10 Apr Local Artists Accepted into the 2025 ArtFields Competition in Lake City, SC
Each year, ArtFields brings together artists from across the Southeast to showcase their talents in the heart of Lake City, South Carolina. This year, four talented artists from the Augusta River Region have been selected to exhibit their work at the prestigious festival in 2025. Their unique visions explore themes of loss, identity, materiality, and the cosmic unknown, demonstrating how art can inspire, provoke, and transcend the ordinary. Here’s a closer look at these incredible creatives and their contributions.
Chase Lanier is a native of Augusta, GA. He teaches art at the Academy of Richmond County and has been making art for over twenty years. Recently, he has focused on sculpture, using thread to create tension in works that explore sign and meaning.
Chase’s piece “Drop in the Bucket” is a striking example of this focus. Comprised of brass rods anchored in a wooden base, with successive layers of thread that create a rounded, tensile form, this sculpture explores the immaterial through its delicate yet grounded structure. As Chase describes it, “Words were never a part of the development of this piece, so using them now to encapsulate the essence of this work or describe intent is tough. I know what sparked its first moment. I know my considerations of how to give form to the immaterial. I know what I have seen, and I know how it’s put together. And I recognize that none of these tidbits of information are required for your experience. Linger a moment and soften. It’s a drop in the bucket. Enjoy the rest of your time.”
Chase’s work will also be shown at ArtFields 2025, where his exploration of form and meaning will invite visitors to contemplate the spaces between tension and release. You can explore more of Chase’s work on his website www.chaselanierart.com or through his Instagram @chaselanierart.
Jacki Mayo Van Dyke was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, and has loved creating art since a very young age. She enjoys creating multidimensional pieces and painting themes of space and sea as she delves into the depths of her own consciousness. It is her hope to inspire others to look beyond their own perceptions of day-to-day life.
One of her powerful pieces, “Entropy,” was created to process the death of a very close friend to suicide. The process of creating it was both extremely painful and cathartic, allowing Jacki to come to terms with the loss. She finds comfort in the idea that her friend continues to exist as part of the great cosmic consciousness. “Entropy” will be featured at ArtFields 2025, where it will undoubtedly resonate with viewers navigating their own struggles and transformations.
Yana Bondar, an artist from Augusta, GA, graduated with an MFA in Ceramics from The Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia, as well as a BFA from Augusta University. They exhibit their work throughout the Southeast, with a particular focus on Georgia. Yana has participated in notable exhibitions, such as the 2022 Penland School of Craft Winter Residency, and was selected for ArtFields 2021 in Lake City, where they will return in 2025.
In addition to their artistic practice, Yana teaches 2D and 3D Foundations and Introductory Ceramics at Augusta University’s Department of Art and Design. Their work explores both the conceptual and tactile, inviting viewers into a world of texture, form, and introspection.
For more about Yana’s work, visit www.yanabondar.com or follow them on Instagram @lovelessamaranth.
Tiphiknee De Herrera is a contemporary oil and acrylic painter, as well as a graphite and digital artist. Originally from Oregon, she currently resides in Georgia, where she specializes in customized portraiture and digital designs. Tiphiknee’s personal art style has been described as eclectic, erotic, surreal, and dark. Her true love lies in exploring the sensual and bizarre aspects of her creations.
A self-taught oil painter, Tiphiknee has one year of classical fine art training in graphite and charcoal drawing from The Southern Oregon Art Academy. She has been creating visual art for over a decade.
Her painting “Contemplation” was created as a motivational piece both for herself and for the viewer. It’s about refusing to allow complacency or comfort to keep us stuck in one place. The piece invites viewers to find rest in moments of chaos while always choosing to move forward and continue being the creators we were born to be. Tiphiknee created this painting live at several notable Augusta events, including Artzilla’s Live Painting Party at ANBU Art Co., Le Chat Noir’s Black Cat Carnival, Humanitree House’s Spooky Vizualz, and River City Event’s Alt Market. She expresses her gratitude to the community for supporting her during the creation of this work.
“Contemplation,” Oil on Canvas (30×40”), will be shown at The Continuum in downtown Lake City, SC, for the ArtFields Festival & Competition from April 25-May 3, 2025.
You can follow Tiphiknee’s work on Instagram @rarehueman or ko-fi.com/rarehueman
Gerry O’Meara, a celebrated ceramic artist based in Augusta, GA, has a unique and evolving artistic journey. Born in Tokyo, Japan, and raised in Augusta, she initially pursued a career in textiles and medicine, earning her BFA in textiles from the University of Georgia and her MD from the Medical College of Georgia. It wasn’t until her retirement from medicine that Gerry’s creative spirit found its true expression in ceramics. In 2015, after meeting Raoul Pacheco, Chairman of the Ceramics Department at Augusta University, Gerry enrolled in a ceramics course, igniting her passion for clay. Since then, she has dedicated herself to the craft, balancing technical proficiency with artistic expression in every piece she creates.
Gerry draws deep inspiration from Augusta’s vibrant artistic community, finding influence in its diversity of styles and expressions. Her work reflects her connection to nature, evident in her use of glaze colors, textures, and even found materials like natural handles for her vessels. The process of working with clay, from the science of glaze chemistry to the meditative act of throwing on the wheel, is both physical and emotional for Gerry. As she continues to challenge herself, her work remains a blend of personal vision and a commitment to quality, with pieces displayed in local venues like the North Augusta Arts and Heritage Center and Morris Museum of Art. Gerry also actively participates in regional exhibitions, including the Clay Artists of the Southeast and various pop-up events.
Be sure to mark your calendars for April 25-May 3, 2025, as these talented artists from the Augusta River Region, along with many others, will be showcasing their work at the ArtFields Festival & Competition in Lake City, SC. This week-long celebration of art offers a unique opportunity to experience diverse and thought-provoking works in a vibrant community setting.