Georgia Trust Eatonton Expedition

Saturday, August 17 from 10 am – 5 pm. The Georgia Trust invites you to discover Eatonton, Georgia’s rich history and southern hospitality.

The epitome of small town charm, Eatonton is home to a broad array of historic homes and sites sure to delight visitors and residents alike. The city boasts scenic highways, two Native American effigies, and a beautiful historic downtown. Attendees will explore magnificent mansions, historic landmarks, and other fascinating sites that are significant to the history of Putnam County.

What is an Expedition?

A Georgia Trust Expedition invites members and guests to explore a Georgia town located off the beaten path. These day-long, self-guided tours are designed to reflect a town’s unique history and development by including a variety of historic sites, from vernacular homesteads to historic industrial sites to grand homes, as well as historic landscapes and natural features. Expeditions educate participants about Georgia’s small town heritage while celebrating ongoing preservation and revitalization efforts.

Tours are self-guided, and guests provide their own transportation. Maps and programs are provided at packet pick-up.

ART on the EXPEDITION

Six of The Artisans Village Guild’s members will paint plein air at six of the locations on The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation’s Expedition to Eatonton. To see the plein air painters create scenes on canvas before your very eyes and enjoy the tour of 21 historic homes, building and locations in and around Eatonton, purchase tickets using the button below!  The Artisans Village Guild is a nonprofit arts organization dedicated to supporting economic development in Lake Country through the visual arts.  SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTIST STATEMENTS.

Guild Members and Locations:

Nancy Bolen: Terrell House–122 Harmony Rd, Eatonton
Robert Jorns: First Methodist Church and Taliaferro House—107 N. Madison Ave, Eatonton
Barbara Ratner: Ezell House–300 N. Madison Ave, Eatonton
Marsha Savage: Wilkins/Cooper/Jenkins House–421 N. Madison House, Eatonton
Anne-Marie Steele: Slade Hall—206 N. Madison, Eatonton
Sandra Witty: Prince/Maddox House–407 N. Madison Ave, Eatonton

THERE WILL BE NO TICKET SALES THE DAY OF THE EVENT!

You must purchase tickets in advance.  Click the button below to visit the Georgia Trust website for more details on the itinerary and to purchase tickets.

Artist Statements:

Nancy Bolen

Nancy always knew she wanted to paint.  While in college she realized an art degree was not practical, so she became a teacher.   Although she always crafted, it was not until retirement that she was able to focus on her dreams. She took her first acrylic class in 2010. Since then, she has learned to paint with oils and has recently begun to paint with watercolors. It brings her joy and peace to pick up a brush and she does it often.

Robert Jorns

Bob creates art in a wide variety of mediums.  He paints in his studio as well as plein air.  He enjoys painting the rural environment in which he now lives, often painting and drawing from his enclosed porch looking across the pastures.  He travels middle Georgia painting and taking a week long plein air painting trip in the Spring and Fall.

Barbara Ratner

Watercolorist Barbara Worth Ratner’s principal livelihood is architectural illustration, the visual rendering of new buildings and environments before they are constructed.  In events and competitions, and often on no special occasions, she also illustrates the real world, en plein air. Ratner is a graduate of Yale’s School of Architecture, a Past President of the American Society of Architectural Illustration, and a recent winner of the Gabriel Prize awarded by the Western European Architecture Foundation.  In 2023, she added two blue ribbons in open plein air competitions in Georgia to her list of similar awards.

Marsha Hamby Savage

Marsha has been creating art with pastels, oils, acrylics, and gouache… and of course sketching with pencils and pens of all kinds for over fifty years! Her love of nature comes naturally because of the era she grew up in. She is inspired by the landscape more than anything else and loves to paint plein air (on location) to see the real colors and atmosphere. Her work is a study which she says takes the pressure off. She is always on a journey to learn more.

Anne-Marie Steele

Anne-Marie was born in Finland.  As an army wife her path took her to a 3-year tour in Germany.  While there she studied under a German master, Herr Goerlach, and studied for and received an Art Degree.  Upon returning to the United States, she studied Interior design and received her degree, which was an extension of her art and emphasized space planning and color harmonizing.  Today she is back to her first love and prefers oil and a brush, although she also enjoys watercolors and acrylic.

Sandra Witty

Sandra’s love of the outdoors explains her desire to paint landscapes.  She has been drawing and painting since she was a child and even taught painting for 18 years.  She is a past president of the Georgia Watercolor Society and active member of other national art organizations. When not painting, she enjoys gardening and travel, where she is always ready to absorb a new inspiration.  She lives and maintains a studio here at Lake Oconee with her husband and says living on the lake is her treasure where she is rewarded every day.