passed and I gradually refine my business skills, I have wondered whether or not to keep using With Bear Hands as the official name of my business. Is this a good title for all the work I make? Should it only encapsulate part of what I do? All business is, I've come to find out, is a journey of answering a lot of questions.

Commissioned portrait on salvaged window sash

Detail of portrait

I do see a split within my work, specifically drawing a line that separates the work I make that is more accessible to people (i.e. mason jar paintings) and more conceptual fine art (collaborations with Juicy, fabric work, even my narrative paintings).

Available on my etsy shop

But as I keep wandering down this unknown path, there is even more.

Limited Edition prints of original paintings. This is Meet Cute.

In this post, I'm sharing photos of things I have made recently. Several people have asked me to make work for them, which has been really fun as well as educational. It is so rewarding when a person comes to me and says, "I like your work. Will you make me (insert shared idea)?"

I love this aspect of involving people in my studio practice, and so even more, this is what I have realized, not fully, but in part- that With Bear Hands is not only about the mason jars or the fine art I make, it's about all the people involved. Something more: I also want it to be about supporting and promoting other artists' work that I admire, because that seems like an important thing for me to do right now.

Fashion drawing Paint pen on acetate layered on coffee package 8 x 10"

So I guess a new theme I've picked up is the Art of Sharing. Sharing is caring, y'all, and I hope to do more of it in the future.

While we're on the subject, a great way for me to share with you is to follow me on Facebook. This is my new favorite way to talk about what's going on with With Bear Hands.

Commission piece: Tin ceiling tile shadow box