|
StudioSwan.
We invite you to tour the Chatt Hills Barn Quilt Trail and learn more about the rich rural heritage of beautiful Chattahoochee Hills. Visitors are welcome to take photos from the public road, and are invited to shop in the local businesses.
|
|
|
Thistle Bloom (#50)
6401 Campbellton Redwine Rd 
|
Celebrating the Creative Life
Tom Swanston and Gail Foster moved to Chattahoochee Hills in 2005 and were among the first artists to develop a live-work building in the Serenbe Community, becoming its first "unofficial" artists-in-residence.
They enjoyed their idyllic lives here until two unexpected events led them away. They moved back in 2017 and two years later purchased a historic lodge, which they artfully repurposed into studios, exhibit areas, workshop spaces, and offices for their StudioSwan. When selecting a pattern for their barn quilt, they chose the Thistle Bloom (by Wendy Russell) as a nod to Tom's Scottish heritage. |
Visual Artists and Patrons of the Arts
Gail Foster & Tom Swanston, Visual Artists
|
StudioSwan Center, Celebrating the Creative Life
|
Art classes, exhibits, and more at StudioSwan
|
Visual Artists and Patrons of the Arts
In 2005, Tom and Gail were living the life many others only dream about – they lived AND worked in Chattahoochee Hills.
The acclaimed visual artists had previously lived and worked just up the road in unincorporated Fulton County, but when that area became overrun by development, they sought a new home.
They had seen Serenbe develop from a farm house on a dirt road to a budding new wellness community. Its plan to preserve acres of forests and meadows, and build miles of nature trails to connect homes and restaurants with arts and businesses intrigued the artist couple and inspired them to design and build the first live-work/gallery & studies there.
The couple enjoyed their idyllic lives in Serebe for several years, until two seismic events impacted their lives. The great recession in 2008 forced them to close the gallery, lease out their ground floor retail space, and remodel their 2nd and 3rd floor studios into an apartment for rent. Then Gail incurred a spinal cord injury, which prevented them from living in their three-story Serenbe home. They moved in with Tom’s father in Roswell, GA, which proved to be a godsend. Their new living situation also called for accessible working studios at the King Plow Arts Center in west Midtown.
While King Plow was an exciting opportunity, Tom and Gail often dreamed about finding a workspace closer to home and becoming more involved in the greater Chatt Hills Community.
In 2017, they sold their home in Serenbe to move into a Rico Lake cottage in Chatt Hills. Two years later, they fulfilled their dream when they had the opportunity to purchase the Masonic Lodge building in the Rico Community. The building was perfect for the couple, offering enough space for their studios and offices, and a three-mile commute to their home.
Once the renovations were complete and StudioSwan was well-established in its new home, it quickly lived up to the couple's goal of providing a space for Celebrating the Creative Life.
About the Artists
Gail is a painter, photographer, and mixed media visual artist who focuses her attention on the issues of the feminine and women in today’s culture -- always from an optimistic perspective of overcoming and succeeding.
Tom’s focus is on raising awareness of cranes and their beauty – their long-term conservation and strategy for actions for their major threats, such as habitat loss.
As a company and couple, they give back: they donate each year a significant amount of artwork to nonprofit auctions that are close to their missions; Community Brickworks, Chattahoochee River Keepers, Captain Planet, Audubon Society and a host of visual cultural institutions.
For more information, visit StudioSwan.
In 2005, Tom and Gail were living the life many others only dream about – they lived AND worked in Chattahoochee Hills.
The acclaimed visual artists had previously lived and worked just up the road in unincorporated Fulton County, but when that area became overrun by development, they sought a new home.
They had seen Serenbe develop from a farm house on a dirt road to a budding new wellness community. Its plan to preserve acres of forests and meadows, and build miles of nature trails to connect homes and restaurants with arts and businesses intrigued the artist couple and inspired them to design and build the first live-work/gallery & studies there.
The couple enjoyed their idyllic lives in Serebe for several years, until two seismic events impacted their lives. The great recession in 2008 forced them to close the gallery, lease out their ground floor retail space, and remodel their 2nd and 3rd floor studios into an apartment for rent. Then Gail incurred a spinal cord injury, which prevented them from living in their three-story Serenbe home. They moved in with Tom’s father in Roswell, GA, which proved to be a godsend. Their new living situation also called for accessible working studios at the King Plow Arts Center in west Midtown.
While King Plow was an exciting opportunity, Tom and Gail often dreamed about finding a workspace closer to home and becoming more involved in the greater Chatt Hills Community.
In 2017, they sold their home in Serenbe to move into a Rico Lake cottage in Chatt Hills. Two years later, they fulfilled their dream when they had the opportunity to purchase the Masonic Lodge building in the Rico Community. The building was perfect for the couple, offering enough space for their studios and offices, and a three-mile commute to their home.
Once the renovations were complete and StudioSwan was well-established in its new home, it quickly lived up to the couple's goal of providing a space for Celebrating the Creative Life.
About the Artists
Gail is a painter, photographer, and mixed media visual artist who focuses her attention on the issues of the feminine and women in today’s culture -- always from an optimistic perspective of overcoming and succeeding.
Tom’s focus is on raising awareness of cranes and their beauty – their long-term conservation and strategy for actions for their major threats, such as habitat loss.
As a company and couple, they give back: they donate each year a significant amount of artwork to nonprofit auctions that are close to their missions; Community Brickworks, Chattahoochee River Keepers, Captain Planet, Audubon Society and a host of visual cultural institutions.
For more information, visit StudioSwan.
Heritage story . . . Capitol View Masonic Lodge
May 9, 2019: Lodge brothers at the conclusion of their final meeting. Left to right:
Jason Long, Rocky Rothrock,
Steve Byrd, Warren Collinsworth, Pat Long, Harold Byrd, Joe McAlister,
Bill Hart, Jeffrey Collinsworth, Joey Byrd, Pat Long, Jason Long.
|
Capitol View Masonic Lodge # 640 F. & A. M. served the Rico Community in Chattahoochee Hills and beyond since 1981. In May 2019, the Lodge consolidated with the Palmetto Day Light Lodge #755, and sold its building to artists Tom Swanston and Gail foster.
To commemorate Capitol View Masonic Lodge and its 106 years of service, resident Laurie Searle captured its heritage in the newsletter story, Capitol View Masonic Lodge closes in the Rico Community. |