Corner Arts Gallery
TURN THE CORNER INTO CREATIVITY
Written by ROBIN STEWART | Photographed by JACKIE KENNEDY
Corner Arts Gallery owner Jenny Jones welcomes old and new customers to her new digs on Jackson Street in Newnan.
For artistic experiences that tickle the right brain, Corner Arts Gallery, Studio and Gift Shop in Newnan has the right stuff.
Step inside their new location at 390 Jackson Street, Suite E, to find wall-to-wall original, handcrafted works by 35 local creatives, including painters, photographers, jewelers, potters/sculptors, woodcarvers, seamstresses and soap makers.
Some of the creators don’t consider themselves artists in the usual sense of the word, according to Corner Arts owner and artist Jenny Jones.
“But if you create, that’s your artistry,” she says.
Corner Arts maintains a full calendar of events, classes, and workshops – all wonderful opportunities to cultivate a new hobby or simply find a creative outlet. Some visitors are one-and-done folks looking to try their hand at something new. Many become regulars, attending classes for years. Giving it more than just a college try, hobbyists frequently become dedicated to their artful endeavors, according to Jones.
“I’ve got students who’ve been coming since I opened,” she says.
In business for 15 years, Corner Arts was at its former location on Newnan’s Court Square for almost 12 years. The move to 390 Jackson Street put it on yet another corner, voila!
One of the most popular activities at the now-roomy studio is Paint Your Own Pottery (PYOP) classes. Jones says guests who come to paint ceramics may choose from a large selection of unfinished pieces, including seasonal items, functional pieces and lots of décor. Painters are welcome to select food-safe glazes so their creations may be used in their own kitchens. After they’ve painted their pieces, Jones takes them home with her and fires them in her kiln.
Touch of Earth pottery is a mainstay at Corner Arts.
Madison McCarty teaches pottery painting at Corner Arts Gallery. Friendly and knowledgeable, she guides visitors through the process, sharing decorative options which include stencils and silk screening on the ceramics.
“Teaching has increased my confidence, and I love the fun atmosphere,” says McCarty, who has been with the Gallery for three years and calls it “a wonderful experience.”
Marie Dingler teaches what Jones calls “string art.” This includes knitting, crocheting, quilting, sewing and even tatting, a lesser known handicraft that uses a specific process to create rings and chains that form a delicate lace. Many of Dingler’s students are also long-timers.
Other classes include oil painting and acrylic painting instruction. In addition to weekly classes, there are monthly workshops for needle felting, manga drawing and cartooning, and glass and resin crafts. All classes can be reserved online at cornerartsgallery.net.
The vibe at Corner Arts is welcoming to all skill levels, from novice to professional. Classes are open to ages 3 to adult.
Jones says she’s seen many students evolve into accomplished creators who sell their work in the Corner Arts gift shop. This includes three painters and another shop artist who sells her handbags, pillows and aprons that she learned to sew from Dingler.
“She didn’t know how to sew a lick before Covid,” Jones recalls. “She started coming here then, and now she’s got her space to sell here.”
Colleen Benevedes is an artist, instructor and volunteer at Corner Arts. She teaches Friday paint nights and felting classes.
“I was a customer about three years ago who was welcomed with open arms to the wonderful world of Jenny's art gallery,” says Benevedes. “It doesn’t matter what level you are, Jenny is so encouraging to all. I’m grateful to be a part of this beautiful family.”
Students who come for classes are largely from Coweta and Fayette Counties, according to Jones, who is also founder of the Downtown Newnan Labor Day Arts Festival, an event created to fill the void left when Powers’ Crossroads Country Fair and Arts Festival ended its decades-long run in 2014.
In the first years after Powers ended, nothing artistic was happening in the Newnan/Coweta area during the Labor Day weekend, according to Jones, who says visitors to her shop asked about it, wondering about the lack of such.
Working with her cadre of creatives, including John Von Eschenbach, Jones organized a Labor Day Arts show eight years ago that’s grown beyond the Powers void. The annual event features a street festival atmosphere with as many as 60 vendors plus a variety of food trucks. Many local shops and restaurants started opening on Labor Day weekend as a result of the local arts festival.
“It’s been great,” says Jones. “We get good feedback every year.”
Wearing the multiple hats of business owner, art instructor, mom and grandmother, Jones still finds time to wear the one that started it all: Artist. She continues to paint with commissioned works often occupying her easel.
When creating for her personal enjoyment, Jones most enjoys painting lighthouses, the ocean and landscapes. She maintains membership in the Newnan Coweta Art Association.
It’s an (Art) Jungle Out There!
As far back in time as drawings on cave walls, the call of the wild has beckoned many an artist. Animals as the subjects of art are irresistible to both the creator and the collector. Many creatives focus on animals in their art or craft; Corner Arts Gallery artists are no exception.
Owner Jenny Jones shares the creative zoo of arts and crafts featuring critters of all kinds. Large-scale wooden carvings of a bear and turtle greet gallery visitors. They are the works of Patrick Oliphant, a chainsaw artist who’s been honing his craft for 10 years.
Cecil Cornwell is a woodcarver and painter. An avid fisherman, his carvings are inspired by nature and include fish, birds, turtles and even famed yellow jacket Buzz, the Georgia Tech mascot.
Needle felting is taught by Colleen Benevedes, and critters are abundant. Students create three-dimensional donkeys, mice and ladybugs. Other scenes feature owls, sheep, and more. Benevedes also crochets, as does fellow instructor Marie Dingler. Both offer adorable, wearable creations. You can find a hat shaped like an octopus or a kitty cat cap, among others.
Photographer Marie Umbach features birds as her subjects.
Jones herself sometimes chooses animals for her artwork. Her oil painting “Fishy, Fishy” is a striking, colorful profile of the underwater swimmer.
From tiny insects to winged things and everything in between, the wild world of animals will continue to inspire artists from novice to master.
