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Mountain Artists Trio: Opening Reception

  • Frame Gallery Gifts and Art 12569 Sollace M Freeman Highway Sewanee, TN, 37375 United States (map)
widescreen graphic displaying paintings by keith killebrew, randa wells, and cheryl lankhaar, which will be on exhibit at Frame Gallery Gifts & Art in Sewanee, TN from May 30 to July 5, 2025
(L-R) Photograph of Cheryl Lankhaar, Keith Killebrew, and Randa Wells

From left to right: Cheryl Lankhaar, Keith Killebrew, and Randa Wells

Frame Gallery Gifts & Art is proud to present Mountain Artists Trio, a new exhibition featuring the works of local artists, Keith Killebrew, Cheryl Lankhaar, and Randa Wells.

An opening reception will be held on Friday, May 30, from 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. at Frame Gallery in downtown Sewanee. Guests are invited to view the artwork, meet the artist trio, and enjoy light refreshments.

This vibrant exhibition features scenes across the South Cumberland Plateau, brought to life through photorealism, plein air painting, and collage. Together, these works offer fresh perspectives on the natural beauty and rich character of the mountain we call home.

Frame Gallery owner, Harriet Runkle, says,

“This exhibition celebrates the beauty of our region through local art, which offers a meaningful way to remember your experiences as a student, resident, or visitor to the area.”

The exhibit works will remain on display and available for purchase through Saturday, July 5, at Frame Gallery.

About the Artists

Featured
Keith Killebrew

Monteagle, Tennessee

Growing up with an artist grandfather and a music teacher mom, Keith Killebrew has been exposed to the arts for as long as he can remember. Attracted to design and architecture, he loves to include these elements in his paintings.

With a unique eye for color, Killebrew creates paintings in a myriad of styles from realism to narratives to abstract expressionism. Since 1982, he has created over 350 originals. Killebrew says, “I love to paint in large format. While I am working on a realism painting of a building or neon sign, I have an abstract on the other easel. Each one seems to help paint the other--solving problems in expression and perspective.”

Killebrew has a diverse background with careers in graphic design, print production, interior design, and real estate. His passion and true calling, however, is art.

Cheryl Lankhaar

Sewanee, Tennessee

Cheryl Lankhaar has been painting for more than 30 years in watercolor, gouache, oil, and pastel as both artist and instructor. Lankhaar also illustrated a children’s book entitled “The Monteagle Assembly, Kinsley’s Story,” which has sold over 600 copies.

Lankhaar has painted numerous commissions, including portraits and architectural subjects. She is known for her images of Sewanee and its lovely landscapes. Lankhaar won a landscape painting award, "Best in Show, '' in 2015 for her oil painting, “Winchester Farm.” She has taught art students of all ages from around the world. Since 2021, Lankhaar has been an art instructor volunteering for Arts Inside, a program that brings art classes to incarcerated adults.

Randa Wells

Tracy City, Tennessee

Randa Wells’ busy life as a nurse, wife, mother of two, Girl Scout leader, room mom, choir member, and more left little time for a dream of escaping into the art that filled her mind.

Years went by, and Wells would sneak in an occasional painting class into the tiny slivers of her open time. Memories of childhood Saturday art classes at The Toledo Museum of Art struggled to the surface.

When the Covid arrived, her husband’s health had declined, and her high-risk nursing job became a threat. The couple took a leap of faith: they retired, sold their home and business, and left loving neighbors and old friends behind to move from Nashville into a 400-square-foot tiny house on the lake in quiet Tracy City. The next step was to build an art studio and begin the dream.

Anything and everything seems to find its way into Wells’ art, so do not be too surprised if you look closely. After all, there are about fifty years of art ideas trying to get out!

When not in her art studio, Wells keeps busy with yoga, gardening, knitting, reading, enjoying her new mountain friends, and being with family. The mountain has been good to her.

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Paint Night with Carole Foret
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May 30

Mountain Artists Trio: Keith Killebrew, Cheryl Lankhaar, and Randa Wells