Amy Ness

 

I like looking at nature.  I have a great appreciation for the many lessons that come through my observations of the natural world and through my relationships with others. I am so fortunate to have a supportive family, and the memories of the incredible travels I have experienced throughout this world.   I love coming home, whether it is my own, in Aiken, South Carolina, or home to my memories of the beauty of Missouri’s rolling hills near the Mississippi river, the Ozark mountains in Arkansas, or even the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin.  I prefer a quiet moment as I try to understand the human journey and the ties that bind us.  For me it starts with seeing shadows and light.  I paint because I am a “creative communicator”, and my language, stories, and memories are filtered through my tools.

Joya Jiménez DiStefano

 

I have made art since I was old enough to hold a crayon, face down on the floor, drawing on my grandfather’s shirt cardboard.  Then I was molding all kinds of clay, and wire, carving Ivory soap – always making things.  My grandmother loved art, and throughout my childhood we returned again and again to the great museums of Manhattan.  Her deep love of art, and me, built the foundation of who I’ve become as an artist seven decades later.

Although blessed with abundant talent, I never considered a career in art.  Art classes and open studio gatherings were ever-present in the wings of my education and professions in assisting human and organization development.  In short, I was a helper” who made art for personal pleasure.  My work was displayed publicly for the first time just before my seventieth birthday.  And even though my home is full of other artists’ work, I continue to be grateful and a little amazed when someone opts to include my work in theirs. And I feel blessed to be able to spend my elderhood seeing and saying something about life as an artist.

Most of my work is about seeing people, really looking at them.  Even if I know nothing about my subject, other than its human form, what I portray will say something about one person seeing another.  What is said in each image is a form of conversation created and constrained by the medium – pen, charcoal, pastel, paint, wire, clay anything that allows shape, line and ultimately some human form to emerge.  The resulting image is never the person, that is not the point.  What emerges is an artist saying something about seeing a person in a uniquely visual language.

Art is a three-way conversation between the maker, the materials, and the viewer.  If it is true that the book is rewritten by the reader, then the same can be said about visual art.  I like that.  The viewer reimagines the piece with their own feelings and thoughts. I want my art to invite such engagement.  Art can only pose the questions – then it is up to us to respond.

And finally, this brings me to Better World Studios – Arts with a Purpose.  When I asked my husband Michael if we could use the money that my grandparents had left me to help get this project started, it was a calling for me that seemed to bring my life full circle to the little girl drawing her imaginings on repurposed cardboard.  Graniteville built a vibrant community over more than a century turning cotton into textiles and Hickman Hall was built to honor the labor of those people.  Better World Studios’ mission is to resurrect that spirit by fostering creative community through the arts for a more expressive, just and sustainable world.  I am profoundly honored to have been called to play a role in that mission.

Rich Klein

 

I am very interested in perception and how we humans assemble the mental construct we call ‘reality’ in our minds. Everything we perceive only comes to us through our five senses. Our senses have limitations. We fool ourselves thinking that what we perceive and think is the truth and reflects reality. Are we truly separate and distinct entities divorced from the universe? In this series of self portraits I am seeking to explore the nature of ‘self’.

What is Self? Does it exist?

All of these paintings arise from my subconscious (90% of your neural activity is not perceived by you – that is your subconscious). Some of the paintings I know what they mean before they emerge (hence the descriptive titles). Others I have no idea what they mean other than it was something my subconscious wants/needs to say. I hope these stir you to think about yourself and your place.I am an intuitive painter, and I follow only those rules that serve the expression I seek.

Debi Alderman

 

Aiken resident Debi Alderman holds a BFA Degree from Ohio University. During her years in college she worked, exhibited and sold art to help pay for her college tuition. Although she used her second degree in Mechanical Engineering to earn a living, she has found time in retirement to review her art skills and enjoys creating art from views of nature. She works in Pen and Ink, Graphite Pencil, Watercolor, and Acrylic.

After graduation from Ohio University she volunteered with Special Olympics starting an Art program for the state of West Virginia. She received a commendation award from Eunice Kennedy Shriver for that work and obtaining grants for the ongoing program which gave participants a creative outlet.

 

Debi is honored to be able to exhibit at the Aiken Center for the Arts, and be a member of both the ACA and Aiken Artists Guild. She participates in the wonderful Art Center Classes and Events whenever possible.

Gary Tabke

 

Coming soon…