The arts are central to Palmetto Bluff, and the sprawling 20,000-acre property has long been a magnet for creatives drawn to its welcoming people and unspoiled natural beauty. Launched in 2022, The Arts Initiative at Palmetto Bluff is a sweeping program conceived to inspire and enrich lives through art in all its forms. Showcasing a diverse curation of artists, craftsmen, musicians, and makers, this vibrant collaboration and Artist in Residency program fosters creativity, while striving to forge a broader Lowcountry community united by extraordinary artistry and the exchange of ideas. Through hands-on educational experiences for residents and guests of Palmetto Bluff—and neighbors from the greater Bluffton, Hilton Head Island, and Savannah environs—the year-round programming engages and challenges diverse audiences through shared dialogues and the beauty of the Bluff itself.
Each year, notable Southern masters of their craft are invited to address varied themes that tie to the values of the community as they immerse themselves in the local culture and lead workshops. The Arts Initiative at Palmetto Bluff is built upon three foundational pillars: inspiration (embodied by the Artist in Residence Program); invitation (manifested in FLOW Gallery + Workshop, the charming exhibition space in Wilson Village, Palmetto Bluff’s social hub which facilitates community engagement, events and immersive interactions); and installation (building a permanent collection and rotating exhibitions set amidst the Palmetto Bluff landscape).
The second phase of The Arts Initiative at Palmetto Bluff’s 2023 calendar has seen an exciting mix of celebrated Southern artists. In June, Stella Rae Schmidt, the well-known Savannah-based fibers artist, taught Hapa Zome, a Japanese technique of flower pounding, botanical monoprinting and marbling. Atlanta-based custom fine jewelry designer, Mary Frances Maker, was the featured artist for July and led several exciting workshops where participants created jewelry inspired by uniquely textured natural objects. In August, celebrated painter and gilder Alan Shuptrine, who resides in Lookout Mountain, Tenn., guided interactive experiences with gold leafing. And highly regarded Memphis-based ceramicist, Melissa Bridgman, led guests (old and young), through September workshops which included making oyster plates and pinch pots.
Award winning painter, Susan Mayfield, will be the October 2023 Artist in Residency at Palmetto Bluff.
The featured artist for October 2023 is award-winning painter and accomplished teacher, Susan Mayfield. Known for her use of color and light in pastel and oils, Mayfield’s roots are firmly planted in the coastal regions of South Carolina where she was raised and lived most of her life. Mayfield graduated as an Outstanding Fine Arts Student from the College of Charleston and has spent her art career teaching and painting landscapes.
Inexorably drawn to the estuaries, marshes, rivers, and ocean vistas that define the Lowcountry, her vision expanded as she traveled to study and exhibit her work in Santa Fe. In 2007, she moved to Salida, a small town in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. From this high-altitude vantage, she embraced and painted the landscapes of the Southwest, the mountains, and canyons, of her new home.
Mayfield is drawn to paint water wherever she finds herself. Water, in its various forms, has remained an ever-present theme in her paintings, and she’s inspired by locations where the power of water is evident—from the rising tides and ever-changing barrier islands of her native South Carolina to the high mountain deserts of the Southwest.
An advocate for arts and artists to promote and bring awareness to our nation’s public lands and land trusts, Mayfield believes landscape artists are in a unique position to promote the importance of public land and the need to protect and preserve these special places. She has spent the past decade dividing her time between Colorado’s high mountain desert and the Lowcountry, finding creative inspiration in the dynamic contrasts between these vastly different geographies. She returns to the Lowcountry often to paint and teach, never forgetting where she started.
“In my travels, I search for subject matter that not only has interesting light and color but also a distinct sense of place and time. As a landscape painter, I make an emotional connection with my subject that hopefully reverberates through my painting. My intention is to find the extraordinary in everyday life. I might paint an iconic roadside scene in the Southwest, or an abandoned rice field in South Carolina, a place worn and past its prime, a place with a story, evocative of deep memories of life having been there, people like me passing through,” Mayfield said.
Mayfield’s residency at Palmetto Bluff will launch on October 18 at FLOW Gallery + Workshop with a reception to welcome the esteemed painter and view her latest collection inspired by the beauty of the Lowcountry and beyond.
On October 19, Mayfield will lead an afternoon of inspiration and instruction for capturing the beauty of the Lowcountry sunset through the vibrant medium of pastels in the FLOW Gallery + Courtyard. She will paint alongside participants as she shares her experiences with landscape principles and provides tips on capturing light and color. Attendees will also enjoy a wine tasting by the Boundary Bottle Shop team. All pastels will be provided, and this workshop is available to individuals of all skill levels.
On October 20, guests can join Mayfield for a five-hour plein air painting adventure. Guests will hop aboard a skiff and travel to secluded Page Island to work alongside Mayfield, receiving guidance and feedback while capturing the distinct beauty of this lush maritime forest and enjoying a picnic lunch. This workshop promises to be an extraordinary and unforgettable creative experience and is suitable for artists of all skill levels. Pastels will be supplied. Oil and acrylic painters will need to bring their own materials.
On October 21, Mayfield will lead a morning workshop at FLOW Gallery focused on the intricate creeks, exquisite waterways, and winding rivers the Lowcountry is known for. Mayfield will guide attendees on painting these types of waterscapes using pastels, oils, and/or acrylics. Pastel supplies will be provided; oil and acrylic painters are welcome but must bring their own supplies.
Palmetto Bluff’s December 2023 Artist in Residence will be beloved wildlife photographer, Cacky Rivers.
Through the end of 2023, the residency program will present three other exciting Southeastern creatives. November welcomes Ben and Sydney Spurrier of Burls & Steel, the coveted Charleston brand that creates one-of-a-kind, hand-forged knives, who will lead exciting workshops in the art of blacksmithing. And in December, beloved wildlife photographer and Charleston native Cacky Rivers will lead immersive workshops photographing the incredible diversity of birds who call Palmetto Bluff’s land and waterways home.
