Rust colored sedge grasses of the Cudo Reserve photo by elizabeth gordon
South Carolina
Sun light dancing on the waters of Lake Santee Cooper
A Winters view...too cold for the alligators to sun
Santee Cooper Lakes
As we drive Southward and leave the big city of D.C. behind, the weather warms, the landscape changes from wild things of urban living to wild things of nature. Today I saw an Eagle carrying something in his talons flying low...such a rare view and now etched in my mind with other times driving through the Cudo Reserve. Once an owl flew down and snatched a snake much too big for him. Watching the ensuing struggle was quite a memorable event as the owl was quite determine to take his dinner home, but to no avail. 15 feet alligators lounge along the lake shores and pileated woodpeckers dart from tree to tree. I often thing nature may be the greatest art and perhaps our ability to see and appreciate her masterwork makes us the artist as well.
Vertical lines mirror in the swampy inlet
Not edible just for viewing
Reeded grass inviting a red wing black bird, but not yet
You may note a few changes with the Rabbit's Moon Studio Blog. And a visit to Shim's Creek, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina for your virtual trip.
Hooded Merganser google image
Thank to some wonderful technical efforts of nephews and nieces we have polished up the site and made some of the connections link better. Now our etsy shop link for jewelry works and we are in the process of putting up more jewelry. The spoonflower site icon is smaller and on the left hand side bar. There will be a few more changes to make things easier for you to access and make it user friendly. So a special thank you goes out to Aaron, Susan and Jared. Aaron and Susan have wonderful blog themselves called BitTyrant Farm that you might also want to check out. I am a lucky Aunt to have such talented young people in my life. A further note of interest in my short stay in Charleston this time, on a walk out on the board walks of Shim Creek we were fortunate enough to see some wonderful birds. It was raining and bone chilling cold, but worth the effort. We saw white egrets and a hooded Merganser! A first personal siting for me with the Merganser, what beautiful birds. Other than the Sandhill Crane and Painted Bunting I don't know a prettier work of art in the nature of birds. I owe my love of birds to my Mother and Father, who both loved nature, grew up in rural areas and passed on their love for the environment and all its creatures to us. As an artist when I think of birds and nature, of course I think of Audubon and his intensive study and journals and documentation of Florida birds. In Tampa we have an artist who is doing something similar and worth our notice. His name is John Costin.
The Etchings of John Costin
He is a print maker, an etcher of enormous talent. He is in the process of making a large book with all his individual etchings...it rivals Audubon and will some day be noted as such. It will be in the library of congress as well. It is so interesting to know someone now, who probably in historic terms, will be a chronicler of aviary life. I encourage you to get to know him. I think you will be the richer for it.
Charleston and the surrounding areas are rich with Gullah Art
Capturing a rich and vibrant history of an enslaved people who survived and prospered.
It is also a culture that is endangered in the development of coastal lands and the environment that supports their way of life.
John T. Jones represented by Chuma.com Gallery google image
The language of the Gullah or Geechie (a term used in their own community) is that of West and Central Africa. It is a fascinating sounds spoken in a rapid staccato. In Charleston, South Carolina and the surrounding areas it is not uncommon to run into people everyday speaking in Gullah.
As we look at the Gullah art and culture so should we look at their food also.
Here is a recipe for shrimp and grits which is mainstay of the Gullah people. It is hard to find a restaurant in the Low Country of South Carolina that does not have some version of shrimp and grits-and yes, for breakfast too!
When I taught about the art of a specific culture with young children I wanted them to experience as much of the culture as possible; so I would bring in food for them to sample of the people or country we were studying. We would also listen to music and watch video about the culture as well. By surrounding the children with visual, auditory, and sensory stimuli I could envelop in the world we wanted to learn about. Some people learn visually and others experientially, the more ways of learning we offer children and adults, the more successful they will be.
There are several films available on you tube about the Gullah people and basket making. I thought I would include a few for you here today to watch. I am learning as a I research for you as well. This is a fascinating part of the country that I am just experiencing in depth for the first time. My brother and his family are relocating to Charleston, so it is giving me a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the area culture and arts. I look forward to sharing that with all of you where ever you are in the world. From my Philippine friends to my European and Middle Eastern friends I say welcome-come with me on this journey of learning. No matter where you are or what ever your circumstances we can travel together and I look forward to sharing what I learn with you.
One of the things I loved about teaching art for children was doing the research and learning along the way. As I got excited the students got even more excited. I think it added to my creativity as a teacher. I was one of those rare teachers who did not save lesson plans from year to year. I wanted to force myself to always take a fresh approach for my students and myself. I knew too many people who got into a rut relying on lessons they had perfected in the past. I would have been a college student all my life if I could, for it is the learning I love so, but in teaching I found a new way to learn...in research, in explaining and creating experiences for others. I also learned from the students themselves. Never think you can not learn even from the youngest child in the room. If you listen, if you hear, everyone has something to teach you!
This photo was taken on a day of exploration and adventure learning about a new area of the country. The South Carolina Low Country coast is charming with marshes and the varied culture of shrimpers, old plantations and Gullah heritage. We stopped in an old fishing village by the name of McClellanville, South Carolina. Walking along the docks my attention was caught by this vision of oysters in the sea...the colors were muted and reminded me of an old Jules Verne movie...30,000 leagues under the sea. Experiences layer upon layer in life...one memory filters through to another.
Classical portraits are usually full face or side view, perhaps with a little Rembrandt lighting if we look at a three fourth's view with shading. Typical still life's are flowers or fruits or game set in a stilted formal fashion. But I think we can think of them both differently. Each tells us something about the subject we are contemplating, each gives us information that helps us form an opinion and draws us in to want to know more. I think of them as time capsules, a bit of history and culture snatched in a moments time:stolen away for the future to time travel backwards. If quantum physics is correct and we experience time horizontally and not in a linear fashion, then we are in the future and past at the same time.
Here are a few portraits and still life's that tells us a story or give us information leaving work for our imaginations to do. In art I never like to over define anything for my viewers...art should leave a sense of mystery, an intriguing of the mind, and a tug at the soul. We should all be able to bring a sense of ourselves to the art work without the artist telling us his view to overtly. And so these pieces I have presented below offer a twist of classical formats for you perusal.
Portrait of My Nephew
Thanksgiving
Photo portrait by Elizabeth Gordon
Shutters and Shadows/ Portrait of a Southern Lady
Charleston, South Carolina Elizabeth Gordon
Still life Green screen and Red Barn Window
Old Leicester Road Leicester, North Carolina by Elizabeth Gordon
Fall leaves with Crane
Asheville, North Carolina by Elizabeth Gordon
Boo, Mountain Dog in Repose
Blossom Ridge, Leiscester, North Carolina Photo by Elizabeth A. Suggs
For a bit of fun, I thought we would look at this you tube video of doing art with food. Nothing is more appealing than playing with your food. Here is the Mountains of North Carolina and near the foothills of South Carolina and Georgia one is never far away from two things....Red Necks and BBQ! For those of you not from the USA you may not know the term, red neck. It literally means a red neck from someone who works a labor type job and get a red neck from the sun. But it has come to mean much more. Click on the word RED NECK for a more in depth explanation. Enjoy!
This is an addendum to the previous posting about Lake Marion Artisans. The picture below shows the new store and finished sign. The first space the artists were in was an older building that was lent to them. This past year they moved into their new space and with the sweat and labor of many people finished the new gallery into the space you now see. Raku Bowl
Mosaic of the cabbage palm and quarter moon that is the state emblem for South Carolina. The effort a very few dedicated people can make in a community can be considerable. It is a small gallery in a small community, but reaches out to many.
