Artists present long-awaited mural in downtown Scotts Hill

SCOTTS HILL, Tenn. — Local muralists use art to tell the history of a community.

Located in downtown Scotts Hill, the mural was commissioned by the City of Scotts Hill and funded by a grant through the Tennessee Arts Commission.

Artists Amber Douglas and Shannon Turnbo said the city council picked out this picture.

“It’s actually an etching from their history book. Originally they wanted to do it in black and white and I said I would, but then when we started working on it, I said that it needs color,” said Amber Douglas.

Thanks to Jessica Sanders pushing for color, Douglas and Turnbo were able to make it happen using optical color mixing.

“The picture of the etching itself reminded me of Van Gough, which I know that he wasn’t necessarily a draftsman, he was a painter, but just the lines in it, I could look at that etching and see that in color in his style,” said Douglas.

According to the citizens of Scotts Hill, one of the pictures on the mural represents the first post office in Scotts Hill, which was nothing but a small corner of the log storehouse where Micajah Scott had been operating a trading post for several years.

“Once we got the sketch completely on the wall, it took us about 60 hours to put the color to it,” said Douglas.

Shannon Turnbo said that she never went to college for art but that she wanted to encourage others.

“Just get out, don’t give up. Do what you love to do, keep doing it and practice everyday. Reach out and find the same mutual people that do what you like to do. You can get to experience doing murals through meeting new people and finding friends that do what you like to do,” said Turnbo.

Douglas said that their next mural will be at Decatur County Bank .

Douglas also said that her daughter helped with the words alongside the mural and to expect more murals in the future.

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