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Gemma & Nora Bernard

Guitar Name: Belle Meade Strut

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17 year old twins, Gemma & Nora Bernard are both self-taught artists. They are the oldest children in a family of eight and have received continued support from their parents in their artistic endeavors. Gemma’s first public painting experience came at the age of 6 at the Arts in the Heart of Augusta festival. Since then she, along with her sister Nora, have been an active participants in the young artists section of the festival. Nora has also been a volunteer helping paint backdrops for ACT of Warrenton’s play “Mary Poppins.” This dynamic duo has also hosted 3 art camps and has set a goal to illustrate a children’s book by the end of 2016. Gemma & Nora’s guitar will be a tribute to the Belle Meade Hunt.

Guitar Name: William Bartram's Wildflowers of McDuffie County

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Tanna describes herself as a true folk artist much like Willie McTell was. She has drawn and painted since childhood and is largely self-taught. And while her work has not been displayed professionally her life is decorated with her artwork. Tanna’s guitar will be tribute to Wrightsboro, its Quaker history and William Bartram’s travels through the area.

Tanna Blankenship

Guitar Name: Travelin' Blues

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​Kenya Calhoun’s introduction to painting does not follow any traditional path. While in graduate school over 15 years ago, she desired to have beautiful art on her walls. However, she didn’t have the funds to support her desire.  Then one day she saw a cardboard box top and decided to paint it as if it were a canvas. Kenya has come a long way since she painted that first box top. She is a past member of the McDuffie Arts Council and has had her work displayed and sold at the gallery. She believes that art should proclaim truth and tell a story and it was her desire to spread the truth about Blind Willie’s impact on Thomson, GA that led her to this project. 

Kenya Calhoun

Guitar Name: Three Women Blues

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​If Tish Chase looks familiar to you, it’s because she was the Executive Director of the Thomson-McDuffie Chamber of Commerce for 3 years before leaving to follow her true passion of art. Tish opened her own art studio in January of last year and has been busy drawing, painting and teaching to art students ranging in age from 6 – 62. Tish was also one of the 3 artists that painted the original wood guitars in the early stages of this project. Tish’s guitar will be a visual interpretation of one of Blind Willie McTell’s songs “Three Women Blues.”

Tish Chase

Bodie Cummings

Guitar Name: Georgia on My Mind

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​Marion “Bodie” Cummings started drawing and painting in the 6th grade. He loved to paint the breakaway banners that the football team ran through before games and was influenced and encouraged with his artistic endeavors by Mr. Calvin Sampson, one of his instructors at R.L. Norris High School. He won a scholarship to Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art and has won 1st Place at the Georgia Carolina State Fair on 3 occasions. Bodie’s guitar design, titled “Georgia On My Mind” will pay homage to Georgia musicians past and present, including Thomson’s Chris Crenshaw, a member of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

Guitar Name: First Night

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​Morgan Hillman’s art work is displayed throughout Thomson High School where she is a senior. Over the last few years she has become heavily involved in art, testing several different types of media before setting into painting and drawing. One of her pictures placed first in the Regional Georgia Farm Bureau Calendar Contest and another is on exhibit at MAC on Main.  Morgan’s guitar will be a Van Gogh inspired painting of Blind Willie McTell.

Morgan Hillman

Grady Moss

Guitar Name: Blind Willie's Blues

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​Grady Moss’ art should be familiar to most people in the area. He has painted a mural for a local day care center, had a pastel drawing of Tiger Woods displayed at the White Columns Inn and painted portrait of the Godfather of Soul, James Brown; which hung in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in Macon for four years. His home is adorned with his drawings of celebrities he admires: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bob Marley, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder just to name a few.  While Moss uses many different mediums, his preferred medium is a simple number two pencil. Grady’s guitar will be a tribute to Blind Willie McTell.

Adrienne Murphy

Guitar Name: Braille Blues

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Adrienne Murphy is a visual artist currently working in the fields of sculpture and fashion. She studied Studio Art at the College of Charleston, graduating in 2005. Adrienne took her inspiration for her guitar design from McTell’s ability to overcome adversity; he learned to read Braille sheet music and went on to become one of the world’s most celebrated Blues musicians. Her goal is to inspire and educate the community about the tools blind people use to play music.  Adrienne currently has sculptures on display at several Ripley’s Believe it Or Not museums across the country.  Check out Adreienne’s clothing line at www.statethelabel.com.

Guitar Name: Remembering Blind Willie

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​Maureen Smith was introduced to decorative painting in October of 1993. By 1994 she had opened a decorative painting shop in Lancaster, California, where she lived. She began teaching decorative painting there and in other shops around the Southern California area for the years, eventually becoming a Certified One Stroke Instructor. Since 2007, she has lived in Warrenton and opened Artistic Endeavors in 2014; her artwork can be seen in several public spaces around Warrenton. Her guitar theme will be Willie McTell. 

Maureen Smith

Guitar Name: Blue Strings

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​Toni Renee Starnes is a self-taught artist who has turned her passion into a successful business in Thomson. Hydroshock Grafix has produced work for Luke Bryan, the Allman Brothers Band Museum, and Bass Pro Shop, just to name a few! Visit their website at www.hydroshockgrafix.com. She was motivated by the influence that Blind Willie’s music has had on so many musicians and her guitar design will reflect that inspiration.

Renee Starnes

Guitar Name: Camellia City Blues

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​For Melanie Stokes, painting has been a lifelong hobby. A hobby led her to teaching Visual Arts in school for more than 20 years. Melanie has become very serious about developing her skills over the last 10 years and has participated in a number of juried exhibitions. She was one of the artists on the original Blind Willie Guitar project in 2014; painting her guitar in the style of Mondrian’s Broadway Boogie Woogie.  She is presently employed by Washington-Wilkes County Schools in Washington, Georgia as the K-8 Visual Arts teacher. She plans on developing her skills even farther when she retires from teaching at the end of this school year. Melanie’s guitar theme is Camellia City Blues.

Melanie Stokes

Guitar Name: Leonid Afremov's Night Alley on Guitar

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​Isabel Vasquez is a senior at Thomson High School. She has made props for many of the high school musicals, including Beauty and the Beast and the Wizard of Oz.  She has worked in several different Medias but painting is her top skill. She has completed a multi-media piece for the Congressional Art Competition,  a nationwide high school visual art competition to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district. She won third place in the GFB High School Art Contest, and the Jimmy Carter NHS Education Programs Art Contest. Isabel’s guitar will be a replica of Leonid Afremov’s “Night Alley.”

Isabel Vasquez

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