Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 67
TENNESSEE ARTIST
Bringing it Home
Janet Browning travels the world to help artisans while staying true
to her mountain roots.
By NANCY HENDERSON
ABOVE: Janet Browning
once held an anaconda, in
the Peruvian Amazon.
TOP: Janet Browning will
be making a return trip to
Nepal and Tibet in October
of 2019.
I
n the spring of 1996, artist Janet
Browning embarked on a mission with family and friends to the
Amazon rainforest in search of butterflies they had heard were "so big
you could ride on them." Making
their way from Venezuela's luxurious Margarita Island to a tiny town at the
edge of the jungle, they visited an Indian
market. Browning stopped to admire a
stunningly detailed sculpture of a snake
topped by an eagle, its talons dripping
blood, and struck up a conversation with
the carver before moving on and eventually purchasing a more modern version
from another merchant.
"I came back carrying this sculpture,
and I see this Indian that I had stood and
talked to for so long, and he had the most
horrible look of disappointment on his
face," recalls Browning. "And I thought to
myself, 'You know, this guy was just sure
that I was going to come back and buy
his snake, and he was probably thinking
about what he would do with the money
and how many bills he could pay.' I could
just feel that his heart was broken. ... And
I felt really sad."
After canoeing downriver to another
village, where the children who sold them
handmade necklaces were so poor they
were thrilled with the plastic cups the visi-
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019
67
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - Intro
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - Cover1
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - Cover2
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 3
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 4
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 5
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 6
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 7
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 8
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 9
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 10
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 11
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 12
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 13
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 14
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 15
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 16
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 17
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 18
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 19
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 20
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 21
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 22
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 23
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 24
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 25
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 26
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 27
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 28
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 29
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 30
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 31
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 32
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 33
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 34
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 35
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 36
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 37
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 38
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 39
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 40
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 41
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 42
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 43
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 44
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 45
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 46
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 47
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 48
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 49
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 50
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 51
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 52
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 53
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 54
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 55
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 56
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 57
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 58
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 59
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 60
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 61
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 62
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 63
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 64
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 65
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 66
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 67
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 68
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 69
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 70
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 71
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 72
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 73
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - 74
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - Cover3
Blue Ridge Country - January/February 2019 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/BlueRidgeCountryMarchApril2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/leisuremedia360/leisure/blue-ridge-country-january-february-2022
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCND21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/BRCSO21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brcja21
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2021_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_11_12
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2020_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2019_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2018_0102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_1112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_2017_0304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20170102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20160102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20151112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20150102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20141112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20140102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20131112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/leisure/brc_20130708
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com