Kennard Artist Brings Out Tiger Stripes
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
KENNARD – There’s so much more to Kennard than meets the eye. From the beloved school and volunteer fire department, to Curry’s Grocery and the town’s unique churches – Kennard is the last checkpoint in Houston County for all points east.
For locals and the many tourists flocking to this year’s Christmas in the Pines – there’s something else worth seeing in downtown Kennard – the well-worn and faded tiger under the flagpole has been given a facelift – all by an eighth-grade artist who has already graced The Messenger’s pages thanks to her amazing painting skills.
Fourteen-year-old Cherish Tanner has struck again, this time scraping down the faded tiger, symbol of both the schools and Kennard itself, just in time for the big Christmas festival. Tanner was recently profiled for her mural at the entrance to the elementary school, welcoming students back to class.
Cherish is a prodigy, talented beyond her years, creating sketches, paintings, digital art and more. She and her parents are hoping to find new experiences for her around the area, paid or volunteer, to give her more experience and fill out those college art applications, only a few years away.
Most art and music programs have been cut from school curricula, victims of tighter budgets and growing emphasis on state exams which focus much more on those three R’s. While most of us forget algebra and chemistry only minutes after finishing school, art stays with us, sometimes leading to a career, but usually a well-loved hobby, creating pieces which live beyond us.
Cherish did the work on her own on her days off from school, scraping and cleaning years of gunk off the grateful mascot, trying to get down to something she could paint on and highlight the statue and the new look she had planned.
It was more than two months of tough work, according to the young artist.
“It was terrible,” Cherish laughed. “It was so hot and hard to get that stuff off.”
Scrape and wipe she did, for countless hours, until the tiger was down to nothing but his skin. Cherish took her time, adding the colors for the fur, careful to highlight the white chest against the orange body. The eyes and face were all carefully done, along with the time-consuming stripes along the tiger’s body.
Add another reason to spend some time in Kennard, or make a quick stop on your way to places further down the road.
Cherish wasn’t too sure about how she felt knowing all those people are going to be looking at “her” tiger.
“It’s kind of scary,” Cherish admitted, pausing. “What if they don’t like it?”
This reporter is certainly no art critic, but told her to rest assured that will not be a problem.
So, if you are looking for something interesting to adorn the inside or outside of your business, want a piece of art or a sketch for the homestead, you might, as they say, “Buy local.” Cherish will be grateful for the experience and every fourteen-year-old can find a destination for a little pocket money.
The little tiger in downtown Kennard shines once more, not just from a new coat of paint, but to delight everyone who takes a minute to stop and enjoy it. There’s more than a tiger there – if you look closely, you will see a good part of the little girl’s heart that went into it.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
