843-793-1234
Participating Artists
13th Annual Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce
Art Walk at Bohicket Marina
Johns Island, SC, — The 13th Annual Art Walk at Bohicket, 1880 Andell Bluff Blvd, Johns Island SC 29455 will be held on Saturday, APRIL 8TH from 10:00AM to 6:30PM at Bohicket Marina.
The event is brought to you by the Sea Islands Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Deep Water Vineyard. There will be 9 local Lowcountry artists with originals on display for sale for the general public.
Come out and enjoy the beautiful scenery, browse some fantastic art work by some very talented artists and help support the programs we have in place on the Sea Islands.
843-793-1234
Tina Mayland
Tina Mayland — Tina is a native Charlestonian for whom the Lowcountry of South Carolina is as close to paradise as any place on earth. Returning home after 30 years of a high-tech career that took her to Atlanta, DC and New Jersey as VP of Marketing for AT&T, Tina “rewired” from her all-consuming corporate life and began her “encore career” as a full-time artist. Tina explains her motivation to become a painter: "My grandparents owned a plantation on Wadmalaw Island, just outside of Charleston. As a child, I built tree forts in live oak trees, played in the pluff mud of the marshes, and galloped my horse through Lowcountry forests. Capturing the essence of that landscape in my art is a way of recapturing the joys of my youth."
Tina is a member of the Charleston Artist Guild (serving on its Board of Directors for 4 years) and the Seabrook Island Artist Guild. She's also active in the community, serving on the Board of Trustees of the Middleton Place Foundation and now serving a 3-year term on the National Board of Directors of the Archeological Institute of America. Her work is represented by the Wells Gallery at The Sanctuary on Kiawah Island and by Lowcountry Artists Gallery, 148 East Bay Street in downtown Charleston. A recovering workaholic, she is reveling in her "rewired" life. Says Tina, "I'm testament to the fact that you-can-go-home-again and that the post-career stage can be the most fulfilling!"
Kellie Jacobs — has spent her life watching the seasons change among the marshes and beaches of the South Carolina Coast. After graduating from the College of Charleston, Jacobs decided to pursue her professional career as a painter. Working primarily in pastel, she paints landscapes using atmosphere and light to create mood and expression in her art. "I am fascinated with the light at the end of the day. When the evening sun is low and warm touching the tops of the sand dunes and grasses of the marsh is the time of day I love best."
Jacobs' juxtaposition of bright colors and soft textures appeals to both domestic and international collectors. Traveling to foreign locations has also enhanced her ability to manipulate her chosen medium of pastel to produce desirable and collectible artwork. Many of her works hang in prestigious corporate and private collections nationally and abroad, including Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Southeastern Publishing Company, Inc.
Kellie Jacobs
Donna Geriner
Donna Geriner -
From an early age, Donna Geriner loved art – using bright coloring crayons and frequently entering children’s poster contests – but her creative imagination was not fully awakened until six years ago. She is drawn to nature and the simple beauty surrounding us; from the sweet scent of a honeysuckle vine in bloom, to the puffy clouds in the sky or warm hugs and a smile. Her paintings allow the viewer to escape the hectic fast-paced world, offering an experience, a mood, a feeling or a sense of place.
Donna grew up in Columbia, South Carolina but always enjoyed visits to the Lowcountry coast where she now calls home. A career in telecommunications brought her to the Charleston area in 2003, exposing her to the elegant flowers, quiet lowcountry marsh and colorful vistas she loves to paint. Oil is her chosen medium because of its vibrant and exciting intensity. While painting, Donna enters a timeless zone of connection to her subject and seeks to capture beauty, color and texture in her works. When considering a subject, Donna starts by asking why she wants to paint it and what she wants viewers to feel. She keeps the answers in mind while painting to remain focused on what each piece should convey. For instance, for her painting “Majestic Masts” she was inspired by the majesty of tall masts, the maritime air and reflection in the water. Her desire was to offer the viewer a sense of relaxation and calm. A recent still-life of pumpkins and Indian corn reflected her love for the crispness of fall and depicted a sense of nostalgia. And while viewing boats moored in a harbor one evening, she was reminded of sprinkled confetti and created “Confetti in the Harbor” to capture the delight of sparkling colors in the water.
Donna’s training includes workshops with nationally and internationally known artists such as Daniel Keys and Michelle Dunaway and has also taken regular classes taught by Charleston area artists Elizabeth Bronson and Joyce Hall. She loves being an artist because she is constantly learning and evolving which is exciting and motivating. While Donna agrees it can be intimidating to stand in front of a blank canvas, it is also thrilling and challenging at the same time, and she loves the process of working through a painting to watch it come alive in the end.
Sandra Roper —Sandra Roper grew up in South Carolina where she developed a great appreciation for the history, architectural features, and beauty of Charleston. She explains, “No matter how many times I visit Charleston I never cease to be intrigued by the splendor and the history embossed in each building, portico, and garden.” Sandra graduated from the University of South Carolina in Studio Art. She is a member/owner of “Lowcountry Artists Gallery” , 148 East Bay Street, Charleston, SC. Sandra’s work is displayed in numerous galleries and corporate locations throughout the southeast.
Sandra Roper
www.sandraroper.com
Bob LeFevre — a resident of Seabrook Island and Salem, South Carolina, retired from a successful career in business at the age of 55 to pursue his passion…oil painting. Since he was a child, he loved the water and everything related to it. It was natural that his paintings from the beginning would depict scenes of life on and near the oceans and lakes he would visit throughout his life.
Bob’s painting career began when, at the urging of his 4th grade teachers, he was enrolled in private art classes. Here, at this early age, he began to develop his perceptual skills as an artist learning the fundamentals of rendering and depiction of values in a representational way.
Throughout his elementary and high school days, Bob continued his private lessons. He joined every art club and organization he could and began winning awards for his talents. One of these was a sculpture scholarship at a local academy. He enjoys sculpting and carving to this day. At the age of eighteen, Bob took private lessons from a retired sea captain in Cape Cod, Mass. where he painted his first clipper ship. It was at this moment in his life that his passion for painting scenes of the sea was born.
Bob attended Colgate University where majored in business taking art as a second major. He earned extra money drawing caricatures of his classmates and selling paintings to teachers and the local town’s people.
Following graduation, Bob elected to pursue a business career knowing that he would eventually return to art on a full time basis. After 33 years as an executive with Procter and Gamble, PepsiCo and as an owner of The United States Playing Card Co., he retired to pursue his dream...painting full time!
He is driven to continually develop his skills to a higher level through life drawing lessons including nine years at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, plein air workshops and also by teaching both drawing and painting classes to teenagers and adults. He is president of the Seabrook Island Artist Guild and a long time member of the Charleston Artist Guild.
Bob maintains studios at his Seabrook Island and Salem, SC homes, the former right off the ocean and the latter right on Lake Keowee. He is President of the Seabrook Island Guild with over 100 members. He is represented by the Spencer Art Galleries in Charleston (see "Galleries, links" for more information).
Madeline Dukes -
A South Carolina native and Charleston area resident, Madeline Dukes studied studio art and political science at Winthrop University. Dukes’ work has been selected for several juried group and solo shows at museums and cultural centers in North and South Carolina, including the Etherredge Center gallery at University of South Carolina-Aiken, Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Juried Art Exhibition, Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, the Spartanburg Museum of Art, Lincoln County Museum, Sumter Museum of Art, McElvey Center, Mooresville Art Center, Pickens County Museum, the Rauch Gallery at Gaston College, and a traveling show with the South Carolina State Museum. Her work has also been featured in Fine Art Connoisseur and can be found in private and corporate collections throughout the U.S. including the new ACE Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Landscapes, “nature portraits,” and the figure are the subjects of her paintings. Although Dukes completes most work within her studio, she does employ an interactive process of observation in nature to capture color, form, and, most importantly, light. For her, this is where the painting begins – outside or from the live model. A connection with the subject must happen. Once this connection is made, she sketches, paints, photographs, and makes notes of her experiences. While some work is completed on location, she usually brings these observations into the “indoor” studio.
I approach each painting as a portrait and am fascinated by the movement and relationships between the subject and its environment. Nothing is still. Something dynamic is always going on between the two and I want to communicate that as well as capture the personality of the subject, the day, and the light. Nature always provides the inspiration.
I work mostly in oils and oil sticks. My brush work ranges from thick to thin on any given painting and I will layer, scratch, scrape, and make marks to portray the energy and atmosphere of the subject. My goals are to “construct” with the paint while pushing both the paint and the imagery.
During the painting process I incorporate a method of painting intuitively while stepping back and resolving any technical issues along the way. A kind of synchronization occurs while I work. This method of painting ultimately gets me to the place I want to be. It is here that I know I am producing my most interesting work. This is the balance I enjoy and this is how I paint.
Lisa Willits — moved to Charleston nearly 30 years ago from her hometown of Erie, Pennsylvania. While working as a technician in a research lab by day, she began taking evening art classes at the Gibbes Museum School in Charleston. After experimenting with several different mediums, Lisa chose oil painting because it best captured her love of color. With the encouragement of family and friends, she “took the leap” and began working full-time as a painter in 2005. Lisa is most inspired by the natural beauty of the South Carolina coast and strives to capture its enchanting atmosphere. It is little wonder that glowing skies, tranquil waters, and towering pines are among her favorite subjects.
Lisa is an exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist Guild, an associate member of Oil Painters of America, and past coordinator of Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (COPA). She was also a past Director of Artistic Growth for the Charleston Artist Guild. Lisa has studied with many instructors in Charleston over the years, and taken workshops with nationally-known artists. She and her husband Jeremy reside in downtown Charleston with their yellow Lab, Clyde, and cat, Zeus.
Lisa Willits
Colleen Wiessmann
Colleen Wiessmann — I have been active in arts my whole life. After studying at the school of New York Botanical Gardens, I worked as an Interior Landscaper for 25 years, which transformed into a love of texture and design.
I like to tell a story in my abstract paintings, through words, lines and symbols. I create abstract paintings with acrylics, inks, wax, oil and various textured materials. I use collage and layering techniques to create dimensional artwork to capture the viewer's eye and viewer's emotion.
The inspiration for my artwork comes from memories deep inside of me, experiences and spirituality. By channeling my energy into the creative process, my work becomes both a part of me and a reflection of life as seen through an artist's eye.
As an Artist, my goal is to make you look beyond the surface and feel the emotions hiding within each painting.
I was born and raised in Northern New Jersey and currently live on Seabrook Island, S.C. I was president of the Seabrook Island Artist Guild, for 8 years. And have won many awards, including best in show. My work is in private and corporate collections.
Jennifer Black
Jennifer Black - ”Any subject is fair game. What fascinates me is the way light falls on a subject. Light can dance, skip, jump, slide across, wrap around, fall, streak across or spotlight. The light pathways give a painting the movement I love to create,” she explains, “and, I'm not a slave to detail; instead I prefer to capture the spirit of the subject.”
Life began in San Diego California. Jennifer moved to Florida when she was 5, started drawing at age 8 and continued her art quest through high school as the staff artist on the high school newspaper and doing drawings for her classmates. She married early and had two children by age 21 and divorced at age 22. With no education and little money, life was a struggle but somehow she managed to earn a BA degree from Florida State in Creative Art. After graduation and working as an interior designer, she settled in Charleston SC where she married a handsome engineer. Then the adventure began. They lived on a remote Pacific Island for 2 years and in Spain for 6 years.
Her professional art career began after returning to Charleston. After 8 years as a licensed General Contractor, she decided in 2001 it was now or never to follow her dream to become a full-time artist. To make up for lost time she has been on a fast track to study with as many top artists as she can from all over the country. She is widely recognized for her extraordinary “loose and painterly” light filled style.
In 2008, Paint America’s Paint the Parks jurors selected Jennifer's oil painting, “Rosy Spoonbill,” as a national competition finalist in the “Top 100” competition. Among other awards, she won top honors in the Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition with the prestigious Mayor’s Purchase Award and First Place/Purchase Award in the North Charleston Art Festival. In 2019 she was juried into the Oil Painters of America Eastern Region Show.
She lives in Charleston, SC with her still handsome husband and paints from her studio on the marshes of the Ashley River.