Upstate Artist Collective

Greer Cultural Arts Center Exhibit July 11-August 8

Greer Cultural Arts Center - Exhibit July 11 - August 8

Twelve members of the Upstate Artist Collective will share their artwork representing a variety of fiber arts including art quilting, sculpture, painting, fabric design, felting, thread painting, doll making, collage, gourd sculptures, storytelling with fiber and more.

The exhibit opens at the Edward R. Driggers City of Greer Center for the Arts at 804 Trade Street, Greer, SC 29651 on July 11 and runs through August 8.

The Opening Reception is July 22 from 6-8 p.m. Meet the artist and learn about their inspiration and techniques. Seven of our artists will give a short presentation on some of their work - agenda below. Other artists will be available for chat and questions.

Cynthia Crull - story telling through quilting (6:15)
Cindy Moore - fiber, paint, and more (6:30)
Natalie Rockley - art quilts inspired by life in Afghanistan (6:45)
Debbie Wilson - smashed pumpkins - gourd carving, staining, weaving, etc. (7:00)
Mary Kelley - doll making (7:15)
Selene Paschoal - designing art quilts from original drawing or photo (7:30)
Johnnie McKenzie - thread painting (7:45)

Just a few of the artworks you can explore are shown below. Come see them all.

Artist of the Day - 6/11/25

Very interesting use of fiber, etc.

Brandi Kole

April 2025 Meeting Summary

I spoke with Sara about doing a portrait class for us. She said she may be available in the fall so I'll stay in touch with her. We began working on a proposal for an exhibit at the Greer Arts Center and will continue to refine our concept in the next meeting.

Here's a link for the floating frames Susan showed us:

Frames

Cynthia, Sara, et al. are having a great show in Aiken and have ssold nine pieces already. Here are some videos of the show.

Video 1 - https://youtube.com/shorts/3Sf5Jj3gJTE?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/3Sf5Jj3gJTE?feature=share

Video 2 - https://youtube.com/shorts/-uIKoBx_yBg?feature=share

https://youtube.com/shorts/-uIKoBx_yBg?feature=share

Video 3 - https://youtu.be/TB_6vXpwFoY

https://youtu.be/TB_6vXpwFoY

Sara sold the following pieces:

There's one seat open in my wet felted bowl class on the 25th. Let me know if you are interested.

For those who didn't make it to the meeting, Susan and Charline recommended The Framery in Liberty, SC - excellent work and prices.

This is the Road to Virginia show Dawn told us about. Their website is: Road 2 VA

Sorry I didn't take pictures of the work y'all shared. Please bring it to the next meeting and I'll make amends.

2025-January - Great start to a new, creative year

Great to see the creative energy in the group!

Here's a fun link: Sophie O'Neill's Detailed Embroidery Journals Chronicle All 365 Days of the Year — Colossal

Be sure to mark your calendars for next month's meeting - February 12th, 10:00 a.m. Maybe we'll limit our "meeting" to an hour so we can begin the beading tutorial a bit earlier. Remember to bring lunch/snack.

If any of you would like to provide a short (15-20 minutes) demo at the session we are planning at #3 Pottery, please let me know. Tammy has opted for Geli-printing and macrame, I'm doing thread umbrellas, Sara will do free motion thread painting, Rita will do something bead/jewel related. Is anybody up for a 5x7 fused landscape piece? I'll definitely fuse the fabrics and help make some kits. We still have a lot of details to work out, e.g., date, time, charge or not charge, etc.

Sara's work

Trisha's work

Cynthia's work

Here's the email Susan spoke of. I've just copied/pasted the content.

Hi there Susan,

Do you find yourself flipping through family photos, imagining how you could capture those precious expressions in stitch? But capturing a likeness in thread feels impossible?

You're not alone.

"Portraits usually terrify me," confessed Stitch Club member Joanne Moorey.

That was before she discovered textile artist Susie Vickery's unique sketchy stitching approach.

Now, Joanne and countless others are creating beautiful, expressive faces with just needle and thread. Not through perfectionism or complex techniques, but through a revolutionary "sketchy stitch" method that feels more like drawing with thread than traditional embroidery.

Portrait by Stitch Club member Ruth Waalkes

Portrait by Stitch Club member Franca Coopiano

Portrait by Stitch Club member Ally Lester

The secret? It's not about aiming for a perfect likeness. It's about:

Capturing character through simple, expressive lines
Building confidence through quick, playful exercises
Developing your own unique "handwriting" in stitch

"I never realised how quickly you can conjure up a face with just a few stitches!" shares Stitch Club member Uta.

Want to discover how you can transform your fear of portraits into joy and creative freedom with expressive stitches?

Click here for Susie Vickery’s top tips on getting started with stitched portraits

Here's to finding joy in the imperfect,

Joe & Sam

#3 Pottery Exhibit - Now through mid-January

Creating from Inspiration

Inspiration is not singular, it’s not predictable, it’s not constrained to a single color, shape, material or media. The three fiber artists exhibiting at #3 Pottery this month represent the diversity of inspiration and execution.

Each artist’s works reveal a wide range techniques, design and style preferences, and most important, a commitment to share skills and knowledge and motivate and support their fellow artists.

Experience the joy of their talents at #3 Pottery 105 S Maple St, Simpsonville, SC 29681 Wednesday – Saturday, 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. now through mid-January.

There are great hand-crafted artwork in the shop...Santa needs a bit of help I've heard.

Here are a few of the pieces on display.