The 5th annual Historic Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival will be held in the charming and eclectic historic district of Bluffton, well known for its quirky art community and natural river beauty.
This year the festival will include scheduled art happenings at each of the 7 Old Town Bluffton Galleries. The week will conclude with a 2-day Fine Arts and Fine Crafts market Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25.
Gallery events include:
Monday Oct, 19 – Pluff Mudd Gallery Calhoun Street – 757-2633
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Diane Dean is an award winning Mixed Media and Encaustic artist who also teaches mixed media abstract painting and Photoshop for Artists will demonstrate both encaustic and mixed media.
11:00 noon – 3:00 p.m. Laura Cody, an accomplished artist in both oil and pastel and specializes on Lowcountry landscapes and seascapes will be on hand working on the gallery porch.
3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Lynda K. Potter will do a painting exhibit and discuss her work.
Potter is known for her exquisite use of color and texture in works that often utilize watercolor and acrylic techniques in innovative ways. Impressionistic in style, floral and architectural themes dominate Potter's work.
Tuesday, Oct 20 – Maye River Gallery Calhoun Street – 757-2633
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Hilton Head artist, Kathy Tortorella, known for her classically rendered landscapes of the Lowcountry, works in pastel and oil and will be working plein air.
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Bobsy Simes, whose goal, as an oil painter, is to give the viewer a sense of light, atmosphere and beauty of the Lowcountry will also be demonstrating.
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Marci Tressel, an award-wining fine art photographer, portrait, and pet photographer also captures local lore with her hand made Gullah mirrors will talk about her work.
12:00 – 2:00 p.m. Jewelry artist Susan Knight loves the interplay of hammer, torch, saw and various metals to express herself in her one of a kind jewelry. She will be demonstration her techniques.
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Joyce Nagel, painter and instructor inspired by the Lowcountry since '86, who continues to share the atmosphere and beauty of our area will both demonstrate and discuss her work.
2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Demonstration of weaving by Carrol Kay. Carrol, an accomplished weaver and bead artist, Carrol Kay draws on a lifetime of fiber arts experience to create her Knot By Chance Wearable Art.
Also Tuesday, Oct 20 – Society of Bluffton Artists – Boundary Street- 757-6586
Throughout the day:
Dee Johnson, past President of SoBA who also exhibits in Hilton Head and Beaufort will demonstrate. Dee is a watercolorist, who describes herself as an “Impressionistic realist” She is also a past President of SOBA and also exhibits in Hilton Head and Beaufort.
Caren Calafati, Caren is a multitalented “arts person”, stage, voice and painter. Her painting is mostly watercolor and she exhibits in New Hampshire as well as locally.
Wednesday, Oct 21 – The Filling Station – 263-4796
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Sculptor David Musial. Musial’s paintings, drawings, caricatures and sculptures can be seen around the Hilton Head area. Musial also studied with French sculptor, Robert Laurent and Joe Brown at Princeton University.
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Painter Kelly Graham will demonstrate his techniques of creating Lowcountry scenes. Kelly often paints from his boat, but this event will bring him to Calhoun Street.
11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Pierce Giltner is an artist who has takes something old and historic and creates something new and unique. He harvests wood, tin, and found objects and creates truly unique art. He will work and discuss his approach to art.
Thursday, Oct 22 – Old Town Vintage Posters – 837-3311
11:00am to 5:00pm – Grand Opening – "David Klein Travel Poster Exhibit"
David Klein is best known for 1950's & 1960's work designing and illustrating Travel Posters for Howard Huges' Trans World Airlines(TWA). These works defined the excitement and enthusiasm of the early years of post-war travel. They personified the Jet Set style and have become iconic images.
Wine & Cheese will be served, open to the public, exhibit includes approx. 50 travel posters dating from 1897 to 1970's, many international and USA locations illustrated, posters available for sale with prices typically ranging from $250 to $950.
Friday, October 23 – Four Corners – May River Road – 757-8185
Four Corners will celebrate the Arts and Seafood Festival by hosting a presentation by long time eco tour guide and photographer Howard Costa. Howard is active member in our local as well as State Audubon Societies’ dedicated naturalist, he participates in various bird counts including the one on Thomkins Island. Thomkins Island off our coast is a manmade island and sanctuary for migratory birds. Howard has been a eco tour guide on Hilton Head for 12 + years and is always taking the back creek approach with visitors. Growing up in Charleston the marsh life was always a part of his playground and continues to be today Howard will be at the gallery from 2pm until 4:00 p.m. with a 30 minute slide show and presentation "The Secrets of the Salt Marsh"
Oct 19 – 23 – Jacob Preston Studio
Jacob Preston will be working at his craft in the old Bluffton Tabernacle on Church Street. Visitors can catch a glimpse of the artists as he creates custom sinks and decorative pieces. Keep an eye out for his distinctive glaze-on-glaze feather patterns and carved and inlaid designs reflecting the local environment.
