Effectively arranging the elements of a composition is key to achieving balance in any work of art. To Flavio Varani, that concept is fundamental. His career as an international concert pianist requires a balance between intuition and dedicated practice to truly thrive in that field. That sentiment should also be associated with his newest calling as an oil painter. “Visual art is simply an addition to my music,” he explains. “I already play music thinking through colors, shapes, and rhythms.”
Flavio recognizes the parallels between the visual arts and music. He chuckles, “Visual art is like music. You need an audience.” And he would know. Flavio plays classical sonatas across the globe from America to Japan and just about everywhere in between. When he is not traveling the world to perform in concert halls, Flavio can be found at GCCA in painting class, attending exhibition openings, or participating in the Annual Showcase. In each of the past three Annual Showcases, he has displayed a painting.
Flavio credits his entire painting class and instructor, Peggy Tanner Day, for the encouragement to exhibit his work. “My class is ideal for me.,” he says. “Peggy respects what I do, gives opinions, and answers my questions. She will find the best in you. That is exactly what I needed.”
Flavio continually seeks to learn, improve, and eventually, exhibit his work as a professional visual artist. His piece in this year’s Annual Showcase is titled “Artichokes and Flowers”. In the painting, he depicts an ensemble of artichokes in various sizes and colorations. He is intrigued by the nuanced greens in the petals in contrast with vibrant colors of their flower’s bloom. However, the importance of the vegetable reaches beyond that of colors. It also has familial ties.
“Artichokes were important in my childhood,” Flavio recalls. “My mother bought artichokes from a farmer. To make the farmer give us the beautiful artichokes, she made us kids play the accordion. So, we as kids, had to entertain the farmer for a better price.”
Be sure to see Flavio’s work alongside many other GCCA members in this year’s Annual Showcase that will be on display until Wednesday, September 22.
This week, GCCA Summer Art Camp instructors, Olivia Hueble, Neci Harris, and Kirsten Bush, would like to shine the spotlight on a very special camper. Eight-year-old Eliana Kim has attended nearly every week of Summer Art Camp this year. We wanted to know why, with so many options for youth summer activities in Greenville, Eliana and her family chose GCCA.
Eliana and her mom, Kim, talked with Program Director Liz Rundorff Smith about hobbies, favorite mediums, and future goals. We hope you’ll enjoy the conversation as much as we did.
Be sure to visit the Summer Art Exhibition on Friday, August 6 from 6 – 9pm to see what our Art Campers created this year!
GCCA: Eliana, can you tell us a little bit about you?
ELIANA: I am eight years old, and I love to draw and paint. I love biking, too. I have one brother and have one pet fish named Jelly.
GCCA: Why did you choose to come to art camps at GCCA this summer?
ELIANA: I chose to come to art camp at GCCA because I wanted to experience different kinds of art using different materials, and GCCA was perfect for that. Each week, I was able to work with different materials such as clay, printmaking materials, and fiber art.
GCCA: You’ve participated in several weeks of camp. Can you tell us which week of camp has been your favorite and why?
ELIANA: Clay camp has been my favorite so far because it was my first time working with clay, and I got to build a sculpture with it. It was very fun and a new experience for me. I learned that when clay is breaking, you use water on the clay.
GCCA: Why do you think art is important?
ELIANA: I think art is important because it brings out a person’s creativity and allows people to share it with each other.
GCCA: What kinds of art projects would you like to do more of in the future?
ELIANA: I would like to do more painting in the future because it is my favorite activity, and I can also learn about different types of paints to create my artwork.
Jordan Winiski first learned about Greenville Center for Creative Arts five years ago when she was a high school student attending the Fine Arts Center. Jordan wanted to get involved in the arts community outside of the classroom so she volunteered to help with the kid’s activity during a First Friday at GCCA and found a place where she could see that people of all ages felt included and supported. Jordan knew that being part of GCCA would help to foster her love of the arts and her desire to teach so she continued to find ways to get involved.
The arts have been important to Jordan for as long as she can remember. For Jordan, art provides a way of thinking, communicating, problem-solving, learning, and expressing herself. Growing up Jordan remembers her gramma taking her to art museums and always having a new package of Model Magic for her to play with. Because Jordan’s family values and appreciates art, she has always felt supported enough to pursue her interest. In addition to family support, Jordan credits amazing art teachers who inspired her and made her want to pursue becoming an artist and an art teacher. She recently graduated from Furman University where she majored in Sustainability Science and Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics.
With a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degree under her belt, Jordan hopes to continue teaching and creating ceramic artwork before pursuing a Master of Fine Arts Degree in the future. Jordan is currently a lead art instructor for GCCA’s Summer Art Camps and will be offering Functional Sculpture for Teens on Tuesdays from 1 – 4 pm beginning July 13 and Sketchbook Design for Teens on Thursdays from 1 – 4 pm beginning July 15 this summer.
As a teacher, Jordan hopes to cultivate a community of young artists who are able to discover an artistic voice by bringing their interests to life through visual art. In the classroom, Jordan incorporates experiential activities and community engagement to help students develop a connection to a broader sense of self. She encourages students to consider how pulling from experiences outside of the classroom will impact how they choose to express themselves as artists. Jordan believes that education is critical at all ages and finds that GCCA is unique because it is an organization that provides programs for all ages and skill levels, combines an inclusive vision with community outreach, and fosters a deep commitment to education. As Jordan states, “GCCA is a crucial part of a thriving community that fosters collaboration, student ownership in their work, social activism, personal expression, and overall a lifelong investment in the arts.”
“What GCCA offers isn’t being done anywhere else in Greenville,” says Bill Stephenson, and he should know. Bill has been an avid art collector and arts enthusiast, advocate, and philanthropist in Greenville for many years. He has made it his mission to support local artists and has served on the board of several Greenville nonprofits. Since retiring from a career in banking, Bill continues to serve on the board of directors for the Metropolitan Arts Council (MAC) and is a member of GCCA’s Development Committee as an ambassador for fundraising. But perhaps Bill’s most influential contribution to the arts community is his personal art collection. Bill is pleased to share that now over 90% of his collection is made up of the work of local artists.
At a GCCA community artists’ show several years ago, Bill bought a piece of artwork from an emerging artist who had been taking classes at the Art School with artist Pat Kilburg, a GCCA instructor and current Board Chair. The artist approached Bill, thanking him profusely and could barely contain his excitement. Later, Bill found out that he had purchased the very first piece this artist had ever sold. It was not only a meaningful moment for the artist, but is a memory that has stuck with Bill.
Experiences rubbing shoulders with emerging artists and seeing first-hand the impact of offering fledgling artists opportunities to learn and grow as creatives fuels Bill’s passion for the arts. “I think scholarships and programs like the Brandon Fellowship are important for the growth of young and budding artists to have more opportunities in the arts. The welcoming environment at GCCA provides art education and support to artists at all levels, which is a big reason why I give to GCCA.”
When he first learned about the inception of a new organization in GCCA, Bill immediately recognized the need for an art center to provide hands-on art instruction at all levels from novice to professional. He recalls getting a tour of the former Brandon Mill that would soon be home to GCCA and being excited that this historic property would also be a community hub for the visual arts. He was also impressed by the tenacity and foresight of the founders, particularly the women leaders who had a vision, saw an opportunity, and took action; and it made him want to get involved.
Bill is excited about GCCA’s role in strengthening Greenville’s reputation as a “city of the arts.” “My donations allow GCCA to continue to expand its offering of art classes, grow its programs for emerging artists, and showcase exhibits that feature artists both locally and from across the county. I am excited about the future of GCCA and want to play a part in its growth and success.” In so many ways, Bill’s service and philanthropy are creating opportunities for local artists and contributing to their long-term success.
We are thankful for dedicated supporters like Bill who make it possible for GCCA to fulfill its mission. We cannot do this work without you! If you’d like to contribute to GCCA’s Annual Fund, please click here. We appreciate your support!
Even though he is only a teenager, Thomas Hicks’s path has already been full of twists and turns. As an elementary school student, he aspired to be a banker–that is until he entered middle school and discovered a passion for the arts.
His first love was singing, but stage fright prevented him from being accepted into Greenville County Schools’ prestigious Fine Arts Center as a freshman. So he pivoted again and found his niche. “I started taking pictures on my phone, setting up scenes, and experimenting with light and composition,” he explains. “This inspired me to pursue the visual arts.”
When he applied to the Fine Arts Center as a sophomore, he was accepted. Thomas’s medium is still-life photography, and while he shoots primarily in digital, he also works with Polaroid and medium-format cameras. He enjoys finding beautiful places and setting up things around them, like fruit or other objects, to create unique compositions.
Thomas will be one of seven Fine Arts Center full-day students whose work will be featured in GCCA’s Community Gallery from May 7 through June 23. The exhibition will explore the definition of place. From themes like place in society to place in evolution, these advanced young artists will showcase how high school students view not only themselves, but the world around them. They will also take part in shadowing GCCA’s Gallery Manager, Ben Tarcson, to learn how to design a show.
Thomas’s work will be a collection of collages that include found materials and family images processed in cyanotype that he hopes will evoke a sense of nostalgia. “I want people to think about their own childhood memories and make new ones by putting themselves in the shoes of the people in the images,” he shares. “I have not been to many galleries before, so I am excited about this opportunity for me and my peers to see the potential of our work. It will be a great experience for our future careers to install these pieces and learn about that process.”
As to where his path will take him, Thomas says, “College is the goal, and I’d also like to get an arts internship. Longer-term, I see myself living somewhere pretty in the countryside practicing as a working artist, making prints of my work, and collaborating with other artists to create something special.”
Growing up in Juarez, in the border between Mexico and the United States, artist Tania Rodriguez Ortega (known as Tania Ro) learned to survive amidst chaos and the constant threat of violence by emulating the strength of the women in her family and the feminist artists and writers who motivated her to find success. Tania learned to work hard in the face of danger by following the mantra, “Do not live borrowed dreams”. As a young woman, she cultivated an interest in feminism and women’s rights with the influence of writers like Virginia Woolf and Elena Poniatowska.
In Juarez, she studied business administration and pursued an independent education in art history, drawing, and painting. “Saturnino Herrán and Remedios Varo are painters who inspire and motivate me to paint from observation,” she explains. “I consider observation the most important part of my artistic process.”
Indeed, the ability to appreciate her surroundings and find the beauty in intimate moments gave Tania the desire to form a new path as an artist when, eight years ago, she, her husband, and their small child moved from Mexico to Greenville. What Tania at first thought was the end of the professional life in manufacturing she knew in Juarez, became an opportunity to grow and pursue new talents in a new place.
She started taking classes at GCCA with instructor Diarmuid Kelly and soon found that painting became a way to share her worldview and promote change. Last week, Tania moved into Studio F at GCCA where she hopes to “create work that promotes the voice of women artists and is part of the continuous changes in Greenville and in the world.” Although it is difficult to start over in a new place, for Tania, a sense of community is vital and it is the desire to find a supportive community that brought her to GCCA.
A self-described “hobbyist painter” since her early 20s, Yvonne Julian signed up to take a watercolor class several years ago after hearing about GCCA from friends Jim Gorman and Carrie Burns Brown, and she hasn’t stopped since. In 2019, she joined the GCCA Board of Directors and is now Vice President, as well as an avid painter who is continually honing her craft. “The quality of GCCA’s product and the passion, commitment, and competence of the founders made me want to get involved,” she says.
As a girl growing up in Chicago, Yvonne dreamed of becoming a scientist, not an artist. “The first toy I ordered from the comic book store was a rocket ship you glued together, and I was always growing bean plants in the window of our high-rise apartment.“ she says. Yet she always admired her brother, who she calls “the family artist.”
Yvonne earned a college degree in chemistry and a Master’s in Business Administration before launching her career at Dow Chemical Co. in California, where she worked in manufacturing for many years before retiring and eventually moving to Greenville, SC. Her educational background has led to a keen interest in exploring the connections between art, science, and mathematics.
Yvonne is currently creating a watercolor piece she calls Prisoner of Time. “The painting addresses two ideas I find interesting—chronometry and inevitability, and also the appeal of a personal space for intellectual pursuits,” she explains. “The title conveys the passage of time as a resource we cannot get back or hold on to, and the image depicts a man chained to an hourglass.”
Yvonne believes art is a vital platform to share and express a variety of perspectives. When asked about her thoughts on the role of the arts in promoting racial equity and amplifying Black voices, she explains, “I think that the arts have had and can continue to have a huge impact in emphasizing the critical role that Americans who descended from slaves played in building the foundation of our country—whose contributions are symbolic of the American story and our country’s ideals.“ She explains, “GCCA should make people aware of a broader spectrum of Black American artists like James Van Der Zee, Edmonia Lewis, and Dox Thrash—to offer perspectives that they may not see in today’s mainstream Black art arena. As a community art center, it’s important to show artwork that depicts common experiences shared by people, particularly in certain regions. I shared some black and white photographs of people in Appalachia with my mother and she was shocked because due to segregation and being raised poor in the South, she had only experienced seeing poor Blacks and whites with means. She had never seen whites in a similar economic situation as the way she was raised.”
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