Skyuka Fine Art in downtown Tryon presents “Showing Off Saluda,” a show featuring some of Saluda’s finest artists: Bonnie Bardos, Jim Carson, Marguerite Hankins, William and Anne Jameson, Dale McEntire, Beverly Pickard, Bill Ryan and John Waddill. Much of the work will depict scenes of historic Saluda and its natural beauty.
The opening reception will be on Saturday, Feb. 11 from 5-8 p.m. Many of the artists will be available to discuss their work. The show will run through March 23.
Bonnie Bardos says: “Art for me is an expression of the soul: the deepest self, where time and place do not matter… I am on a higher plane when creating. There is intense spirit and energy in my hands… I am influenced by color, by thought, and by the natural world around us.”
Jim Carson
Jim Carson’s work can best be described as “fresh and painterly.” He said cutting through to the essence, simplifying and finding balance is his goal. Carson said he has been influenced through various workshops with Ken Auster, Marianne Dunn, Kevin MacPherson, Kenn Backhaus and John Budicin. He now gives his own workshops throughout the year. Carson said he prefers painting in “plein air.”
Marguerite Hankins
Marguerite Hankins is known for her paintings inspired by old photographs. She said she is challenged by bringing the details of photographs to life and especially enjoys capturing the fabric and design of old clothing and period costumes and figures in landscape settings. Still life painting rounds out her repertoire of favorite things to paint.
Anne Jameson
The simple rural life and colorful landscapes of the Carolinas have long fascinated Anne Jameson. She said she enjoys rural structural subjects particularly for the graphic design aspects of a composition but also for the color and plays of light and shadow that can provide drama or mystery in a painting. She and her husband, William Jameson, often host workshops in Mexico and Italy and much of that is represented in their works in addition to the local scenery.
William Jameson
William Jameson’s passion for history and nature allow him to create introspective landscapes embodying the full range of local color and contrasts, whether the setting is the local mountains or the Tuscan countryside.
“The more I paint, the more I must paint,” William said. “The need… is never diminished by having completed a painting, but rather there’s an immediate need to begin another.”
Dale McEntire
A native of Western North Carolina, Dale McEntire has been involved in the visual arts since his training at Mercer University and has continued through private studies in the U.S. and Europe and training at Penland School of Craft. McEntire produces oil and pastel paintings and sculpture (stone, steel, glass, bronze) out of his studio in Saluda.
Beverly Pickard
Beverly Pickard attended Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn. and later received her B.A. in art from the University of South Carolina. She taught art for many years before she earned a graduate degree in marriage and family therapy. She worked in that field for 19 years, but she retired early to paint full time. Pickard’s subject matter includes local scenes and landscapes, as well as still-lifes. Pickard divides her time between Macon, Ga. and Saluda.
Bill Ryan
Bill Ryan, artist and teacher, graduated with a combined art and English literature degree from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. and continued studies at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.
Since moving to Saluda in 1981, Bill has concentrated on watercolor and oil landscapes of this area and is currently working on a series of seasonal floral arrangements inspired by the catalogues of English and American horticulturists of the 18th century.
“I was once accused of ‘painting for the people,’” he says, “Of course I do! All artists do that – we simply choose different audiences. All art is communication, and art that does not communicate is not art.”
John Waddill
John Waddill chose to become an artist 71 years ago and landed at Parsons School of Design in New York. Working as a furnishings designer for years, he soon realized South Carolina was a better place to raise his family and soon became a painter of wildflowers, animals, fish, birds, snakes and landscapes.
Waddill continues to paint for pleasure to this day and said he enjoys learning from others, including Rich Nelson, Dale McEntyre, Bill Jameson and Jim Carson. He said he learned from a teacher years ago, “If you ain’t having fun you are wasting your and my time.” Waddill said he still follows that principle today.
Skyuka Fine Art is located at 133 N. Trade Street in Tryon. For more information, visit www.skyukafineart.com, send an email to info@skyukafineart.com or call 828-817-3783.
– article submitted by Kim Nelson