Michel McNinch | Visual Artist | Educator

COLOR CAMP

2018-07-14T15:50:00.001-04:00

Here are images for our Corley Mill Artists' Group COLOR CAMP:

Come Out and Paint EDISTO STATE PARK

2018-01-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

Hello All!

Here is lots of information on

our upcoming Painting Retreat!

Click on Images to Enlarge

Here is a link to this PDF Flyer with active links:

http://www.michelmcninch.com/images/EdistoFlyerMcNinch.pdf

Here is a link to the Park:

https://southcarolinaparks.com/edisto-beach

March 25, 26, and 27

Check in 4pm Sunday;
Check out is 10am Tuesday.
(Paint for as long as we want on Tuesday;
just have to check out of the cabins.)

HELLO Everyone!

Come out and Paint Edisto State Park!

MARCH 25, 26, AND 27 (Two Nights)

Check in 4pm Sunday;

Check out is 10am Tuesday.

Edisto State Park Cabins

Cabins each have a full kitchen, living room, bedrooms and one bathroom. Each artist will have their own bedroom and share a bathroom with one other artist. All the cabins have been reserved for us! Cabins are full / Day Students welcome ($150).

Here is a link to my blog which has all this info for you online:

http://michelmcninch.blogspot.com/2018/01/are-you-ready-to-come-out-and-paint.html

Please ask questions. I am working on my check-list. We are planning more of these events, and they are going to be GREAT!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

SUNDAY - Check in time is 4:00 pm

Settle in your room. Survey the painting spots; Get an idea of where you would like to paint. LEAVE your art supplies in the car. There are many locations we may want to paint.

Early Dinner - in cabins / on your own.

Meet and Greet - FIRESIDE 6pm - 9pm

Please gather round the campfire to meet each other and discuss the plans for the next two PAINTING DAYS! (Bring a cooler if you like.)

MONDAY

SUNRISE SALUTATIONS - 7:00 - 9:00 am

Please join us for the Sunrise!  Cameras at the ready.  If you would like a wake-up call for sunrise, please let us know.  Be aware that we are very cheerful in the morning!  : )  Coffee maker will be running in the McNinch cabin.  Please gather there before heading out to paint.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING 9am-1pm

DEMO by Michel McNinch 2pm-4pm

Gather at the McNinch Cabin for demonstration by Michel.

She will be sharing her method of painting the marsh with oils.

CRITIQUE - Bring your work from the day to the demo. I will give a critique - privately if requested. It would help me help you to see all that you have done for the day.

DINNER - Group Consensus - Seafood sounds good.

SKETCHBOOK VESPERS 7pm - 9pm

Meet up at the McNinch Campfire!

TUESDAY

SUNRISE SALUTATIONS - 7:00 - 9:00 am

Please join us for the Sunrise!  Cameras at the ready.  If you would like a wake-up call for sunrise, please let us know.  Be aware that we are very cheerful in the morning!  : )  Coffee maker will be running in the McNinch cabin.  Please gather there before heading out to paint.

CHECK OUT AT 10AM. Please bring your key to Michel or Robert. We will check everyone out.

PLEIN AIR PAINTING 10am-12pm

DEMO by Beth Williams 1pm-3pm

Gather at the McNinch Cabin for demonstration by Beth Williams

She will be sharing her method of painting waves with pastel.

CRITIQUE - Bring your work from the day to the demo. I will give a critique - privately if requested. It would help me help you to see all that you have done for the day.

Here are some things to think about while you are at the park.

Immerse yourself in your subject matter!  Take it in by staying quiet and focused.  I don’t mean silent, just quiet…turn away from distractions. Work in your sketchbook for the first 15 minutes.

I will be on hand for critiques and suggestions.  Call me when you are having trouble.  It’s easier to help you find your way than it is to help you find your way back.  When you get stuck, stop and let me help. : )

PLEASE KNOW:

You should work in any medium you wish. Old favorite or try something new. There is so many possibilities. Please contact me for suggestions; I would like to know how you are planning to work.

Start where you are. All are welcomed.

SUGGESTED SUPPLY LIST

TV table for your palette

Palette with cover

Painting supplies

Painting panels/canvases

Charcoal

Brushes and palette knives Storage tube for same

Wet Canvas Carrier Boxes (clean pizza box will do)

Small Sketchbook and Pencil

Paper Towels - Handiwipes

Plastic Bag for your trash

Sunscreen - Bug Repellent

A big Sun Hat

Drinking Water - Snacks/lunch

Small knife/whistle/compass

Digital Camera

Easel

Folding Chair or Stool

Cell phone fully charged

Fishing gear if desired

Alcohol if desired

Breakfast and Lunch

Pillows and Blankets

Don’t forget your chargers. Cabin has wifi.

Leave your art supplies in the car. We have many choices of places to paint.

Things to remember when painting outdoors

- Don’t try to put it all in.

- Determine your focus, first.

- Place your horizon line

- Create thumbnail compositions.

- Move individual elements to improve composition.

- Block in the main values simply and quickly.

- Work all over the canvas—get everything placed.

- Don’t chase shadows! Set them & leave them.

- Squint to establish values!

- Rest and refresh your eyes

- Remember: have fun, stay loose, & enjoy the view!

Here’s how I approach the canvas simply put:  Composition/Color Questions/Block-In/Center of Interest/Catch the Light/Catch the Details/Don’t Mess it Up.  : )

Get your supplies ready the night before.  On Go.

Paint ready, clean palette, and just enough of everything else to paint with for 2-3 hours.  You don’t need everything!  You can always walk back to the cabin to get something.  Nice huh! (Those taking the class as a day student may leave gear in the McNinch cabin.) Robert will shuttle folks back and forth to the cabins and bathrooms. Call him at 803-360-3144 and request a ride! He will have a hospitality cooler with him.

Have a good idea of where you want to paint.   Notice what really speaks to you.  Think about finding more than one composition from the same spot. Change your view point rather than having to move your gear.

My demonstration prices are:  5x7 - $195 / 8x10 - $295 / 11x14 -$395.

GROUP PHOTO is a must. Please help me remember.

Inclement Weather plan:

Paint anyway.  : )  Whatever the weather, the artist can find subject matter.  Also, there will be fun and games inside.  Another alternative would be to visit galleries in the area.

A Word about Safety….

Buddy up for safety.

Wander all you want, but stay in touch.

Please carry your phone.

I.C.E. Numbers - Please email to me the name and number of the person you want me to call in case of emergency. IMPORTANT

Here is some advice

from the State Park Service:

“To ensure that your visit is enjoyable, please be aware of the dynamic characteristics of the natural environment. There are areas at all state parks that could be potentially hazardous if visitors do not use extreme caution. Visitors who are unsure about possible hazards should contact a Park Ranger.”

This trip is intended to share with you the joy of making art in a natural setting. Be prepared for the elements. ; )

Please share your ideas and opinions with us.

We would like to use them for next time.  Also, let me know about places you might like to paint.  Thank you for joining us and for your insight. Let us know if you have any questions.

Michel and Robert McNinch

McNinch Art Studios

michel@michelmcninch.com

robert@michelmcninch.com

www.comeoutandpaint.com

www.MichelMcNinch.com

803-360-2994 - Michel

803-360-3144 - Robert

Facebook

Click on images to enlarge

Plein Air Painting - Rainy River Mondays I and II

2017-12-15T12:21:00.000-05:00

Nothing feels better to me than being set up outside to paint a beautiful landscape. Even on rainy days. - Maybe especially on rainy days.

Rainy River Monday I, oil, 8x10
click to enlarge

Rainy River MondayII, oil, 8x10
click to enlarge

If you would like to join me Plein Air painting, check out this link: ComeOutAndPaint.com

Thank you for your interest in my work.

Plein Air Painting

2017-12-14T11:10:00.001-05:00

Traveling through some old photos. Plein Air paintings/September 2017 Litchfield. All are oil on 5x7 masonite panels. So much fun to paint outside.

PHOTOS - Givhans Ferry Jan 28-31, 2018 - Painting Retreat

2017-10-30T22:07:00.000-04:00

Am hoping you can help by sending photos of the moon, the neon light necklaces, pouring the paint, the paintings, all of which I missed - just anything that will help our recollection of a retreat to remember!

If you would like to use some for your blog/website, please let me know. I will send you a large file for you to use.

My sincere thanks to all involved.

To see the flyer for this retreat, please click

Givhans Ferry Jan 28-31, 2018 - Painting Retreat

Plein Air Painting / Givhan's Ferry State Park

Click on Images to Enlarge the Fun! : )

Great Group of Artists. Big smiles.

First Day's Skill Builder Lessons

Covered ways to use Elements and Principles

Barbara shared a great Value and Notan Lesson

Look Who is Painting with us! FUN!

Riverfront Hall is BEAUTIFUL! Complete with a riverside porch for sketching!

View from the Porch

Carolina Winter Day

Love the subtle colors

Us and Bobby McGee

Our Fire Chief (Bravo)

Wandering Wonder

Marvelous Mary Smile

Tammy Wolfe and Jimmy played

Tammy fireside

Night Life

Singing encouraged by example (yikes!)

Robert is the Fire King

Take it Easy

By the Light of the Silvery Moon

The View

The Chill

Look and Listen

When the moon hits your eye in a deep southern sky

Braving the Elements

Becky of the Woods

Can you find Becky?

April's Smile

Getting it Done!

The Story Teller

Huddled and Bundled

Mary's Teal Tale

Aunt Mary

Bundling Beyond Shame! COLD

Phyllis Shining

Plein Air Painting Formal

Chillin' in the Park

He got a little rest.

We Saved a Seat For You

Find your Way to

ComeOutAndPaint.com

Check out our Schedule

Group Critique / Final Day

Our Plein Air Retreat is getting close now! I can hardly wait. Just booked some musicians for around the fire in the evening! Riverfront Hall has been reserved for the entirety of our stay in case of inclement weather.

Attached is the Schedule of Events that I sent to you in November for your easy reference. This email will confirm your reservation in this retreat. I will send you an email with your remaining balance, which we will collect at the park.

There is a change in schedule: Rick Robertson, Manager, plans to speak with us at the Riverfront Hall at 2pm - not 5pm on Jan 28. So, we get started just a little earlier. Check in is still at 4pm.

Supply list

Sketchbook

Drawing implements of your choice

(i.e. pencils, pens, pastels, ink, etc.)

Medium of your choice

(oils, pastels, acrylic, watercolor)

If you are not sure, call me SOON

Plein Air Materials include:

Travel easel

TV tray

Camera

Folding Chair

Cell phone / charger

Hat

Small knife

Bottled water

Also, your cabin has a full kitchen.

Bring your food! : )

There are two evenings we will go out together. (Pizza and Fish Camp)

Please let me know that you have received this email. Thanks.

Michel

p.s. Becky - I know you sent me your cousin’s info, but I cannot find it. :( Please forward this information to her. Thanks.

Link for you: http://paintoutside.com/wp/what-is-plein-air-painting/

www.MichelMcNinch.com

803-360-2994 Facebook

Begin forwarded message:

From: Michel McNinch <michel@michelmcninch.com>

Subject: Givhans Ferry State Park Painting Retreat January 28-31, 2018

Date: November 12, 2017 at 7:52:32 AM EST

Hello all!

Before the holidays get rolling, I thought it might be good to send you some of the specifics for our paint out at Givhan’s Ferry State Park on January 28-31. Getting all the lessons prepared. Getting excited to share them with you.

GENERAL INFO

There are eight of us going. Good small group. The lessons are geared for beginners. Supply list is being compiled now. Trying to keep it to a minimum. Check the flyer attached for a list of suggested supplies for outdoor painting.

Bring your food. There is a full kitchen in your cabin.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

January 28

2pm / Meet at Riverfront Hall to hear the Park Manager, Rick Robertson.

4pm Check into your Cabin. (You will receive confirmation details in January)

5pm Gather at Riverfront Hall to meet everyone and get started!

Rick Robertson is the manager of the park.

He will meet us at the Riverfront Hall to introduce us to the park and tell us his special connection to it. Here’s a video showing a little about the park.

7pm Dinner on your own. Settle into our new space.

8pm Campfire / Sketchbook Vespers

January 29 AND January 30

8-10am Coffee Critique (w/ fruit and pastries)

10am-1pm Skill Builders

Demonstration

1pm-4pm Plein Air Painting

5pm Group Critique - McNinch Cabin

? Dinner - Group concensus

7-9:30 Campfire / Sketchbook Vespers

January 31

10am Check Out

11am-1:30 Group Paint in Riverfront Hall

Final Critiques

Refund Policy

Please send any questions that come to mind. I look forward to hearing from you.

Michel

P.S. Becky, please send this to your cousin. Also, would you send me her name and email. It will be added to this email group.

www.MichelMcNinch.com

803-360-2994 Facebook

Hi Everyone -

This is to confirm our big Painting Retreat at Givhan’s Ferry State Park. We will arrive at Jan 28 / 2:00pm at the Riverfront Hall to hear Rick Robertson speak about the park and his special connection to it. We will then have a little fun with some paint (so wear painting clothes!

Last minute details:

Pillows and Blankets might be a good idea. It might get cold!

We have the Riverfront Hall reserved in case of inclement weather.

Don’t forget your chargers. Cabin has wifi.

Leave your art supplies in the car. We have many choices of where to paint.

Campfire and Live Acoustic Guitars: Jan 29 / 6-9pm - All Park Rangers are invited.

Link to the Park: https://southcarolinaparks.com/givhans-ferry

Link to the Flyer with active links: http://www.michelmcninch.com/images/FlyersforWebsite/1-28-31-18-Givhan'sFerryFlyer.pdf

Link to a blog page with past emails and schedule & information: http://michelmcninch.blogspot.com/2017/10/givhans-ferry-jan-28-31-2018-painting.html

A word about safety….

Buddy up for safety. Wander all you want, but please let us know where you will be. Would everyone please have your phone with you during the day?

Please provide an Emergency Contact name and number. Just email it to me, and I will put it in your contact. Anne got lost in the woods once…happily painting all day. : ) I did have to call her husband to get her new cell number. : )

Here is some advice from the State Park Service:

“To ensure that your visit is enjoyable, please be aware of the dynamic characteristics of the natural environment. There are areas at all state parks that could be potentially hazardous if visitors do not use extreme caution. Visitors who are unsure about possible hazards should contact a Park Ranger.”

This trip is intended to share with you the joy of making art in a natural setting. Be prepared for the elements. ; )

Can’t wait to get started. FYI, I will be demonstrating in acrylic so that I can use the speed of drying to demonstrate composition block ins.

Please let me know that you received this email. I would love to answer any questions. It helps me build a good check list. We are planning a few more state park trips, and they are going to GREAT.

See you soon. Michel

Becky - please send to Phyllis and please re-send me her email address.

2017-10-17T20:20:00.002-04:00

It was initially to be a small event. Well, this thing keeps getting bigger. Now the Mayor is coming! Generates excitement.

It would be great to see some of you there. Fred came by the studios today and said it’s going to be a good party. : ) We are going to light it up. Invitation to all is below.

It is on Huger Street right behind One-Eared Cow Glass and Clark Ellefson's Studio. The scope of the art that will be made is these studios humbles me. I am so proud to be a part of its beginnings.

Other artists include Pat Gilmartin, Stephen Chesley, David H Yaghjian, Laura Spong, Heidi Darr-Hope, Sharon Collings Licata, Robert Hunter Kennedy Jr., Eileen Blyth, and Kirkland Smith

Kirkland Smith will be sure to bring her husband James Emerson Smith Jr. Did you hear?! He's running for Governor!

Can't wait to see everyone.

2nd Annual Litchfield Beach Paint Out - En Plein Air

2017-10-09T11:15:00.000-04:00

It is truly a gift to spend time at the sea with people who love it and each other. Thinking of old friends and new. Precious.

We were blessed with beautiful but wildly different weather during our stay. The ocean and the wildlife were inspiring.

Each of us painted to our heart's content during the day, with skill builders and oyster lessons for sketchbook vespers in the evenings.

Each morning we all gathered at the end of the boardwalk for the sun to rise and the earth to welcome another day. It was truly majestic.

"Mother, mother ocean." JB

Pictures are just some of my favorites in no particular order. : )

OPA and Barbara Yongue and Lake Wateree State Park

2017-09-30T09:08:00.002-04:00

Our fellow artist and friend, Barbara Yongue, hosted an Oil Painters of America Paint Out in Winnsboro SC. She crafted a perfect event. Also, Winnsboro and the weather did not disappoint! I painted at Lake Wateree State Park. Absolutely beautiful. The gathering later in the afternoon brought fun and fellowship. Charleston artist, Mark Horton was the Juror. Nice job by all involved. Prizes when to George Stone, Gerard Erley, and Pete Holland. Congrats!

Are You Ready to Come Out and Paint? Edisto Beach State Park

2017-09-15T19:20:00.003-04:00

I am excited to announce my newest painting retreat!

Please consider joining us as we have fun painting together at one of South Carolina's most beautiful parks.

Click Image to Enlarge

NEWS NEWS NEWS

2017-08-15T12:51:00.000-04:00

Vista artists moving to Stormwater Studios could jumpstart new life on the river

BY SARAH ELLIS

sellis@thestate.com

AUGUST 13, 2017 6:01 AM

CLICK HERE FOR THE ARTICLE IN THE STATE NEWSPAPER

COLUMBIA, SC

Columbia’s arts core is shifting to a new frontier.

At the fringe of the Vista, along the slowly developing riverfront, the long-awaited Stormwater Studios artists village is about to take off – quickly.

Ten Vista artists will move there early next year. They’ll lay the groundwork for a movement that could mirror the exciting transformation of the Vista core over the past two or three decades.

This riverfront stretch just off Huger Street could become the Vista 2.0. “It will be a destination location for people, and hopefully this will create additional buzz and development around it,” said Fred Delk, director of the Columbia Development Corp., which owns and is developing the 1.5-acre property off Huger and Pendleton streets, near the One Eared Cow Glass studio, where Stormwater Studios will sit.

The planned complex of three industrial-style buildings will house artist studios, workshop spaces and possibly living spaces, Delk said. The project has been in the works for at least a decade.

Not just a working space for artists, the Stormwater complex is designed to draw in the public. Expect interactive outdoor space and room for events and parties, a sculpture garden and a trail along Kinsler creek, which feeds into the Congaree River.

Future plans for the city to extend its riverfront trail and the long-held concept of a 74-acre riverfront park could eventually easily feed into Stormwater Studios’ site. And there are plans to extend Williams Street with money from the Richland County transportation penny sales tax, which would open up more access to the site.

Columbia City Council is expected consider whether to pitch in $200,000 toward the $800,000 first phase of the project, Delk said.

With or without the city’s financial contribution, construction could start on the complex’s first building within the next month, Delk said. And the 10 artists currently working in Vista Studios on Lady Street will move into Stormwater in early 2018 and rent their studios from the Development Corp.

“What we really want to do is to keep this group, this art community, alive in the Vista. And it’d be really hard for us to do that without this project,” said Kirkland Smith, a visual artist and current leader of the Vista Studios artists’ group. The artists’ lease runs out in their building at 808 Lady St. at the beginning of 2018, and “for us to rent a building that we could all 10 move into, it’s really cost prohibitive now,” Smith said.

Vista Studios, which opened in 1990, was a catalyst for the growth and development of the Vista as a full-on entertainment district, Delk and others say. With artists among its earliest inhabitants, the Vista transformed from a bland warehouse district to a lively hub of restaurants, bars, shops and hotels.

There, artists played a role that’s typical in big cities: Creatives move into an underdeveloped, inexpensive area. More people and more activity follow, until the district is thriving.

But, as popularity and property values grow together, artists tend to get priced out and pushed away – and that’s happening now in the Vista.

“Artists are forever displaced by growth and development,” Delk said. “So artists will go into a neighborhood and do something really amazing, and after 10 years they can’t afford the rent in their own neighborhood. And off they go.”

Clark Ellefson was one of the first artists to settle in the Vista more than 30 years ago. And a little over a decade ago, he became one of the first to re-settle in the Huger Street corridor, once again a pioneer anticipating a wave of creative energy to follow eventually.

His Lewis + Clark handmade furniture and lighting studio, along with the adjacent One Eared Cow, will be Stormwater’s neighbors.

“That’s always been my goal, to create and be involved in some kind of art community that was some kind of strong, cohesive, thriving, self-supporting kind of thing,” Ellefson said. “It’s like any other trade or craft – you want to be around like-minded people, and you want to share resources. ... Art as a career is pretty difficult, so community helps that along.”

Unlike the typical pattern of artists’ migration into and out of gentrifying areas, the creative community will never get priced out and pushed out of the Stormwater Studios village, artists and planners hope and believe. It will be a permanent creative anchor for the future of Columbia’s riverfront corridor.

“There will be many artists in the future that will be in this space, and each artist is going to bring their energy and ideas and creativity, and the space will continue to change and develop,” Smith said.

“We’ve got the nightlife in the Vista now, but we need to keep the culture. It’s really important to the vitality of the district.”

Reach Ellis at (803) 771-8307.

VISTAS STUDIOS ARTISTS

All 10 artists currently working in Vista Studios on Lady Street will move to Stormwater Studios early next year.

Eileen Blyth

Stephen Chesley

Pat Gilmartin

Heidi Darr-Hope

Robert Kennedy

Sharon Licata

Michel McNinch

Kirkland Smith

Laura Spong

David Yaghjian

So happy and excited to be a part of this development.

UPDATE: BROKE GROUND! August 2017

Givhan's Ferry State Park - Artist in Residence

2017-08-07T23:17:00.002-04:00

Givhan's Ferry State Park

Artist in Residency - July 10-17, 2017

Many, many thanks to SCPRT for the Artist in Residency program at our SC Parks.

click to find out what is happening.

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition

2017-04-30T22:43:00.002-04:00

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition

I have the feeling that is going to be a very good year. To keep up with all the happenings, click here to go to the PSOAE Facebook page.

Here is a sneak peek of the paintings I am bringing to the show. Piccolo Inventory

I am Booth #37 on Calhoun Street Side

Under the Statue of John C. Calhoun

Click Image to Enlarge

I am Booth #37 on Calhoun Street Side

Under the Statue of John C. Calhoun

***

Corley Mill Artists' Group Annual Show 2017

2017-03-23T23:07:00.000-04:00

Click Image to Enlarge

The World is Your Oyster

2017-03-21T09:20:00.005-04:00

Come get Inspired with Me! Santee State Park Workshop!

2017-01-12T17:26:00.001-05:00

Click to Enlarge images

Captain Rick, Fish Eagle Tours

The End. : )

Santee State Park

2016-12-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

"Santee Welcome" 11x14, click image to enlarge

I was thoroughly inspired this year at Santee State Park. Here are some of the studies I have done since coming home. Two or three of these will make it to larger paintings. Which ones do you think should make it to a big canvas?

"Santee Lily Pond," 11x14, click image to enlarge

"Take me to Church," 11x14, click image to enlarge

"In the Thick of It," 11x14, click image to enlarge

"On the Horizon," 11x14, click image to enlarge

"Blue Hour," 11x14, click image to enlarge

Aiken Center for the Arts Exhibition

2016-11-08T13:04:00.000-05:00

Aiken Center for the Arts is hosting an exhibition. I am proud to be included. The particulars can be found here.

Vista Lights - Harvest Art at Vista Studios November 17

2016-10-17T12:53:00.003-04:00

Click to Enlarge

The resident artists of Vista Studios present new work in Harvest Art from November 16th-29th in the gallery at 808 Lady Street. They will open their studios to the public and will host a free Opening Reception on Thursday, November 17th from 5-8pm during the Vista Lights celebration. Vista Studios is home to 12 artists and each will be presenting new work.

Eileen Blyth will present Manic Weather II, acrylic & graphite on paper. It is part of a group of work done during a residency in Italy last Spring.

Stephen Chesley will offer works that exemplify the poetic peace of the ordinary. These recent works will offer studied relief from an increasingly frenetic world, and summon a rich solitude. Chesley’s palette of blues and greens connote symbolic dispatches from nature highlighting the fragile gift of water, sky, and trees and their increasing demise.

Pat Gilmartin is continuing to work with glass mosaics and fused glass. For Vista Lights she will have several new pieces to show, including an intricately patterned mosaic gazing ball. She also has some new additions to her popular series of small, sculptured ceramic faces.

All year long, Heidi Darr-Hope has been breathing, thinking, and making mandalas. This is partly due to an on-line E-Course she’s developing. Creating Brave: Mindful Mandalas is an eight-week class on how to use mandala making as a form of stress reduction and healing. But making mandalas is nothing new to her as she’s been creating these circle drawings for her own private use for many years as a way to play, de-stress, unwind and get lost in the creative process. Normally, the daily drawings are sketchbook doodles and as thoughts come to mind, they are written within the mandala. For this show, she has created larger ones on canvas.

Sharon Collings Licata is returning to some of her earlier figurative forms, both animal and human, by continuing these series: Repose (rabbit) Shore Repose (egret) and Moon Goddess (reclining nude). The subjects emerge from the stone as simplified, graceful forms.

During the past year, Laurie McIntosh was commissioned to create 16 original works for the courtyard gates of the newly renovated Richland County North Main Library. Several of the paintings created from this project will be exhibited during this show as well as new pieces from her Pages series. Pages is part of an ongoing series of deconstructed paintings created with multiple layers of calligraphic marks and grounds. The deconstructed pages are then reassembled and unconventionally bound to create new visual relationships between the images.

Kirkland Smith continues to collect, sort, and assemble everyday household disposable objects into representational art. Her assemblage work evokes nostalgia while also seeking to challenge consumer habits.

Ever optimistic, Laura Spong works to capture the energy and excitement of doing new things. Responding to the upcoming changes in the gallery and to the future, in general, Laura’s work Dispense with Doubt reflects her attitude that it will be different, so let’s move on and into it.

South Carolina State Parks have been inspiring Michel McNinch this summer. She is in love with painting her home state.

David Yaghjian claims he is still trying to learn how to paint. His latest attempts involve looking at a covered chaffinch cage, which caught his attention when watching the movie Arabian Nights: Volume 3. He worked from amodel that approximates the real thing.

Also showing in the show are Robert Kennedy, and Walton Selig. Gallery hours will be from 10am-5pm daily. The gallery will be closed Thanksgiving Day. For more information, please visit their website: www.VistaStudios80808.com.

# # #

For more information and hi-res images please contact Kirkland Smith atKirkland@KirklandSmith.com or on her cell: 803-622-7838.

Happy Artist

2016-10-17T12:31:00.002-04:00

So happy to know that my art has been given such nice places to live. Check this out:

Plein Air at the Beach!

2016-10-17T12:17:00.001-04:00

Fantastic workshop painting "en plain air" at Litchfield Beach. Perfection. So proud of all my students. Here are some photos. We saw the sun rise over the ocean three mornings in a row! Painting at Brookgreen Gardens and on a little spit of land right in the marsh. We will definitely being doing this again. Inspiration at every turn. Of course, we tried out the local cuisine also! We know how to have a good time!

Riding in Style around Litchfield Beach, SC

Santee State Park / Artist in Residence Program

2016-10-17T11:56:00.002-04:00

The South Carolina State Parks offer a Artist in Residency Program each year.

It is time to apply for next year's participation.

Look here for the application.

It is truly a beautiful thing.

Duff Green Mansion

2016-10-17T11:34:00.000-04:00

Robert and I had a lovely stay over the summer at the Duff Green Mansion in Vicksburg, MS. We highly recommend it. Very relaxing. Here is my painting of the mansion and a few other photos.

Duff Green Mansion, oil, 16x20
(Click to Enlarge)

Portrait Workshop

2016-10-17T11:18:00.000-04:00

We had such a nice workshop. We studied John Singer Sargent's history and his charcoal sketches. Kirkland Smith gave a great slide show. They had fun translating that knowledge as they worked from old photos of ancestors. Here are some pictures of the gang working hard. We had two days of figure drawing from the model also. So fun that we decided to do it again. Stay tuned for details. If you are interested in participating, give me a shout by email.

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition - May 27-June 12

2016-05-17T20:12:00.001-04:00

Be on the lookout for my newsletter. Should be in your inbox by tomorrow.

Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition - May 27-June 12

I will be there all day every day! Come on out. My booth will be under the statue of John C. Calhoun. Easy to find me.

Here is one of my works that will be in the show:

Sullivan's Causeway, oil, 11x14,
click to enlarge

Porgy and Bess will be performed at Marion Square this year via a simulcast on the Jumbotron. Mark your calendars. May 30 @ 7:30pm. What a treat.

Here's a link to the Post and Courier's article with the details.

"Spoleto Festival, in cooperation with the Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs and Piccolo Spoleto Festival, came up with a solution. It will live-stream the performance of “Porgy and Bess” on a Jumbotron screen in Marion Square at 7:30 p.m. May 30, then rebroadcast the opera at 7:30 p.m. the next night in the practice field of West Ashley High School.

The Marion Square simulcast and West Ashley rebroadcast are made possible in part by the sponsorship of Wells Fargo and are open to the public and free. Festival officials are optimistic about the weather but will devise a contingency plan should the forecast include rain."

http://www.postandcourier.com/20160504/160509771/spoleto-festival-to-live-stream-porgy-and-bess-at-marion-square-rebroadcast-at-west-ashley-high-school#.VytL-F5FkRs.facebook

Artfields 2016

2016-04-16T14:00:00.001-04:00

Happy to announce that my work (see below) was selected for this year's Artfields exhibit.

It will be at the Railway Restaurant, 144 S. Acline Street, Lake City, SC 29560

Please go by and check them out!

"Dramatic Ending," oil, 36x48
click image to enlarge