Artists Collective | Spartanburg presents ‘A Relationship with Nature’ exhibit
Artists Julia Burnett and Letitia Uyak August 31 – October 2
Artists Collective | Spartanburg will present works by watercolorist and photographer Julia Bowling Burnett and her daughter, painter and mixed-media artist Letitia Uyak, its exhibition “A Relationship with Nature: A Mother-Daughter Exhibit” Aug. 31 through Oct. 2 in the Collective’s Gallery III. An artists’ reception will be held Thursday, Sept. 16, in conjunction with Spartanburg ArtWalk.
Burnett says she hopes visitors to the exhibition will be encouraged to “take time and see the details and enjoy nature. They will see in this show a love of nature, plants and animals shared by mother and daughter. We hope they will come away with a desire to spend time outdoors, seeing details they may have taken for granted.”
Growing up on a small farm in Campobello, South Carolina, Burnett says, she learned to love nature and its beauty at an early age, inspired and taught by her own mother. “I use the transparency of watercolor to give light and softness of color, while using the dry brush technique to add crisp detail.
“My flowers and birds are true-to-life in color and shape and are combined according to season and habitat,” she adds. “My paintings might seem like a slice of memory of your favorite garden, a view from a window or a glance into the edge of a wood – a time of day or the light of a certain hour for you to keep. My ‘Nature Circles’ began in 2004 and have kept me ever intrigued, painting my own garden and others within these nature-filled circles. Nature’s beauty has always called to me. As a photographer my eye looks for the same small details found in nature. I hope my work let’s one see into my ‘little world.’”
Burnett’s works in the show will include watercolors and photographs wrapped on canvas.
Uyak echoes her mother’s love of nature and her hopes for what visitors of the exhibit will find – “the love of beauty in nature and life. I want them to come away appreciating things they may take for granted.”
The Summerville, South Carolina, artist says she works in oils, pastels and graphite because she “enjoys the challenge of blending the perfect colors and creating feeling and mood with my paint. I love bringing what I see to life, hopefully helping others see the beauty in all things.
“I’m inspired by most things found in nature, and I want to capture life and beauty in whatever the subject matter may be,” she adds.
Burnett’s works in the exhibition will be for sale, ranging in price from $98 to $800.