Students use a live model in a portrait class at Root Studio School of Painting & Drawing in Johnson City, Tenn. (Photo by Jeffrey Stoner)
Root Studio School
of Painting and Drawing
318 E. Main St., Johnson City, Tenn.
423-302-8960 • www.RootStudioSchool.com
Tom and Peggy Root have been part of the local arts community for many, many years. They recently opened the Root Studio School to offer drawing and painting classes to students of all levels.
"We always had an idea of doing something like this," Tom said. "Both of us were in art school a lot of years, in groups of people painting; and it's a natural habitat. Having a good place to study was really important to us. It was essential."
Classes are taught in the traditional method of training the eye by direct observation in the areas of landscape, still life, nature drawing, portrait and figure. Frequent workshops allow students intensive study in specific areas. They also offer studio talks and demonstrations. Open Studio events are held on First Fridays in Johnson City.
Both Tom and Peggy studied at Lyme Academy of Fine Arts in Old Lyme, Conn., and at Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Fla. Tom is primarily a figure and portrait painter, but also paints landscape, still life and imaginary scenes. He is also a songwriter, musician, and writer of children's stories. Peggy has spent the last 30 years painting the landscape of the eastern United States. She works in oil directly from life on location, generally working on large canvases in two-hour sessions, returning to the site at the same time on successive days to develop the painting.
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