Visit our extensive gallery in the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community, Gatlinburg, TN.
Address
670 Glades Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Business Hours
Monday to Saturday
10 A.M. to 5 P.M.
Sunday
10 A.M. to 4 P.M.
STATE HONORS 2 OF ITS GREATEST GRACE NOTE.
DOLLY PARTON AND ARTIST JIM GRAY WIN TENNESSEE’S HIGHEST AWARD FOR ACHIEVEMENT IN ARTS.
Thursday, March 20, 2003 (from the official record)
Mr. DUNCAN. Mr. Speaker, on March 12, 2003, Jim Gray, a member of my constituency, was honored with Tennessee’s highest artistic award. The Tennessee Arts Commission presented Jim with the Distinguished Artist Award as a part of the 2003 Governor’s Awards in the Arts in Nashville, TN.
If you visit Gatlinburg you have to stop by the Great Smoky Arts and Crafts Community and go to the Jim Gray Gallery! They have a wonderful collection of art from different artists. They have something for everyone if you want photography, prints, watercolor, sculpture, and even custom brooms. Everything captures the essence of the Smoky Mountains.
About Jim Gray Gallery
The Official Gallery of Jim Gray (1932–2019)
Jim Gray was one of America’s most celebrated artists, known for his ability to capture light, color, and texture in a way that immerses viewers in his world. In 2003, he received Tennessee’s highest artistic honor, the Distinguished Artist Award, from the Tennessee Arts Commission.
Jim’s passion for art took him from illustrating during his military service to co-founding an ad agency, but his heart belonged to painting. In 1966, after a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains, he left his successful career behind to pursue fine art full-time. His landscapes and seascapes—ranging from the Smokies to coastal Alabama—have captivated collectors for over 50 years.
His talent earned national recognition, with his work featured in National Geographic, Southern Living, and American Artist. A photograph of Jim painting in his Gatlinburg studio was even selected for NASA’s Voyager Space Probe, now traveling beyond our solar system.
Beyond painting, Jim created monumental bronze sculptures, including likenesses of Alex Haley, Andrew Johnson, and Dolly Parton. Though he received many sculpture commissions, painting remained his true passion.
Jim’s legacy includes over 3,000 paintings and 125,000 prints, cherished by collectors worldwide. His work continues to inspire through the Jim Gray Gallery in Gatlinburg, TN, where his artistic spirit lives on.