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Day four on Spring Island

This day was all about bringing the essence of the natural environment around the Barn into the studio to create an interior space that would reflect something of my experience as an artist touched by the exquisite beauty of Spring Island's natural environment.  In this case it was the long needled pine, the cones, the bark, branches and long straight needles that had touched me the most.  

The magnolia leaves were a thoughtful gift from a special visitor.  When I added them to my still-life of branches, pines, bark, etc, they became a connection to my home in Greenville, SC where the magnificent magnolia trees have become my symbol for place. 

 

In this large charcoal drawing you can see the influence of those long needled pine branches I collected from the tree just outside the studio.  

 

 

The finished drawing of the pine branches, along with the other drawing became the bookends for a still-life of my red earthenware crepe myrtle containers with branches, leaves, pine cones and a palmetto fan. This arrangement along the back wall became the central element of the installation I was trying to create inside the Barn studio where I was working.

Sometimes I love the details best of all!

The last addition to the still-life was the Palmetto leaf.

This was the final touch to my studio installation.  On the two low tables, one for drawing and one set up for work in clay, I laid out the work I had done in clay, some of which was started in the two fun mini workshops I did the first two days.  I especially wanted folks coming to my powerpoint, "My life as a Spiral" on  Thursday night to see something of my process as an artist. 

Although speaking always makes my heart flutter a bit, a warm and receptive audience calmed me immediately and I settled into my talk, knowing I was among friends, some old and some new.. I started weaving my life story by sharing how childhood experiences before the age of 6 had a profound effect on my life and on my art.  The Spring Island audience deserve special thanks and recognition for making me feel so at home and appreciated.  An intimate and low-country gourmet dinner party at the club afterwards was the icing on the cake!  This was one of a multitude of acts of kindness and hospitality that any future visiting artist can expect...

Installation of an artist at work in studio 1, the Barn, Spring Island, SC

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Day two on Spring Island...

Just outside the Barn studio stand these gorgeous, straight and regal long needled pine trees. They remind me of my South Carolina roots.  As a child, whenever I returned to Florence, SC to see grandparents and cousins, the sight of sandy soil and pine trees, reminded me we were getting close to my birth place and some of my earliest memories. Nostalgia had already set in on my drive down from Greenville, SC the day before.

Of course I could not resist collecting a branch or two to take into the studio as a constant reminder of their beauty, grace, color, texture and fragrance...even the elegant line quality was exciting!

As always, I start with clay sketches or meditation bowls, often with natural materials pressed into the surface.  This was just the beginning....

A view at day's end of the watery and textural environment that encompasses Spring Island.

Home for the evening and a view of the moon and a lone stare were made special by the darkness of the island. Only a few lights glitter in the distance across the horse pastures near my cottage and the barn.

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I have just spiraled home from PARADISE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I have a wondrous tale to tell! It is a story about the abundant Spring Island hospitality and generosity.  Add to that, Spring Island's exquisite natural environment, became an incubator that offered me an opportunity for new growth.  It doesn't get any better than that!

Each day this week I will post images that will share the special and memorable journey I had into a paradise like no other!  Images from day one will follow. 

Avenue of Oaks leading down to the historic ruins of a once thriving plantation, perhaps the symbol of the merging of past and present on Spring Island.

Set up for a show of my work in the studio next to studio where I was working, in "the Barn".

The first day, my goal was to create a comfortable environment within the space of a fabulous and well lit studio in the Barn.  Setting up a few things to create a certain familiarity was the first step.  I set up a 2 tall containers I had brought and almost immediately added something new, a brilliant green apple.  It was a special gift from a Spring Islander wishing me the best for the week, one of the first of many acts friendship, hospitality and support. Then I did a large charcoal drawing, quickly and furiously, to loosen up.  This would after all, become my "nest" for the rest of the week... 

Look for more tomorrow!

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Ta da!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These collaborative wind chimes were created by the CCES 4th grade students, Marilyn Mullinax and ME, for the CCES Lower School Permanent Collection!  In addition the 4th grade students will be assembling the parts and pieces for their own personal bell/chimes. 

Thank you to the 4th grade students and especially to Marilyn Mullinax, their gifted art teacher, for a fantastic and memorable experience!  Together we made harmony out of chaos!!!! 

Now, it's back to my studio, a quieter but equally exciting place to be.

This is the last of 5 wind chimes. It will be completed with the addition of thumb prints in clay by each 4th grader. These clay thumb prints will hang as the centerpiece of the biggest and most inclusive of the wind chimes. Over 80 of us will have a part or piece that will make for the special harmony of the sound of this wind chime. I can't wait to hear it!!!!!!!!

A finished wind chime

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Wind chimes, a creative collaboration with the Mrs. Mullinax and her 4th grade "young artists" at CCES- A sneak peak...

Just look at these beautiful young hands and imagine the "creative potential" of our youth, especially when they can work together as a team!

4th grade teamwork 

4th grade wind chime project -  Take our 4th grade young artists at Christ Church Episcopal School and add creativity plus skillful hands, glass beads and an assortment of student made parts and pieces and guess what you have???? Check in tomorrow to see the results!....

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While I ponder what work I will create on a larger scale, I love making these little meditation bowls...

In the studio of Alice Ballard - glazed greenware, ready for air-brushed terra sigillata and then the first of 2 to 3 firings depending on what final touches they need

This kind of pondering keeps my creative thought process going while at the same time allowing me to have some fun!  These pieces are always a reminder that my best work comes from a process of "having a conversation with the clay" rather than dominating the clay. 

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ArtFields is coming!!!!! This is an event you might consider putting on your calendar for the spring!

My wall installation, "10 Half-Pods", that made its debut recently in a solo show at the Greenville County Museum of Art, has been accepted into ARTFIELDS! From April 24th through May 2nd, artists selected from 12 Southeastern states will compete for over $100,000 in award money in this important juried exhibition. 

Launched in 2013, ArtFields annually transforms the historic district of Lake City into a Southern art mecca for 9 days, allowing visitors, residents, and artist to experience a massive arts festival in the heart of one of South Carolina's most charming small towns. 

"10 Half-Pods" will be installed at 104 E. Main in Lake City.

 http://www.artfieldssc.org/about/artfields-overview/

"10 Half-Pods", a wall installation by Alice Ballard,  approximately 10 feet across and at a height of approximately 4.5 feet.  Each Half-Pod is made of earthenware with oxides, and colored terra sigillata

Half-Pod by Alice Ballard, detail from "10 Half-Pods", a wall installation

Half-Pod by Alice Ballard, detail from the wall installation "10 Half-Pods"

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A "must see" exhibit and a "must do" workshop at the GCMA

This past Sunday, Roger and I attended Owen Riley's gallery talk at the Greenville County Museum of Art.  His talk was personal, engaging and informative. Owen's photographs are outstanding, sometimes quiet and most certainly, they are captivating.  I have to add that the work is beautifully displayed!  

What I learned from Owen's gallery walk through is how he has chosen a path in photography that is challenging yet has many unknowns and is full of surprises! Owen's way of working allows the him to work with the photographic process in a way that is not unlike having a conversation with the medium. To reap the benefits of working this way, Owen has embraced the gifts that can be discovered in imperfection.  It reminds me of how one's view of imperfection can be transformed when viewed through the heart and soul. What is so exciting to me about Owen's photographic process is that what might first appear as a flaw to someone else could in fact reveal the next exciting pathway for his work! 

Recently Roger and I watched and listened to a favorite DVD of Leonard Cohen in concert...His songs are imperfectly rough yet they are at the same time, both elegant and poetic.  I loved it when he sang about how "there is a crack in everything and that is how the light gets in...." 

Way to go Owen! I love your exhibition and plan to return for another dose of inspiration.

Alice




Feb 14, 2015

New Exhibition Opens: Local Talent: Owen Riley

Greenville photographer Owen Riley focuses his lens on the familiar in a series of black-and-white portraits, landscapes, and still life images.


Mar 14, 2015

Photography Workshop 
The Natural Portrait: Light, Lens, and Vision

10 am - 5 pm

Register for this event

$90, including lunch
Space is limited. This workshop is appropriate for young adults and older.

Join award-winning photographer Owen Riley for a hands-on workshop exploring digital portraiture. Learn techniques to create striking and meaningful portraits by using digital camera controls, manual settings, intentional exposure, different lens focal lengths, natural light, and reflectors. Consider how options in staging a portrait, such as selective focus, backlighting, and the surrounding environment can be combined to create powerful photographs in black and white as well as in color.  

Students will need to bring their own digital cameras and memory cards. 

Optional equipment:

  • tripod
  • laptop computer equipped with photo editing software 
  • portable hard drive, flash drive or SD card to transport images.  


420 College Street, Greenville SC 29601

 864.271.7570


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A special Valentine Greeting from a friend and mentor so special it is hard to find the words to describe him...

Yes! It is Paulus Berensohn - philosopher, teacher, dancer, writer, poet, visual artist, environmentalist, and loving friend.  I met Paulus years before I actually met him in the flesh.  It was through his book "Finding One's Way in Clay".  It was this book that became my guide as I ventured into the world of teaching. From 1971 on, this book became my constant companion and a book that to this day I still carry along to all my clay workshops. It is a constant reminder of the importance of always being "open", as a student and as a teacher. It is an old and tattered book now, shared with too many others to even imagine the actual number... Paulus has no idea how many of us have truly "found our way" through this amazing book. Add to this the effect he has had on us through his teachings, his art, his good deeds, not to mention, his very presence.... 

This image of Paulus will have a special spot in my studio where I can see him every day and give thanks for our friendship.  Funny, but as I look at the envelope that brought the Paulus image and note, I do think Paulus does wear his heart on his hand!

I love this picture of Paulus taken by his friend, the eloquent poet Mary Oliver...

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