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June Issue 2006
South Carolina Watercolor Society Announces Winners of Annual Member Exhibit in Columbia, SC
The South Carolina Watercolor Society (SCWS), the largest statewide visual arts guild, is presenting its annual membership exhibition in Columbia, SC. The SCWS 29th Annual Exhibition - Watermedia Plus, is on display at City Art in Columbia through July 21, 2006.
Winners of the top 30 awards have been announced. Martha Mayberry, a curator at the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, NC, was the juror for Watermedia Plus, where artists competed for $10,000 in awards. Mayberry selected 53 works for the exhibition. This premiere exhibit draws artists from across the state and features a variety of work from representational to abstract. The main element that links this exhibit is the use of watermedia - and the organization embraces one of the broadest interpretations for the use of this medium nationally and thus allows artists more creative freedom.
"Art is not a luxury!," says Toni M. Elkins, current President of the SCWS. "Art arises from one's depths or it is not art at all. I have always felt that it is an obligation to give back to the community. It is not a task of fixing the entire world at once, but of stretching out to mend the part that is within our reach."
"I characterize this long year as a 'time of change,'" adds Elkins. "We possibly made more changes than any other year of the society's existence. Sometimes changes are painful - sometimes they are helpful - but most times they are necessary! I saw the changes that we made as steps into a wonderful world of new technology, as educational tools for the members as well as for myself, and as ways to make our society stronger."
Randolph New Armstrong (Best of Show)
"This wonderfully versatile medium continues to attract fresh interpretations and the 29th Annual Exhibition is no exception," said Martha Mayberry. "I am pleased with the diversity within the exhibition and believe that it represents a group of talented artists. In selecting works, I tried to concern myself not only with the timeless considerations of color, composition, drawing and interesting imagery but also originality of expression, the exploration of mixed media and unique narrative. The Red Chair by Randolph Armstrong exemplifies a fresh, gutsy approach. The artist's use of flat, bold colors, combined with decorative and textural patterns, takes the medium into an exotic new realm. Sere Mini VIII by Jeanet Dreskin speaks a language all its own - just what is it? Strangely familiar, 2-D morphing into 3-D, the viewer is drawn into the artist's inner life - and it is unsettling. Lori Solymosi's Lion Dance is a parade on paper, primitive, spirited and full of movement."
The award winners are (listed by award sponsor, award amount, artist, hometown, and title):
In Honor of Toni M. Elkins - Friends of the President Award (Best of Show) - $1,000, went to Randolph New Armstrong of Greer, SC, for The Red Chair; Stephen R. McCrae, Sr. Memorial Award - $600, went to Jeanet Dreskin of Greenville, SC, for Sere Mini VIII; SCWS Past President's Award - $500, went to Lori Solymosi of Pendleton, SC, for Lion Dance; Husbands and Wives of Artists Award - $400, was given to Jennifer Hamilton of Rock Hill, SC, for Mystery of the New; In Honor of Scottie Hodge & Tempo Gallery Award (given by Claire Farrell) - $300, went to Lynn Greer of Greenville, SC, for Neighborhood Beacons; and Hal P. Moore Award - $300, was given to Caroline Swanson of Augusta, GA, for Woman in Red.
Betty Bramlett
The BellSouth Award - $250, went to Erica Hoyt of Columbia, SC, for Pears; Derrick, Stubbs & Stith Award - $250, went to Suzann Marchin of Tega Cay, SC, for Criss Cross; Terminix Services Award - $250, was given to Michael Slattery of Taylors, SC, for Manhattan Pedestrians (As Seen on TV); Toni M. & Sam Elkins Award - $200, went to JoAnne Anderson of Belton, SC, for Attitude; Beaufort Art Association Award - $200, went to Betty Bramlett of Spartanburg, SC, for And All That Jazz; City Art/Art Xpress Award - $200, went to Jack Dowis of Florence, SC, for Dayspring; and Gallery 5 Award - $200, was given to Janet E. Galusza of Anderson, SC, for Beautiful Profusion.
Jennie LaFreniere ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Barbara Stitt
The Artists of Studio South Award - $200, went to Jennie LaFreniere of St. Matthews, SC, for It's Easy Being Green; Lena Massara Memorial Award (given by Greg Massara) - $200, went to Barbie Mathis of Lexington, SC, for Enlightened Eloquence; Finkel & Altman, LLC Attorneys at Law Award - $200, went to Rosemary Moore of Honea Path, SC, for Carved in Stone #4; Classic Clef Studio of Guitar & Trenholm Artist Guild Award - $200, was given to Jacqueline Murdaugh of Lexington, SC, for Beyond These Walls; Palmetto Framing Supplies & Seven Oaks Art League Award - $200, went to Anne Hightower Patterson of Columbia, SC, for Seeing the Divine; Georgetown Co. Watercolor Society & FastFrame Award - $200, went to Barbara Stitt of Simpsonville, SC, for Celebration Dance; and Guy Lipscomb & Crooked Creek Artist Guild Award - $200 went to Carol Knudson Tinsley of Greenville, SC, for Fragment.
M. Graham & Co. Merchandise Award - $400, went to Alice D. Bachman of Greensboro, NC, for Cultural Passages; Jack Richeson & Co. Merchandise Award - $400, went to Laura Dickson of Lexington, SC, for Fran's Magnolia; Tara Materials & HK Holbein, Inc. Merchandise Award - $400, went to Steve Garner of Simpsonville, SC, for Pursuit by Ball Jar; C2F & Canson: Arches Paper Merchandise Award - $400, went to Cynthia Wilson of Hendersonville, NC, for Foggy Morning; and Daler-Rowney Merchandise Award - $300, was given to Harriet Marshall Goode of Rock Hill, SC, for Isolation.
City Art/Art Xpress & Loew-Cornell Merchandise Award - $300, went to Marilyn Dizikes of Hilton Head, SC, for Color Steps #1; Michael Wilcox School of Color & Strathmore Paper Merchandise Award - $300, went to Christine L. Tower of Landrum, SC, for Stories; Winsor & Newton Merchandise Award - $275, was given to Marcia Murray of Chapin, SC, for Waiting; Cheap Joes Art Stuff Merchandise Award - $250, went to Lynda English of Florence, SC, for Southern Morning; and St. Cuthbert's Paper & Golden Artist Colors Merchandise Award - $250, went to Lynda Macaluso of McCormick, SC, for Crossing.
Other artists selected to be in the exhibition include: Carrie Burns Brown (Greenville, SC), Jane Todd Butcher (Greer, SC), Patricia Tanner Candal (Georgetown, SC), Chris Carlsson (Columbia, SC), Kathy Casey (Santee, SC), Jackie Eadon Chalfant (Columbia, SC), Bruce Chandler (Charlotte, NC), Nancy Clayton (Seneca, SC), Vickie Bailey Ebbers (Hilton Head, SC), Amelia Hart (Jonesville, SC), Mary Lou Hightower (Spartanburg, SC), Russell Jewell (Easley, SC), Kate Lagaly (Myrtle Beach, SC), Esther Melton (Blythwood, SC), Roze Metz (Sumter, SC), Barbara Moore (Florence, SC), Brenda Phelan (Florence, SC), Anna Kay Singley (Prosperity, SC), Liz Smith-Cox (Central, SC), Mary Whyte (Johns Island, SC), Jaclyn Wukela (Florence, SC), and Nita Yancey (Columbia, SC).
"There have been many friends that have helped us during this time," adds Elkins. "Columbia artists are there for each other. They have always been supportive of each other, and this year has certainly proven that concept! I thank the board with extra thanks to the fundraising committee. For we all know that it is the core - and it can't be done alone. I would never have been successful without Kim Richards (SCWS Executive Director). She has worked longer and harder than anyone else. We have been very fortunate to have City Art as our host exhibition facility. Many thanks to Wendy, Heather, Cheryl and Randy for their contributions."
Also offered in June, a new exhibit, SCWS Art Posters from Artista Vista, will be on display at the McCrory Gallery in Columbia, from June 1 - 10, 2006. This is a fun and fresh approach to art which provides young collectors the opportunity to purchase original art at an affordable price.
At the Society's annual meeting, businessman, fundraiser, leader, and artist, Jim Finch was given a Special Recognition Award, in sincere appreciation for his many years of service to the Society.
A color catalog of the exhibition and top 30 award winners is available at City Art, which includes statement's from the juror, artists, and SCWS board members.
The 29th SCWS Annual Traveling Exhibition, featuring the top 30 award winning works will tour cities throughout SC, during 2006 - 2007, under the SC State Museum's Traveling Exhibit Program.
The schedule for the traveling exhibit is as
follows: Aug. 2006 - Aiken Center for the Arts; Sept. 2006 - Barnwell
County Museum; Oct. 2006 - Cheraw Community Center Gallery; Nov.
2006 - Burroughs-Chapin Museum of Art (Myrtle Beach); Dec. 2006
- Marion County Museum; Jan. 2007 - Sumter Gallery of Art; Feb.
2007 - Florence Museum; Mar. 2007 - Belton Center for the Arts;
and Apr. 2007 - Hartsville Museum. The schedule is open and available
for bookings from May - Aug. 2007. To book the exhibition contact
Clarissa Mendoza at the SC State Museum by calling 803/898-4982
or e-mail at (clarissa.mendoza@museum.state.us.sc).
The 30th Annual Exhibition will take place from Sept. 23
through Nov. 4, 2007, at the new Spartanburg Museum of Art in
Spartanburg, SC. The exhibition will be the inaugural exhibit
at this new facility.
The South Carolina Watercolor Society (SCWS), the largest statewide
visual arts guild, nurtures and promotes South Carolina artists
by providing exhibition opportunities and educational programs.
They also provide the public with many quality art experiences
through exhibits and a variety of art programs for all ages.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call City Art at 803/252-3613 or at (www.cityartonline.com). For info about the SCWS contact Kim Richards, Director at 678/721-2506, e-mail at (scws@adelphia.net) or at (www.fineartsemporium.com).
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