Tour coming to Warren County

LISA HOBBS – News Editor

Off The Beaten Path Studio Tour has included Warren County in its annual event scheduled for Oct. 23-25.

The three-day self-guided art studio tour featuring 33 talented artists at 16 unique stops throughout DeKalb, Cannon and Warren counties. Locally, Melody Brock at stop number two and Kelsey Smith at stop number 15, are participating.

Brock makes mostly handmade ceramic planters, but she also likes to make other types of functional and decorative pieces. They often incorporate lace or floral impressions or hand sculpted creatures like bees, chameleons, or dragonflies.

“Creating pottery is good for the soul and allows an escape from our busy world,” said Brock. “I especially love being able to create my own succulent planters, but I also enjoy spreading joy to others through art. My favorite parts in the process are sculpting pieces out of a chunk or slab of clay and also getting to the final stage where it’s time to open a finished glaze load and feeling like I’m a kid at Christmas every single time.”

Smith is the owner of Hilo Studios. She is a functional potter and is a lover of all art practices and helping people along their creative journeys.

“I consider myself a traditional potter, working in thrown and hand-built pottery with a folk design aesthetic,” said Smith. “These patterns and elements are inspired by my family's farm, located in McMinnville, TN. I am currently using midrange clay and glazes, creating all food- and dishwasher-safe functional pottery. I got my start in the arts studying culinary arts, but the better I got at sculpting and designing, the more it hurt destroying those very tasty designs. I signed up for my first pottery class in 2012 and was instantly hooked. I got my BFA in 2014 with a concentration in ceramics, and I have been working as a functional potter since.”

Off The Beaten Path Studio Tour is a non-profit organization. For more information about the tour, visit www.offthebeatenpathtour.com