Nik Dunaway is a product designer for Club Car and has been a part of many of their projects, aiding in the design and styling of vehicles such as the Onward 6 Passenger, Villager 6 and 8 vehicles and others. When he is not designing golf vehicles or going to school for Industrial design, he is working on character art and music projects, studying things that pique his interest, or spending time with friends. He is a Student Member of the Industrial Design Society of America, has been part of several patents for products, and has participated in a few local visual arts exhibitions such as the “Anime on my Mind” showcase in 2021 at 600 Broad Gallery and the “Treasure Inland” exhibition in 2022 at Augusta & Co. Gallery. Nik’s artworks stem from character designs, where he draws inspiration from Anime, Dungeons & Dragons, history, folklore and mythology. He is has recently begun working in the sculptural field, utilizing a 3D printer to create works.

As a Heavy Metal musician, he has released multiple albums. His former band, Pursuit of Angels, released their debut self-titled album in 2009 with tracks such as “The Prestige”. He has also released one other progressive death metal album the under the title “Vocator.” He is an avid musician, with many years of experience playing guitar, bass, and keys. You can visit his music webpage here: https://vocatorband.com/

IDSA define Industrial design as:

Industrial Design (ID) is the professional practice of designing products, devices, objects, and services used by millions of people around the world every day.

Industrial designers typically focus on the physical appearance, functionality, and manufacturability of a product, though they are often involved in far more during a development cycle. All of this ultimately extends to the overall lasting value and experience a product or service provides for end-users.

Every object that you interact with on a daily basis in your home, office, school, or public setting is the result of a design process. During this process, myriad decisions are made by an industrial designer (and their team) that are aimed at improving your life through well-executed design.

Ana Thompson’s diverse work, mostly in oil, acrylic, and pastels includes landscapes, portraits, still life and abstracts. She keeps exploring new techniques. Being a life-long-learner is very important to her. Ana’s main style is realistic mostly in oil, but recently she has explored acrylics and pastels. During her art studies at Augusta University, Ana also enjoyed ceramics so much that she stopped painting for a few years. However, during the pandemic, she spent many hours at home painting and her love for oils was reborn.

Her work has been exhibited at the Healing Arts Program at Augusta Health Hospital, the Augusta Arts Council Wet Paint exhibition, and at the Juried Art Show of the Art Department at Augusta University. It has also been featured in the Sand Hills magazine published. Four of her paintings from the series on “Teeth” are permanently exhibited at The Dental College of Georgia in Augusta, GA. She is a member of the Artists Guild of Columbia County and the Greater Augusta Arts Council.
Ana accepts commissions and may be contacted at anathompsonart@gmail.com

A traditional artist that works with a mix of acrylic, watercolor, and color pencil.

The Soulless Ginger Studio

Artist Bio:

Erica Pastecki has been making art all her life. There was never a moment that she recalls a time where she didn’t make art of some sort. Coming from a military family, she spent some of her younger years living overseas in Korea. Memories of this experience still inspire her in many ways. Though living briefly overseas, a majority of her time she has lived right here in Augusta Georgia, particularly South Augusta. Stating, “I am a product of this area, and I continue to expect good things from it.”

Studying at Butler High School and Augusta University (BFA), Pastecki is mainly interested in figuring out ways to continue to grow the local area’s love and appreciation for the arts and encourage all to open up their art side and along with this to continue to help bring art experiences to those who might not have easy access to it.

With an almost 20 year background in sales, marketing, events, graphic design, book illustration, teaching, working with many different organizations such as The Augusta Chronicle, Fort Gordon, Verge Magazine, The Boys and Girls Club, and previously overseeing the education department and outreach at The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, she tries to remain active in as many groups as possible and now has joined forces with 4P Studios to assist with marketing and expanding their arts education programing, as their Director of Education!( 4PStudiosArt.com )

When not teaching or helping to organize local events she also continues to develop her own body of work. ( Housed In private collections throughout the United States )

Her main series at the moment is know as “The Apron Series” in which she explores her own love-hate relationships with gender roles, technology, and the passing of time. “I’m very tomboyish, and I think a lot about ‘what does it mean’ to be a woman. I also ponder a lot on what does it mean to be alive… and if and how one can truly live,” elaborating that “people seem to tend to hold themselves back from their true desires,” she said. The series is a little cheeky and fun and usually has snarky titles like “Just Because I Want a New Apron Doesn’t Mean that I Can Cook.”

Pastecki also loves all things POP ART! Anything that meets her fancy — cartoons, song lyrics, store products, random commercial / advertisement memories… — are also likely to pop up in any of her other series of works. In such fast moving times Pastecki strives slow down and admire and help shape the world in which she lives in.

Daily Motto: “Life is good, Live it Up.”
“Happy Art Making!”

Home Life: Pastecki currently divides her time between Augusta Ga and Florida (her home away from home and artist retreat). She is married to photojournalist Ben Boocker, Bestie to The Walkers, and is the happy mother to one pup, Loki, and one kitty, Salem Brundle Moon.

Artist Contact: You Can see more of Pastecki’s art online at:

https://www.facebook.com/EricaPASTECKI/

and contact her with general questions and/or commission work at: pastecki@hotmail.com
or on her social media artist page Erica Pastecki (Feel free to send some “likes!” )

Lea Rigdon (b. 1970, Augusta, United States) is a self-taught artist working predominately with watercolors who lives and works in Augusta, GA. Some of her first memories are of her own mother creating art. Lea began creating at a young age, often being inspired by the illustrations and colorful landscapes in Disney films she and her family would enjoy together. In turn, Lea has passed this legacy of artistic passion down to her own children. Her works act as a personal reminder of who she is, where she came from, and the people she loves the most.

Lea was the Greater Augusta Arts Council’s featured artist for the month of June 2022. Her works have been featured in The Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, 600 Broad, 4P Studios, Augusta & Co. Gallery, The City Gallery, and in exhibitions such as The Greater Augusta Arts Council’s annual Wet Paint Party, and The Annual October Spooktacular.

Statement
I view the process of painting as an enchanted retreat that creates space for meditation and self-discovery. I love to combine watercolor with pencil and/or pen. This method satisfies my need for precision and detail but balances my desire to be free, loose, and spontaneous. The best part of creating is the ability to share this side of myself with others. Through my works I hope to create a magical space for the viewer to pause, breathe and smile.

I have been greatly influenced by the luminous and often haunting works of Kay Nielsen and Itzchak Tarkay’s dreamy images of elegant Parisian women. Both artists use the whimsical flow of watercolor, fine lines, bold silhouettes, and vivid color to create a kind of visual poetry.

My work can be described as a modernized folk art that utilizes repeated patterns alongside watercolor to create shifts in light and subtle movements that imply a difference in textures. I like to incorporate paints with an element of shimmer that give a dream-like glow as light touches the work. I am inspired by nature, both flora and fauna, and the mysterious wonder that lines therein.

BIO:
Earning a BFA from the University of Kansas and a Master of Arts in Art Therapy from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Leslie practiced art therapy with a variety of populations before settling with her family in Augusta, GA. She is an instructor at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art and Board Member of the Greater Augusta Arts Council. She has recently stepped away from her volunteer time leading an art group for differently abled adults to focus on her own artistic life by using pieces from her past to inform her current work. 


ARTIST’S STATEMENT:
I have been drawn to making art since I was a child, but my world exploded when introduced to Betty Edward’s Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. Getting lost in the fluidity of contour lines is my favorite space on a canvas and I love the process of adding collage layers of old artwork, tissue, and a variety of hand-printed papers, which opens a space of endless exploration. My focus leans towards portraits and figures with emphasis on exaggerated forms. Like the Fauvists’, I embrace the use of strong lines, bright palettes, and abstraction inspired by the works of Matisse, Picasso, Gaugin, and Botero. I find the physical act of making art to be therapeutic in itself and enjoy the process as much as the end product.

Aort Reed (Augusta, Georgia) is a local muralist and contemporary visual fine artist. His parents- Anna Phimsoutham, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, and Oscar Reed, a native of Augusta, Georgia cultivated an interesting ecosystem throughout his childhood. As a child, Aort’s imagination ran wild. Any surface that he could find automatically became his canvas. Whether it was blank pages at the beginning of a book, his grandmother’s recipes, or even the walls of his closet, he made sure that he expressed what was in his mind’s eye.

After grade school, Aort attended three different colleges but ended up earning his BFA in painting and drawing at Augusta State University (AU). During the early years of his creative credibility, Aort’s work was selected for two juried art exhibitions, one in 2012 and another in 2014. This also marked the time period his work began to take off conceptually. As a result, his artwork became published in magazines, online platforms, and news articles nationally, and continues to be featured today. For example, multiple large-scale local mural works (including Westobou, Georgia Cyber Center & Jackie M’s & Son Restaurant) have recently been shown in the 2020 Augusta Visitors Bureau Experience Guide, The Augusta Chronicle as well as on news channel 12 WRDW-TV & FOX 54 WFXG.

Today, Aort expresses that inspiration comes from multiple sources; “I could name multiple artists from throughout the history of Fine Art, but I think that would be too typical. Outside of artists, what really drives me the most is empiricism, emotions, and communication. All three sort of create somewhat of a diary or pictorial journal of the journey.”

Who in the world am I?’ Ah, that’s the great puzzle!”

Big Bailey aka Tamell Bailey of SMS Entertainment is an emerging Spoken Rap (spoken word poetry blended with hip-hop) artist. He is a multi-talented entertainer who also is capable of audio engineering, audio production, graphic designs, video editing, and artist development as the President of SMS Entertainment by night. By day he is professionally a computer technician with a Master’s in Information Technology and also a TurboTax Product Expert. He has been known to emphasize social consciousness and positivity through his writing and performances.

Visit my website: http://www.bigbailey.com

I am a recording artist, beauty queen, and middle eastern dancer. I am usually referred to as a spoken word artist. I entertain at events and parties and I book performances.

Visit my website at http://www.mscrystals.com

My art education began when I was eight years old and attended class weekly at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of ARt. Including art in my learning life experiences, after retirement, I founded a Porcelain Arts School in 2007. Now in its 15th year, the school has hosted international porcelain artists and teachers. I am currently organizing an International Porcelain Artists and Teachers event in September 2022 in Savannah, GA which will feature 10 International teachers with 100 students studying porcelain hand building, over-glaze-painting, multi media creating and wheel throwing which includes a porcelain element.

Joan Fishbein is a poet and writer local to the Augusta River Region. She received a BA in English from Vassar College and an MFA in poetry from Warren Wilson College. Her poetry has appeared in “Hope Street,” a chapbook anthology published by Main Street Rag, “The New Verse News, “The Frequency Anthology,” “The Origami Poems Project of Rhode Island, ” “The Southern Poetry Anthology: Volume One,””The Kennesaw Review,”, “The Devil’s Millhopper,” Helicon Nine,” “Poetica,” “The Reach of Song,” and other small literary magazines. She has also won First Place at the Second Annual Chattahoochee Valley Writers conference. Joan served as an Editorial Assistant on “Ingenue Magazine,” and an Assistant Beauty Editor on “Co-Ed” magazine.

I have lived in Augusta, Georgia for the last 8 years and love the views from my nature walks. The nature here has healed and inspired my art. I hope my paintings capture the joy, purity, and serenity of our surroundings. I work with acrylics as the medium and I enjoy painting realistic as well as abstract expressions.

I began drawing with graphite pencils over 45 years ago, having taught myself to draw faces when I was 10. In 2021, I picked up a paintbrush for the first time and began creating portraits in acrylic paints. My work portrays the people who have inspired my life journey; creative groups and individuals with whom I feel a deep spiritual connection.

Artists who have inspired and informed my work include Peter Max, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, and Keith Haring. Because of the influence of these artists and my love of the Pop Art movement, I create work with Pop influences using bold and bright colors that mesh with my way of viewing the world.

My work has been shown across the Augusta area in venues such as 600 Broad, 4P Studios, City Gallery, Augusta & Co., Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, Jessye Norman School of the Arts, and Le Chat Noir. My art currently hangs at Tie Dye Rosie, Mellow Mushroom, and The Curiosity Cottage.

Most recently, I was shortlisted for the Inaugural Augusta Poster Show as well as chosen to participate in the Project Happy Water art auction, High Water.

The human family is a beautiful and diverse one and, when I am creating portraits, I strive to capture the soul of my subject with emphasis on that person’s eyes. My aim is to bring my subjects to life on the canvas, giving viewers an opportunity to meet them and view them in a fresh way. It is my hope that the images I create honor the souls of of my subjects and that I can inspire others to explore ways to honor those they love and admire in their own creative way.

My core values include:

Community – Building community by using what I have learned to assist other aspiring artists in their art careers.

Diversity – Exploring and embracing the diversity of humankind planet-wide in the creation of my portrait art.

Excellence – Offering the very best of myself in my artwork by using the highest quality art supplies in my work.

Visit my website at www.francieklopotic.com

I am a Mixed media artist utilizing recycled, found, nostalgic materials such as textiles, paper, and my own original artworks. I also often work with Polaroids 600. I take commissions, teach classes and do live painting.

I am based in Augusta, GA and see my works as a personal exploration into ancestry, the cosmos and the shared human experience. In recent works I am exploring the passing down of genetic predispositions and possessions as they relate to the great recycling seen in the universe. I have had works showcased throughout the CSRA in many solo and group exhibitions.

Recent projects and exhibitions include:

• July 2022; Featured artist in Treasure Inland showcase at Augusta & CO. Gallery
• December 2021; was selected by juror Shai Perry to be featured in Westobou’s Seeds exhibition, Augusta, GA.
• December 2021; was featured in the Moving Windows group exhibition at Jessye Norman School of Art in Augusta, GA
• October 2021; Organized, curated and participated in The 5th Annual October Spooktacular arts showcase and market at New Moon Café in Augusta, GA
• August 2021; Generations, a solo exhibition of new works at 4P Studios in Martinez, GA.
• June 2021; Anime On My Mind, was featured and curated at anime fan art show at 600 Broad Gallery in Augusta, GA.
• May 2021: May The Fourth Be With You, organized and was featured in Star Wars themed art group exhibition at 600 Broad Gallery in Augusta, GA
• March 2021; Selected by curator, Jacob Boland, for JNSA Window Project. Created diptych works to be displayed as a temporary window mural as well as a group exhibition.
• October 2020; Organized and participated in the Art Market Masquerade at 4P Studios, Martinez, GA

Irina Wnorowski owns Irina W Artz. She is a painter that works primarily in Resin and mixed media art. She will take commissions and teach classes.

For years, I created hyperrealist portraits in traditional charcoal & graphite.  But a craving for color & texture has led me to mixed media portraiture.  My faces are done in pastel & color pencil with a graphite underpainting, & usually include hair made from alpaca fiber or human hair, clothes from fabric & art papers, & ornament in beads & repurposed materials, concentrating on one brilliant color per piece.

My work is based on mythological motifs that transcend any one culture, expressing universal stories & emotions that make us human, give us hope & beautify ordinary reality.

My influences include Klimt, Hiroshige, Henri Rousseau, Erte, pre-Raphaelites, 19th century illustrators like Edmund Dulac, Elenore Abbott & John Bauer. I’m attracted to their use of brilliant color, mythic themes, ability to turn ordinary reality into a romantic myth. Among artists who do hyperrealist charcoal portraits, I admire J.D. Hillberry, Emanuele Dascanio, & Armin Mersmann.

Lucy Weigle owns Lucy Weigle Contemporary Artworks and paints in oil, often combined with cold wax and in acrylic, as well as combined with collage. Subject matter varies.   She can take commissions.

Candice Henderson creates vibrant Afro-Centric paintings and abstract art using acrylic paint on canvas.  She will take commissions, teach classes, entertain at events and parties, and do live painting. Fpr paint parties check out www.facebook.com/paintandsipaugustaga

Zoey Green’s focus is mainly on painting and she loves doing any kind including Murals and Portraits of people, pets, and buildings. She will take commissions, do live painting, and do chalk board art.

Cassie Bayer specializes in Pet Photography and Photo Restoration. She is located in North Augusta, SC and serves the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA).  Cassie’s “brush” is her camera, and her goal is always to capture memorable images that move people. She will take commissions.

Addison Niday does Murals & Graphic Design, and will take commissions, entertain at events and parties, do custom calligraphy, and chalk board art.

Michael Meissner is a Landscape and portrait artist working in wet-on-wet style on canvas. Michael will take commissions, teach classes, do live painting.

Art the Artist is a Digital Artist, Muralist, Comic book designer, clothing line designer, Artist Mentor, Art Teacher. Art will take commissions, teach classes, entertain at events and parties, do live painting and teach digital art classes.

Chashawna is a high school counselor, advocate and creative writer. She is an active spoken word artist with a passion for everything she does.

Rhian Swain is a painter, photographer, designer, illustrator, writer, and former talk show host. She loves public art and painted one of Augusta’s painted pianos located on Broad Street outside of Augusta & Co. She also painted one of the Traffic Boxes, located at Broad and 5^th St. She has participated in many local exhibits, including shows in the Community Gallery of Augusta, The Augusta Municipal Building, A Private View, and Annual WetPaint Party and Sale. Her past solo shows included exhibitions at Sacred Heart Cultural Center, Augusta Cotton Exchange, D’Timms, and the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Atlanta College of Art.

Artist Statement:

Rhian Swain is a symbolic artist who works in many mediums and loves to dig into the underbelly of the human journey by exploring cultural and social issues in a wide variety of mediums. Humor, satire, and bright colors are often found in her work. She is currently working on a series of large paintings that are tributes to famous female artists throughout history. She believes Creation is a continuous adventure of relearning how to see the world and speak the world… through art.

Social media art portfolio: https://www.facebook.com/RhianArtPortfolio

By day Kigwana “Kigg” Cherry is a construction engineer and project manager and in between those tasks he’s busy creating a beautiful Augusta. As a self-described Renaissance Man, Kigg has a hand in multiple endeavors throughout the community. With business partner and friend Karen Gordon, he has successfully launched a pop-up event company—aptly named Pop-Up Augusta—where his team dreams up impressive events and Kigg is the main project manager that organizes the details for each event.

Karen is a woman on the go.  Karen Gordon, The Empress of Cool, is a local musician, an event producer, a gig- manager, an Augusta Cheerleader, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife and a lover of gardens.

Read our Featured Artist article about Karen here.

I work in acrylic, collage, mixed-media and occasionally in oil w/ cold wax as well as encaustic. I’m predominantly a studio painter but do occasionally teach classes and I welcome private commissions.

Wesley L. Stewart, WLS, was born and raised in Augusta, Georgia. Wesley L. Stewart’s current artwork explores biomes juxtaposed with abstract shapes, lines, and pattern. WLS’s also works under the moniker Regal Hyena and is engaged in cross-disciplinary collaboration with other artists. His artwork can be found at restaurants such as Pineapple Ink Tavern, Frog Hollow Tavern, and both Farmhaus Burgers. Public work seen on the University of North Georgia campus in Dahlonega, Georgia and entrance sculpture for Beacon Station Apartments in Augusta, Georgia.

“I believe in creating realistic art that is easily understood. I’m passionate about keeping art alive in communities. I choose to donate my time and talent to local charities and schools in the areas where my family and clients live.” – Richard Worth, in an interview with Michaela Martinez for Jagwire

headshot image ©Michaela Martinez, Jagwire 2020

“I’m grateful to be able to use the talent God has given me. I’ve been painting Murals since 1989. I went to SCAD & Several other Non-Art Colleges. I have worked at Graphic & Service Bureau companies from 1989-1996. A Service Bureaus (a company that provides a variety of desktop publishing services) has imagesetters that can produce high-resolution output on paper or film). I’ve also worked for Web Design Companies here in Augusta and (3) different Video Production companies before starting my own Production Business in 1999. Married to Ashley and have two wonderful kids.” -Cole Phail