Members Share Their Recent Activities

Here’s what some of the Anderson Artists Guild members have been up to lately:

Sue West

Wesa Neely and I (pictured) painted four water lily murals for the annual Art Center auction. Diann Simms and Patricia Walker also painted four panels. It was a huge project and overwhelming at first, but we ended up having a great time and learned a lot about painting large!!

Sandi Bates

My latest children’s book, Be You! Be Flamazing!, was released in August 2024. The book addresses self-confidence through the trials and tribulations of a shy flamingo named Flo. Here is one of the watercolors I did for the book. I’ve sold 98 books in less than a month and now have both of my books in several local stores. 

Patti Benjamin

Recently I was able to participate in decorating for the annual Silent Auction at the Anderson Arts Center. What an amazing event. I helped, along with many others, to create a beautiful atmosphere in the galleries. I created a twelve-foot garden on the front of the bar (pictured). I also made giant sunflowers.  Lots of them! But my most favorite of all was my stand-up Claude.

Brenda McLean

I recently was awarded both a second place and an honorable mention in the annual Golden Corner Pastel Society show at the Blue Ridge Arts Center.

Yvonne Park

Plein Air adventures continue ... This year I attended the Plein Air Festival in Southport for the first time in May. It was a lot of fun, and I sold two paintings there. I had never been to Southport; it's a beautiful little town. Residents welcomed us to set up on their front porches when the rains came. One local family surprised me and bought me a sticker to put on my palette (I add a sticker from each little town I paint in). The whole town was excited to have us there and were very welcoming everywhere we went.

I just got back from Blowing Rock with 4 others from our Tri-County Plein Air Group (100 artists were there). This was Blowing Rock's 7th year hosting this festival, and my 6th year participating. I sold both pieces in the show (most of these festivals only allow you to turn in two for the show and sale) and sold one off the easel, so I was very happy. It's always a great time and the weather was wonderful...highs in the 60s and cool enough in the evenings for a fire at the hotel gazebo.

Next up is Edisto Beach Plein Air Festival in October. I've been going to Edisto for 39 years, so when they had their first festival a few years ago, it was a no-brainer that I needed to go. My son and his family live in Summerville, so I get a little extra time with the grandkids during that trip, and I have my paintings in the SC Artisans Center in Walterboro, so I get to restock then. 

Next year (if I have the energy) I hope to add another festival that's in a town I've never been to, hopefully in the spring before the heat and bugs get to be too unbearable...

The photo is of my two submissions for the Wet Paint Sale and Show in Blowing Rock. One is St. Mary of the Hills Episcopal Church and the other is the Gazebo in the middle of town. 

Lisa Wooten

I took courses in Lightroom, flash basics, and real estate photography through CreativeLive. I also joined the Anderson Arts Center and Belton Center for the Arts. The latter is holding a juried show next month and I’m currently preparing prints for consideration (one of these is pictured). 

Wendy Rogers

While waiting for my oil paints to dry between layers, it’s a good time to work on sculpture.  Sculpting helps me study shape and shadow, so I’ve included a sold piece here. In addition to clay, I like to work with rescued books. Rescued books are ones destined for the bin. They have to be over 100 years old and in the public domain. Exploring the bookshops in England is a great resource. And although their covers and pages are beyond repair, their illustrations, if you are lucky, are hand-tipped, and still beautiful. First, each illustration is individually cut and mounted. Then the book is hollowed out or carved in some fashion, and the design begins like a 3D puzzle. The finished work is secured under glass; the book’s history, authors, and artists, are sealed and secured to the back; and it’s ready to travel and hopefully to be enjoyed once more.

Debbie Bzdyl

My artistic journey has taken another exciting step with representation at the new Soul Intention Gallery in Clayton, GA! The opening was held May 18. One of the owners had discovered my work on Instagram and reached out. Impressed by how it aligned with her vision for the gallery, she offered me not only representation but also a solo show! By the first week of April, the contract was signed, and I was on my way to Clayton with my first collection of paintings. The gallery was still being renovated, but the potential was undeniable—it was going to be a fantastic space. That first trip was followed by two more deliveries. Finally, on my third visit, the renovations were complete, and the gallery walls were adorned with our artwork. The finished space was magnificent!

Jill Rees

At the end of August, I was a participating artist, along with four other members of the Anderson Artists Guild, in the Blowing Rock Plein Air Festival. I was thrilled to have sold both of my paintings that were in the Wet Paint Sale. I have also had a painting accepted into the 2024 South Carolina Watermedia Society National Exhibition, being held in Myrtle Beach this year from October 3 through December. 

Kathe Harris

*Submitted 6 small paintings for the Michelin visit.

*Sold one painting

*Entered 1 piece in the Anderson Arts Center Annual Juried Show

*Entered 2 pieces in the Anderson Artists Guild Show

*Participated in 2 painting Workshops

*Participated in Wednesday Open Studio at the AAC sponsored by AAG member 

  Bailes Maxwell

*Conducted 2 painting Workshops in collaboration with Strickland Fine Arts

The painting I sold was a teaching example for my workshop “The Impression of Color” after Renoir’s “Pear Trees.” The photo is one of the participants of my most recent workshop entitled “Just Block It: Creating and Working a Successful Composition.” This is his first painting.

Chet Lawson

--Received the Callie Stringer Rainey Award for my oil painting “Into the Garden of Ruin” at this year’s Anderson Arts Center juried show. The painting (pictured) is now in the permanent collection.--Anderson Artists Guild annual juried show Best in Show award for my oil painting “Saturday Afternoon at the Mills.”--In June and July I started “playing“ with clay again after a 44-year hiatus.--Helped the Arts Center put together the Monet-inspired murals in the far gallery in preparation for the annual art auction fund raiser in August.--Pretty good summer season, I think I’m ready to get back to doing a little painting.

Melody Davis

I can’t say there is anything of note personally except for getting ready for my show at BRAC in November. It was nerve racking but I had the opportunity (while the gallery was empty) to look over all of the work I could potentially enter into that exhibit called Compulsion. After traveling from here to Michigan and down through Wisconsin to Biloxi AND then to Edisto in our new used RV this summer, I was ready to get back to work. I am currently working on pieces of children, inspired by the constant GAZA images and a larger canvas which is social statement on the Supreme Court. Fingers crossed that I finish.