BAA Features Artists Lisa Re Tupper & Danny McSweeney
Lisa Re Tupper
The Beaufort Art Association Gallery is excited to present a new exhibit by local artists Lisa Re Tupper and Danny McSweeney. The upcoming Featured Artists show, “Canvas & Clay,” will be on display from September 1st through November 1st at the Beaufort Art Association Gallery located on Bay Street in downtown Beaufort.
An opening reception will be held on September 4th during Beaufort’s First Friday’s Game Day Tailgate festivities. The reception is free and the public is invited to come enjoy light refreshments and meet the artists from 5pm – 8pm. In addition to showcasing our featured artists, new art by over 60 local Beaufort County exhibiting artists will also be on display with many of the artists in attendance.
Imagine two local artists, two different mediums, two different styles that embrace both color and whimsy and you’ll have a little taste of what “Canvas & Clay” is going to offer.
Tupper was born into a legacy of artists. Her maternal grandparents met at a Chicago art
Danny McSweeney
school, and as a child, she watched her grandmother paint portraits with an intense enthusiasm she didn’t then understand—but now completely comprehends. Though early logic steered her toward math and science, leading to a career as an Obstetrician Gynecologist, her love for art history and museums never waned. Following her retirement, she finally picked up the brush, finding the studio offers a meditative contrast to the fast pace of medicine.
McSweeney is a native of the southeast and resident of many places. After formalizing his skills at the Kansas City Art Institute, he returned to South Carolina to make pottery his own way, mixing his own clay and glass, and even digging clay from local riverbeds for some of his work.
“I’ve loved clay since I was a kid digging it from the riverbeds behind my home in Virginia,” says McSweeney. “There’s something remarkable about taking a material straight from the earth and discovering what it wants to become. That fascination has never left me.”
Lisa Re Tupper
In contrast, Tupper works predominantly in oils while also exploring watercolor and acrylics. Her subjects range from sweeping Lowcountry marshes and birds to historic downtown Beaufort and beloved local mainstays like the Fillin’ Station and Harold’s Country Club. Recently, she has turned her focus underwater, using camera footage to capture the fluid motion of the koi in her backyard pond.
“I’ve lived most of my life in Maine and the Carolinas,” says Tupper. “I constantly scan my surroundings for beauty, charm, and a touch of humor. Painting has truly made me see more.”
The Lowcountry, including its many rivers and creeks, serves as inspiration for McSweeney, too.
“I begin each piece at the potter’s wheel and while I might have an idea of what I want to create, I don’t always know exactly
Danny McSweeney
where it will end. As the work develops, I pull, twist, alter, and combine pieces until they begin to take on a life of their own,” he explains. “I enjoy pushing traditional pottery beyond expectation while preserving its connection to function. Even when a vessel becomes sculptural, I want it to retain the possibility of being used, creating a conversation between utility and imagination.”
McSweeney moved to Beaufort in 2016 and joined BAA that summer. He enjoys fishing, sailing, camping and spending time with his wife, Anna, and daughters, Eleanor and Evelyn. He is also a skilled pottery teacher and owns his own local studio, McSweeney Clay Studio, bringing to his classes years of experience from teaching and exhibiting in studios in Charleston, Columbia, and more.
Tupper is a self-proclaimed “art pusher,” dedicated to supporting her local arts community, currently serving as the VP of Membership at BAA. Her love of art and painting has also evolved into a family venture with her husband, Stan, building her custom panels and frames, while her mother captures reference photos for her inspiration.
Lisa Re Tupper
“I view art as a comforting, balancing force for lifelong learning,” she says, “and I firmly believe that
Danny McSweeney
creating is good for everyone.”
For more information about Tupper and her art, you can reach her at lisare@me.com.
McSweeney is available at mcsweeneyclay@gmail.com. For more information about his pottery, events, and classes for all ages check out his website at mcsweeneyclaystudio.com.
For additional information about the Beaufort Art Association Gallery, visit 913 Bay Street Tuesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm, with extended hours to 6 pm on Thursdays and to 8 pm on First Fridays, or go online at beaufortartassociation.com.
We’re easy to find, just look for the Gallery’s black awning on Bay. The Gallery will be teeming with new art and Tupper and McSweeney’s exciting show “Canvas & Clay.”
