The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross features Susan Hopps, Alice Jackson and Karen Johnston in its gallery through May 30. The gallery is located at 150 Melrose Avenue and is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and during services.

 

Susan M. Hopps 

Susan McCravy Hopps has always been interested in painting, but never had the opportunity to pursue her interests until retirement in 2004. After a 31-year career of teaching ended, she assumed the role of student and took every opportunity to study with and learn from talented artists in this area. She has experimented with a variety of media but is drawn predominantly to the luminous transparency of watercolor.

Born and raised in Spartanburg, S.C., Susan received a BA from Duke University and M. Ed from USC Upstate. She enjoys trying to portray the beauty of nature on this earth, the extraordinary shapes and colors of our natural world and the sense of wonder she feels from God’s creatures in a primarily representational style.

She paints South Carolina flora and fauna, including her garden flowers, water birds, low country scenes and reptiles, North Carolina landscapes and happily, grandchildren. Her paintings have been accepted into and won awards in several area juried art exhibitions. She is a member of S.C. Watermedia Society, Spartanburg Artists Guild, TAC, ACHC and Tryon Painters and Sculptors.

 

Alice S. Jackson 

Alice Jackson wants to write and illustrate children’s books. Since her retirement after 40 years as an educator, she has been ardently learning to write, to draw, and to paint. This journey has included several semesters studying with David Dunlop at Silvermine Academy, evening classes in drawing, reading about color theory and composition, and attending workshops with well-known artists and illustrators. She usually paints with watercolor on paper sealed with acrylic varnish.

Alice is a native of North Carolina, spending her winters in Kannapolis and her summers in Fletcher. She earned a BA and MA in special education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a sixth year in education administration from Southern Connecticut State University.

She paints landscapes, children, flowers, animals, and anything that will improve her skill for illustration. Her paintings have been accepted in juried shows and have won awards locally and in Connecticut. She is a member of Tryon Painters and Sculptors, Foothill Writers for Children, and the Society for Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

 

Karen S. Johnston 

Karen Johnston’s artistic journey has taken many paths. Among those paths has been fabric creations, from doll clothes, to her wedding gown, to teddy bears. Her love of creating floral arrangements and interior design led her to a redesign business focusing on the art of Feng Shui.

After retiring to Tryon, she became interested in painting and began taking classes. This new path has evolved over the years beginning in watercolor but soon expanded to oil, pastel, encaustic, and mixed media. Johnston continues to take classes and workshops from well-known artists to broaden her spectrum of media. Her subjects range from still life and landscapes to abstract expressionism.

Born in Pennsylvania, she received a BA from Marshall University, Huntington, W. Va. and taught special education. She also worked with visually impaired and blind infants while living in Lexington, Ky. She has lived most of her adult life in the Southeast. Her work has been accepted and awarded in a number of juried art shows and can be found in local and regional galleries and homes.

 

Article submitted by Gregory Wright