Artist Brenda Lawson joined us in the gallery last week to demonstrate her watercolor techniques and shared
some of her tricks of the trade. She has been painting 45 years and has accumulated a list of juried exhibitions, awards and shows that is quite impressive....a testament to the time she has spent with a brush in her hand!  After moving to Pawleys she opened her own studio---Pawleys Island Art Studio--and taught and hosted workshops for years.  To learn more about Brenda check out her bio and link to her website on our Artist's Page.  She also has a wall full of her watercolors in the gallery right now that are definitely worth driving to see!  A few pictures
​from our day in the gallery: 

What a deserving honor for Cathy to be recognized as this year's featured artist for the Georgetown Wooden Boat
Show! We are so proud to call her one of our own here at Island Art Gallery.  Make sure to get by the Georgetown Maritime Museum for her poster signing this Saturday, October 17th from 11 am- 2 pm.  Congratulations to Cathy!!!

For more information about Cathy, the Georgetown Wooden Boat Show, as well as The Goat Island Regatta silent virtual auction,  please click here: woodenboatshow.com/2020-featured-artist-cathy-turner/

What a treat it was to have artist Zan Thompson join us at the gallery last week.   From his art education to his career as a landscape architect, and now pursuing his art full time, it all trails back to the days of growing up with his artistic parents.  Zan is know for his watercolor paintings of boats and architecture and lately has delved into florals. He loves to paint  outdoors and taught us much about the best way to travel light with his easel and supplies.  Zan teaches in his hometown of Hickory, NC where he lives with his wife Peggy as well as does workshops.  He is currently working on setting up his own You Tube Channel for teaching --  can't wait to see it up and running. To learn more about Zan check out his biography a few clicks over on the Artist page of our website!  A few pictures from the day and his work in progress:

Despite these unprecedented times, our artists just keep creating!  A big thank you to the patrons who have continued to support the gallery and make it possible for us carry on.    We have just updated our artist's page with recent works so make sure to hop over a few pages and take a look.  If you are in the area we hope you will stop in, we are following all suggested guidelines made by the CDC to insure a safe experience for everyone.  We are also happy to offer curbside service if that works best for you!  

We are so excited to be able to present our first Virtual Art Exhibit. This show features the latest large works by each of our artists.   While we had originally planned to open our show with personal invitations to the gallery, with some ingenuity, we are presenting the Large Works Show virtually.  We look forward to the day when we can do openings at the gallery again, but until then we hope you can grab a cool drink and take a little time to visit the site instead.   If you would like to learn more about each artist please also visit the artist's tab and peruse the biography's for each artist here on the website. Please call us at 843-314-0298 or email us if you would like more information - islandartcoop@gmail.com   

To view the show click on the following link---best if viewed from a laptop or computer--enjoy:  

​Island Art Gallery Virtual Show

Pictured above: "Roosting and Stalking", watercolor by Zan Thompson--one of twenty-five large works presented in the Gallery Virtual Show.

We hope you will take a moment to browse through our gallery today.  Despite these troubling times one thing is for sure...artists keep creating.  Perhaps the silver lining of COVID-19  is an opportunity for more  time in the studio---whatever the reason the results are beautiful and we are so proud of all of our artists!  

Yesterday artist Keith Wilkie brought us a whole new wall of paintings we want to share with you!! He has been with the gallery for a  long time and  has always been a strong supporter of us -- so today the spotlight is on you Keith!!!

Keith Wilkie, painter, sailor & traveler from an early age, captures the quiet, peaceful and sometimes stormy nature of familiar coastal scenes, landscapes and marine subjects.  From the Carolinas to the Chesapeake Bay to Europe, the Caribbean and beyond, his work evokes memorable maritime moments encountered by nearly all of us – whether it is a salty breeze at the beach, surf before an approaching storm, wildlife in the marsh or just fishing.
“My grandmother had a print of Winslow Homer's "Breezing Up" over her mantel and that scene pulled me in for as long as I can remember.  Water is definitely part of my soul, and it’s usually the salty variety.  I grew up fishing and boating with my grandfather and dad on the beaches and waterways of the Carolinas.  I can sit for hours and simply watch the water – whether rough or calm, sparkling from the sun or dark in the night.  A great deal of inspiration arrives while on the water in a boat, whether sailing, fishing or simply cruising local waterways.  Inspiring scenes are enjoyed daily while at our home on Yonges Island, exploring the surrounding Lowcountry or during travel overseas.  I try to capture those feelings, the light and mood when I paint, regardless of the subject.”
Keith’s work has been exhibited at the Annapolis Maritime Museum (Annapolis, MD), Coos Art Museum (Coos Bay, WA), Biggs Museum (Dover, DE), Washington County Museum of Fine Arts (Hagerstown, MD), Peninsula Gallery (Lewes, DE), the Buffalo Naval Park Museum (NY), South Carolina Maritime Museum (Georgetown, SC), Healdsburg Center for the Arts (Healdsburg, CA), Richesons School of Art & Museum (Kimberly, WI), The Gallery in Paso Robles (CA), Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage Museum (Hermitage, TN), the Cape Fear Studios (Fayetteville, NC), Gallery West (Alexandria, VA), Gallery Underground (Crystal City, VA) and the Island Art Gallery in Pawleys Island, SC.  With paintings on the cover of Robert Lackey’s Kingdoms of the Marsh, as well as 48º Sailing Magazine (Seattle, WA) and Living Here Magazine (Myrtle Beach, SC), his work also appeared in Fine Art Connoisseur , American Art Collector, Southwest Art Magazine, Acrylic Works & The Artist’s Magazine.
A member of the American Society of Marine Artists and Oil Painters of America, Keith’s work can be found in private collections across America, in the U.K. and the permanent collection of the S.C. Maritime Museum. 
Keith works from his waterfront home studio on Yonges Island near his beloved Charleston, SC .  With everlasting support from his wonderful wife and daughters, his other interests include cooking, fishing, sailing and cruising nearby waterways on his boat "Salty Brush".   Now retired from an International Real Estate career at the U.S. Department of State and having traveled to scores of countries overseas, Keith also holds a U.S. Coast Guard captain's license.

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