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In honor of Beaufort�s upcoming Tricentennial, Short Story America & Lowcountry Weekly are teaming up to host a Short Story Contest.

Story Setting: The story must be set in the Beaufort area sometime during the past 300 years.

Word Limit: 4000 words

Submission Deadline: July 31, 2010

Submission Guidelines: Go to www.shortstoryamerica and click �Submit� at the top of the Main Page. Closely follow guidelines and prompts, uploading the story as a Word document. In the comments section, type BEAUFORT TRICENTENNIAL CONTEST, then type your date of birth. (Authors 18 and under will compete in the Student category.) If an author has a question about submitting a story, he/she can contact SSA by clicking �Contact Us� on the main page.

Winner: The winning story (or stories) will published in Lowcountry Weekly and at Short Story America, and will remain published permanently in the Short Story America Contemporary Library.� Short Story America has readers in 55 countries and all 50 US states. To join the site for free, visit www.shortstoryamerica.com

And Speaking of Short Stories...

Beaufort author T.D. (Tim) Johnston's�short story, "The Interruption of Thomas Darrow", will appear at Short Story America beginning on Good Friday. The story is set at the July 1865 execution of the four convicted co-conspirators in the Lincoln assassination (three were actually guilty); Mary Surratt (the first woman executed by the US government) was most likely innocent.�Johnston's story was first published in 2004 by a Civil War magazine.� Robert Redford recently wrapped filming in Savannah of a new movie, titled "The Conspirator," about the Mary Surratt case. The protagonist of "The Interruption of Thomas Darrow" knows a secret about the disappearance of Metropolitan Police guard John Parker, who left his post outside Lincoln's box at Ford's Theater at an amazingly timely moment.� To grab your free membership at Short Story America and read "The Interruption of Thomas Darrow", by local author T.D. Johnston, go to www.shortstoryamerica.com.

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BHS Voices Spring Sing

Music

Flowers are blooming...� the countdown to graduation has begun.� It must be time for the Beaufort High School Voices Spring Show!� For the 7^th year, this exceptional choral ensemble will wow us with their complex harmonies, rich sound and flat-out beautiful singing.�

The concert tops off a demanding semester for the 70-voiced ensemble.� In February, Eighteen Voices traveled to New York to a vocal jazz festival at Lincoln Center. Top vocal jazz ensembles from high schools and colleges across the country gathered for three days to sing with and learn from each other.� The singers received instruction from highly respected vocal jazz musicians, including the festival�s artistic director, Steve Zegree.� Just 3 weeks later, twenty of the singers packed their bags for Rock Hill where they joined in a weekend of master instruction and performing as part of the prestigious South Carolina All-State Choir.

Fast-forward one week, and it�s show time again as the Voices join the Duke Symphony Orchestra for their 6^th joint performance.� Only 3 weeks and 4 days later the group will be ready to entertain us with their semester finale, the Voices� popular Spring Show.

According to Vic Varner, Voices director and head of Beaufort High�s Vocal program, �Rehearsals will be intense as we fine-tune our performances.� But these kids are dedicated and know what it takes.� To see their faces when they understand the potential that a song offers, or when they first pull off a difficult chord or phrase ----all the hard work is so worth it for them and for me.�

voices-winthrop The program for the spring show will be upbeat, including two jazz sets.� �A lot of effort was invested by the whole class, not just those who participated in the jazz festival, and so much learning took place about the complexity and nuances of vocal jazz,� says Varner.� �I feel we just have to share this with the community.�� The singers will perform pieces arranged by Gene Puerling and Steve Zegree, both known for their challenging arrangements.� The program is built around familiar melodies with exciting harmonic twists. Among the songs are �On A Clear Day,� �Quiet Nights of Quiet Stars,� �In My Life,� �Just in Time,� and �I�ve Got the World on a String.�

A staged medley of tunes from The Wizard of Oz will finish off the concert.� Varner says he looks forward to tapping the technology capabilities of the new Arts Center at Beaufort High in this part of the show.� BHS Senior Madelyn Johnson who has performed with the Voices for four years, will solo on �Over the Rainbow.�� 2010 is the 70^th anniversary of the film release of the noted movie; Harold Arlens�s timeless score for the film is being performed by many ensembles in honor of this milestone.� The song Over the Rainbow has been proclaimed �the Song of the Century� in a list developed by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The concert will be performed at 8 PM Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, April 13 and 14 at The Arts Center at Beaufort High School. Tickets are $7 and are available at the door.� For more information call 322-2173 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The Arts Center Wants Your Egyptian Artifacts

Art

The Arts Center is seeking authentic artifacts of Egyptology to augment the images it is exhibiting from the Smithsonian for its May 7-30 exhibit, entitled Egypt: A Sense of Place. This exhibit will accompany the Arts Center�s production of �Elton John�s Aida,� which begins in a museum exhibit of Egyptology.

The items need to be available for installation and exhibiting for the period April 29, through June 1.

Please submit a jpeg image of the item(s) to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with a description of the item, its city of origin and the date of the object, along with your name to be placed on the identification tag as �on loan from� � please include your contact phone number(s).�Deadline for e-mail submission is April 23 by 5 pm.

The jpegs will be reviewed for compatibility to the images the Arts Center has procured from the Smithsonian for this exhibit. The selection committee chair will notify the owners of complementary items by April 27.

The Arts Center is excited about this exhibit as well as having the community participate.�Thank you for your participation.

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Painting the Experience

Art

Tricia Gardner featured at BAA Gallery

painting-gardner-beaufort �To paint it, you must experience it,� says St. Helena Island artist, Tricia Gardner. �The light, the smells, the feel of the landscape cannot be replicated in the studio unless you have been there and become one with the scene.� Gardner is the featured artist for the next exhibit at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery, scheduled for April 6 - May 15. The public is invited to view the work and discuss her art and travels during the opening reception on Friday, April 9 from 5:30-7:30. The Laizee Rivers Band will provide music.

Expect to see oil paintings of shrimp boats and scenes of the Lowcountry tidal marshes. Gardner�s style is uniquely her own: moody skies are backdrops for angular fish shacks and mysterious trees with energetic colors and lines. The lines and rigging of sailboats as well as those found on shrimping and fishing boats tantalize her and challenge her brush and palette knife. The resulting works are impressionistic, bordering on the abstract. Photorealism is the antithesis of her style.

Location, atmosphere and light are the big three for Tricia who prefers to do �plein air� painting whenever possible. That means she chooses to work in the open air or out of doors. �I get an energy and inspiration from nature, from local marshes of Port Royal Sound to coastal fishing villages off the beaten path,� say Gardner. painting-gardner2-beaufort

Tricia has been drawing for as long as she can remember. Her life, however, has not always been dominated by painting. She is a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, with graduate work at the State University of New York and George Washington University. Her major was business, not art. Her professional career spanned thirty years with the federal government in Washington, DC. Since retiring from government life, Tricia has traveled extensively to take plein air workshops. She has painted with artists in the deserts of the southwest, the California coast, Maine, the Caribbean Islands, Key West, Sicily, Spain, and Greece. She has studied art at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, Virginia, the Loudoun Academy of Art in Leesburg, Virginia and the Delaplaine Academy in Frederick, Maryland. She has painted on location with Ross Miller of the Smithsonian Museum of Art, Bob Gamblin of Gamblin Paints, and Walt Bartman of the Yellow Barn Studio. Locally, she has studied under Ted Jordan of the Hilton Head Art Academy and has participated in workshops through the Hilton Head Art League with Ron Ranson, Tom Lynch, Charles Gruppe and Susan Sarback.

painting-gardner3-beaufort Impatient and restless by nature, Gardner is always on the move. This is reflected in both her art style and the process she uses to paint. She never labors over a painting for days on end and never paints sitting down. She likes to be free to move about the location and feels that the first stroke with the brush or palette knife is the best and most true to the scene. She feels that laboring over a painting can ruin it by destroying its spontaneity and prefers to paint with reckless abandon. A former teacher once told her that great art is not made by timid people. Tricia is not timid. Her paintings show boldness that attracts immediate attention. She insists that adventure, aggression, energy, tenacity and perseverance serve her well as an artist. On occasion she asks the painting what it needs and waits for it to reply. According to Gardner, �If the moment is right, the painting will paint itself.�

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Double the Pleasure

Art

Oils and� pastels by Laura Cody at the Art League Gallery

double-ballet-hilton-head Double the Pleasure � recent oils and pastels by Laura Cody � is opening with an artist reception on Tuesday, April 13, from 5 � 7 pm at the Art League of Hilton Head Gallery located in Pineland Station Atrium, Suite 207, Hilton Head Island.� The exhibit runs through Saturday, May 8.� The public is cordially invited. 843-681-5060 or www.artleaguehhi.org

When Laura Cody moved to the Lowcountry in 2001 she discovered, �the artist in me exploded with a passion.� Everywhere I looked I saw beauty and I was determined to capture that beauty with my art.� She is exhibiting twenty pieces of her recent work.

Cody brought a novel concept to her show �Double the Pleasure.�� Her exhibit consists of a number of paintings which have been painted in both oil and pastel using the same image. She states �I equally enjoy painting in both mediums and often when I finish a painting I wonder what it would look like, if it was painted in the other medium. I thought comparing the two mediums that way should make an interesting and fun exhibit.� double-ready-hilton-head

And the difference between the mediums is striking, as we can see in A Night at the Ballet.� The oil painting appears in intense hues and glowing colors, whereas the pastel version shows softer, lighter forms in muted light.� We can see this again in Ready for Fun, canoes stacked up ready for hire.� In Shady Path, a marshscape, the oil is rendered in vibrant greens and the sunlight pierces the shadows. An inviting beach scene depicted in Ocean Front (oil) shows subtle color highlights to keep a peaceful atmosphere.� Cody uses vivid color and abstracted forms in her portrayal of landscapes, seascapes and Lowcountry life.

Cody also finds painting portraits very rewarding and has done realistic renderings of children, adults and pets.� A well known artist in the Lowcountry, Cody�s work is hanging in private collections throughout the United States.� Her paintings can also be seen at the Fordham Market, Beaufort, Pluff Mudd Gallery, Bluffton, Gallery 209, Savannah, and Mangos, Fripp Island, SC.

double-ocean-hilton-head Laura Cody was born in New York City and has lived in a number of cities throughout the United States before retiring with her husband Bill, to South Carolina.� Laura has always had a love for art. She managed to squeeze in art classes and workshops while juggling a 25 year career in the medical field and raising three children.

The work of other Art League artists is on exhibit as well.� -- The Art League of Hilton Head promotes and supports the visual arts through education, exhibitions and partnerships for the cultural enrichment of the community and its visitors.� It is a not-for-profit 501 � 3 organization. The Art League also holds classes at the Art Academy on Cordillo Parkway.� Art exhibitions at the Gallery in Pineland Station are changed monthly and the artworks of over 150 member artists are displayed and available for sale at all times.� For more information about the show check the website at www.artleaguehhi.org or call the gallery at 843-681-5060.

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Creative Photography

Art

Don Nelson brings it to the SoBA Gallery

creative-ron-nelson The Society of Bluffton Artists presents announces �Creative Photography,� an exhibit of work by Don Nelson, now through May 8. Nelson retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina, in 1997 from Long Island, New York and Avon, Connecticut.

Photography has been his hobby since he was the age of eight. He started taking pictures with a Kodak Brownie camera and made contact prints in his darkroom. During the last 50 years he has processed his own color negatives and made color prints up to 20x24. Lately photo technology has changed dramatically and he now uses the computer and a digital Canon SLR camera.

Nelson�s photographs have been exhibited with the Cultural and Performing Arts Division of the Town of Oyster Bay on Long Island and also with the Locust Valley Art Show. He received first place and honorable mentions in a color photo contest sponsored by the Long Island Jewish Hospital and has also been awarded first place and honorable mentions at competitions of the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island. Nelson is a member of the Hilton Head Art League, the Society of Bluffton Artists and the Computer Club of Hilton Head. He has been on the Artist Advisory Council of the Hilton Head Art League and Treasurer of the Camera Club of Hilton Head.

Nelson also conducts numerous training sessions, teaching others how to use image-editing software and sharing his knowledge of photography. He is the monthly contributor of �Photo Tips� published in the �Shutter Release,� the Camera Club of Hilton Head Island�s newsletter. In addition, Nelson has started the �Digital Imaging Group� (DIG), teaching Photoshop CS, Elements and Photoshop Lightroom to members of the Camera Club. He also teaches Photoshop at the Hilton Head Art Academy.

Don photographs original works of art created by oil and watercolor artists. These reproductions are on archival watercolor paper or canvas using pigment inks. He also experiments with various photo techniques in my digital darkroom and is able to achieve results similar to oil and watercolor paintings.

Don believes photography is an art of observation and discovering something of interest for everyone to enjoy.

An opening reception for the artist will be held Sunday, April 11 from 3 - 5 p.m. at the Gallery on 48 Boundary Street in Old Town Bluffton. For more information contact Soba at 757- 6586 or visit www.sobagalleries.com.

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