Meet Artist Eva Malaspino

Several times a year, the Franklin County Arts Guild holds community art shows at its gallery, Artisan Depot, in Cowan, TN. Anyone can participate, whether a Guild member or not. The next community art show will be on display August 3 through September 10. The theme is "American Retro," and the public is invited to the opening reception on Friday, August 4 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. Let's meet one of the participating artists, Eva Malaspino...

​My husband and I moved to the Sewanee area about 10 years ago from Indianapolis.   I am a retired nurse and a practicing Reiki Master at Sewanee Holistic Health. Nursing was what I did to put bread on the table and a roof over our heads; art and music are what I do to feed my soul.  

My husband is a wood craftsman who exhibited in arts-and-crafts shows and fairs in Sewanee and Monteagle and throughout the state until a recent illness. He is a past member of the Sewanee Arts & Crafts Association.

I have been involved in the arts in one way or another for nearly 60 years. At various life stages, I have focused on oil or acrylic painting of landscapes, still life, folk art and tole painting. I also was a calligrapher and taught calligraphy. One of my art instructors impressed upon me that, if I was working from a photo and did not personally take that photo, then my painting was not an original. That began my interest in photography (my father was an amateur photographer, too); I have also participated in community theater and am a vocalist.

---

"Truckload of Memories," by Eva Malaspino

After retiring from nursing in 2014, I began participating in the Sewanee Writers Group that meets at Connie Kelley's home in Sewanee. I decided that I could pair my photos with my poems and essays, and the photo of the pickup truck was my first venture.  

It is with pride I submit this photo of my Grandfather's pickup truck, bought new in 1941, used in his business, passed on to my father, and then to me. It was lovingly restored by my nephew, who cares for it now.  My father courted my mother in it, and my grandfather took us for rides in the country, visiting family, and to the county fair in it. It followed the hearse in my father's funeral procession. It truly is a "Truckload of Memories" and definitely American Retro.

It has been my intention for some time to submit art work to the Franklin County Arts Guild but, to borrow a quote, "life is what happens when you are making other plans."

---

---

​The Franklin County Arts Guild also operates the Artisan Depot located at 204 Cumberland St. East in Cowan, Tennessee. Gallery hours are noon to 5:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays. Click here for more information, like our Facebook page, or contact Diana Lamb at 931-308-4130.
​

---