About the Competition
The Florence County Museum is proud to present the 2018 Pee Dee Regional Art Competition sponsored by Chick-fil-A of Florence. The competition highlights the best contemporary art in the Pee Dee region. One of the state’s oldest juried art competitions, the first Pee Dee Regional dates back to 1954 where the competition was held at the former Florence Museum on Spruce Street in Florence, South Carolina.
This year’s exhibit is now open to the public and will remain on display through March 30, 2018 in the FCM Waters Gallery. Visitors are invited to inspect this year’s selection and cast their vote for the Jo Ann Fender Scarborough People’s Choice Award. Voting for the People’s Choice Award will be open through Friday, March 23 with the winner being announced on Monday, March 26 via a press release and the museum’s social media.
FCM Waters Gallery
135 South Dargan Street
Florence, South Carolina
Gallery Hours:
Monday – Friday
10:00am – 5:00pm
The Selection Process & Awards
Contemporary artist and native of Aiken, South Carolina, Hollis Brown Thornton served as the competition juror overseeing the selection of works and awards for this year’s exhibition. First place in this year’s competition was awarded to Kevin Spaulding of Effingham for his painting Hearth. The other award winners include second-place plastic bags on wood by Pamplico resident Haley Ard titled The Kitchen Sink and third place Congaree Forest Ribbon by Myrtle Beach artist, Treelee MacAnn. The honorable mention was awarded to the sculpture titled, Five to Nine by Alexandra Knox of Loris.
The exhibit this year is composed of 30 works of art selected from nearly 200 online submissions by 88 artists representing northeastern South Carolina. This year’s exhibit is comprised from a balanced variety of paintings, mixed media, prints, drawings, photography and three-dimensional works.
Kevin Spaulding
Hearth
Oil on canvas
Effingham, SC
Haley Ard
The Kitchen Sink
Plastic bags on wood
Pamplico, SC
Treelee MacAnn
Congaree Forest Ribbon
Serigraph on paper
Myrtle Beach, SC
Alexandra Knox
Five to Nine
Raw beeswax, horsehair, nails
Loris, SC
Haley Ard
The Kitchen Sink
Plastic bags on wood
Pamplico, SC
Juror’s Statement
Thank you very much to the Florence County Museum for the honor of participating as Juror for the 2018 Pee Dee Regional Art Competition. As you can see from the exhibition, there was a wonderfully diverse body of works to choose from.
Both entries by Kevin Spaulding stood out during the digital submissions process. Seeing them in person was even more impressive. Incredibly well painted. Hearth earned my First Place choice. The painting evokes a feeling of tranquil isolation, while at the same time being a bit terrifying. Balancing these dynamics is difficult, and Spaulding pulls it off quite well in Hearth.
Second Place went to Haley Ard’s collage, The Kitchen Sink. Intricate use of grocery bags. It is fascinating to see how the tones and values created by the layers of translucent plastic contribute to such a detailed image. Excellent application of media to a concept with so much potential.
Third Place award went to the serigraph, Congaree Forest Ribbon, by Treelee MacAnn. This print impressively accomplishes the difficult task of precise color registration required during the printing process. Evidence of an artist with great technical ability. A fantastic image. Primordial and full of life.
Honorable Mention had a few potential winners, but was ultimately awarded to Alexandra Knox’s wax sculpture, Five to Nine. Really stunning to see in person. Incredibly organic and visceral. It is difficult to add humanity and vulnerability to an object using technique and materials, and Knox’s “hands” have done that beautifully.
As a note to the artists, I have never won a juried competition, and I have been declined from many. These things can be discouraging, but ultimately, be selfish with your work. Do what makes you happy. That is the ultimate goal, and the best path to success. While this show is a celebration of an incredible variety of talent, it is also a reflection of one person’s opinion. Keep up the great work. And thank you again for the opportunity to view it.
Hollis Brown Thornton
January, 2018
List of Works
Ashley Arakas
Disregarded Love
Watercolor on paper
Myrtle Beach, SC
Haley Ard
The Kitchen Sink
Plastic bags on wood
Pamplico, SC
Jim Boden
Big Meat
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Hartsville, SC
Jim Boden
Boxing Hyenas
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Hartsville, SC
Jim Boden
Sebastian
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Hartsville, SC
Jim Boden
Snake Man
Oil and acrylic on canvas
Hartsville, SC
Charles Clary
Memento Morididdle Movement #8
Hand-cut paper and wallpaper on drywall
Conway, SC
Charles Clary
Patiflasmic Carcinoma
Hand-cut paper and acrylic on panel
Conway, SC
Colleen Critcher
The Apex Predator Meets the Ultimate Consumer
Acrylic and oil on panel
Florence, SC
Jennifer Edwards
Pine View Motel
Oil on canvas
Florence, SC
Lynda English
Through the Eyes of a Child, V
Watercolor
Florence, SC
Patz Fowle
Boot Scoot
Faux leather boots, wood, metal, glass
Florence, SC
John Fowler
Extinct Carolina Parakeet
Hand-carved woodcut with rolled oil ink & watercolor
Darlington, SC
Robert Garey
A Family History
Oil on linen
Florence, SC
Steven Gately
Out of the Blue
Oil on paper
Florence, SC
Donna Goodman
Summer
Photography
Florence, SC
Doug Gray
After Lascaux
Saggar fired ceramic with encaustic medium
Florence, SC
Doug Gray
Surreptitious Impression
Saggar fired ceramic with encaustic medium
Florence, SC
Denise Greer
Shaking Off the Rust
Collage
Rembert, SC
Shana Grugan
Is/Is Not: A King of Differences
Acrylic on canvas
Pawleys Island, SC
Victoria Hagner
Fissure
Mixed media mosaic
Sumter, SC
Timothy Hunter
(Don’t) Talk2Us
Oil on canvas
Myrtle Beach, SC
Uschi Jeffcoat
Moirai
Watercolor
Florence, SC
Alexandra Knox
Five to Nine
Raw beeswax, horsehair, nails
Loris, SC
Alexandra Knox
Housebroken No. 5
Lumber, gypsum board, joint compound, horse hair
Loris, SC
Treelee MacAnn
Congaree Forest Ribbon
Serigraph on paper
Myrtle Beach, SC
Julie Mixon
Look In
White marble gelatin fresco image transfer
Florence, SC
Kevin Spaulding
Hearth
Oil on canvas
Effingham, SC
Kevin Spaulding
Iceberg
Oil on canvas
Effingham, SC
Cat Taylor
The Seduction of Luck
Oil on panel
Longs, SC
Competition Schedule
Acceptance of Online Entries
Fri, Sept 22 – Fri, Nov 3, 2017
Juror Selection
Mon, Nov 27 – Fri, Dec 1
Digital Semifinal Acceptance Notification
Mon, Dec 4 – Fri, Dec 8
Delivery of Accepted Works
Sat, Dec 16 – Wed, Dec 20
Juror’s Final Review & Awards
Fri, Jan 12 – Sat, Jan 13, 2018
Final Acceptance Notifications
Mon, Jan 15 – Fri, Jan 19
Opening Reception
Thurs, Jan 25
Final Day of Exhibition
Fri, Mar 30
Last Day to Pickup Work
Fri, Apr 20
Exhibit Catalog
Printed copies of the catalog are available in the exhibit. You may also view and download a PDF of the catalog here.
