Where Has the Time Gone????

As I write this I see it has been MONTHS since I've posted anything.  Well, far from nothing has been going on.  It has been a busy Summer.

After my trip to Columbus GA to study with Bo Bartlett I was off to "Paint NC".  This is an invitational plein-aire painting event hosted by Germanton Gallery in Germanton, NC

I turned around and bumped into myself while painting!

6x8 study to begin the day.

 This event was followed by a trip to Clayton GA to speak with the N. Georgia Arts Guild. They were kind enough to invited me to speak about my artwork and painting process.

Once back home in Spartanburg I worked with the SC School for the Deaf & the Blind as an Artist in Residence to help the art classes prepare a piece of are for their "Very Special Arts" program. The kids at the school were really great to work with. They even taught me a little sign language.

Me & some of the students with their completed project.

May came and with it always comes the Spoleto Festival USA! This is an incredible performing arts festival in Charleston, SC. Several of the galleries hosted a Spoleto Sole and scheduled their artists to paint on Broad St so visitors walking from one performance to another could see some art being created. Edward dare Gallery represents my work in Charleston so I painted near the gallery the first weekend of the festival.

June was a adventurous month with a trip to Jamaica to celebrate the wedding of Kent Cecil and Marisa Axelrod. This had to be THE most beautiful wedding I've ever been to. While in Jamaica I had wonderful opportunity to spend a day & a half with my former room mate from Ringling College of Art & Design, Janis Rankin. Janis is a wonderful watercolor artist and also manages a magnificent villa in the mountains of Montego Bay, Jamaica called The Anchorage Villa.  This place has breathtaking views of Montego Bay and also once the home and studio of the late Michael Lister who painted the people and places of Jamaica.

June also brought a great opportunity to work with a Wofford College art major. I was asked to work with a student who won an art Fellowship. Once a week we meet to discuss the paintings she is creating for a show in November. Teaching is a wonderful give and take experience, I'm getting alot out of this too.  Several times we've done some plein aire paintings, even in this blistering Summer heat!

July was the beginning of helping my Mom move in to a new phase of her life.... moving from a 3000sq foot home she's been in for over 38 years to a 1000 sq foot retirement apartment at White Oak Estates.  The move is a big one for her but she has many friends already living there just waiting for her to move in!

In between all of this I have been painting so blog and website updating have taken a back seat.  Life just keeps happening so just keep on painting.

Happy drawing & painting!

Charleston County Public Library Features the Artwork of Isabel Forbes

The Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, Make Your Life a Work of Art: Paintings by Isabel Forbes, on view in the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery at its main branch, on view from July 1 - 31, 2010. Forbes, an artist from the Upstate, will offer oil paintings in this one-person exhibition. The title of Forbes’ exhibit, Make Your Life a Work of Art, is a reference to the artist's use of scenes from her life as she travels between the SC Upstate and the Lowcountry. An award winning artist, Forbes is a graduate of Ringling College of Art and Design in Sarasota, FL. She worked as a graphic designer and illustrator for over 27 years before making the transition into fine art full time. Inspired by her surroundings, she paints the everyday scenes of her life. "After moving back home to Spartanburg, SC, having been away for over 30 years, I saw things with a new eye. Now when I travel back to the Lowcountry, I'm able to rediscover things I previously took for granted." Forbes' is a founding member of the Charleston Outdoor Painters Association (COPA), an exhibiting member of the Charleston Artist’s Guild, a board member of the Artists Guild of Spartanburg and is represented by Sandpiper Gallery in Sullivan’s Island, SC and Edward Dare Gallery in Charleston, SC. The Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery is located in the Charleston County Public Library’s main branch, 68 Calhoun Street. For further information about the exhibit call 843-805-6930. Further information about Isabel Forbes is available on her website at www.isabelforbes.com

Walking Downtown

When I left Spartanburg 30 years ago I was ready to get out of town to see what was out there. Never thought I'd be back here again. As I visit my old haunts my heart feels full. This was a great place to grow up and I have many great memories living here.

This drawing is on the corner of Liberty Street and Broad. On the opposite side of this wall/building is Main Street. The downtown area is undergoing a wonderful metamorphosis. Old closed shops are becoming retail and residential spaces. A new multi-million dollar Chapman Cultural Arts Center is scheduled to open this Fall, WOW. Feels good to be home.