My Elvis art exhibit for January will be at the HEARTBREAK HOTEL on Saturday the 7th and Sunday the 8th from 12 – 5:00. I look forward to seeing everyone that is able to attend the celebration this year.

Arnold’s restaurant is a Nashville institution started thirty years ago by Jack Arnold.  Southerners lovingly refer to this type of eatery as  “a meat and 3” and the place to be, standing in lines that run out the door. Get your food and take a seat in this cozy atmosphere or join anyone else for a great lunch and interesting conversation. Recently, the Food Networks, Guy Fieri found his way to “Arnolds”, and left his stamp on the wall.

Friendly faces and warm hospitality are always on the menu along with carved roast beef, fried green tomatoes, and not to be missed, my favorite dessert, chess pie with meringue. The walls are lined with autographed photos of everyone from Brook Shields to Chet Adkins and framed magazines covers that have featured Arnolds. Among the array of photos is one that was presented to Rose and Jack Arnold by the son of Chet Adkins. It includes the art I created for RCA Records in the 70’s that was a collage of the entire country music artists represented by the label at that time. The original art is now part of the permanent collection of the Country Music Hall of Fame (approximately 40” x 40”).

Jack who always had the duty of slicing the roast beef has turned over the knife to his son Kahlil who now runs the restaurant along with the same smiling group who always greets you. So if you find yourself in Nashville at lunch time stop in and say hello to Rose, Franz & Kahlil and the gang and enjoy the Southern hospitality they dish up.

Arnold s Country Restaurant

]]> http://bettyharper.com/2011/12/12/restaurant-review-arnolds-a-nashville-institution/feed/ 0 http://bettyharper.com/2011/11/30/flashback-deja-vu/ http://bettyharper.com/2011/11/30/flashback-deja-vu/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:08:11 +0000 admin http://bettyharper.com/?p=3561 Deja vu is an interesting phenomenon!  While having lunch with my son, James, at Chuy’s on the corner of 17th and Broadway, the famed Music Row in Nashville, it dawned on me I had been here before. It had been forty years since I was last in this building. Back then, it was a drive-in restaurant where the musicians and management would meet up and head out on bus tours to perform.

Why was this realization relevant to me? It was here forty years ago in this restaurant, midnight to be exact; I waited to board a tour bus with Loretta Lynn. My husband and I had been invited to accompany her on a tour up the east coast to the Virginias. This was the trip that turned our family of three siblings into four by March of 1972. The happy occasion brought a girl whom we named….Loretta Lynn!

For decades, the building remained vacant and an eyesore but today the location is a Chuy’s Mexican Grill. They have done a fabulous job of beautifying the location even keeping the original “drive-in” overhang where customers would pull-up to order. Chuy’s is based out of Texas and had one location here but it is a good thirty minutes away. Now with this new location just around the corner, I can enjoy good food and the very unique Chuys’, “ELVIS SHRINE”.

When the  time came to work on our yearbook, it was only fitting that the dedication be to President Kennedy. I long ago lost my yearbook but with the help of former classmates, I have obtained this drawing.  I drew this portrait of Kennedy when I was seventeen and it was used for the  dedication page of our yearbook.

Fast forward to 1994, I find myself with my son James, friend Sally and daughter Bridget, attending the 60^th Anniversary of The Sons of the Pioneers in Tucson, Arizona  (the last gathering of the original members).  But for me there was a special reason for that trip. At the request of good friend, Fred Goodwin, I had just completed a drawing of Roy, Dale, Trigger and Bullet.  The drawing had been accepted to become a new print and Roy wanted to meet me.

The morning we were to meet, Roy and Dale came into a private room at the hotel restaurant. After breakfast, James graciously serving as my photographer , and I were escorted in to meet with Roy and Dale. Roy invited me to sit down beside him and I looked into his eyes, which appeared to be twinkling stars. Emotion overwhelmed me and tears started to run down my face. He was talking and I could not seem to get any words out of my mouth. I felt like my whole life was floating by.  I found myself sitting with the very first person I had ever drawn that ultimately put me on the road to my career as a portrait artist. It was all too surreal.  We had a nice visit and he told me how much he liked the art, saying “it was the best likeness he had ever seen of himself.”

On Saturday November 5, Roy Rogers would have been 100 years old. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him. He gave us countless movies, television shows, songs and the Sons of the Pioneers.
Below, I share with you some of the art of Roy and the only three pictures to survive that day.

Thanks Roy, and “Happy Trails to You.”

Marie was a very talented artist and teacher. During one of our  Memphis trips, we were driving around the city and she looked up and commented on the beauty of the sky.  From her artistist perspective, she  commented to me on the reds, blues and ultramarines that lit up the evening sky. When I glanced up to the sky, I also saw its beauty, but my first thoughts were the shades of gray that are produced with the pencils of “H”, “F”, HB” and “3H” – we just laughed – two artists and their interpretation of the world around them.

When my second book of Elvis art was published, The Magic of Elvis, I wanted to incorporate some of my poetry with a select few of the drawings. I enlisted Marie to create the calligraphy for these pieces. At first,  she was hesitant because she did not want to write on the artwork, but that was what I wanted her to do which she did beautifully. As we progressed, I received another phone call from Marie, she was upset because she was doing the calligraphy and had become emotional about the piece. She started to cry and her tears fell on the artwork. I told her not to worry, it would only add something special to the piece.

I have felt a profound loss with the passing of a good friend and talented artist. The memories of the fun we had is very comforting. Yearly trips to Memphis, family trips to Washington & New Jersey and having her in our home…are just, “memories pressed between the pages of my mind, memories sweetened through the ages just like wine……”

Here I share with you some of those memories.

Over the past ten years, I have been working on incorporating my fine art pencil drawings with computer design to create a fresh and unique look with my artwork. This has been a very interesting process and has given me a fresh way of viewing Elvis.

Here are three examples of my pencil art and the graphics that have been created from them. Which group of images do you like best? Vote below.

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Below is an image of the boxes and a list of songs. If you are interested, please call or email Kim E. Overton at Cottage Garden Collections.

LOVE ME TENDER D/MUSIC
CAN’T HELP FALLING IN LOV D/M
AMAZING GRACE D/MUS
ALL SHOOK UP
TEDDY BEAR
IT’S NOW OR NEVER
TAKE MY HAND PRECIOUS LORD
IF I CAN DREAM
BLUE SUEDE SHOES
HOW GREAT THOU ART
THERE WILL BE PEACE/VALLEY
KENTUCKY RAIN
HOUND DOG

Kim E. Overton
Cottage Garden Collections
7796 W CR 100E
Bainbridge, IN 46105
Tel:  877-210-3456, Ext. 1011
Cell:  765-719-1669
Fax:  877-217-9346
E-mail:  KOverton@cgcollections.com