Back in Gatlinburg
John Dixon finds more than he expected at a familiar vacation spot.
By John Dixon, Scholastic Student Reporter
 Gatlinburg (Photo: AP Wide World) |
Dad and I made our usual pilgrimage to Sevierville to visit the Smoky Mountain Knife Works and the Giant Antique and Collectibles Mall on Sevierville Highway. I snagged two Star Wars collectibles from Episode I at the antique mall, which as really cool because I had struck out at three toy outlets the day before.
On Tuesday we drove down the Newport Highway and visited the Old Harrisburg Covered Bridge, which was a cool side trip. We stopped at A&W for a classic root beer float and then headed for the Country Tonite conert in Pigeon Forge. That was a great show!
Since I had just visited the Aquarium in Charleston days before, I skipped my planned aquarium visit and spent Wednesday walking all over Gatlinburg taking in the sights and visiting our favorite shops. Much of my family is Scotch-Irish so we dropped in at the Celtic Heritage Shop, where we bought the Dixon Family crest and coat of arms. We also drove the Roaring Forks Motor Trail for a taste of Great Smoky Mountains Nation Park and a look at Gatlinburg history. I didn't end up doing what I planned but it was a great trip anyway!
 John Dixon with mural painter David Freeman (Photo: courtesy John Dixon) |
Sometimes you can find the best stories by talking to the people where you live, or at least where you live for the moment. On Tuesday morning when we headed out, I saw a man unloading his car and setting up an umbrella, chair, and table. By the time we returned that evening he was cleaning up. The next day he was there again when we left and still there when we returned. I realized he was painting a mural on the wall at the entrance to the resort. On the third day, I asked the man, who turned out to be artist David Freeman, if he would grant me an interview.
David Freeman is an artist from nearby Newport, Tennessee, who had been commissioned to paint an acrylic mural on the huge wall at the entrance to Mountain Loft. It seems a maintenance man at the resort had seen some of Freeman's work at another site and recommended him to disguise the ugly concrete wall at the entrance to our beautiful resort.
Freeman has been working on the current project for three months. The 200-foot mural, his largest, started with a pencil sketch. He paints the background a section at a time, later adding layers of detail. He expects to be done by the end of the summer. The day I spoke to him he was just getting ready to add a big black bear fishing in the creek he had recently finished. I asked what advice he had for young artists. Mr. Freeman said to practice drawing and find a school that teaches what you like to draw. It sounds like good advice to me.
