Art & Light, my representing gallery in Greenville, SC, is celebrating 12 years this week!! In celebration, I created two new paintings from my LEMOLO series for their Anniversary Show, opening tonight, August 16th.
dreams and intentions, acrylic on canvas, 20x20x1.5, $350
whispering secrets, acrylic on canvas, 20x20x1.5, $350
When creating these new LEMOLO pieces, I was thinking about the lovely days I’ve spent in North and South Carolina, places that will always hold a special place in my heart, Southern girl that I am. I also tried to channel the warmth of the light and atmosphere that is present at Art & Light— housed in a beautiful old house in Greenville’s historic “Village”, the gallery is fresh and modern while also feeling rustic and worn and welcoming. An absolutely enchanting combination!
In addition to the new LEMOLO paintings, there is also a brand new crop of watercolors on panel and canvas that I’m super excited to debut at A&L!
You can check out the entire collection of watercolors on my website or if you’re in the Greenville area, I hope you’ll stop by Art & Light for the opening of the Anniversary show tonight from 6- 8pm!
Art & Light is located at 16 Aiken St, Greenville, SC. You can contact the gallery by calling 864-625-0695 or emailing art@artandlightgallery.com!
Ya’ll it has been a whirlwind few months. Followed by a whirlwind five days in Greenville, SC for the opening of my LATITUDE show at Art & Light Gallery! Greenville welcomed me with warmth and sunshine and made this Northwestern girl feel right at home.
Teresa Roche, the owner and curator of Art & Light has created such a beautiful space! From the moment you step on the front porch and open the screen door ( so Southern, ya’ll! ), the space feels like stepping into sunshine. The house turned gallery/ art studios exudes old Southern charm, yet its clean white walls and sparse rustic furnishings feel completely modern. The mix of contemporary and organic is perfect for my work! Want to take a peek inside? Come on in!
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Because A&L is housed in an old Greenville home, the galleries are small rooms perfect for wandering. Candidly, I was a bit worried that my work was too Northwestern in feel to fit in with Greenville’s historic, Old South vibe.
I was so surprised not only with how beautifully it fit, but with how many Gville folks either had NW connections or found their own LATITUDE moments in mine.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
Ceramic artist Dee Sullivan created custom pottery pieces to go with the LATITUDE paintings, such a treat and they were just perfect! If I had a home to put them in I would have gladly purchased several, one wall pocket especially caught my eye ( and everyone else’s I might add! ).
My family came in from Florida and North Carolina to be with me and see the show but I also have a new Greenville family! Thank you to Teresa, Kiah, Everett and all the Greenville folks who have made this show such a success! There’s still time to see LATITUDE, the work will be up at Art & Light through the end of March. And if you’re not in Greenville, you can peruse all the paintings on my website.
Most images by me. Family group photo and panoramic gallery photo by my sister-in-law. Greenville family photo by Everett Waldrep.
Even though I’ve been focusing much of my energies these last few months on my upcoming LATITUDE show at Art & Light, I’m still working behind the scenes helping other artists through Forager Services. And if you’re in or near the Greenville area, I’d love to help you, too!
I will be teaching two workshops at Art & Light Gallery in Greenville on Saturday, March 5th and I’d love for you to come and join the fun!
Interested? Here are some details–
FINDING YOUR VISUAL VOICE ON SOCIAL MEDIA
SATURDAY, MARCH 5 (11:30 AM – 1:00PM) $35
Social media has become an integral part of any artist’s marketing program. Your social media platforms should represent your brand to potential clients, collectors, and collaborators in a way that inspires and excites. You already create beautiful artwork. We’ll work on cultivating your social media outlets to reflect that same creative voice!
What we’ll cover in the workshop session–
Why a unique and unified visual voice is important to your success on social media
We’ll look at the major social media outlets ( Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram ) and discuss the advantages to each
How to focus your energy on the platform(s) that work for you
How to use one platform to funnel content to others
How to look objectively at your work and discover and identify your visual voice
How to incorporate your unique visual voice into your social media posts
How to style your voice across several social media platforms
CALL THE GALLERY WITH YOUR PAYMENT TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE
ART & LIGHT, 16 AIKEN ST. GREENVILLE, SC 29611 (864-363-8172)
FINDING YOUR WORDS AS AN ARTIST
SATURDAY, MARCH 5 (2:00 – 3:30 PM) $35
Creating art comes naturally. Writing about yourself and what you’ve created? Not so much. So many artists struggle to put into words what makes them create, what their work means to them, what they want it to say to the world. Sometimes they just need someone to help them find their own words.
Whether you’re an artist, gallery owner, or other creative type, maybe writing just isn’t your forte. We’ll work together to put into words what can be so difficult to express.
What we’ll cover in the workshop session–
Examine examples of good & bad art writing
How to begin
How to edit your words
Keywords to include and avoid
How to present yourself verbally
CALL THE GALLERY WITH YOUR PAYMENT TO RESERVE YOUR SPACE
ART & LIGHT, 16 AIKEN ST. GREENVILLE, SC 29611 (864-363-8172)
You can also RSVP on Facebook here but you’ll still need to call the gallery with your payment. If you can’t attend, please help me spread the word by sharing a link to this post or the Facebook event! Thanks, friends!
I’ve never been to Greenville, South Carolina, but after getting to know this gallery and its owner, I am itching to go! Art & Light Gallery in Greenville is just the sort of spot I would love to spend hours perusing. So much lovely art and creative objects perfect for an artsy life! Owner and artist Teresa Roche has curated a charming collection of story pieces, style statements, and conversation starters. Want to hear more? Here’s a little email interview Teresa & I did recently..
AF | Has it always been your dream to own an art gallery?
TR | Honestly, owning the gallery was a bit of a fluke for me. I was a dance major in college and I have always had a passion for the arts in general, but it was until after I stopped dancing due to knee injuries that my focus turned to visual arts. My professional background was in marketing and event management and after a 9 year ride as an events manager for a bar code and point of sale company, I retired to follow my passions. I did not have a clue that I would be opening a gallery at that time. A friend of mine bought and renovated a beautiful building in what is now Greenville’s up and coming arts district – The Village of West Greenville. I was a part of a 5 person arts group – we held a yearly art show and it was our third year. My friend offered her new space for our show. When this show was over, my friend asked me to stay in the space and suggested that I do a gallery for emerging local artists…it only took me 5 mins. to make a decision and the rest is history.
AF | You opened Art & Light in 2007 and then the recession hit a few years later. To what do you contribute its survival when so many other galleries didn’t make it?
TR | Since my gallery was in a very rough area of western Greenville, an old textile mill village, I was in a position to trail blaze, I guess you would say. Greenville had a “First Friday” organization, so my business model was built on the First Friday gallery crawl. In 5 years I hosted 55 shows – a different show every month and I was only open on First Friday weekends for the first year, then after that I opened every Friday and Saturday. I sought out some of the best artists in Greenville and worked very hard to connect myself with Clemson University, Furman University and Bob Jones University art students and faculty. By doing so many shows, and changing it up monthly I was able to draw great crowds to openings – each crowd being very different, depending on who the artist was and the popularity of the artist. I also finely curated every show and included unusual furniture and lighting pieces to set up vignettes – which was a different concept in our area at that time. I not only marketed to art collectors and art lovers, but to vintage furniture and lighting collectors. At this time in Greenville, I was the only gallery doing anything like this concept. I developed a loyal following of people who were exceptionally curious about seeing what was coming next – I think that was total luck! Being in the arts district (which was in a very out of the way area) and the only retail gallery in the area was a struggle to say the least. The First Friday opening crowds were great, but it was difficult to drive traffic the rest of the time. I made a very hard decision to move the gallery to a high traffic, high income area a year ago. I am now open Tuesday – Saturday and the day to day traffic has more than doubled (of course that meant my expenses doubled as well. ) It broke my heart to leave the arts district, but was a very good move in the end.
AF |What do you look for in the artists you represent?
TR | First I look for great work, but that is not enough. I look for artists with work ethic and passion and the drive to keep producing original and interesting, well-done work. Many of the emerging artists I featured back in the beginning have stopped making art – many had to find full time jobs to pay the bills. Since the beginning days I have developed a gallery of resident artists who work in their craft full time – it’s my view that the only way a gallery can survive is to have new and original work on hand constantly. I have some of the most brilliant and dedicated artists in our area in my gallery and am so proud of that! They are all meticulous in their work and I feel honored to be representing them!
AF | What’s usually playing on the gallery sound system?
TR | Pandora is my music system and I constantly switch it up between a French channel, Sergio Mendes and a singer-songwriter channel – love my music and Pandora – I change it based on the shows that are up, the season and my day to day mood 🙂
AF | What type of work do you have in your own personal collection?
TR | It’s almost all local artists with the exception of several vintage pieces. My decisions to purchase are very emotional and one of the things I love most is making a connection with the artist – a mixture of paintings, drawings and mixed media. I allow myself to purchase a couple of pieces a year, but owning a gallery and be surrounded by the work is a little like Christmas every day! I love it! I consider myself very fortunate to do what I do every day.
AF | What sets Greenville apart as an arts destination?
TR | That is a very hard question – I will try to keep it short. I believe that artistically distinguished cities are cities that have interesting retail spaces, theatres, music venues, parks, and residential areas — the visionaries of have worked tirelessly to bring all of those elements together. We also have a very strong arts organization – The Metropolitan Arts Council with outstanding leadership which in my opinion is one of the engines that drives the arts here. Greenville also has Artisphere ( a wonderful yearly arts festival – one of the best of it’s kind). Open Studios, with over 140 participating artists, culinary events, First Friday Gallery Crawls, the Peace Center for Performing Arts and 3 strong colleges in the area. I believe that Greenville is “authentic” and that the people here have an “art frame of mind” – my dream would be that the percentage of people who support and think about the arts as a whole would GROW – it’s very hard to compete with football and NASCAR – I can dream, can’t I?
I can’t wait to see more of what Teresa has in store at Art & Light! If you’re in the Greenville area, a new show at A&L featuring artist Kim Hassold opens tomorrow evening– I’m sure you’ll be in for a treat! Want to find out more about Art & Light? Please visit their website and be sure to see the gallery when you’re in Greenville! Be sure to follow along with A&L on Facebook & Pinterest, too!
