843-793-1234
Participating Artists
15th Annual Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce
Art Walk
Johns Island, SC, — The 14th Annual Art Walk, 1002 Landfall Way, Johns Island SC 29455 will be held on Saturday, April 19th from 10:00AM to 6:00PM .
The event is brought to you by the Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Deep Water Vineyard. There will be 9 local Lowcountry artists with originals on display for sale for the general public.
Come out and enjoy the beautiful scenery, browse some fantastic art work by some very talented artists and help support the programs we have in place on the Sea Islands.
843-793-1234
Tina Mayland
Tina Mayland — Tina is a native Charlestonian for whom the Lowcountry of South Carolina is as close to paradise as any place on earth. Returning home after 30 years of a high-tech career that took her to Atlanta, DC and New Jersey as VP of Marketing for AT&T, Tina “rewired” from her all-consuming corporate life and began her “encore career” as a full-time artist. Tina explains her motivation to become a painter: "My grandparents owned a plantation on Wadmalaw Island, just outside of Charleston. As a child, I built tree forts in live oak trees, played in the pluff mud of the marshes, and galloped my horse through Lowcountry forests. Capturing the essence of that landscape in my art is a way of recapturing the joys of my youth."
Tina is a member of the Charleston Artist Guild (serving on its Board of Directors for 4 years) and the Seabrook Island Artist Guild. She's also active in the community, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Middleton Place Foundation and now serving a 3-year term on the National Board of Directors of the Archeological Institute of America. Her work is represented by the Wells Gallery at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and by Lowcountry Artists Gallery, 148 East Bay Street in downtown Charleston. A recovering workaholic, she is reveling in her "rewired" life. Says Tina, "I'm testament to the fact that you-can-go-home-again and that the post-career stage can be the most fulfilling!"
Kellie Jacobs — has spent her life watching the seasons change among the marshes and beaches of the South Carolina Coast. After graduating from the College of Charleston, Jacobs decided to pursue her professional career as a painter. Working primarily in pastel, she paints landscapes using atmosphere and light to create mood and expression in her art. "I am fascinated with the light at the end of the day. When the evening sun is low and warm touching the tops of the sand dunes and grasses of the marsh is the time of day I love best."
Jacobs' juxtaposition of bright colors and soft textures appeals to both domestic and international collectors. Traveling to foreign locations has also enhanced her ability to manipulate her chosen medium of pastel to produce desirable and collectible artwork. Many of her works hang in prestigious corporate and private collections nationally and abroad, including Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Southeastern Publishing Company, Inc.
Kellie Jacobs
DONNA GERINER
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From an early age, I loved art- using brightly colored crayons and frequently entering children's poster contests- but my creative imagination was not fully awakened until ten years ago. I am drawn to nature and the simple beauty surrounding us; from the sweet scent of a honeysuckle vine in bloom, to the puffy clouds in the sky or warm hugs and a smile. My paintings allow the viewer to escape the hectic fast-paced world, offering an experience, a mood, a feeling or sense of place,
I grew up in Columbia, South Carolina but have always enjoyed visits to the Lowcountry coast where I now reside full time. A career in telecommunications brought me to the Charleston area in 2003, exposing me to the elegant flowers, quiet lowcountry marsh and colorful vistas I love to paint. Oil is my preferred medium because of its vibrant and exciting intensity.
While painting, I enter a timeless zone of connection with my subject and I seek to capture beauty, color and texture in my brushstrokes. When considering a subject, I start by asking myself why I want to paint it and what I want the viewer to feel when the work is complete. I keep the answers to those questions in mind while I'm painting to remain focused on what each piece should convey.
I have taken instruction with nationally and internationally known artists such as Daniel Keys, Michelle Dunaway and Kyle Stuckey. I have also taken weekly instruction from Charleston area artists such as Elizabeth Bronson, Joyce Hall and Laurie Meyer. I love being an artist because I am constantly learning and evolving which is exciting and motivating. While I agree it can be intimidating to stand in front of a blank canvas, it is also thrilling and challenging at the same time, and I love the process of working through a painting to watch it come alive!
Jen Spaker
Sandra Roper —Sandra Roper grew up in South Carolina where she developed a great appreciation for the history, architectural features, and beauty of Charleston. She explains, “No matter how many times I visit Charleston I never cease to be intrigued by the splendor and the history embossed in each building, portico, and garden.” Sandra graduated from the University of South Carolina in Studio Art. She is a member/owner of “Lowcountry Artists Gallery” , 148 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC. Sandra’s work is displayed in numerous galleries and corporate locations throughout the southeast.
Sandra Roper
www.sandraroper.com
Susan Colwell
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Born at Camp LeJeune, NC, Susan was raised in Toledo, Ohio. As a youngster, she was enrolled in classes at the Toledo Museum of Art, and as a teenager, she had her first solo exhibition at a Toledo art gallery. When the family moved to Zurich, Switzerland, her love of art became an obsession as her family traveled throughout Europe, exposing her to the "masters". She earned her BFA in painting and graphic art from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
From Ohio to California to New York, Susan worked both in social work and as an artist for advertising agencies. Years ago she moved to Charleston, the home of her great grandparents, a place filled with childhood memories of crabbing, pluff mud, and grandma's fried chicken. "The Lowcountry is a continual source of inspiration because I am moved by the ever-changing light and the softness I feel in the atmosphere."
Susan has been represented by galleries in South and North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, and Virginia. She is widely collected throughout the United States.
Susan is a member of AIS; American Impressionism Society and AWA; American Women Artists.
Susan Colwell
Betsy Jones McDonald
Artist Bio
Betsy Jones McDonald has loved painting and drawing as long as she can remember. Betsy received her formal art training at Columbus State University. Her eye for design was put to work as a design manager in her years working in advertising and visual merchandising.
In the early 1990's, she began doing murals for schools, businesses and private residences around Columbia, S.C., which is when McDonald realized her true love lay in large-format painting. She’s pursued oil-on-canvas as her preferred medium ever since. She paints using only the primary colors, (red, yellow and blue), along with white, and custom mixes all of the colors in her paintings.
Betsy is a member of Oil Painters of America, American Women Artists as well as the Mt Pleasant Artists Guild and the Charleston Artists Guild. You can view her work at Perspective Art Gallery in Mt Pleasant, S.C. , in Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, S.C. or by appointment at her studio on Daniel Island, SC.
McDonald now lives on Daniel Island where her studio overlooks the marsh, and provides an endless source of inspiration. “I love the colors of the marsh, and the way they change with the seasons and the tides,” she says. “Every time you look at the marsh, you see something different, and I’m fascinated by that.”
Betsy Jones McDonald
Lisa Willits — moved to Charleston nearly 30 years ago from her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. While working as a technician in a research lab by day, she began taking evening art classes at the Gibbes Museum School in Charleston. After experimenting with several different mediums, Lisa chose oil painting because it best captured her love of color. With the encouragement of family and friends, she “took the leap” and began working full-time as a painter in 2005. Lisa is most inspired by the natural beauty of the South Carolina coast and strives to capture its enchanting atmosphere. It is little wonder that glowing skies, tranquil waters, and towering pines are among her favorite subjects.
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Lisa is an exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist Guild, an associate member of Oil Painters of America, and past coordinator of Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (COPA). She was also a past Director of Artistic Growth for the Charleston Artist Guild. Lisa has studied with many instructors in Charleston over the years, and taken workshops with nationally-known artists. She and her husband Jeremy reside in downtown Charleston with their yellow Lab, Clyde, and cat, Zeus.
Lisa Willits
Colleen Wiessmann
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Colleen Wiessmann — I have been active in arts my whole life. After studying at the school of New York Botanical Gardens, I worked as an Interior Landscaper for 25 years, which transformed into a love of texture and design.
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I like to tell a story in my abstract paintings, through words, lines and symbols. I create abstract paintings with acrylics, inks, wax, oil and various textured materials. I use collage and layering techniques to create dimensional artwork to capture the viewer's eye and viewer's emotion.
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The inspiration for my artwork comes from memories deep inside of me, experiences and spirituality. By channeling my energy into the creative process, my work becomes both a part of me and a reflection of life as seen through an artist's eye.
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As an Artist, my goal is to make you look beyond the surface and feel the emotions hiding within each painting.
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I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey and currently live on Seabrook Island, S.C. I was president of the Seabrook Island Artist Guild, for 8 years. And have won many awards, including best in show. My work is in private and corporate collections.
Jennifer Black
Jennifer Black - ”Any subject is fair game. What fascinates me is the way light falls on a subject. Light can dance, skip, jump, slide across, wrap around, fall, streak across or spotlight. The light pathways give a painting the movement I love to create,” she explains, “and, I'm not a slave to detail; instead I prefer to capture the spirit of the subject.”
Life began in San Diego California. Jennifer moved to Florida when she was 5, started drawing at age 8 and continued her art quest through high school as the staff artist on the high school newspaper and doing drawings for her classmates. She married early and had two children by age 21 and divorced at age 22. With no education and little money, life was a struggle but somehow she managed to earn a BA degree from Florida State in Creative Art. After graduation and working as an interior designer, she settled in Charleston SC where she married a handsome engineer. Then the adventure began. They lived on a remote Pacific Island for 2 years and in Spain for 6 years.
Her professional art career began after returning to Charleston. After 8 years as a licensed General Contractor, she decided in 2001 it was now or never to follow her dream to become a full-time artist. To make up for lost time she has been on a fast track to study with as many top artists as she can from all over the country. She is widely recognized for her extraordinary “loose and painterly” light filled style.
In 2008, Paint America’s Paint the Parks jurors selected Jennifer's oil painting, “Rosy Spoonbill,” as a national competition finalist in the “Top 100” competition. Among other awards, she won top honors in the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition with the prestigious Mayor’s Purchase Award and First Place/Purchase Award in the North Charleston Art Festival. In 2019 she was juried into the Oil Painters of America Eastern Region Show.
She lives in Charleston, SC with her still handsome husband and paints from her studio on the marshes of the Ashley River.