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MEET YOUR BOARD
AL MORRIS
Born in Savannah, Ga, Al Morris began a career with the Civil Service with the Air National Guard, later moving to the US Air Force. After leaving Civil Service in 2000, he moved to Baltimore, MD, and worked as a Systems Engineer with Northrop Grumman. Upon retiring in 2015, Al moved back to South Carolina and turned his focus to the art of watercolors. He currently resides outside of Pendleton. Al has been actively painting and drawing since high school. A self-taught artist, he experimented with several different mediums such as pastels, acrylic, and oil. He studied drafting in college and the precision developed there works its way into some of his art. Since 2009, watercolor has been his medium of choice. While in Maryland, Al was active in the Annapolis Watercolor Club and the Baltimore Watercolor Society, where he entered numerous juried art shows with both organizations winning several awards. Al studied Impressionist Art under the tutelage of Lee Boynton of Annapolis, MD. After moving to Pendleton, he became a member of the Anderson Artist Guild, the Anderson Arts Center, and the South Carolina Watermedia Society. His style of work is mostly realism with some impressionist influences. He likes to combine landscapes with industrial or architectural features. He has attended numerous workshops with many well-known artists such as Bruce Handford, Betty Carr, Susan Archer, and Anne Abgott. He is continually expanding his abilities by learning new techniques and experimenting with differing styles. He constantly strives to broaden his horizons while sharpening his skills. In 2023 Al was selected to be the President of the South Carolina Watermedia Society.
Contact: Email | Phone: 443-850-7853
Morris Gallery Blog | Traveling Man Blog
LISA POPE
Lisa Pope is a self-taught artist whose work bridges realism and representation, capturing the essence of a subject without striving for photorealism. Her process emphasizes layering transparent glazes, complementary color harmonies, and intentional design. Inspired by ordinary objects, she elevates them with light and color. With a master’s degree in education and experience as a school counselor, she now pursues art full-time. Having lived across the U.S., Canada, and Guam, she now lives in South Carolina. Lisa teaches art classes in Greenville and has taught as a workshop instructor. Lisa earned Signature Status membership with NWS, NWWS, LWS, WW, PPWS, and WIW. Her work was selected as a Finalist and published in Splash 26: Best of Watercolor and again in the upcoming Splash 27 scheduled to hit newsstands in July. Her work was also included in the publication of Watercolor Artist magazine, The Best of 2023.
www.lisapope.com
@lisa_pope_art on Instagram
Lisa Girouard Pope Fine Art on Facebook
JILL REES
JIll Hassall Rees was born and raised in Southeastern Pennsylvania. She is a graduate of Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia, PA with a degree in Illustration. Jill worked for a number of years as an illustrator, graphic designer, and packaging designer. She has also participated in a number of outdoor public art installations, designing graphics for larger than life fiberglass dogs, cows and even 2 giant watering cans. After her youngest child left home for college, Jill decided to concentrate on watercolor painting and it soon became her favorite medium. She paticularly enjoys painting portraits, animals and landscapes. In 2019, Jill and her husband moved to Walhalla, SC. After joining the Blue Ridge Art Center she was blessed to meet other like minded artists who were interested in painting together in nature, and the Tri-County Plein Air Painters was formed. Jill now holds signature membership in both the Philadelphia Watercolor Society and the South Carolina Watermedia Society.
MATT ANDREWS
Matt Andrews was raised in rural Waxhaw, NC. Passing time meant going into the woods, playing in creeks, and drawing. After four years at Winthrop University, he earned a B.F.A. in Illustration and worked as a designer and freelancer since 2012. Now living in Easley, SC, Matt enjoys painting en plein air, urban sketching, and simply documenting life through art. Though not exclusively a watermedia artist, Matt uses gouache, casein, and watercolor extensively for plein air and on-location painting.
VICTORIA ALGER
https://www.instagram.com/victoriaalgerwatercolorstudio
CAROLYN EPPERLY
Artist’s Statement: The colors created by transparent watercolor are like faceted jewels in sunlight. This medium allows a layering of tones like veils, one over the other. without disturbing each color underneath. The effect creates memorable, haunting depth and atmosphere. I began painting in watercolor as a means to quickly learn about color. My intention, as a graphite artist, was to move on to oil once I understood tones and value. I have never left this beautiful, unforgiving medium. It challenges me every single day.
Contact:
https://www.carolynepperly.com/
SUZANNE ACCETTA
Suzanne Rusconi Accetta an internationally recognized artist working mostly in watercolor. She has been drawing and painting professionally for over fifty years. . Her interest in figures prompted her to become a student of internationally famed portrait artist Everett Raymond Kinstler. Suzanne was featured in AMERICAN ARTIST MAGAZINE, AMERI CAN WATERCOLOR WEEKLY and WOMEN IN WATERCOLOR. Her work has been seen and won awards in numerous exhibitions worldwide. She is in many private and corporate collections world wide. Suzanne has illustrated children’s books for Seedlings Publications as well as for an independent children’s book author. Calvin J. Goodman wrote in AMERICAN ARTIST MAGAZINE, "Accetta tries to employ some narrative elements in every painting. She is a keen student of faces and human anatomy. As a result, her work shows great empathy for her subjects."
Contact:
http://www.suzanneaccetta.com/
DIEDRE HAYES
Deidre serves on the National Association of Women Artists (NAWASC) board as Membership Chair and on SCWM Society as Assistant Exhibition Chair. She is a member of San Diego Watercolor Society. She is active in Aiken Center for Arts and the Aiken Artist Guild, having exhibited there every year for the last three years. Her work is available in ACA's Gallery Store and at SC Center for the Arts, Walterboro, SC. Currently, her work is on display at the USC Aiken Library and NAWA's "She the People" online exhibition.
Artist’s Statement
I am moved by nature and history. I love beaches, live oaks with hanging moss, the colors of old farmhouses and churches, flowers and skies. Most of my work from my early painting to now is representational of these images, presented in transparent watercolor. I enjoy the demanding timing of watercolor and the translucence of the paint. My watercolors are inspired by rural history, architecture, organic shapes and the past era of our agrarian society
However, having lived in California for almost 20 years, I grew to love the sparse desert landscape and the beauty of her coast and farmlands. I took workshops that focused on acrylic, collage, and monotype printmaking. From those experiences, my landscapes, abstracts, or non-representational paintings developed from how I experience nature and organic forms. My acrylic works, which are mostly abstract or non-objective, are typically based on nature or music that inspires me and may include collaged materials. I have recently begun to use pastels to capture birds and nature.
The shells and driftwood on the Carolina beaches inspire me to make shell sculptures with the materials that I find on the beaches. I use the shapes within the shells to represent figures and animals that speak to me of ancient times. I hope that my art moves the viewer to truth and joy.
Email: deidreca2@gmail.com
FB: Deidre G. Hayes
858-603-2879
LEE MONTS
Lee Monts is an award-winning artist who started painting in late 2002. His formal education is in Geology, having a B.S. degree from the College of Charleston and a M.S. degree from the University of South Carolina. Lee retired from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control as a Program Manager with the Underground Storage Tank Management Division in March 2018 after 29 years of service. Lee paints in acrylic, watercolor, ink, and oil/oil and cold wax medium on various surfaces. He also produces some mixed media/assemblage pieces on occasion. Most of his pieces are spontaneous paintings of imagined landscapes created without reference material. Lee served as a Certified Working Artist/Independent Contractor for Golden Artist Colors, Inc., from May 2018 to January 2021 and provided lecture demos on Golden Products in his home state of South Carolina, as well as in Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. He enjoys sharing his extensive knowledge base with other creatives. Lee joined the South Carolina Watermedia Society (sCWS) in 2010, and he earned his Membership of Excellence in 2012. Lee became a member of the board of the SCWS in October 2025 and is serving both as Fundraising Chair and Compliance Review Chair. He has been represented by City Art Gallery in Columbia, SC, since 2011.
Artist Statement: Art is about an innate need to create and the process that results from this need. The application of color and the use or non-use of texture helps control the direction of the painting. The process is exciting as I rarely have a preconceived notion or complete expectation of the outcome. Often a completed painting will result from one continuous session. However, in many cases, certain challenges within the creative process may require multiple sessions and reevaluations. It is important to always allow the creative process to continue, and this may lead to a different path…there are often sacrifices of the good for the better. Unlike many artists, I prefer to use a limited color palette with colors that produce a wide range of hues and values. The end result is generally an abstracted landscape that, while often ambiguous, creates a feeling of familiarity for the viewer or relates to some shared life experience.
KATHY MORGANELLI
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RACHEL PARKER VARNER
Learn to paint watercolor online with member Rachel Parker Varner. Join her Patreon for as little as $8/month to watch real time start to finish tutorials of a variety of subjects with an emphasis on animals. When you join you gain access to a large library of tutorials to watch at your own pace and time.
Visit www.patreon.com/rachelsstudio to learn more!
You can also view free tutorials on her youtube channel at youtube.com/@rachelsstudiodotcom
JEAN BALDWIN
From Jean Baldwin: Although I paint still life and landscapes, nothing captures my attention as much as doing a portrait. I am a self-taught artist. I learned watercolor mostly by reading and practicing from books by Charles Reid. I love his loose, watery style and his direct painting technique. I like to guide the paint, but I don’t want to micro-manage it. I like to see what the paint and water will do on their own. I aim for a mixture of hard and soft edges and lost and found edges. I like the paint to mix on the on the paper instead of just on the palette. I think that this is what watercolor is all about. I have painted in watercolor for thirty years and I also am an accomplished charcoal artist. I think both of these mediums offer the artist the freedom to express the subject in strong, but subtle ways. I am available for portrait commissions, and I am also available to teach and can be contacted at (828) 926-9857.
JEANNE MCINTOSH RIETZKE
Originally from Charleston, SC, Jeanne McIntosh Rietzke holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of South Carolina, Columbia. She spent her formative years painting with E de May Smith, a prominent watercolor artist. Jeanne developed her colorful, coastal, and marine-themed painting style in college. In her 30+ years as an artist, Jeanne’s paintings have sold nationally and internationally. She has won numerous awards, has been accepted into dozens of juried shows, and has been featured in national and international publications. Preferring the fluidity of watercolor paints, Jeanne’s works are easily recognizable by her creative use of watermarks, intense colors, and unique perspectives. Jeanne has also been known to paint in mixed water media, including acrylic paint and inks. You will also see landscapes, abstracts, and waterscapes in her portfolio. Her first children’s books were published on February 24, 2022. Jeanne has written and illustrated a series entitled Caroline, The Painted Turtle. Both books have won multiple awards. Her first novel will be published in May 2025. Jeanne lives in Wilmington, NC, with her husband, Jacques. Artist Statement I believe being creative is a wide band of energy that can lead a human to express an unseen vision. Your art should be your truth, no matter what that is for you. I love the process of creating my art. I see something in the world, capture it in that moment, and then bring it back to life in my studio. My goal is to relay that moment back to the viewer with my unique perspective and an emphasis on patterns.
Artist Statement
I believe being creative is a wide band of energy that can lead a human to express an unseen vision. Your art should be your truth, no
matter what that is for you. I love the process of creating my art. I see something in the world, capture it in that moment, and then bring it back to life in my studio. My goal is to relay that moment back to the viewer with my unique perspective and an emphasis on patterns.
Contact:
https://www.instagram.com/carolinethepaintedturtle/
https://www.etsy.com/shop/PaintedByHandILM
https://www.threads.net/@painted_by_hand_ilm
https://jeanne-rietzke.pixels.com/
https://www.facebook.com/jeannemrietzkefineart/