Open Studio
It's only $5 for 3 hours!
(tips at event welcome to cover art supplies)
Come join us for an open studio time where you are free to paint, draw, use the pottery wheel or whatever your artistic heart desires!
Bring your own supplies or use what you can find at the studio. Our available supplies vary so if you have a specific project in mind probably best to bring your own. Typically, we have an assortment of papers, pencils, markers, acrylic paints, water colors, brushes, craft supplies, etc.
All Ages welcome!
Every Sunday
4-7pm
No Open Studio:
Nov 23rd & 30th (Thanksgiving)
Dec 21st & 28th (Christmas)
PAY HERE OR IN PERSON
CASH OR VENMO
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!
*Registration can be used for ANY Sunday
Intro to Floral Design
with Stacy Wiatrak
Learn the basic concepts utilized in floral design from a professional floral designer.
Watch as she demonstrates these principles and applies them in creating arrangements
Listen while she provides inside tips and tricks of the trade.
Create your own professional style vase arrangement using premium florals with her guidance while adding your own personal flair. All materials are provided.
(Class size restricted to 10 for optimal instruction)
Tuesday, January 27th
1-4pm
$180
*no refunds beyond 4 days prior to scheduled class
Floral Paint Sculptures
with Nicola Stadler
The instructor demonstrates how to build dimension: how to load the paint so petals curl and overlap, how to carve gentle veins into leaves, how color shifts from light to shadow give the flowers life. There’s talk of balance and composition—how clustered roses feel romantic and abundant, while a single bold bloom commands quiet confidence.
Students compare textures, experiment with pressure, and learn how framing can elevate a small piece into something precious. By the end of class, each artwork feels personal—part technique, part emotion—proof that painting can be sculptural, joyful, and deeply expressive all at once.
(Class size restricted to 10 for optimal instruction)
Monday, January 12th
1-3pm
$65
Adult/Child
Valentine's Day Workshop
with Stacy Wiatrak
Bring a “ little” someone special and join professional floral designer, Stacy Wiatrak, for a Valentine’s floral workshop.
Learn the basics of floral design and how to build beautiful floral arrangments.
Create your very own floral arrangements in beautiful, matching Valentine’s Day vases with premium flowers to take home!
(Class size restricted to 8 pairs)
children 7 and up please
Sunday, Feb 1st
12-2pm
$165 per pair*
*no refunds beyond 4 days prior to scheduled class
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
Homeschool Classes
with Melissa Laskaris
Each session is unique so students can do one or more as schedules allow. We will explore a variety
of materials and techniques while also studying a variety of topics including elements of art and
design, color theory, art history, aesthetics, and more.
Students will complete one canvas project and a variety of additional art as time allows.
Of course, there will be all the messy fun and plenty of opportunities for students to express
themselves creatively.
$175
6 WEEK CLASS
Dates/Times:
Monday, January 5th, Monday, January 12th, Monday, January 19th, Monday, February 2nd, Monday,
February 9th, and Monday, February 16th
9:30-10:30 AM
MARCH/APRIL 6 WEEK SESSION ALSO AVAILABLE
All Materials Included
OIL PAINTING 1
with Elisabeth Marsch
Join us to learn and develop your oil painting abilities with guided instruction.
This class is perfect to:
-
Dive into oils as a beginner painter
-
Continue learning oil painting if you enjoyed the Intro to Oils classes
-
Develop your painting skills if you’re already experienced with oils
Over 6 weeks we will learn how to make beautiful oil paintings from beginning to end. Students will enjoy hands-on painting time with guided instruction and teacher feedback. We will have opportunities to practice landscape, still life, florals, animals, and/or portraits, depending on student inclination. Each participant will receive a simple guide for creating oil paintings and a convenient supply list for painting at home. All materials will be provided for painting in class.
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. For those who attended the Intro to Oils classes, we will explore those concepts and materials in greater depth while creating more polished paintings over multiple sessions.
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!
For beginners to intermediate painters
Follow Up to Intro to Oils
Monday Nights, 6-8pm, Jan 19 - Feb 23
$400 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.
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.
© 2023 by MUSICK PRODUCTIONS. Proudly created with Wix.com