Art in Common May Not Be as Common as You Think

There's no way to describe the amount of talent displayed at the annual Sea Coast Artist Guild’s "Art in Common" event September 11 - 12 2021 at Valor Park in Market Commons.  It was obvious we all needed a break from the confines and angst the Pandemic has caused us all and it didn’t hurt that the hurricanes far away from us brought us some breezy, cooler, but sunny weather.  It was also obvious how relaxed everyone was and clearly enjoying being out with their friends and cohorts again.

As I wandered the grounds, I was impressed not only with all the creativity but with the diversity of this talented group.  Art ranged from the sublime and soothing to the wacky and whimsical.  And don't we all need that, depending on the day so I'm already looking forward to their next Spring show scheduled for April 2022.  Check the Sea Coast website (below) for the exact dates and times. 

Kristen, in her Golden Zen Boutique booth was a delight and added her obvious creativity even to the way she drew on nature's expertise to display her beautifully designed jewelry pieces.  “It’s a piece of driftwood we found in the Intracoastal,” she grinned, pointing to this creation of Mother Nature that she’d repurposed.  Go figure!

I was especially surprised to see cloisonne beads which she’d paired with genuine onyx on a lovely necklace.  When I asked if she had any more cloisonne – which is a personal favorite of mine because of the way it’s created, she said she’d sold them all. Not surprising, but I’m crossing fingers she’ll have more soon, perhaps when she adds some holiday creations to her line. 

She lives in Murrells Inlet year round and clearly has a long ranging appreciation and envious knowledge of gems.  She says, "Inspiration is all around us and nature blesses us with remarkably beautiful treasures that we are lucky to use as our resources." And use them she does!  

Part of her expertise she credits to spending years in her parents jewelry stores as a young child, she says and adds, "I give so many thanks to my mother and father for all they have taught me.  They (gems) fascinated me and I took pride in memorizing them."  

She'll be back Saturdays through October 30, 2021 to exhibit at the Market Commons farmers market for one, and scroll down to see her contact information and access her other venues.  

Next time you visit her, check out that authentic piece of driftwood she's using to display too.  Clearly she has an eye for the unique, and laughed when she quipped, "I stole it from my brother."  On the right end, it looks like Mom Nature has carved out that master of illusion in the south, the Hog Nosed Snake.  And in the middle is an unmistakable likeness of the long snout of our ever present alligator.  To balance everything, on the far left side is a carving of yet another one of our SC wildlife staples, a Heron.

Spoiler alert!  Visions of Halloween jewelry were running through her head too she said, when I left her on Saturday.

The beautiful sound of a guitar playing drew me to move along and I discovered Karen Edgar, who is a trained classical violinist, and was selling the most provocative guitars she'd fashioned out of cigar boxes.  Eat your heart out, Lucille!  

She uses both tin and wooden boxes; some antique, some collectible, and all one of a kind, or at the very least very unique.  Each one has its own particular and special sound she explained, and each one is beautiful.  She's pictured here grabbing a little spot of shade on this warm Carolina day with her hubs of 35 years, Edgar.  

She got the inspiration for her guitars about six years ago, when she "saw a drawing of a Civil War soldier playing a cigar box fiddle," she says.  After a little research and a lot of inspiration she started working her magic. Since then, with no lack of possibilities or creativity, her inventory has soared and she says, "I create instruments from all sorts of things - whiskey tins, license plates, cookie tins, pie pans (and) the list keeps growing."  They'd just sold my 2 favorites, so I grabbed my runner up, the Moon Pie box for the photo.  And if that's not enough to keep her talented fingers busy in her spare time, she also displayed the most intriguing hand rubbed charcoal works of art.  It's "a technique I personally developed," she says.

I was immediately drawn to a picture of a group of women, obviously having a good time at the beach in what appeared to be the ol' fashun' bathing duds from a very different era.  She's not only captured their obvious camaraderie, but each ones' intriguing features, though not your typical bathing beauties.  

I had to ask..........

                                                       

She explained that she'd come across an old photograph of her husband's family with his Gramma Hayes in the middle surrounded by other family members, and knew she had to preserve it forever in charcoal.  We agreed that perhaps by today's standards, outwardly they weren't the most beautiful in the old photo.  But with her attention to accuracy and detail, she's captured these generations clearly loving life and each other, and there is nothing more beautiful than that. 

The first thing to greet me as I rounded my next corner was the Pettit's Metal Creation Business and this colorful field of brightly colored flowers glistening in the sun.  

Not only is Rick Pettit a wealth of knowledge about his craft but like the other talented creators here, also fun to talk to.  And don't forget that his field of vibrantly colored flowers don't need water, fertilizer, or even sun.  He's even included a little saucer attached to some of his designs for bird seed - or as one attendee jested, "also the perfect place for your drink."

He makes them completely out of recycled metal and says, "a little polyurethane every few years is all they need to keep them bright and shiny outside year  round."  Those are my kind of flowers, I thought.

Not only was it a day to discover intriguing pieces of art, but also a day to reconnect with family and old friends, and to make a few new ones.  These two sisters, Carol Samuelson (left) and Connie Huddle (right) have more in common than just their DNA.  Connie is the Myrtle Beach transplant now who's displaying here but Carol also shares her sister's love of pottery and produces hers where she lives in New York.  

Connie was a reminder to me that it's never too late to pursue a dream.  Her journey began when she took a summer pottery class 30 some years ago.  Then 12 years ago, she spread her wings and started perfecting her clever designs and techniques in earnest and Sister-Sister was born. 

As she explains this curious circle of clay with a cork protruding from the top, I am again impressed with her flair for the unique when she enlightens us that it's actually a bottle, easily filled and safe to drink from.  She says these were originally designed to hold your favorite beverage while riding your horse, made to be slung over the horn of your saddle.  While I don't have a horse or a saddle unfortunately, I could imagine this as a great conversation piece or an ice breaker at a party.  

Another creation designed to add whimsy to your decor that caught my eye, was her eyeglass holders.  I could imagine propping my reading glasses on one at day's end and bringing a smile to my face to send me off to dream land.  And speaking of dream land, Connie says her inspirations come while she's visiting museums and fairs, but sometimes she awakens in the middle of the night with a new idea, and her love of her craft begins all over again. 

Photographer, instructor, and printer Phil Duwel specializes "in fine art imagery of Lowcountry scenes, wildlife, and iconic venues,"  he says.  And as you can see from his dynamic photo of a local Great Blue Heron, what more could one say, right! Please visit his website listed below to browse more of his ambitious talents. 

I had to include Jungle Mike who is a most creative and diverse photographer, always trying to devise a new technique to add to his art.  One of his latest is producing his photos on tin, for their durability and light weight.

At the end of my tour, I was reminded again that it's the perfect time to put the vacuuming on hold and not only follow those dreams, but hunt them down, round them up, pursue and hold on to them like your happiness depends upon it.  Cuz' in fact, it does.  

 A picture's truly worth a thousand words, but clearly there's no room here to post enough to do them all justice.  For that, I'll let you enjoy what you see and peruse the beautiful works and immense creativity Phil Duwel, Jungle Mike, and the rest of the guild members display on their respective web pages and at the Market Commons Art gallery.

These and other talented local artists can be viewed on the Sea Coast Artist Guild website at seacoastartistguild.com or visit the Sea Coast Artists Gallery in person at 3032 Nevers Street in Market Commons, Myrtle Beach

For more information about the artists, their venues, and more, visit: 

Rick's Metal Creation site at scmetalcreation.com

Sister-Sister Pottery is on Facebook: @SomewhatSimilarSisterSisterPottery and Connie's email is,  31455chuddle@gmail.com

Phil Duwell Photography is at duwelphotography@earthlink.net

For more of Jungle Mike's work go to www.junglemikesartandprints.com

Karen Edgars cigar box guitars, portraits, kids books and more are at www.karenedgarportraitart.com

To reach Kristen about her beautifully unique jewelry creations, go to GoldenZenBoutique@gmail.com.

She will also be at 1120 Farrow Pkwy, Market Commons on Saturdays until October 30 this year along with other venues throughout the week and invites everyone to follow her on Instagram. To see the list of when and where she will be throughout the Grand Strand and surrounding places, visit https://goldenzenboutique.wixsite.com/my-site-1/events 

And as always, check for last minute cancellations and rescheduling, and don't miss the upcoming October show at the gallery or the "Art in Common" annual events throughout the year. 

Happy exploring!