The Red Door
Please join us for a guys’ night out to paint or draw and to socialize. Artists of all skill levels are welcome from experienced artists to complete beginners. This will be an open studio where you are free to work on what you want, with no instruction. Bring your project or start one here. If you have art supplies, please bring them to use. If not, some supplies will be available to get you started. No oil paints please. Tables/flat surfaces and easels will be provided.
When: 2nd & 4th Thursdays of Month
Time: 6-8PM
Where: There Art Forge of Franklin
1117 Columbia Ave
RSVP halwri@gmail.com
Art Knights
Art Forge Parties
Perfect for Birthday Parties, Corporate Team Building, Bachelorette Parties, and more!
You can choose from Instructed Classes where we provide a Project, Instructor and Supplies to Non-Instructed where you provide your own supplies and craft/art project. Art Forge always has extra supplies on hand too!
Group Hourly Rates include up to 12 Participants.
Please call us at 615-669-6289 or email theartforgefranklin@gmail.com to schedule your time!
The Art Forge is an artist cooperative in the heart of Franklin, TN.
We provide the community with professional level art instruction for children and adults.
Look for our Red Door on the North side of the Williamson Herald Newspaper building in between Lotz House Civil War Museum and The Fainting Goat Coffee.
We also have hourly walk in passes, monthly memberships, parties and more!
Scroll to the bottom of this page to learn all about it!
There Art Forge of Franklin
1117 Columbia Ave
Franklin, TN 37064
(615) 669-6289
Painting Butterflies
with Nicola Stadler
Instructor: Nicola Stadler
Project Size: 4" × 4" Canvas
Medium: Acrylic (heavy body + detail work)
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Class Length: 2 hours
In this immersive workshop, students will create a sculptural butterfly composed entirely of layered floral forms. Using thick acrylic paint and petal-building techniques, we will explore texture, dimension, and tonal blending in violet hues. This class focuses on transforming simple flower shapes into a cohesive, symbolic composition representing growth, softness, and transformation.
Students will leave with a finished 4" × 4" dimensional artwork and a deeper understanding of movement, balance, and raised paint application.
(Class size restricted to 10 for optimal instruction)
Monday, April 13th
1-3pm
$55
Adult Abstract Art
with Melissa Laskaris
This class is a 6 week study on abstract art.
Each student will complete one 18”x24” canvas and a variety of paper pieces and smaller canvases.
Composition, color theory, color mixing, acrylic techniques, mixed media techniques, and more will
be covered in this session as students are guided to create a variety of finished pieces.
(Class size restricted to 8)
6 THURSDAYS
MARCH 19- APRIL 23
9:30AM - 11:30AM
$295
All Materials Included
APRIL OIL PAINTING
with Elisabeth Marsch
April Oil Painting
For beginners to intermediate painters
Monday Nights, 6-8pm, April 6 - 27, 2026
$295 per person - All materials provided
Blurb
Join us to learn and develop your oil painting abilities with guided instruction from professional painter Elisabeth Marsch.
This class is perfect to:
-
Dive into oils as a beginner painter
-
Continue learning oil painting if you have attended Elisabeth’s previous oil classes
-
Develop your painting skills if you’re already experienced with oil paints
Over 4 weeks students will enjoy hands-on painting time with guided instruction and teacher feedback. Students can bring an existing painting project, or a reference of their choice, or they can choose a reference in class with teacher guidance. Instruction will be tailored to each student’s experience and needs while enjoying creative community together.
We will learn about pigments, oils, mediums, canvasses, and more. We’ll learn foundational and advanced techniques plus tips and tricks for working with oils while creating your very own paintings in class. Each participant will receive a simple guide for creating oil paintings and a convenient supply list for painting at home.
All materials provided. Reference photos for painting will be provided, but students are welcome to bring photos of their own to paint. Beginners and experienced students welcome!
To see more of Elisabeth’s work, visit www.MarschStudios.com
For beginners to intermediate painters
Monday Nights, 6-8pm, April 6 - 27, 2026
$295 per person - All materials provided
Groups/Parties
Perfect for Birthday Parties, Corporate Team Building, Bachelorette Parties, and more!
You can choose from Instructed Classes where we provide an Instructor and Supplies to Non-Instructed where you provide your own supplies and craft project. Art Forge always has extra supplies on hand too!
Group Hourly Rates include up to 12 Participants with $20/hr for additional participants.
Please call us at 615-669-6289 or email theartforgefranklin@gmail.com to schedule your time
and pick your course (Group Instructed Parties).
Walk-Ins Hourly Pass
Not looking for a membership but just want a workspace you can be messy in for a few hours? We got you covered! Please call us at 615-669-6289 or email theartforgefranklin@gmail.com to get your door access code and instructions.
PRICES ARE PER PERSON PER HOUR
LOCATION:
1117 Columbia Ave
Franklin, TN 37064
FRONT ENTRANCE
(NORTH SIDE OF WILLIAMSON HERALD BUILDING)
Class Instructors
CAMDEN
Camden Jones is a dedicated artist with a Master of Arts degree and a deep-rooted passion for the outdoors. His work is grounded in a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and quiet, often-overlooked moments. Whether painting en plein air or observing the subtle movement of wildlife, Camden brings a sense of honesty to every brushstroke.
In addition to his studio and fieldwork, Camden has a genuine heart for teaching. With patience, encouragement, and a love for the craft, he creates a welcoming space where students of all levels can explore and thrive.
Camden creates with thoughtful expression—believing that feeling the wind, hearing the birds, and watching the light shift add something irreplaceable to his work. Through his art and teaching, he aims to share his curiosity while helping others find their own creative voice.
STACY
MELISSA
Melissa has been involved in all things art all of her adult life. She studied art education at The University of Tennessee – Martin and has a Bachelor of Science in Education with a major in art education. She began her teaching career in the art classroom in the suburbs of Memphis in the late 1990s. During this time, she earned a teaching license with a K-12 art endorsement. She has worked professionally teaching students from preschool to college level. She also holds a Master of Architecture degree and spent years designing hospitals with an amazing firm in the Nashville area.
After leaving the professional world of architecture, she became a stay-at-home mom to her two wonderful kids (her favorite job yet). As her kids were growing, she become ready to step back into art on a more full-time level. Over the past seven years, she has enjoyed stepping back into one of her favorite roles as educator. She started Art Smart Kids from her home and has loved sharing her love of art with a whole new group of creative learners as her business has grown. She now offers classes, camps, and custom commissions for ages 2-adult.
ELISABETH
Elisabeth Marsch specializes in portrait and figure painting on reacted copper panels. She works with acids, metal, and unusual materials to create rich substrates for her paintings, which explore the human psyche and its relationship to other people and the world.
Since taking her undergraduate degree in painting, aesthetics, and philosophy from Union University (Jackson, TN), she has worked as a metal smith, artist, and art tutor while showing in solo and group exhibitions and giving talks on the practice and philosophy of art. In 2016 she attended a residency at the New York Academy of Art in lower Manhattan, upon completion of which she moved to Franklin, TN to further develop her work in portraiture. Elisabeth has attended workshops with a variety of master artists, including Makoto Fujimura (2018), Richie Carter (2022), Ernest Vincent Wood III (2024), and Suchitre Bhosle (2025). In 2024 she moved to Spring Hill, TN where she continues to develop her work in the human figure and experimental media.
Elisabeth is a member of NOAPS, the Portrait Society of America, the Chestnut Group, the Spring Hill Chamber of Commerce, and is a member with Distinction of American Women Artists.
https://www.marschstudios.com/
IG @Marsch_Studios and @Minuscule_Portraits
SAMM
Born in Columbus, OH Samm Musick shared a love of art with his late Father and Art collector Ron Musick. Samm's passion for theater and music combined with a love for travel have angled Samm to study art and architecture in Europe, Asia, The Middle East, Australia and The Americas.
Samm studied art at O'More College of Design while studying Interior Design.
NICOLA
Hello my name is Nicola.
I love to paint with heavy textured Acrylics! Heavy texture allows me the creativity of bringing my paintings to a whole new dimension.
My inspiration has always been nature and especially florals! I think that stems from my English background and my Mother's love for flowers. I was born in England and my family moved to California where I grew up but I have called Tennessee home for 32 years.
Stacy Wiatrak is a highly accomplished floral designer and instructor who carries multiple distinctions through her professional journey. As the original founder of esteemed flower shop Laurel and Leaf, she has specialized in custom arrangements for her impressive client list.
Stacy has received accolades
for her work, including being listed in the top 20 florists in the South by Southern Living Magazine, named Voter’s Choice in Nashville House and Home Magazine for five consecutive years, and consistently placed in the top three florists on Yelp.
Her instructor credentials include
workshops for corporate groups, community groups, schools, and private gatherings.
After nearly a decade of being a business owner, Stacy sold Laurel & Leaf in January of 2025. She is now passing along what she knows by offering classes and is enjoying traveling with her husband.
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