Denise Athanas 678-915-1509 [email protected]

My interest in the arts goes back to my school and college years. I started painting when many years ago I moved to Syracuse, NY. There started a love affair with painting that has become more intense as time goes on.

I am a frequent participant of seminars and workshops presented by internationally recognized artists some of whom I regard as mentors and have become a source of inspiration to me. Finally and most importantly, I keep painting, constantly experimenting and exploring new venues, materials, surfaces, ideas and techniques. I strive to have the viewer of my art see “me” in my work as when I was growing up in Ethiopia and Greece as in my school years in the Sudan and Great Britain and here in the US as a wife and a mother. These experiences, I believe are reflected in my work - the bold strokes, smooth curves, sharp angles complemented with bright strong colors.

In addition to the American Watercolor Society (AWS) and National Watercolor Society (NWS) I have earned signature status in Watercolor-USA Honor Society(WHS), Watercolor Society of (WSA), Watercolor Society (GWS), International Society of Experimental Artists (ISEA-NF), International Society of Acrylic Painters (ISAP M), San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS), Missouri Watercolor Society (MOWS), Philadelphia Watercolor Society(PWCS), Pennsylvania Watercolor Society (PWS), Pittsburgh Watercolor Society(PWS), Watercolor Society (TWS-PS), Western Federation of Watercolor Societies (WFWS), Rocky Mountain National Watermedia Society (RMNWS), California Watercolor Association (MCWA), Southern Watercolor Society (SW), Illinois Watercolor Society(IWS), Watermedia Society(SCWS), Western Colorado Watercolor Society (WCWS), Watercolor Society(MSWS), Northwest Watercolor Society(NWWS). I am also an elected member of the National Association of Women Artists(NAWA), Allied Artists of America (AAA) and National Society of Painters in Casein and Acrylic (NSPCA).

CAROLYN EPPERLY - WATERCOLOR ARTIST

Biography Education: BA, University of South Carolina Commercial Art, Holland College, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

Workshops:(naming a few) Glenn Bradshaw Robert E. Woods Katherine Liu Ralph Smith

Juried Shows & Awards: Lowcountry Artist Gallery 148 East Bay Street American Watercolor Society Annual International Art Exhibit, Salmagundi Club, NYC Watercolor USA-Juror’s Awards and Museum Purchase Salmagundi Club- First Place in Watercolor Watercolor- Best in Show Northwest Watercolor-Juror’s Award Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Show-Merit Awards, First Place South Carolina Watermedia Society- Awards Rocky Mountain National Watercolor Society Southern Watercolor Society San Diego Watercolor Society

Publications: Watercolor Magic- Feature Article, Winter 2000 Watercolor Magic Handbook. Two Feature Articles, Winter 2001 Lucy Maud Montgomery Institute, Presenter , “Painting With Words”, 2004 Kindred Spirit Magazine, Article, 2005, Published on PEI, Canada, Distributed Internationally CreArta, an Art Educator’s Handbook, Article, 2005, Published on Sydney, Australia, Distributed Internationally.

Organizations: National Watercolor Society-Awarded Signature Status, Carolyn Epperly,NWS, WHS Watercolor USA Honor Society South Carolina Watermedia Society, Board Member 2001-2004, 2009- present, Member of Excellence Transparent Watercolor Society of America Charleston Artist Guild, Exhibiting Member

Z.L.Feng Growing up in Shanghai, Feng painting and experimenting with different mediums, including pastel, oil, and egg tempera, before choosing his favorite, watercolor. He finds inspiration for his lovely landscapes in the countryside of the New River Valley. Those familiar with Feng’s art are also captivated by his portraits of the people of Tibet, Native Americans of New Mexico, Southern farmers, and others. Before coming to the U.S. in 1986, Feng received his BFA degree from Shanghai Teacher’s University and taught in its art department for four years. He completed the MFA degree at Radford University in 1989 where he is currently a Professor of Art. In his homeland of China, Feng exhibited his portraits, landscapes, and illustrations in juried exhibitions. Since coming to the U.S., his work has received acclaim throughout the country, garnering more than 500 state, regional, national, and international awards with many “Best in Show” awards and Gold Medal honors in major U.S. watercolor competitions.

Feng is an artist-signature member of the American Watercolor Society, the National Watercolor Society, and the Pastel Society of America (as master pastelist). His work has been featured in The Artist’s Magazine, American Artist, Watercolor 90, Watercolor Highlight, Omni Magazine, Watercolor Magic, and the Chinese National Magazine, China-Watercolor. Additionally, his paintings have been featured in five art books published and distributed worldwide. His work was shown in a broadcast that was aired on the local PBS affiliate station in Harrisonburg, VA. Feng’s biography has been listed in the Biographical Encyclopedia of American Painters, Sculptors & Engravers of the U.S., Who’s Who in American Art, and American Art Directory.

Feng’s artwork can be found in numerous private and corporate collections, including Walt Disney, the U.S. Gulfstream Aerospace Center, and Orlando International Airport as well as the permanent collections of the Springfield Art Museum in Springfield, Missouri, and the Radford University Art Museum. His work is also in private and corporate collections in Singapore and China. [email protected] www.radford.edu/~zfeng www.zlfeng.com www.facebook.com/zlfengart

Lynne N. Hardwick

ISAP, MOWS, SWS, SCWS, SDWS, RMNW, ISEA, NWWS 843.709.4788 (C) Nomad’s Vision www.lynnehardwickartist.com VII www.lowcountryartists.com [email protected] Nomad’s Vision VI Nomad’s Vision X

In the early 1960’s, I discovered my passion for art. I began painting and studying in earnest in 1973 and am fortunate to have been mentored by exceptionally talented and world renowned instructors. My work ranges from acrylics, collage, watercolors, inks, and oils, to my currently highly textured and layerist style emphasizing design to bold colors.

I spend 10 to 14 weeks a year studying in Europe and the States and work from my home studios in Summerville, SC and Black Mountain, NC. Many of my works are featured in private and corporate collections throughout North and South America, Canada, Europe and Asia. I am thrilled and humbled knowing that what comes from my heart and soul has touched a strong enough response in another person to inspire them to buy and live with my creations. I am living my dream and it is overpowering and wonderful!

Galleries one woman shows (*) International/National Exhibits awards(*) signatures(*) Lowcountry Artist’s Gallery, LTD, Charleston, Invited for Best of American Acrylic Artists SC- (Partner/Owner)* Worldwide cover of Pre-Hospital and Disaster Art and Soul, Myrtle Beach, SC Medicine Magazine Lynda English Studio Gallery, Florence, Artist Magazine 12/15- Best of American SC* Wild Goose Gallery, Goose Creek, Artists SC* b.brown gallery, Matthews, NC Artist Magazine 3/16- Top 10 Artist over 60 Charleston City Gallery at Dock Street Adirondacks National Exhibition of American Theatre* Watercolors* Charlotte Arts Festival Artfields Annual Exhibit Courtyard Art Gallery Art League of Hilton Head National Juried Art Ellen Taylor Interior Design, Columbia, SC Exhibition* Fish or Cut Bait, Edisto Island, SC Atalaya, SC State Arts Festival Kiawah Fall Arts Festival, Kiawah Island, SC American Watercolor Society-AWS North Charleston Performing Arts Center, Berkeley Jazz Festival Posters Charleston, SC* Charleston Artist Guild* Paul D. Sloan Interior Design, Columbia, SC Charleston City Gallery* Piccolo Spoleto, Outdoor Art Exhibition, China/NWS Small Works Exchange* Charleston, SC* Georgia Watercolor Society Seven Sisters Gallery, Black Mountain, NC* International Society of Acrylic Painters- Museums & Publications ISAP** Franklin G. Burroughs Simeon B. Chapin Art International Society of Experimental Artist- Museum, Myrtle Beach, SC ISEA** Published in The Creative Edge by Mary Todd Kiawah Fall Arts Festival, Kiawah Island, SC Beam Missouri Watercolor Society- MOWS** Nominated as an up-and-coming artist for MOJA Arts Festival, Charleston, SC “Ones To North Charleston Performing Arts Center, Watch” feature in Watercolor Artist Magazine Charleston, SC* National Watercolor Society- NWS Northwest Watercolor Society- NWWS* Piccolo Spoleto, Charleston, SC* Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Charleston, SC* Pikes Peak International Watercolor Society Rocky Mountain National Watercolor Society- RMNW* San Diego International Watercolor Society- SDWS* Southern Watercolor Society-SWS** WAS-H Houston International* Watercolor Society of Alabama

Lynne N. Hardwick is represented by Lowcountry Artists, 148 Easy Bay Street, Charleston, SC (843)-577-9295

Anne Hightower-Patterson B. 1950

A native of South Carolina, Anne is now beginning her fifth decade of creating art. At the age of 12, her school system provided the opportunity for art classes. It was the first step awakening that artist in her. The passion has existed within Anne since that time has only grown stronger through the years. In 1975 she began to focus almost exclusively on watercolor.

During the intervening years. Anne has earned a BFA in studio art from the University of South Carolina and a Master’s in Education. After working 29 years in the public school system, Anne retired and now paints full time in her studio and teaches classes and workshops in South Carolina and throughout the Southeast.

Anne is a Member with Excellence of the South Carolina Watermedia Society, and a signature member of the Watercolor Society of Alabama, The Mississippi Watercolor Society, and the Georgia Watercolor Society.

Her work was featured in Splash 16 and 17, The Best of Watercolor in 2015 and 2016. In June of this year, her painting “Hydrangea June Afternoon” will be featured in Splash 18. Her painting “Fishermen’s Tales” is featured in the April 2016 issue of Watercolor Magazine as a part of their Watercolor Showcase. This is the second time her work has been featured in the Watercolor Showcase. In 2016, she was selected by Watercolor Magazine as one of 10 artists selected nationally in the annual feature as “One to Watch”. This article highlights emerging watercolor artists across the US.

She is married to Ron White and resides in Saluda County near Lake Murray, SC.

Alexis Lavine, NWS

Making art is an essential and defining part of who I am and how I live. I see so much that intrigues me, and I am endlessly challenged to express what I see and how I feel in my own way, via watercolor.

My watercolor paintings appear to be realistic … but they are thoughtfully conceived, strategically designed, and carefully drawn around abstract shapes, values, colors, movement, and positive and negative spaces. I believe that my approach gives my work a more contemporary feel, and results in paintings which convey my personal reaction to my subject, not merely the visual facts.

I have been a passionate “plein air” painter for many years, and take tremendous pleasure from painting outdoors, on location, wherever I am inspired by the landscape. Recently, I have been spending more in my studio, where I can slow down my brush and take more time to design and craft my paintings with the utmost of care, to create the most impact in my work and communicate with my viewers as effectively as possible. I have discovered a new fascination with the clothed human figure, and have been focusing on telling stories, through the use of grouping, cropping, and placement of the figures within my picture plane.

Education is tremendously important. I earned two bachelor’s degrees and a master’s degree, before embarking on my path as a painter. I continue to study art whenever possible, and I also teach painting and drawing classes and workshops. I love to speak about art, share my experience and knowledge, and help my students achieve greater success.

I was recently honored as “One to Watch” by Watercolor Artist Magazine. My paintings have been published in Splash, The Artistic Touch, The Best of Watercolor, and Watercolor Artist. Creative Art Press has published a five-DVD instructional series, called “Creative Watercolor Painting Using Photos” featuring my watercolor demos. I am a signature member of the National Watercolor Society, Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Watercolor West, North East Watercolor Society, and Southern Watercolor Society. My work can be found in galleries in the mid-Atlantic and Southern states, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. You can see many of my paintings and learn more about my art and my teaching by visiting my web site.

To contact Alexis directly: [email protected] 336.288.8075 (studio) 336.684.2578 (cell) www.alexislavineartist.com

Audrey Montgomery Lowcountry Artist

Audrey’s artistic interests began at an early age. “I remember one of my favorite memories growing up was the smell of turpentine and linseed oil at my grandmother’s home.” Her grandmother, an artist, encouraged her to create and was generous with her supplies. Audrey was constantly sketching and painting throughout her youth.

After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design from the University of Georgia, Audrey continued her education at Auburn University where she received a Bachelor of Architecture. “I loved studying architecture. When I was in school, architectural drawings were all created with pen or pencil on paper. Now, with the computer, pencil drafting is a lost art. Much of what I learned in those days I use and incorporate in my painting process today."

A native of Georgia, Audrey and her husband Rob moved to Beaufort South Carolina in 1990. The beauty of the Lowcountry inspired Audrey to continue to sketch and paint, but it was not until she began to focus on watercolors that her true passion for painting began. "I find watercolors fascinating. The pigments can be granulating or nongranulating, transparent or opaque and the way each color reacts to another is different. The possibilities are endless."

Audrey's work was among the "Best Paintings of the Year" in the February 2014 issue of Watercolor Artist Magazine. She is a signature member of the South Carolina Watercolor Society and has had work juried into the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Southern Watercolor Society and South Carolina Watermedia Society Exhibits.

[email protected] 843-812-1109 www.amontgomeryart.com

Artist Bio

Lynn Schilling is a watercolor artist and painter of people. Artistic expression has always been an integral part of her life. Her creative path has included interests in writing and photography - both behind the camera and in the dark room. At age 61, a paint brush found its way into her hand and she became a painter. Always an ardent student, she has immersed herself in local art classes, as well as intensive workshops with nationally known artists across the country. She occasionally fuels her creativity with the study of collage and mixed media. Lynn is drawn to painting portraits and figures, striving to capture an evocative expression or the essence of a relationship.

Invitational National Watercolor Society Invitational Muckenthaler Cultural Center 2017 Portraits and Figures: A National Watercolor Society Exhibition

Juried Shows American Water Society 148th International Exhibition - 2015 National Watercolor Society 94th International Exhibition 2014/15 Transparent Watercolor Society Of America 39th Annual Juried Exhibition 2015 Georgia Watercolor Society National Exhibition 2014, 2016 Louisiana Watercolor Society 46th International Exhibition 2016 South Carolina Watermedia Society Member in Excellence 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017 Awards 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017 Southern Watercolor Society 39th Annual Juried Exhibition 2016, 2017 Award 2017 Watercolor Society of Alabama Signature Member 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 - Award 2016 Southern Art Society, Inc Kings Mountain, NC I Am Woman Show 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 - Awards 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 Gaston County Art Guild Gastonia, NC ‘Visual Harvest’ 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 - Awards 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016 Deja Vu Award 2015 Self Portrait Show Award 2016 Union County Arts Council Union, SC 2013, 2014, 2015 - Awards 2013, 2014

Published Splash 17: Inspirational Subjects Dressed to the Nines

Artist Statement Painting is a gift that came late and unexpectedly into my life - it challenges my mind, feeds my soul and fills me with awe.

Barbara Stitt 103 Long Point Way Simpsonville, South Carolina 29681 (864) 430-5776 [email protected]

My inspiration comes from almost any subject matter that sparks my interest at the time and I have always been fascinated by pattern, design, texture and color. I enjoy working with these applications on various supports (paper, board, canvas, fabric etc.) in a random and spontaneous manner, then bringing the chaos into order. It is a very intuitive process inspired by what I see and feel about this underlying painting. I hope to spark the interest of the viewer by offering a personal, unique and hopefully interesting interpretation of subject matter which may be quite ordinary. The process of creating a painting, for me, is similar to solving a mystery which must be brought to a believable conclusion.