SOUTH CAROLINA PHILHARMONIC

Thirty-eight South Carolina artists have each transformed a musical instrument into a piece of art. Creations (violins, violas, cello and flute) are on display throughout the Vista from March 1 to April 1 (see map of Vista locations). You are invited to view the entire collection, meet the artists and begin bidding at a reception on April 3, 2008, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at City Art, 1224 Lincoln Street. Ten percent of any City Art works sold the night of the reception also benefit the South Carolina Philharmonic. On April 5, the violins are displayed at the Koger Center and auctioned at this final Master Series concert of the season. All violins are available to purchase by bid, minimum bid $300. Bidding begins at the April 3 City Art show and concludes at at the April 5 Master Series concert. Limited edition posters of each artwork are also available for bid at both events; minimum poster bid $20. For additional information, call Robin Georgion at 803.771.7937.
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS! Presenting sponsor: PHT Services, Ltd. The Congaree Vista Guild; Professional Printers; Mustard Graphics Studio; Les Stringer, Photographer; City Art; Stentor Violins; 1004 Gervais; Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough; LaserPrint Plus; TPM; Dupre Dukes Signature Catering; Musician Supply and Star Music

Barbara Alston-Yongue The Rose Oil, wooden flowers A bouquet of love, inspired by the Bette Midler song, The Rose. “I say love, it is a flower, and you, its only seed.” Click here for larger image.	Ben Truesdale Snake/Devil Violin Brass leaf, encaustic, mixed media Encaustic is the oldest form of easel painting. The pigments are mixed with heated beeswax, painted on while still liquid. This piece will age and respond to its environment; the natural weathering of materials is planned, as is the aging of music. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Carolyn Ramsay Cyber Melody Lamp work, glass beads, copper Forming and electroforming Cyber Melody is an alternate reality. The harmonies of the violin are visual as well as audible. Lamp work glass beads, hand wound from Italian and German glass, combined with cut and formed copper sheet and copper wire, make up this piece. Click here for larger image.

Ingrid Carson Bee Symphony Acrylic A humming bumble bee provided inspiration for the violin. The instrument represents the colorful backdrop of nature’s painted flowers while the image of the bee suggests the symphonic sounds in nature. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Anastasia Chernoff Play, Girl Porcelain, mixed media We are all beautiful instruments of life; to honor ourselves, we must play. We may sometimes get burned, and darkness may often be perceived as a mistake. But if our eyes are open, beauty exists on the other side of darkness. When we play, we are alive. We learn, grow, and transcend through both light and, especially, through darkness. Click here for larger image.	Cindia Kirby Warm Melodies Stained glass This stained glass violin was assembled in the copper foil method. Glass was cut contiguously to maintain the color striations. Click here for larger image.

Diane Gilbert Groucho Violin, feathers (vultures, wild turkey), piano, guitar and mandolin strings From mosquitoes and caterpillars to life-like monkeys and snakes, Diane’s sculpture is centered in the world of nature. Diane was born in Quebec and grew up to become a professional designer for museums and other organizations. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Colin Dodd The Red Violin Oil paint The artist chose to embellish the violin by painting this imaginary scene depicting its creation in the workshop of a master violin maker. Retaining the instrument’s functionality and inherent beauty were important considerations. Click here for larger image.	Jan Fleetwood Late Night Music acrylic on canvas Late Night Music is a continuing piece in Jan Fleetwood’s “Late night at the Fat Cat Hotel.” Many more originals can be viewed at Nonnahs on Gervais Street, Columbia. Jan resides in Aiken and Folly Beach. Click here for larger image.

Doni Jordan /Janette Grassi Play Enamel Working in creative harmony, art collaborators Jordan of Columbia and Grassi of Charlotte derived inspiration from the black-and-white lines on a score of music and created Play, a rhythmic painted violin. Viewers receive a card printed with a single black musical note emphasizing the importance of music in their lives. Click here for larger image.	David Phillips Lady Viola Papier máché, aluminum wire, aluminum screen, acrylic paint, wood, felt Even a casual glance at the viola reminds one of the feminine form. As we are nurtured by our mothers, wives, lovers and daughters, so, too, the music can nurture us, help us through life, enriching us and providing the theme for our existence. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Dylan Fouste At One Time, Home Mixed media The violin was already cracked when the artist picked it up so he stressed it more to make the crack stand out. The back panel is an oak cabinet door that has been sandblasted and treated with oil paint. Click here for larger image.

E. Stan Harp Tribute Acrylic paint, spray paint Ode to Nick Smith, retired conductor, South Carolina Philharmonic. Click here for larger image.	Edward Whitmer Suite Romance of Ballet Oil This violin reflects ballet poses expressing the romance of lyrical movements. Whitmer has been painting for 35 years in places as diverse as Tokyo and Columbia. He strives to create heirlooms that are timeless and memories that last a lifetime. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Grace Rockafellow Flying Notes Vellum, markers, wire Delicate vellum butterflies created by the artist symbolize beautiful music flying into the air and into our ears. Click here for larger image.

Kristina Mandell All Together Now Mixed media A South Carolina native, Kristina finds inspiration for her violin projects in the idea of presenting them as illustrations from an ancient folk tale with a spiritual twist. This piece is inspired by the Tree of Life. Her work can be found at the Art Shack Gallery Café. Click here for larger image.	Gay Vogt Word Play Paper, paint, polyurethane, metal, magnets, glue This violin incorporates an interactive collage with movable word magnets that can be arranged in any number of ways to spell beauty through music. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Lee Breuer A Violin’s Dream Acrylic A violin is a beautiful work of art. Anything that I add to it can only detract from its original beauty. The image reflects the violin’s past use as an instrument of creation. Click here for larger image.

Kathryn Ramsby About Audiation Polychrome ceramic If you could see the sound of a violin playing, it would begin to look like this sculpture. Changing and expanding as the vibrations move from the strings to the body, becoming the shape of the sound. Kathryn teaches Visual Arts at Hammond School. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Jeremy Carter Electric Violin & Violin Amp Zebrawood, bloodwood, bone, magnets, copper wire, tuning keys, speakers, amplifier This violin was transformed into a working amplifier that connects to the new, totally unique “violin” that was carved by the artist out of Zebrawood and Bloodwood. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Lani Mustard Stringer Tomorrow’s Lesson Violin, acrylic The artist was inspired by the very worn violin that came from a local school. It reflects on all the children who touched this instrument and were touched by it. It is about the importance of the arts and the foundation for the future they provide. Click here for larger image.

Leslie Pierce The Double Life of Veronique Oil Stick, sgrafitto The piece was inspired by the 1991 French–and Polish language film directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Polish singer Weronika and French music teacher Veronique are two women who share a deeply haunting emotional bond, though neither is consciously aware of the other’s existence. Click here for larger image.	Lee Monts Remembrance Strings Assemblage of wood, metal, glass, polymer clay, acrylic paint, paper The piece was partially inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach, who signed his works “SDG” for Soli Deo Gloria, meaning “to the only God be glory.” Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Linda Dye Goddess of Practice II Collage, ink pouring, mixed media The Goddess of Practice has a functional hourglass. Whatever your passion, practice with her every day to get your imagination out of your head. Click here for larger image.

Mary Ann Haven Contemplating Venice Acrylic, glass, wood, wire (mixed) This piece was inspired by a recent trip to Venice, Italy. The artist listened to Puccini’s Heroines, a collection of greatest hits from his operas, while painting. Mary Ann creates special works of art for private homes and public spaces. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Lindsay Wiggins Images, Dreams and Memories Mixed media This piece represents many things: memories and dreams that engage the mind and soul. The images are diary like and are significant on many different levels. They may represent differently to each individual. It is up to the viewer to decide. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Melissa Ligon Beautiful Woman Cello, acrylic, paper, leather cord, pearl, prestype lettering, ribbon, buttons, silver leaf The artist took inspiration for this piece from the “beautiful” quotation by Pablo Casals. Since her beautiful friend Sonya happens to play the cello, the two seemed a natural fit for this Philharmonic piece. Click here for larger image.

Michel McNinch Mosaic Violin Stained glass, paint, grout Many different colors of stained glass cover the violin and have been grouted in black to increase the drama in the piece. Light refracts over iridescent glass and “plays” with the viewer. Both the front and the back of the violin comprise the design. Visit the artist's Web site. Click here for larger image.	Paula Bowers Madam Mermailad (oldest siren of the sea) Recycled materials (newspaper, vintage jewelry, acrylic paint, Sculpey clay, South Carolina seashells, Paris craft) Paula is a local artist and illustrator as well as the owner of the ArtShack Gallery Café in Columbia. Paula’s watercolors can be seen in the children’s book Charley’s Columbia Backyard. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Nita Yancey Butterfly Symphony Acrylic, collage This violin is collaged with old music and accented with butterflies, large and small, of all varieties. Click here for larger image.

Richard Patterson Shield with Violin Mixed media This violin is one of the largest in the collection, standing almost five feet tall. The artist hand-wove strips of canvas into a shield, then submerged the violin within a box. Click here for larger image.	Richard Vogt Transformation Mulberry paper, sea grass, broom straw, waxed linen, black vinyl, paint, copper wire, ribbon This violin encompasses a wearable mask created from a laminated paper impression of a plaster life mask of the artist. Click here for larger image.	Rita Ruth Cockrell Dream Awake, Light and Song Porcelain, watercolor, acrylic, varnish Violin your eyes, open your heart. Click here for larger image.

Roy Paskal Mirror, Mirror Sculpture, acrylic paint Mirror, Mirror is an interactive piece meant to be whimsical, perhaps to bring a smile and a gumball to the viewer. Be gentle when being interactive! Click here for larger image.	Sharon Licata The Magick Flute Flute, crystals, natural stones, paint, wire The magick that Mozart envisioned many years ago is still alive today -- frequently in ways that we don’t recognize. This is the only flute in the collection. Visit the artist at gallery80808vistastudios.com. Click here for larger image.	Warren Brussee Quietude Watercolor A violin is already a wondrous creature, both in structure and voice. But the watercolor image of the girl playing gives it life and soul. Click here for larger image.

Toni Turbeville Dirge for Andy Collage, metalwork Toni Turbeville writes and creates art in her home town of Lexington, South Carolina. Dirge for Andy sprang from her fascination with the life and art of late American pop artist Andy Warhol, and is a tribute to his iconic Campbell’s Soup pieces. Click here for larger image: front, back.	Sylvia Ady-Potts Will the real Stradivarius please stand up? Earthenware clay with a variety of cold finishes and patinas This work is an assemblage of five violin archetypes created in clay. Each with a different personality and presence, these violins embody the soul of the instrument once the musician brings it to life. Lively poses in a rhythmic arrangement direct the mental imagery produced by both musical and visual art. Click here for larger image.