I also have a strong affinity for my Scottish ancestry and have traveled extensively in Scotland. It is through this affinity that I am also drawn to the Carolinas as my ancestors were before me (along with many other Scots who settled in these areas.) Therefore a large majority of my work comes from the Carolinas and Scotland.

I am inspired in my photography by two quotes which sum up my “mission statement:”

“Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which Nature herself is animated.” ~Auguste Rodin

Every beauty which is seen here below by persons of perception resembles more than anything else that celestial source from which we all are come.” ~Michelangelo

You can view more of Karen’s work on her website.

Though I have done commissioned pieces my preference is to allow nature to direct and inspire me. As a result of my travels my works have permanent homes across the United States.

I hope you enjoy your experience at the LCArtGallery.com. Please support the arts in your local area.

Esther’s art is inspired by the trips she and her husband, Luis, take to many of America’s national Parks and Europe. Although nature is her greatest inspiration, her art is strongly influenced by her love of family and her supportive husband. She also does portraits. She works in oil and pastels.

Besides her talents as an artist, Esther has 2 sons and 5 grand children who bring her great joy.

One way on how I like to get your attention is by placing perspective views on the canvas that I feel will draw your eye. Can I read your mind and see through your eyes? No. But I do give it my best effort to make it happen. Along with the many zillions of colors that can be made with artist oil paints, it is my goal to make you feel your drawn into each of my paintings. May it be a sense of riding down a country road on a horse and buggy, flying through the air like an eagle around a mountain landmark or being able to pluck a beautiful flower off the canvas. Or may it be I’ve activated a thought of memory by a local scene I’ve painted.

It is my belief that we are created with both the desire to be creative and the ability to find great joy as we express that creativity! For me, a successful piece of my artwork will evoke that sense of joy in the viewer.

My husband Tim and I live in South Carolina with our children Ben and Emily, Tybee the cat, and Maruk the dog.

I believe that interesting art should fit in with all decor, but always maintain a personal connection. It is important to me that every piece of my work embodies true love and feeling.

There is nothing in the world that excites me more than creating. I only hope that you will enjoy this journey along with me.

The Great Smoky Mountains continues to be a favorite place for my family to visit every season. We have since lived in Houston, Charlotte and now Greenville, and I find God’s amazing beauty every place I live. Whether surrounded by wildlife or water, His handiwork in nature never ceases to amaze me. Being out in nature is peaceful to me and while pictures can’t always capture everything I see, my passion for photography continues to grow.

Nearly every piece of artwork I’ve created over the past few years was done from my home in Simpsonville, South Carolina, where I’ve lived since 1999.  It was after I moved to SC that I realized I had an ability to “create” that was more than just the hobby I’d always believed it to be.  And with the encouragement of my friends and family I began to nurture and explore the possibilities of where this road could lead.

In early 2008, I began to apply to local art festivals and shows for the first time.  The first was Greenville, SC’s “Art In The Park”, an outdoor festival of art.  A short while after applying, I received a call from the director telling me that she’d personally seen my work and would love it if I would be part of the event!  It was “Art In The Park”/September 2008 that became my first official showing.

In 2009, I joined the Anderson Arts Center in Anderson, SC, where I was part of two events they hosted: “Pet Project”, an exhibition featuring a handful of artists’ work in pet portraiture and the “34th Annual Juried Exhibition”.  In October 2009, I joined The Gallery On Trade, an upstart gallery / co-op in downtown Greer, SC.  And in March 2010 I joined The LC Art Gallery, a new “underground” gallery located in downtown Greenville, SC.

But while all of this development has taken place over the past couple years, my love for “the creative” started many years before that in the rural town of Green Valley, Illinois, where I spent nearly all of my childhood years.  Surrounded by acres of corn and bean fields, imagination was almost a necessity for the kids in my neighborhood!  And I certainly put that imagination to work on a regular basis.  I spent hours alone creating worlds, characters and experiences that existed only in my mind.  Whether it was toys, music, books or movies, they all played a role in helping channel my creative side.

And really, the same still holds true today.  Inspiration is all around me: fashion, nature, news, entertainment and many times, my own photography.  There’s been a camera in my hands since a very young age and I always loved subjecting my family and friends to photo “shoots”.  My experience in photography has certainly helped me develop an eye for portraiture, which is a large part of the work I do today.  Often times I’ll take photos for/of a client that I then turn into a finished drawn portrait.  And because I was always pulled towards black & white photography more than anything else, the transition into the charcoal artwork and portraiture I do today felt very natural.

 … the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams …

As I look forward to that future and continue to pursue my own dreams, my goal is to produce work that’s exciting, interesting and unique to me.  This is only the beginning and I hope to have many years ahead that allow me to continue to nurture and explore this side of life.  And along the way, I hope to take you with me to those places that only our imaginations can go!

Clint Meyer

The work of the hand carves a place in the heart

I love to create works of art which inspire others to appreciate and preserve the character and beauty from the Native American cultures to Shakespearean characters and their stories.

As an artist and educator, I am constantly learning and exploring life. By studying the structures of humans, birds, wild life, horses, I can enrich the lives of others through my sculpture and the stories they tell.

All my years in design and color have given me the background and awareness to grow as an artist and to continually enhance my sculptures through composition and the special use of colors in the patina. I find working in Bronze and patina is a way that brings out the character of each sculpture and the story it tells.

Recent Awards

• Tahoe Quarterly Feature Profile with photograph, 2011
• Finalist. Women Artists of the West” WAOWing the Golden State Art Show
• Scottsdale Artists’ Best and Brightest, Scottsdale, AZ.  Recipient of one its “Best and Brightest” juried awards for “Gypsy Fire” sculpture.  2010
• Horse HeART 2010 – “Let’em Ride Foundation,  “Award of Excellence” for bronze sculpture “Horse Power” – Friesian horse
• Nevada Magazine, “In the Spotlight” Feature Profile with photograph, 2010
• 2010 Finalist In: “WAOWing The Golden State” –Olaf Weighorst Museum

You can read more about June and see more of her beautiful sculptures on her website.

Sculptures on Display

Gloria has established a profound reputation in the art world, both in the states and internationally. In the United States, her works have been on display in the State of Georgia Capital Building and Calloway Gardens, a major garden resort in Southwest Georgia. Gloria was selected by the National Society of Painters to have her work exhibited in Japan during 2008. The work is now part of a permanent collection maintained by the Society. In June, 2009 Gloria had the opportunity to paint in Monet’s Garden after hours for 5 days. She entered a plein air competition during this time and won the Claude Monet Award. She was invited to return to Giverny, France for an art exhibit. Her artwork is in private collections throughout the world.

In the more than 30 years as a teacher and painter Gloria’s art travels have taken her all over the United States and she most recently taught classes in New Zealand and France. This past June she conducted a plein air workshop in Giverny, France and provided this group the opportunity to paint for 6 evenings in Monet’s Garden after hours, when the museum was closed to the public.

She has developed her own style of painting to be classical realism with an impressionistic flair. This is a gift that she in turn loves to share with others. She says she fell in love with Plein Air painting when she studied in France 4 years ago. She has studied with Richard Schmid, Huihan Liu, Laura Robb, Quang Ho, Gregg Kreutz, and Robert Johnson. These studies have enabled her to build a solid foundation of knowledge, and the ability to paint with confidence.