Diedre Hayes

Our family routinely visited the NC ruby mines of Cowee Valley where we learned about rubies, sapphires, mica, corundum layers, and stones of value and beauty. Touching and washing the stones and thinking of their formation in ancient times fascinated me. While visiting Kona, Hawaii, I was intrigued by the forms that I saw “captured” in the volcanic caldera walls. I developed this series of acrylic abstract paintings from my experiences with rocks and water from various places.

I began my journey with watercolor in my teens. A local artist taught me watercolor in her home, and that began my life-long love of water media painting. Having grown up in the rural South, I am moved by history and location. I take my inspiration from trees, water, forests, mountains, rock formations, old buildings, and farms. I love the dry brush techniques and the quickness of watercolor and acrylic. I enjoy creating moods in my paintings through color and value.

Having lived in Southern California for almost 20 years, I enjoy the sparseness of that landscape, topography and desert beauty. Taking workshops in San Diego in acrylic, collage, and monotype printmaking, I began abstract or nonrepresentational works based on natural and organic forms. Sometimes, there is just a moment to capture what we see, and as light changes, so does what we experience, remember and want to share.

Betty Austin

As a child, Betty enjoyed art classes, and through the years during her career with the school district, she would pick up a pencil and draw. Arts and crafts were also enjoyable. She took a drawing class with Ann Lattimore in the late 1980’s.

There seemed to be little time for art, however, while employed. After retirement, she and her husband spent a couple months each year in Mexico and moved to Mexico briefly in 2007. After returning to the US, she began as an art student of Iris Scoggins in North Augusta from 2010 until about 2015. It was always such a pleasure to be creative in all sorts of art modalities.

Susan Pickett

Susan grew up in Connecticut and attended the Fashion Institute of Technology, in New York City, where she majored in Advertising Design & Fashion Illustration. She began her 35-year career began as Graphic Designer for a small advertising agency in Connecticut and culminated as Marketing Vice President for a national transportation company in Philadelphia, PA.  Susan began to pursue painting upon moving to Aiken. In 2008, she attended classes at the Aiken Center for the Arts, working with their talented instructors. In 2011, Susan completed the beginning painting class with Professor Al Beyer at USC-Aiken, and for several years continued to attend the advanced painting class and open studio at the University.

Anne Archerd

All of us can have new beginnings.   In my thirties, I developed some chronic health issues. Over time, I grew into a slower-paced individual who began enjoying the pastoral beauty of landscape, nature,  and the pleasure of simple life. At the age of 55, after raising four daughters and no formal art training, I took an intro to painting class at a community college. I had been traveling with my husband in Europe for a few years(particularly southern France) and became enamored with that famous provencale light, bucolic scenery and  impressionistic art.   I desired to paint and create beauty.  After some minimal training and attending a few painting workshops, I just started painting…and kept painting.