USC Beaufort presents Sixth-Annual Pritchards Island Artists Retreat Exhibit in November

USC Beaufort will begin its sixth-annual Pritchards Island Artists Retreat Exhibit with a wine and cheese reception from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Nov. 9.

The event is open to the public and will be held in the gallery at the Performing Arts Center, which is located at the University's North Campus at 801 Carteret Street in Beaufort. Artists will exhibit their art during the month of November.

Though from different backgrounds and using different art mediums, twelve artists united on the island's 1,600 acres of salt marsh, 900 acres of maritime forest ,and two and a half miles of beach for six days of ecological and environmental inspiration. The group of participants was composed of photographers; watercolor, oil and acrylic painters; and papier-mâché, resin ,and silverpoint artists. Each artist will bring three to four pieces inspired by the environment and solitude of Pritchards pristine, barrier island landscape.

The art in the exhibit is quite diverse. Jeannine Cook, who lives on the Georgia coast, draws with silverpoint and uses her art to show "the area's vital ecology." Instead of graphite or chalk, her pen contains a piece of silver wire. The method has not been used much since the mid-1500's and is difficult because an artist cannot erase it. The silver lines created with this technique will tarnish to a warm brown over time.

Tricia Gardner emphasizes color by painting the marsh with bright pink and blue, using fast-drying oil paints, called alkyds. Eva Hoar-McDonald specializes in papier-mâché and resin. Kathleen Esser and Marilyn Dixon Pfanstiel, both from Lexington, Kentucky, work in watercolor. Juliana Kim's "goal for the week was to have time to merge the differences between the contemporary studio work I do in Boston, and the appreciative plein air work I have been doing in my new Lowcountry world of marsh and birds." She works in watercolors, oils, and acrylics, as do Susan Mayfield West and Regina Moody.

Creative photographers on the island were Susan DeLoach, Sol Avelino, and Ed Funk.

"This was the fifth year I have visited Pritchards Island and the second as Artist in Residence at the Artists' Retreat," Funk said. "On each visit I continue to realize how special this island is in terms of beauty and serenity. It allows one to prioritize the values of life and realize the special relationship of nature and art. My experiences over these years on the island have made me a better photographer but, more importantly, a better human being. It is an opportunity that I cherish."

For more information, call the USC Beaufort Office of Community Outreach at 843-521-4147.

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