From the desk of Artistic Amanda

This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend an art show with three very talented women, including my dear friend’s mother, Shirley Fachilla.

It was such a pleasure talking to Shirley! I’m anxious to continue our conversation; to hear about her creative process and artistic preferences.

A brief bio in her own words:

In high school, I was one of those kids, found in every class, who do the artsy stuff for their peers: murals, posters, bulletin boards, etc. But when I grew up, art wasn’t something I did; it was something I looked at. I looked a lot…

Then one fine day, I stumbled back into doing. I rediscovered the pleasure and passion of painting. After a time of joyously making marks in buttery oil colors, I discovered that I just might have something to say with my paintings.

My voice isn’t always clear; it doesn’t always say precisely what I intend; but it is distinctly my own. And I’ll keep very happily trying to say exactly what I mean.

Shirley and her daughter stand by her favorite painting:

Two of my favorite Shirley Fachilla originals:

Of the many reasons I love Nashville, one of my favorites is the diversity in art around the city. Every corner you turn, there’s another source of inspiration just waiting to be captured.

One such inspiration and influence for me personally, lies on Broadway nestled in between the honky tonks. Hatch Show Print, founded in 1879, is still a working letterpress and design shop, creating posters today using the same letterpress methods as yesterday.

I’ve lived here over ten years and the other day realized I had yet to set foot inside the shop. So I went:

Color, design, history. My visit was everything I’d hoped it be.

Pure artistry and masterful composition are what make Hatch posters part of the story of American art and culture. Snappy graphics, punchy titles, humor, and irony are what make them irresistible.

Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service