CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS OF SGA
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RENEE SCHWADRON LEWIS
A native of Brooklyn, NY, Renee always loved the combination of texture and color. The confluence of cultures in NYC was especially an influential part of her life. Lewis received a B.F.A. in Fabric Design from the School of Art at Syracuse University. As part of the University’s Foreign Studies Program, she studied Art History in Amsterdam, Netherlands. In her focus on Fabric Design (which included silk screening and weaving), Lewis developed an eye and proficiency with repetitive patterns – which continues to be a theme in her current work. Her Post-Impressionist style paintings are created with a blend of oil crayons, color pencils and pastels on black paper or mat board – producing bold, stunning colors and creative themes capturing the colorful nature of women. At the core of her work are women – empowered, strong – yet vulnerable, linked to others, beautiful within while sustaining the universe. Lewis is an award-winning artist and is represented by the Savannah Gallery of Art, Savannah, Georgia, The Hub on Canal in New Smyrna Beach, Gallery 500 in Daytona Beach, and the Dancing Crane Gallery, Bradenton. She is a member of the Artist’s Registry, the Artist’s Workshop, Beaux Arts Central Florida, the Florida Artists Group, Florida Women’s Art Association and the Art League of Daytona Beach. She has taught classes for children at the Orlando Museum of Art and the Casselberry Art House. She lives in Winter Park, Florida. www.reneeschwadronlewis.com 
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CAROL IGLESIAS
Plein Air Impressionist, instructor and juror Carol Iglesias was born in Montreal, Canada and now lives on Hilton Head Island, S.C. Working outside in Plein Air and in her light filled studio, Carol’s influence comes from the great impressionists. Relocating to the south has been inspiration for much of her recent work. Iglesias attended Plein Air Magazines Plein Air Convention in San Diego, Santa Fe & San Francisco, participated in the Plein Air Painters’ U.S. Open on Whidbey Island, and continues to paint plein air in locations all over the world. These include France, Italy, Greece, the Caribbean and many locations across the U.S. She exhibits her paintings extensively at galleries, museums and shows. Carol is a founding member of the Hilton Head Island Plein Air Painters. Carol entices with a bold use of color and light. Her strong compositional elements convey the intense beauty the artist sees in the world around her and beckon the viewer into a glimpse of someplace they might otherwise never experience. Iglesias’s paintings vibrate with artistic energy and color. She feels that a part of her emotional response to a place is in every painting. In 2012, Carol was awarded a prestigious Artist Residency at “Les Amis de la Grande Vigne” in Dinan, France, the former home and studio of famous French artist Yvonne Jean-Haffen. One of Carol’s paintings was selected for the Museum’s collection and was on exhibition in France during 2013 and 2019. Carol is an award winning signature member of The Maryland Pastel Society, and a member of the American Impressionist Society, Oil Painters of America, Pastel Society of America, Southeastern Pastel Society and Laguna Plein Air Painters Association. Iglesias’s paintings are in public and private collections throughout the U.S. as well as in five countries. Her work has been published in newspapers, books and magazines including “Le Petit Bleu des Cotes d’ Amour”, “Quest France”, “Elan Magazine”, “Plein Air Magazine (workshop ads)”, “American Art Collector Magazine”, "The Freelance Star", “Piedmont Virginian Magazine”, “Bluffton Sun” and “Hilton Head Island Sun” newspapers. Iglesias is represented by galleries in NC, SC and GA. 
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IVAN CHOW
Website: https://www.facebook.com/ivanchowsketches Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/qkkdraw/ “My training as an architect has instilled in me a filter of precision and accuracy through which I view the built environment and with which my artistic side competes. My plein air sketches make up for their lack of accuracy with life and energy, while my studio drawings – mostly from photos – experience a gravitational pull back to architectural proclivities and its subsequent formality. I usually adopt an ink-and-watercolor approach to sketching: the fine-line inkwork allows my inner architect to do its thing, while the watercolor allows my inner artist to mess with the former. What I am exploring the interface of both these approaches to artistic expression. But it hasn’t been easy. In addition to a couple of decades of practicing as an architect, I have been in senior management in both the investment and academic worlds for over twenty years. Old habits of precision, efficacy and goal-orientation are hard to loosen and harder to redirect. Yet I am enjoying this late-stage vocational shift more than any previous career phase. Sketching seems to have funneled all my accrued abilities into a process and product that brings satisfaction to self (though not always), joy to others (though not always) and money into pocket. (definitely not always!)” "Sketching Savannah" is a collection of exquisite full-color ink-and-watercolor sketches featuring over a hundred places of interest and charm throughout downtown Savannah, Georgia. The sketches, organized in serendipitous constellations, are accompanied by reliably-sourced historic captions and neighborhood maps that draw the reader into the life and history of Savannah and its reputation as the Hostess City of the South. The sketches were made in a variety of settings, both en plein air and in studio and are connected by a unique fusion of both the historical and the contemporary that coexist in this historic and unique city. The author and artist is an architect by trade and particularly fascinated by the impact of the built environment on the communities that occupy it. 
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BETH ANNE KRAH
[email protected]
bethannekrah.com
IG: & Facebook: beth.anne.krah
The biomorphic nature of Beth’s sculptures appears to have been formed deep beneath the ocean's surface. What may begin as a simple small vase becomes more beautiful and intriguing as the clay asserts itself beneath her fingers, often going through times of doubt and frustration as neither sculptor nor clay are sure where they are heading. Eventually, these unrestrained graceful lines reach beyond imagination as she relinquishes control and allows the clay the freedom to preside over the ultimate design.
The fine edges of her pieces take hours to fine-tune with approximately 90 pinches per minute. Her larger sculptures have been pinched over 12,000 to 21,000 times.
“Struggling with Tourette Syndrome has been a major factor when carrying these fragile sculptures to the kiln, praying to God they'll make it in one piece - no small feat for the large ones. This motor control disorder rarely allows me the luxury of being still and moving gracefully, so a sudden jerk or tic can turn a bone-dry sculpture into a cloud of dust in a heartbeat."
[email protected]
bethannekrah.com
IG: & Facebook: beth.anne.krah
The biomorphic nature of Beth’s sculptures appears to have been formed deep beneath the ocean's surface. What may begin as a simple small vase becomes more beautiful and intriguing as the clay asserts itself beneath her fingers, often going through times of doubt and frustration as neither sculptor nor clay are sure where they are heading. Eventually, these unrestrained graceful lines reach beyond imagination as she relinquishes control and allows the clay the freedom to preside over the ultimate design.
The fine edges of her pieces take hours to fine-tune with approximately 90 pinches per minute. Her larger sculptures have been pinched over 12,000 to 21,000 times.
“Struggling with Tourette Syndrome has been a major factor when carrying these fragile sculptures to the kiln, praying to God they'll make it in one piece - no small feat for the large ones. This motor control disorder rarely allows me the luxury of being still and moving gracefully, so a sudden jerk or tic can turn a bone-dry sculpture into a cloud of dust in a heartbeat."
VALERIE DUMAS
Seeking to infuse a tropical style into her abstract art, Valerie draws inspiration from her Floridian roots, as well as her time spent living abroad near the beaches of Antigua, Philippines, Jamaica and the South of France. Island colors.. bright and bold are her signature look that can be incorporated into any room of the house. Valerie also paints with hot wax making encaustic monotypes of beautiful coastal landscapes and colorful mermaid faces.
Website: https://valeriedumas.ecwid.com/
Instagram : @valeriedumasart
Seeking to infuse a tropical style into her abstract art, Valerie draws inspiration from her Floridian roots, as well as her time spent living abroad near the beaches of Antigua, Philippines, Jamaica and the South of France. Island colors.. bright and bold are her signature look that can be incorporated into any room of the house. Valerie also paints with hot wax making encaustic monotypes of beautiful coastal landscapes and colorful mermaid faces.
Website: https://valeriedumas.ecwid.com/
Instagram : @valeriedumasart
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RICKY FOSTER
Website: https://rickyfoster.weebly.com/ Ricky is originally from Wichita, Kansas where he recently retired from the aircraft industry. He began his venture into the art world by studying sketching and painting at the Wichita Center for the Arts for five years. He recently moved to Savannah to be closer to his family. He has been oil painting for sixteen years and has won many awards both regionally and nationally. He describes his style as semi-impressionistic boardering on realism; therefore, seeing himself as a traditional artist. His main inspiration is from his own reference photos to set the composition. His main objective through the act of painting allows his thoughts, along with his emotions and the colors to converge from within to create an original one-of-a-kind piece of art. Ultimately, the result will emotionally and conceptually also move others from within. 
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COURTNEY TROWMAN
Facebook: CC Bella Collage @ccbellacollage Instagram: @cc.bella_collage Linktree: https://linktr.ee/ccbella Courtney Trowman’s whimsical mixed media collage was born out of an inherent need for expression, a passion for art, yet the inability to draw. She became inspired to discover her own style after seeing a Robert Rauschenberg exhibit. Her love and eye for photography came much more easily, and also from her father. Trowman, aka CC Bella, came specifically to her collage art in her 20s, self-taught by curiosity, play and experimentation while living as a professional dancer in Los Angeles. Much of her work consists of found materials and upcycled / recycled items due to a combination of her tendency to pick up odd bits and pieces off the street along with a strong desire to reduce her carbon footprint. Courtney sometimes incorporates epoxy resin in both her collage work and her photography, giving the pieces more complex multidimensional layers. She began showing her work in 2018 and has been on display at Sulfur Studios, RootsUp Gallery, Corkhouse Gallery, Cedar House Gallery, the JEA, Coffee.Deli, and Locally Made Savannah. Her creative career also includes being a published poet, a professional dance theatre performer and Assistant Director for Zion Dance Company, all of which have influenced her art. “My style of collage does not follow the traditional definition of the technique, and yet it comes close to describing my particular brand of layering various materials and techniques into one piece. Most of my pieces feature at least 50% of found, upcycled and or recycled materials. In the last decade especially, I developed a stronger desire to do as much as possible to reduce my carbon footprint. I love rescuing items, that would otherwise go to the landfill and giving them a second life in artwork. Whether it’s for a collage or photography piece, I exclusively find the items that become my canvases and/or frames second hand.. Even most of my paint comes from Starlandia Supply here in Savannah. “This not only fulfills a very practical and necessary purpose for our planet, but I find that these random items give new meaning and bring a special kind of energy to my work. I’ve also seen that the unexpected and whimsical quality of my work speaks to a softer layer within people, something that is so needed in a harsh world.” |
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CATHLEEN CAMPBELL
Instagram: @tybeeartist Facebook @lovellshackstudios Cathleen Campbell was born in Colorado but grew up in West Virginia where she decided at 5 she would be an artist. She majored in Fine Arts at West Virginia University and was responsible for the Read- Aloud West Virginia and the A for Arts which incorporated art into the curriculum the schools. She has studied in both France and Italy, and has won several awards including 3 first place, 2 second and 3 honorable mentions from the Savannah Arts Association. Last year she had a one women show that was titled “From the Mountains to the Ocean, my Journey in Art “ at the Taylor Arts Council in West Virginia. Tybee Island has been her home for the last 12 years and she is influenced by her surroundings . You can see her work at the Savannah Gallery of Art and the Tybee Cottage Art Gallery. 
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CORA ENNIS MORRIS
Website: coraennismorris.com Instagram: @coraennismorris Cora Ennis Morris is a New England mixed-media artist who utilizes photography, painting and printmaking. She’s fueled by her love of landscapes and the sea and how they play a key roll in the health of our planet. All nature needs from us is to be good stewards and respect our environment. She is currently based in Savannah, Georgia. Cora’s two signature styles use photography/encaustic and cyanotype/painting/ printmaking. It's important for Cora to collaborate with materials found in nature whenever possible such as beeswax, damar resin, and local plant life. She quickly learned as a child that art offered a sense of comfort and identity for a child struggling to find her place in society. Cora went on to earn a BFA in Painting & Printmaking from Central Connecticut State University. She has had numerous one woman shows, some highlights being the Aetna Gallery at the Butler McCook House, Manchester Community College Women’s Center, and Cedar House Gallery. Recently, Cora was selected to be a part of Liza Pruitt’s “Emerging Artist Showcase 2022”. Cora has also participated in numerous juried museum shows with the New Britain Museum of American Art and the Telfair Museum. Her works can be found in the homes of private collectors throughout the United States. A quote from her largest collector to date: “I absolutely love your work and I connect with it deeply. I love the complexity and simplicity of it”. |
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LOGAN ARTISAN
Instagram: @loganartisanart Logan Artisan is a fine artist based in Savannah Georgia and is most well known for her renderings of the beautiful city, though she loves painting women, flowers, and nature landscapes as well. As a child she drew constantly carrying her sketchbook everywhere. She was raised in North Carolina and studied classical music earning a degree in vocal performance, while also taking classes in painting at Wingate University. After graduation she made Savannah her new home and studied graduate illustration at SCAD. The journey was not all smooth sailing. Years of undiagnosed Lyme disease lead to pain and neurological problems. Some got better some did not. From this she feels she’s grown as a person and believes, “We all hurt at times, but there is so much beauty in the world and so much to be grateful for.” Her art has always been about capturing moments of beauty. She finds little moments of beauty everywhere and tries to remember or take photos that inspire her work. Living right outside Savannah now with her husband, two dogs, a cat, 8 chickens, 1 duck, and a garden, Logan finds herself more inspired by nature than ever. Those beautiful moments when the sun is shining through the gaps of an old tree, or in the city capturing a sunset lighting the Spanish moss ablaze with hints of orange and pink. She says about her art, “I want my pieces to not only capture life like a photo but to be almost moving. I want the viewer to feel as though they can feel the breeze.” Logan uses thicker paint close up, so subjects bounce out from the piece. She adds strange angles and blurry spots to show how something would be perceived by the human eye. She, above all, wants to make whatever corner of the world she is in more beautiful. |
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KATHARINE TAYLOR (aka Katharine Nace so some paintings will be signed that way)
Website: www.thecolorgallerie.com Instagram: @katharine.taylor.watercolors "Although a lifetime Virginia artist, I've traveled to Europe many times and much of my work reflects scenes from Old World countries. Now having just moved to Savannah, I've found a whole new locale for my inspiration to paint. My watercolors are described as representational and carry a variety of subject matter." "I am drawn to the architectural elements of old buildings and find them more interesting as they weather with age…. cracked and patched plaster, moldy green stones and splintered wood tell the story of the structure especially through the doorways. Alongside these are my waterscapes and boat scenes, mostly of a calm and serene nature. Above all, I want the viewer to be pleasantly reminded of a place they’ve been before, a sort of déjà vu experience." |
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SARAH SNYDACKER @sarah_snydacker
“I love the wild, natural places in the Lowcountry, and daily you can find me swimming in the ocean or paddle boarding on the creeks with my camera. I constantly explore the hidden nooks and crannies of the barrier islands around Charleston, and I am inspired by the light and colors of the islands. I try to capture these places in my photographs and hope to bring awareness to the Lowcountry’s natural beauty in order to help protect it for future generations.” Sarah, a resident of Johns Island, is a self-taught photographer. She grew up in the Midwest and vacationed in Charleston with her family for many summers. She earned several degrees in music, including a MFA in vocal performance and a PhD in vocal performance and literature. She has taught voice and piano lessons for 20 years and is a freelance performer. As a young girl she dreamed of living on Johns Island, and four years ago she made her dream reality. Although teaching music continues to be her full time job and passion, photography has quickly become another passion. Her photographs can be seen at SGA as well as at the Charleston Artist Guild in downtown Charleston. She has won several regional awards for her photographs. She is happy to work on commissions. 
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MONA SEGALL
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mona.g.segall.artist Mona's first connection with art was sparked by her father at the very early age of four. She has a bold and vivid memory of him teaching her how to sketch a simple line drawing of a face profile. From that point on her love of art and creating took off. In her teen years She took private painting lessons from Jimmy Duffy, a renowned Savannah artist. A few years later, The University of South Florida exposed Mona to many genres of art. Among other classes she was enrolled in, she discovered how applying various glazes to her pottery produced magical transformations of brilliant colors after being fired. Living in London, England, then back to Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia, trips to Florida, as well as extensive ventures through Europe, Ireland, Scotland, and many tropical Islands as a young adult, furthered her understanding of the world of artistic ideas. Mona was fortunate to meet her husband, a brilliant, self-taught artist, in his own right, and they eventually settled in their original hometown of Savannah, where they raised their four daughters. Together they share their art studio in their home. Mona often used her creativity to make backdrops and other decor for their children's dance concerts at the Savannah Arts Academy. At that time in her life, she was also inspired to paint impressionist ballet dancers and florals. In 2020, Covid emerged, which helped to change her direction in art and in life. She discovered the world of online art courses. Among others, the courses given by Nicholas Wilton have become the cornerstone of her development and passion for abstract painting. During the past two years, Mona has devoted most of her painting time to focus primarily on acrylic and mixed media abstract paintings. Her process consists of building layer upon layers of thick and thin applications of paint only, as well as collages and different mediums sometimes sanding, scraping, or manipulating the various mediums that have expanded her freedom of expression. “I never have an idea as to what I plan to paint. I choose colors for the first layer then let it unfold from that point. Thin and thick acrylic paint is applied, at times collage, along with several mediums. I sometimes sand, and then scrub the painting to let the history show through. The composition often combines abstraction and expressionism, compelling the observer to personally engage in an emotional dialogue with themselves. My ideas come from life experiences that consist of what I read, nature, a conversation, places I've traveled to, and more. Exploring abstract, abstract expressionism, and multimedia painting has led me to a connection to my confidence as an artist. I feel a sense of newfound courage as I expose my love of abstract, bold, colorful, layered paintings to the viewing public. To me art is an expression of our truest self and a very personal visual poem. |
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JAMIE AZEVEDO
Instagram: @jamieazevedoart
Jamie Azevedo is a published fine art photographer whose work has been exhibited throughout the Untied States and in Europe. She is the recipient of grants from the Bush Foundation and state arts organizations which afforded her the opportunity to further her education in the arts. Inspired by mysticism and solitary landscapes, her work invites the viewer to consider how we leave imprints on the people and places we encounter in our daily lives.
Instagram: @jamieazevedoart
Jamie Azevedo is a published fine art photographer whose work has been exhibited throughout the Untied States and in Europe. She is the recipient of grants from the Bush Foundation and state arts organizations which afforded her the opportunity to further her education in the arts. Inspired by mysticism and solitary landscapes, her work invites the viewer to consider how we leave imprints on the people and places we encounter in our daily lives.
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OLIVIA BEAUMONT
Website: https://oliviabeaumont.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/oliviabeaumontfineart/ Olivia Beaumont is a talented and accomplished fine artist with a passion for creating meaningful and thought-provoking pieces. Born and raised in Long Beach, Ca, she developed a love for art and storytelling at a young age and spent her childhood reading and exploring different art mediums and techniques. After completing her studies in Drawing and Painting at California State University of Long Beach, Olivia moved to Georgia to continue her artistic journey. It was during this time that she discovered her passion for creating children's books, using her skills as an artist and storyteller to bring her imaginative and heartwarming tales to life. Her unique style, which combines elements of Imaginative Realism with Old Master techniques, has garnered attention and praise from art critics and collectors alike. Through her use of classical painting techniques and costumes borrowed from history’s nobility Olivia transports viewers into a gilded fairy tale. Her enchanted world strikes chords of wonder, beauty, and humor in a way that is both delightful and meaningful. |
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NY WETMORE
On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nytheartist/ Online: https://www.nytheartist.com/ Biography: Ny Wetmore is a national recognized artist with over 20 years experience in studio art. She has a BFA in Fiber from the Kansas City Art Institute and an MA in Art Education from the University of Central Missouri; she believes art and education help a person learn to think expressively and creatively, to problem solve more effectively and to find a way to express and enliven their soul. Each of these activities help make our world better. Having faced hardship and tragedy, she knows that it is important to encourage the soul to speak freely. She has won several national accolades for her artistic accomplishments. She also has a BS degree in Business Management from SNU and regularly coaches artists just beginning their studio careers on effective practices of studio management so success is possible. Carpe Each Diem |
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ERICA CATHERINE
On Instagram @ericacatherine
Erica Catherine is an Illustrator who has a deep passion for bringing timeless art to life. She was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration.
After completing her studies, Erica combined her two passions - a love for drawings and a love for unique products - and started Erica Catherine Illustration. Her goal was to create artwork and products that capture the essence of vintage art and design that she has cherished since childhood.
To achieve her desired aesthetic, Erica creates her illustrations using layers of watercolor and graphite. This technique gives her artwork an ethereal feeling reminiscent of turn of the century illustrations. Erica's ultimate dream is for each piece of her art to be cherished for many years, and hopefully passed down as an heirloom for generations to come.
https://www.ericacatherineillustration.com/
On Instagram @ericacatherine
Erica Catherine is an Illustrator who has a deep passion for bringing timeless art to life. She was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia and graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration.
After completing her studies, Erica combined her two passions - a love for drawings and a love for unique products - and started Erica Catherine Illustration. Her goal was to create artwork and products that capture the essence of vintage art and design that she has cherished since childhood.
To achieve her desired aesthetic, Erica creates her illustrations using layers of watercolor and graphite. This technique gives her artwork an ethereal feeling reminiscent of turn of the century illustrations. Erica's ultimate dream is for each piece of her art to be cherished for many years, and hopefully passed down as an heirloom for generations to come.
https://www.ericacatherineillustration.com/
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We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of our dear friend and potter, George Little. Even though he is no longer with us, we are proud to still have some of his incredible works on display and for sale in our gallery. We are also pleased to announce that all proceeds from the purchase of George's works will be going directly to Mrs. Little. We are honored to be able to do this small thing to honor his memory and legacy.
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