Meet Dorothy Reavis | Public and Fine artists

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dorothy Reavis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dorothy, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
I highly encourage taking risks; playing it safe will only get you so far and if you really want to become successful or do something on a grander scale then get outside your comfort zone and put your efforts into taking risks. I always encourage my students, no matter how young or how old to have faith in themselves and push their limits beyond what they think they can do.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most of my adult life, I battled with finding purpose in serving my community creatively while balancing the commitment to my personal artistic journey. I started my career as a high school art teacher and centered my professional focus on advocating for accessibility for arts education and demonstrated how the visual arts supports academics and the overall intellectual and cultural development of students.

Though I was successful and became a strong educator, the need to create for myself was ever present. After 12 years as as a teacher, I finally committed to creating full time and my fine art and public art career started taking off. I supplemented teaching college at Georgia Highlands College. I have several public artworks stretched from southern Appalachia communities to Villa Rica, I’ve been included in museum shows, gallery shows and markets in the north metro area. I’m proud of the work I have done, but being an artist is journey and there are twists and turns you never see coming. You can make what sells and be successful, but that doesn’t make it meaningful. I started pulling back from shows and then focusing centrally on the work that was meaningful to me, personally I felt like I had a story to tell, and I am still telling that story.

The current series I am working on is entitled “Spirits and Stories” which is loosely based on indigenous stories I grew up reading and listening to and then relating my own experience through painting. Though I am native to Marietta, GA, I have western roots and have vivid childhood memories of my time in Oklahoma. My grandmother and great grandmother were both artists and my Oklahoma roots, and I was raised in home full of their paintings, which influenced me and never left me. Though my style has moved away from classicalism (which was their style) and taken more of an expressive, contemporary approach- I still honor the integrity of good technical painting. This series is taken shape and one is currently at the Booth Western Art museum featured in a show.

On this part of my journey, where I am creating for the sake of soul, rather than fiscal gain, I was presented the opportunity to teach in my childhood hometown at a title 1 school, which is a diverse community. I start my days between 3:30-4:00 am- to paint and run my fine art business. Life is about experiences and opportunities and in my experience, I couldn’t choose just one passion and I learned to balance both.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If I were to take someone out for a good time in Atlanta, I’d start with Ormsby’s, which is an authentic neighborhood bar nestled in the westside of Atlanta. You’d be met with some of the best and welcoming bartenders and staff, the food is incredible and the owner, Michael Goot, is likely to meet you with a smile and a drink.

Then I would take a trip Marietta and visit the Marietta Square, In the square, there are some wonderful restaurants, art galleries, and the classic Marietta Strand Theater, which is a must see! They have art walks every Friday, where artist are painting live or showcasing their work. There is so much to do on the square!
If you are looking for some daytime fun, then we’d hit up the Museum City, in Cartersville GA. As an artist, I’d start with the Booth Western Museum. It’s truly a diamond in the rough and Smithsonian affiliate. There are three museums in one great city; the Booth Western Museum, the Tellus Science Museum, and the Savoy Automobile museum. I would also show you some of my personal work at the Booth museum and my public artwork around the city. We’d probably stop in at a gallery on the main street and grab a cocktail or wine and walk around downtown.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My family unit has been my biggest source of support as well as my artists community. We have to keep each other in involved, encouraged, and well networked. My children are also a great source of motivation for my success.

Website: https://www.dorothyreavis.com

Instagram: @dottyreavis

Linkedin: Dorothy Reavis

Image Credits
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