Month: June 2020

First Mural in Downtown Sevierville: Wings of Wander

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Many have noticed beautiful public art and wondered when we could have the same in downtown Sevierville. Today is the day! The first mural in downtown Sevierville has been created by local artist, Pinkie Mistry.

Pinkie was chosen by the Sevierville Commons Association to create the first mural downtown at 111 E. Main Street on the back of a building owned by Sevier County Bank. I watched the process over several days and am happy to share pictures depicting the evolution of our new mural downtown. It is amazing! 

Day 1

I drove down Bruce Street and parked behind the gazebo. The large, white wall beckoned for color and the stroke of a brush. 

I pulled out a lawn chair and joined Sofia to watch the beginning of the process as the sun set over the courthouse. 

First, Pinkie projected an outline on the wall and then centered it to her preference. A perfect fit! 
Next, Pinkie and her husband took careful measurements. The mural is about 16 feet high and 20 feet across. 
The mural shows a large set of butterfly wings with smaller butterflies floating away  to the left. That makes this butterfly mural extra special, in my opinion. The artist chose the monarch butterfly in particular because they are found in Tennessee during the yearly migration to Mexico. 
Next, Pinkie and her husband fixed scaffolding to allow her to reach the higher areas of the mural. I left before they added the second level of scaffolding. That would have made me nervous to be so high in the air!

Day 2

I dropped by on my way to work and found the wings taking shape with beautiful color. Pinkie sat high above the ground to reach the top of the butterfly.

Two sections of scaffolding reached the higher parts of the mural.
I saw this posted on a Facebook Live feed so I took a quick screenshot to capture this work in progress. Consequently, that is why you see the emojis in the bottom left corner.  
On my way home after work, I returned in time to see a WBIR reporter recording the story. I didn’t disturb them—just took a snap. 

Here is a link to the news story on WBIRTV. https://www.wbir.com/article/life/sevierville-artist-brightening-up-her-hometown-with-beautiful-butterfly-mural/51-69dcbbb4-8127-4d53-84d0-548a24d2417e

Many of us are nervous on ladders and dealing with heights so this moment was interesting. It shows how the artist captured the finer touches of the work. I saw her balancing the paint bucket on the ladder in front of her and admired both her composure and balance. 

The Finished Product!

The next morning, I stopped by on the way to work and found the finished mural ready to enjoy! This is how it will look as you drive into the parking lot from Bruce Street. 

Here is the hashtag to find photos of the Wings of Wander mural on social media—and where to post your photos as well. #wingsofwander  In addition, it shows how to find info on this artist. Here is a link to Pinkie Mistry’s Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/DesignsByPinkieMistry/ 
and find her on Instagram at @pinkiemistryart. 
                                                            Beautiful!
                            Now, there is nothing left to do but enjoy it!
Wear black clothing and you almost seem to become the monarch butterfly!
This may be the best thing downtown and it is free! Come and enjoy Wings of Wander, the first mural in downtown Sevierville. Many thanks to Pinkie Mistry for her talent! It was worth the wait! 

 

First Sevierville Farmers Market of 2020: Summer Fresh

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Apparently a lot of other people were ready for the Sevierville Farmers Market last Friday because there was a nice crowd. I met my friend Heidi in the parking lot, put on my mask, and grabbed a bag to hold my acquisitions. Here are some collages and photos of the best of the market last Friday.

Remember, the farmers market is at the city hall complex while construction takes place downtown.
I put on my cabi mask and was ready to shop.
Next time, I will park closer to the Civic Center and walk a little farther—less traffic. Glad to see the market busy though!
One of our favorite vendors from Grainger County.
This is a great vendor! She has magnesium bath salts which are good for health.
The vendor was lovely. We enjoyed the samples which prompted my friend to buy some lotion. Her lip balm was good so I also bought a tube of that to put in my purse. You can never have enough lip balm.
The market is spaced out very well and plenty of parking.
These recycled art bracelets were comfortable and clever. You can see what they are made of: aluminum can pop tops. Love the purple and white!
This was my favorite vendor on Friday—and I found out that I know her!

This vendor has a farm in Seymour and raises sheep so there are many products from wool and lanolin.

She made these animal magnets from wool from her sheep. The animal magnets were absolutely amazing!

Tomatoes from the field will be ready in two weeks. The vendor assured me that I would not be able to tell the difference. They were good!

A farmers market for both man and beast!

These strawberries smelled divine!
A cool, round zucchini from Henderson’s market!
Beautiful basil plants.
Beautiful tie die shirts. These vendors are so nice.

This couple said that they ordered their face shields on Amazon. I went home and ordered a couple for myself to use in August.

Henderson’s Market has it all!

I bought the collard greens pictured above from this vendor from Kodak. The collards were tender so I steamed them and used a Kosher salt. Very good!

Here is the info on Garner Farm. Yes, that is their dog in the ad.
I will visit this vendor again. Very nice samples of lotions.

When you finish with the farmers market, take a stroll on the new section of the greenway. I like this new bridge that extends the trail and helps pedestrians walking along DPP.

Heidi and I walked three laps on the Greenway and then bid farewell to the first farmers market of 2020.

I saw a good crowd at the market and know that it will have a good season. See you there!