Debbie Black

 

Debbie Black is a self-taught artist from upstate South Carolina. She currently works with oil and cold wax, drawing inspiration from memories of quiet landscapes.  Only after retirement as an educator, did she begin to explore both mediums and subjects. First ventures were watercolor and acrylic before painting with oil. Only through experimentation and interacting within art communities did a style evolve.  The predominate thread through all mediums and subjects is color.

 

A member of the Aiken Artist Guild since 2010, she has attended artist residencies and retreats in New Mexico as well as local workshops. Debbie is an active member of the Art Association of Ridge Spring with work exhibited there as well as Aiken Center for the Arts. Her works can be found in local venues in Aiken and surrounding communities. She participates in regional shows in both the south and southwest.

Connie Smith

 

Constance Smith was born in Indiana & relocated to Chicago in 1978. to explore a career at the forefront of developments in cardiac care & interventional cardiology. Retirement offered an entirely different path and the time for creative pursuits. Connie established a small business, Lake & Lodge, in Geneva, IL and began metalsmithing classes at The Fine Line Studio, St. Charles, IL.

 

She began showing her jewelry work at local art fairs and galleries in Chicagoland & Wisconsin. After a move to Aiken, SC in 2021 she discovered Aiken Center for the Arts and has enjoyed painting classes there with Judy Adamick, Sharon Taylor Padgett, and Robert Campbell, as well as figure drawing sessions at USCA.  She is an active member of the Artist Guild Friday Paint Group and credits on-going mentorship by those talented artists with continued development of her painting.

 

She was awarded 1^st prize for her painting, “Sentinel”, at the 2025 ACA Members Show. Her jewelry has been featured in the North Augusta gallery shop as well as galleries in Indiana & Wisconsin.  As a proud member of the Aiken Center for the Arts and the Aiken Artist Guild, she serves on the board of directors for both.  Connie continues pursuit of broader awareness and access to the arts within Aiken & surrounding communities and hopes to see Aiken become a true destination & center for the arts.

 

Her paintings of landscapes, still life, and figurative scenes in oil & acrylic most often include components of nature.  “I hope viewers are able to create their own story about what they see in my work—that questions are evoked and the natural elements depicted there resonate with them.”

Greg Sowash

 

Gregory (Greg) Sowash is an amateur artist. He was inspired to start painting after a visit to Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico, in the Fall of 2024.

Greg grew up in Pennsylvania and is an Air Force veteran. Following his retirement from the Air Force, He signed on with the Job Corps program. In 2005, he moved to New Orleans and within 3 weeks of his arrival had to evacuate from hurricane Katrina. After 6 weeks of displacement, Greg returned to New Orleans and became a well-known bartender on Bourbon Street. In 2022, Greg moved to South Carolina and eventually to Aiken, SC.

Greg has not had any formal training and relies on videos, online courses, and learning by doing. His girlfriend, Debbie, an accomplished abstract painter, provides him with hands on guidance, critiques, and encouragement. Over the past two years, Greg has spent 5 months at Ghost Ranch in Abiquiu, New Mexico painting and learning from other artists. He has tried several different mediums and spends most of his time using oil and acrylics. He also favors sketching which has been helpful in transferring ideas to canvas. His favorite topics to paint are landscapes and birds.

Greg holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Occupational Education and Training from Southern Illinois University. He is a Board Member of the Aiken Artist Guild and a member of the Aiken Center for the Arts and the Art Association of Ridge Spring.

Mark Fordney