Mike Holsomback's two-story art studio in the backyard of his Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., home is like a museum. His colorful and majestic artworks line the walls in a perpetual exhibit.
Mr. Holsomback, a member of the art department faculty at Chattanooga State Community College, is a painter and collage artist. He's working on portraits for a Nashville exhibit, "New Work by Mike Holsomback," at Belmont University later this year.
His said his love of art surfaced while he was a student in Ringgold High School in the late 1970's.
"My sister encouraged me," he said. "She had an interest in art and she's the one who got me thinking about taking art classes in college."
Mr. Holsomback, 48, earned a bachelor's of fine arts degree in art painting at the University of Georgia in 1985 and a master's degree in painting at East Tennessee State University in 1989.
He incorporates reality, fantasy and whimsy in his work, he said.
"My work is figurative with somewhat of a repetitive theme in the collages and paintings. Art happens in the process of creation. What I have in mind when I start painting differs with what I end up with."
Though typically critical of his own work, he said that occasionally he'll paint something that gives him a "really good feeling."
Mr. Holsomback said he's pleased with the growing art community in Chattanooga.
"There has been a good change taking place in terms of exposure to art in our area," he said. "It's a completely different atmosphere than 20 years ago. Students can see art all around them now. They inherently come to class knowing a bit more about painting."
There are sacrifices one must make when choosing art as a career, he said. "You have to love it. I've seen a lot of people delay their art talent and choose a career where they can make more money. But I see a lot of folks coming back to art later in life. I wish it was easier in terms of making a living."
Visit www.mikeholsomback.com to see a collection of his works.
Trendsetters in the arts
Melissa Hefferlin, 42
Claim to fame: She was the only American to study at the Russian Academy of Fine Art in St. Petersburg, Russia, during the Cold War. Featured twice in American Artist Magazine, Hefferlin was chosen by the City of Chattanooga to paint the commemorative 21st Century Waterfront mural.
Quote: "My primary meaningful accomplishment is to have the privilege of working in my chosen profession for a remarkable clientele and with fantastic colleagues for 20 years, in locations around the world."
Michael Brent Sanders, 39
Claim to fame: He worked as a computer video-game designer before starting his career in fine arts.
Quote: "I consider myself a stylistic documentation, more than a conceptual artist. Through the lens of my camera, I compose and record my surroundings."
Ange Roth, 37
Claim to fame: While in college at Georgia Southern University, she received two Betty Foy Sanders Art Scholarships and won Best-of-Show in a Juried Student Show. Ms. Roth works primarily with oils, but has an affinity for pastels.
Quote: "My work most identifies with expressionism. With the use of formal elements of art, I attempt to convey a subjective emotional response rather than an objective reality with objects and events around me."