A town for art

Before I was an artist myself, I loved visiting the shops and galleries in our small town, which even then seemed to have more than its fair share of artsy things going on.

I fell in love with Jon Nelson’s moonlit nocturne paintings and Louanne LaRoche’s wonderful Lowcountry people and animals. Jacob Preston’s pottery studio beckoned us inside with its gorgeous gray-and-blue-glazed bowls and platters. Mark Flowers’ studio was the old Maye River Gallery, and he was an inspiration for many artists who followed him. Lynda Potter’s lovely Impressionist work jumped off the walls of a tiny gallery on Heyward Street with its vibrant beauty.

A major force in Bluffton’s art community was Peggy Duncan, whose energy and vision helped many local artists find ways to make a living selling their work. She started or co-opened at least three galleries in Old Town Bluffton. One of those would become the Society of Bluffton Artists, or SOBA, founded by Peggy and a small group of fellow artists. Today, SOBA has grown to more than 100 members, welcomes artists of all skill levels, and offers classes and workshops — an enormous contribution to Bluffton’s art scene.

Peggy’s next venture was the Guild of Bluffton Artists, a cooperative gallery formed with some of the same artists who helped launch SOBA. Over time, that gallery evolved into Pluff Mudd Art.

Peggy’s final endeavor in Bluffton was La Petite Gallerie, which opened its doors in 2015 with just five artists. I was lucky enough to be invited by her as one of those first artists, and I’m still there today. It is a lovely space adjacent to The Store on Calhoun Street, featuring six owner-artists and several consignment artisans offering jewelry, pottery and oyster-shell creations. We are lucky to have the proximity and friendship of The Store’s Babbie Guscio, who has encouraged many aspiring artists over the years.

Bluffton is also home to Four Corners Fine Art and Framing, Camellia Art, and the elegant Red Piano — beautiful high-end galleries filled with stunning artwork. Calhoun Street Gallery is tucked among them beneath the oaks.

Other than La Petite Gallerie, the little art gallery that was most special to me was my husband Bill Sease’s project. It was located in an old mechanic’s shop on Calhoun Street, next door to the old Eggs’centricities clothing store.

The Red Stripe Gallery was a small corrugated-metal building with a giant two-story garage door opening onto a front yard perfect for displaying Bill’s scrap-metal creations. He had a rotating fleet of “Murder Cycles,” artistic motorcycles made from crazy collections of rusty wheelbarrows, saw blades, shovels and antique tool parts. They featured riders with names like Pick Ax and Elvis, all built from recycled parts and pieces of metal, with odd additions such as pink high heels on one of the ladies riding on the back or in a sidecar. The riders were known collectively as Heck’s Angels. Alongside these colorful characters, Bill filled the gallery with work by other talented artists, including pottery, paintings and exceptional ironwork by local creators.

Bill moved on from the gallery after a few years, subletting the space to the famous Amos Hummell, who used it as an open studio and outdoor theater space. Locals may remember Amos’ productions of “Living Colors,” a series of hysterical outdoor plays featuring appearances by random local celebrities and anyone else inclined to get on stage and take part in whatever the topic of the night happened to be. As fun as it was, Amos moved on as well, and Bernie Haag took over the interesting ex-mechanic’s shop turned art gallery. He created the Filling Station Gallery, which introduced Bluffton to many regional artists while also offering a space for local artists who were just gaining a foothold in the art scene.

There are many more artists, gallery owners and supporters helping members of this community realize their creative potential. The visionaries who opened galleries and welcomed visitors surely knew they were helping shape Bluffton into something special.

Bluffton is truly a town for art, and we are grateful to them all.

Murray Sease is an artist at La Petite Gallerie,
56 Calhoun Street, Bluffton, SC. lapetitegallerie.com