Tell the Story: Dave June Tries Something New!

March 11th, 2022

So many FCCers have cool stories of things they are involved with in our community that we often don’t know about. Hear about how David June, who goes to our Greeneville Campus, got involved with painting and go check out some of artwork on exhibit at the General Morgan Inn through the month of March!

David is living proof that you can always try something new. In 2011, upon turning 50 years old, he turned his love for Bob Ross reruns into the hobby of teaching himself how to paint! One night he told his wife Chris he was amazed at how Bob Ross could turn a blank canvas into a scene in about 30 minutes and the next thing he knew, she gifted him a Bob Ross painting kit. With the help of some lessons, as David said, "Off I went." Here's how he tells the story:

"I was pleased with the result. Keep in mind I had never painted anything in my life, nor was I a sketch artist. In fact, I didn’t understand the color wheel, composition, perspective and the other aspects of creating a compelling, beautiful painting. That’s not to say I wasn’t familiar with creativity. I grew up learning carpentry from my father and grandfather, so I’m comfortable with building things, and still do in my woodworking shop. I have written songs, sang in a gospel quartet, worked in audio and video production, spent a few years as a small-town radio announcer, and other various creative outlets. So I suppose painting is just another way to be creative. The difference is with painting, it’s a never-ending learning process. With my art, I’m constantly striving, always learning. When it comes to painting, I try to find a way to join those two dissimilar forces in my life: emotion and logic. For me, logic dictates what a scene should look like. Emotion is what brings it to life."

Now that the Junes are retired and have completed restoring their adorable cabin home, it leaves even more time for painting beautiful East Tennessee landscapes, which are understandably David's favorite subject. He works in oils, primarily using the alla prima method, which is a direct approach where paint is applied wet-on-wet without letting earlier layers dry.

The neat thing is that David didn't just settle for learning how to paint—he now teaches an art class about once a month to share what he has learned. Trying something new has become helping others try something new!

While David has a studio in their home in Mosheim, thanks to the Greeneville Arts Council Plein Air group, last year he added En Plein Air, or “in the open air”, painting to his repertoire. David said:

"For years, I have been told that painting outdoors is a great way to enhance an artist’s skills. I have found this to be absolutely true. This method presents some unique challenges, but the rewards are great. Old barns, creeks, trees, and mountains are so fun to capture on canvas."

Make sure you take a few minutes to go downtown throughout the month of March to check out David's exhibition of 75 of his works! It's in the hallway connecting Catalyst Coffee Company and General Morgan Inn. (And make sure to go when Catalyst is open to buy some fresh locally-roasted beans.) One of the especially cool features in the exhibition is David's series called "Greeneville: Icons of our Heritage," which is a collection of 15 buildings and landmarks he has chosen to captured on canvas!

David, we're so glad you tried something new and are sharing your newfound gifts with us and our community!