Rhiannon Guppy Art
Rhiannon Guppy
Press Articles
Williamson Scene
2022
As the nation and the world came to a halt from the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago, Franklin artist Rhiannon Guppy spotted an opportunity. She and her husband, Steve Guppy, and their two children had moved to Franklin in late 2019, and her busyness with getting settled in and tending to her family had left her with few chances for painting. But then the virus-led slowdown gave her a fresh coat of awareness — there was time enough at last. Guppy art Rhiannon's artwork fills her family's Franklin home. Photo courtesy of Christine Comina “When the 2020 lockdown happened, I had amassed a lot of art supplies and I thought, OK, this is my time to just do something for myself and enjoy it,” Guppy said on the heels of her first Franklin Art Scene showing. “So I did literally paint every single day. It’s just gone on from there and I haven’t been able to stop." “It’s become such an obsession that I have to paint every day. It makes me feel good. Some people go to the gym. I paint.” Guppy, who specializes in mixed-medium and abstract landscapes, has now entered phase two of her quest for creating. She has enough work to go public, and, indeed, she sold 11 pieces at the April art crawl in downtown Franklin. It was her first time to present her artwork anywhere except for pieces she has done for friends and family. “My son was like, ‘OK, we’ve got no more wall space, we’ve got no more room in the bonus room. What are you going to do with all of this? You need to sell it, or we’re going to sink into the earth with that much art.’” Guppy said. “I think it gave me the confidence to say this is my time to put myself out there.” Guppy’s creative bent developed in her youth growing up in Leicester, England. She studied art, photography and silversmithing at Loughborough School of Art & Design as well as Sheffield Hallam University. She later met with an old college friend in Leicester, where they joined with three other painters to gather every Friday for coffee and chats while taking brush to canvas. “It was kind of a real nurturing space,” Guppy said. “There was no pressure. We weren’t painting to create work, but painting just for the process.”
Nashville Voyager
2025
Today we’d like to introduce you to Rhiannon Guppy. Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started? Art has always been a part of my life, but my journey back to painting was anything but straightforward. Originally from Leicester (Lester), England, I studied art, photography, and silversmithing before spending a decade in design planning for a global greeting card company. Creativity was always there, but after years of working within structured design, I found myself craving something more personal. Life took me across two continents, moving 24 times with my husband’s playing and coaching career in professional football (soccer). Each new place brought change – exciting, unsettling and full of possibility. That sense of movement, of being untethered yet deeply connected to my English roots, now defines my work. Clouds, ever-shifting but constant, have become a recurring theme symbols of both freedom and the grounding presence of home. No matter where I am, the same sky stretches above all my loved ones. My return to painting took a long time, it wasn’t an easy journey, motherhood, our constant relocation and stepping away from my creative career I had built made it hard to find where my passion was. For a long time, I struggled to find my ‘thing’ but moving back to England for the 4th time from America I found community with my College artist friend Anna Michalska and a wonderful group of friends who met every Friday and who encouraged me to keep going when I moved. When we moved to America in 2020 for the 5th time we settled in Franklin, Tennessee, the unexpected slower pace in 2020 I was able to reset and explore and it just felt right, my kids & I painted almost everyday on our outdoor deck and from there I had my first art crawl, it was in a beautiful interior store Onyx & Alabaster and I sold 13 pieces and consigned afterwards and sold out, I have now had numerous art crawls and shows and last year had a pop up show at Soho House Nashville which was such a beautiful venue to see my art, most recently I displayed my art in the Stonebridge Gallery in the Factory Franklin and Online with The Scouted Studio Gallery show. I’ve now found my community here in Franklin and The Arts Council of Williamson County, where I now serve as VP, organizing artists for the crawl and curating shows & events. Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect? Imposter syndrome is REAL but moving to America has given me a confidence to really pursue my dreams, Americans seem to have a different kind of confidence I’ve borrowed that and its very freeing, I also think moving so much I’ve had to reinvent my life many times over I’ve got very good at creating community, community is so important. Age helps also, ‘if not now? then when?’ is my attitude so I just make and put myself out there. Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work? Abstract art is my art style alongside a whimsical almost illustrated feel, my two loves art & book illustration – My art process is fluid and intuitive. I often start with (coffee & salt & vinegar chips) and paint mini artist trading cards to loosen up before moving to larger canvases. I layer acrylics, inks, oil sticks, and charcoal, but I’m most drawn to watercolor and fluid acrylics for their movement and unpredictability. I paint on raw canvas or linen, treating the surface with clear gesso to create a softness that enhances the dreamlike quality of my work. For me, my art is about capturing whimsical beauty of an imagined world, I envision dreamlike ethereal landscape, like deep dreaming or underwater realms, I love that the observer can get lost in my art. My practice is always evolving, and I’m excited to keep pushing the boundaries of scale, palette, and material, bringing my inner visions to life, currently working in new color palettes and experimenting with raw leather as my canvas, also looking to incorporate more stitching and layers to my canvas, floating layers in-front to look through and stitched moment to add texture, Im also fascinated by migrations of birds or people I think this will feature in my work going forward. Currently I have work at two shared office spaces in Nashville, Harbor & Union and Serendipity Labs, I also have regular Art Crawl events in Franklin TN. I also have a fun illustrated range of stickers and retro red sticker machine and also create children’s room art, think nursery rhymes, mystical woodland creatures and one character – Duke Tootenboom the Guitar playing raccoon, my children’s books are in the works @goldieface_
Arts Council of williamson county
Vice president
Rhiannon Guppy is a British abstract artist based in Franklin, Tennessee. With a background in art, photography, and silversmithing, she spent a decade in design before fully embracing painting. Her work blends texture, minimal color palettes, and fluid brushstrokes, drawing inspiration from movement, nature, and personal connection. Having moved between England and the U.S. multiple times, she has now found a home in Tennessee, where she continues to develop her signature abstract and abstract landscape style. Through her art and community involvement, Rhiannon not only brings her own visions to life but also creates opportunities for other artists to thrive. Art has always been at the core of Rhiannon Guppy’s life, but her journey back to painting was far from linear. Originally from Leicester, England, Rhiannon studied art, photography, and silversmithing before spending a decade in design and range planning for a global greeting card company. While creativity was ever-present, she found herself craving something more personal—something beyond the structured world of commercial design. Her life took an adventurous turn when she married a professional football (soccer) player, moving across two continents and settling in 24 different homes. Each move brought a mix of excitement, uncertainty, and possibility. This constant sense of movement—being untethered yet deeply connected—became a defining element in her work. The imagery of clouds, both ever-changing and ever-present, reflects her experience: a symbol of freedom, nostalgia, and the grounding force of home. Finding Her Artistic Voice For years, Rhiannon struggled to find her artistic identity amid motherhood, constant relocations, and stepping away from the creative career she had built. It wasn’t until a return to England for the fourth time that she found a sense of artistic belonging, thanks to her close-knit artist community, including her friend Anna Michalska. Their Friday art gatherings provided the encouragement she needed to keep painting. When her family moved back to the U.S. in 2020—this time settling in Franklin, Tennessee—the unexpected slow pace of life allowed her to reset. She and her children painted daily on their outdoor deck, rediscovering the joy of creative exploration. That same year, she showcased her work at her first Art Crawl, hosted at the beautiful interior store Onyx & Alabaster. The event was a success—she sold 13 pieces, followed by a sold-out consignment. Since then, she has exhibited at numerous Art Crawls, Soho House Nashville, and the Stonebridge Gallery at The Factory in Franklin. A Creative Process Rooted in Intuition Rhiannon’s approach to painting is fluid and intuitive. She often starts her process with a ritual: a cup of coffee and a bag of salt & vinegar chips. To warm up, she paints mini artist trading cards before moving on to larger canvases. Her mixed-media technique includes layering acrylics, inks, oil sticks, and charcoal, but she gravitates toward watercolor and fluid acrylics for their unpredictable, organic movement. She prefers painting on raw canvas or linen, treating the surface with clear gesso to enhance the softness and dreamlike quality of her work. Her paintings evoke whimsical, ethereal landscapes—imagined worlds that feel like deep dreams or underwater realms. As she continues evolving, she is exploring new color palettes and even experimenting with raw leather as a canvas. Building Community Through Art Beyond her studio, Rhiannon has become an integral part of Franklin’s thriving arts scene. Now serving as Vice President of the Arts Council of Williamson County, she plays a key role in organizing monthly Art Crawls and curating exhibitions. Her passion for fostering artistic connections mirrors her own journey—one of finding a place to belong through creativity. Her next exhibition will be The Scouted Studio’s 2025 Emerging Artists Show on April 3rd, To learn more about her work or upcoming shows, visit @rhiannonguppyart
