Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Escaping With Friends

 © 2013 - Patricia Zalisko - Flux V-14-13 - 40x40
Probably nothing is more uplifting than spending some quality time with friends. But I've discovered that, even better than that is spending days, meals and nights with friends who also share the same passion for creating and viewing art for days on end.


 © 2013 - Fran Gardner
The University of South Carolina - Lancaster and Professor Fran Gardner welcomed four friends to their campus and art studio in order to paint. We were greeted by Dean Walter Collins III, and faculty and staff visited us in open studio on our last day of work. Fran joined us in the studio as did fellow professor, Brittany Taylor, and student studio assistant, Phil Brown. We took a short break to pop into downtown Lancaster to visit the new Native American studies center, a true gem, which serves southeastern tribes and prominently features an enormous collection of Catawba tribal art forms and pottery


Fran Gardner preps a finished 
mixed media piece


Beau Wild at work
Lisa Stroud steps back to view her work in progress



My fellow artists included Eli Corbin of Asheville, NC, Lisa Stroud of Raleigh, NC, and Beau Wild of Port Orange, FL. We worked and played hard, enjoyed our studio time, produced stunning art and supported one another during breaks for critiques or advice.



L. to r. - Fran Gardner, Beau Wild, Lisa Stroud, Eli Corbin
Much laughter, excellent meals that we prepared for one another, tall tales and some wine followed at Fran's home, which she and her husband, Van, opened to us for the week. 


  © 2013 - Beau Wild



 © 2013 Eli Corbin

A beautiful retreat set on 70 rolling acres in a nearby town, their home beckons visitors to stroll the grounds, listen to the whippoorwills, watch their dog disappear into tall golden wheat and purple grasses, peek into Fran's studio, and check out their pond. Our visit ended with a 'field trip' into nearby Charlotte, NC, where we visited the Bechtler and Mint Museums, lunching in its sleek and artsy bistro.



Photo courtesy of USC-L Photographer, Shana Dry. L. to r., Lisa Stroud, Fran Gardner, Brittany Taylor, Eli Corbin, Phil Brown, Pat Zalisko, Beau Wild
We were restored, strengthened as artists, and cemented our friendships in this beautiful school and home. Fran and USC-L have invited us to return soon, an invitation we plan to accept next year.


 © 2013 - Patricia Zalisko - Flux V-5-13 - 64x24 on linen





The artists reserve the copyright in and all rights to reproduce their respective work. Their permission has been secured in order to publish this blog entry.

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