12 minute read
ART & CULTURE
– Judith Frenette
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This piece was created for a special client who participates in my beach mini session day every year. This sweet li le girl loves the beach and so I combined all the elements she adores into a classical painting. This was done by taking her from an image from the past year and inserted her into this beach scene that I created with the individual items. To then blend everything together I added highlights and shadows and fi nished everything off with diff erent digital oil painting techniques to create this “Painterly Portrait”.
Story and Artwork by MATTIE GENAUX
Ma ie Genaux specializes in maternity, newborn, and family portraiture while branching out into fi ne art composites through newborn photography. This outlet has created a new passion for Ma ie in creating works of art tailored to each client's needs. For more information, visit genauxphotography. com or facebook.com/Ma ieGenauxPhotography.
Unleashing the Power of the LAURA SHEAD Pencil
STORY BY JAN HEDIGER / PHOTOGRAPHY BY MATTIE GENAUX PHOTOGRAPHY
Pencil artist Laura Shead is a master of realism with a wonderful gift for portraiture. Give her a pencil, paper and a photograph and the result will be an insanely detailed rendering that captures the photographic image exactly. Combining simple lines, bold strokes and a keen eye for shadow and light, each mark of her pencil brings a subtle charm and sensitivity to the realism of her work. Laura’s goal is to produce drawings that are as life-like as possible that refl ect her subject’s (human and animal) personality and uniqueness.
“I am a perfectionist,” states Laura. “I pay a lot of a ention to the details so that I can make sure that each drawing is the best I can do.” She understands that pets are cherished family members and Laura’s beautifully drawn portraits allow pet owners to treasure details distinctive to their pet – adeptly drawn fur that gives a real sense of the texture and quality of the animal’s coat, depicting the quirky bend or fl oppiness of ears, capturing the funny wrinkles and folds in faces, the roundness of bellies and the depth of emotion refl ected in a pet’s expression. Laura’s favorite part of her job is the reaction of her clients. “Seeing the look on people’s faces when they see their pet’s portrait for the fi rst time is the best!” Using something almost everyone has in a drawer at home, Laura works exclusively with graphite pencils, choosing a sophisticated precision pencil as her medium and portraits as her main genre. Maybe not as glamorous or sexy as its counterpart, painting with a brush, pencil drawing is one of the oldest art forms. Over 30,000 years ago, humans fi rst made marks on stone or in the dirt with their fi ngers as a drawing tool and later, learned to use sticks or bone. Eventually, they would discover that drawing tools dipped into mixtures of saliva, blood, wood ash, mud, etc., provided a good way to preserve their work. Today, there is a plethora of drawing tools available from graphite pencils of varying grades, hard
to soft, to the more high-tech mechanical pencils called clutch or precision pencils. No ma er what type is used, pencils are a versatile and fl exible art tool. They are portable, accessible and available almost everywhere. Despite these endorsements, mastering pencil drawing techniques requires time and dedication. A strong, well-executed pencil drawing can stand alone or be the groundwork for another great piece of art. As a pencil artist, Laura’s ability to produce realistic pencil drawings that expertly copy her subject as well as give 3-dimensional life to the fl at surface of a piece of paper is a testament to her skill. Obviously talented from an early age, Laura always dreamed of becoming an artist. Growing up, she remembers that her mother was constantly sketching and doodling on every available surface and Laura a ributes her love of drawing to her. Strongly encouraged by her teachers to pursue a career in fi ne arts, Laura planned to a end an art college after high school. Despite their pride in Laura’s artistic ability, her parents worried that a career in art was a risky choice and discouraged her from going to art school, especially a school so far from her rural South Georgia home. Deeply disappointed, Laura shelved her art aspirations, refusing to pick up a pencil to draw again for a number of years. She a ended Altamaha Technical College in Jesup (now Coastal Pines Technical College) and joined the family welding business. In the meantime, she married, raised a family and later, pursued careers in business management, retail marketing and advertising. Laura’s path to fulfi lling her ambition of becoming a full-time artist has been a journey of many turns, detours and roadblocks. Luckily, life has had a way of patiently biding its time until she was ready to actively turn her passion into a reality. After moving to Jesup in 2021, Laura did some soul-searching and decided that the time was right to make art her life’s purpose and opened a business, The Art Shead. In addition to her portrait commissions, she’s started adult and children’s classes teaching pencil drawing fundamentals which include lessons on the basics of composition, perspective, proportion and shading techniques. Laura insists that previous experience is not necessary.
“I hear people say all the time that they can’t even draw a stick man, but anyone can learn to draw. All they need is someone to show them how.” Laura’s business cards are particularly delightful and clever. Each is a miniature showcase of her artwork featuring a collage of her of her animal portraits and other drawings. With over 87 million families in the United States owning pets, the demand for custom pet portraits has sky rocketed. Throughout history, the relationship between man and his best friend has been immortalized in paintings and drawings. Animals, particularly dogs and cats, have been a subject of art since the Neanderthals drew on cave walls, the Egyptians placed animal statues and carvings in their tombs, the popularity of 20th Century pictures of poker-playing, cigar-smoking dogs painted on black velvet, as well as Pablo Picasso’s series of works inspired by Lump, his dachshund, and currently, in the animation of Disney and Pixar.
Tapping into the booming niche market of pet portraits is a natural progression for Laura. A life-long animal lover and pet owner, Laura’s dog, Ginger, a Chihuahua mix breed, is a favorite subject for her drawings. Enchanted by Laura’s portraits of Ginger, a friend commissioned a picture of her much loved but aging dog and a business was born. Laura’s approach to pet portraiture refl ects her commitment to paying tribute to the human/animal bond of love and companionship. Along with providing photos, she asks her customers to talk about their animals and, if possible, likes to meet her subjects. Laura is dedicated to her craft and feels a deep responsibility to create a powerful drawing that perfectly and sensitively celebrates that animal’s specialness because while they won’t live forever, a portrait of a cherished pet will be everlasting. |WM
ORTHOPEDICS
Knees • Hip • Back • Shoulders • Ankles & Feet NEURO
Strokes • Traumatic Brain Injuries VESTIBULAR
Dizziness • Vertigo • Balance Disorder • Fall Prevention
FYZICAL Therapy & Balance Center is a physical therapy clinic specializing in treatment for orthopedic, neurological, vestibular and sports injuries.
430 W. Cherry Street Jesup, GA 31545 (912) 256-5610 1225F North Way Darien, GA 31305 912-427-2869
Dr. Tom Smith, PT; Joy Browning, PTA; Amber Faust, CCS; Dr. Holli Stevens, PT
www.fyzical.com
MURALS WELCOME VISITORS AND DISPLAY COMMUNITY HERITAGE AND PRIDE
Story and Photography by CANDICE MCKINLEY
Jesup is becoming quite the destination to see public art and new murals which have been popping up all over town. One of those murals is the “Greetings From Jesup” mural, located next door to the Amtrak train station downtown. Public art and murals are a large part of the DDA’s master plan, completed through a partnership with the UGA Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
“The focus of this mural project was to build Jesup’s appeal as a destination and promote our community as a special place to live, work, and play,” explained Molly Hall, who was the Downtown Development Authority Executive Director when the mural project was conceived. “The completed
Artist Taylor Shaw of Athens, Georgia created the ‘Greetings From Jesup’ mural, located near the Amtrak train station in downtown Jesup.
mural [created by artist Taylor Shaw] is in a prominent location for visitors traveling through Jesup on the Amtrak Palme o line between New York and Miami. Jesup is one of two Amtrak stops in Georgia. The project was funded in part through a Georgia Council for the Arts Vibrant Communities Grant.”
This postcard-style mural helps welcome visitors to our beautiful historic downtown. The DDA understands the importance of public art and the positive impact that it has on the way that the public views and engages with downtown Jesup. We are very pleased with the way that the project has turned out and hope that the community will enjoy this piece of art for many years to come.”
In addition to this colorful gem, there is another mural located at Pizza Inn. The artwork was commissioned by Pizza Inn owner Keith Middleton and his wife Toni. Toni wanted to honor the
General Manager Sam Doppke and Owner Keith Middleton with the completed mural, located at Pizza Inn in Jesup.
beauty and history of the community that had so warmly embraced the family business. After painting the exterior of the Sunset Boulevard building last year, they decided to move forward with the mural project.
To achieve a genuine feel for the subject ma er, Toni knew immediately who to call. She contacted her dear friend, Melanie Herrin James, a native of Jesup and current resident of San Antonio, TX. Knowing that Melanie has many fond memories of growing up in Jesup, she asked her this question, “When you think of your hometown, what comes to mind?” Among Melanie’s answers were dogwoods and wildlife. They discussed trains and the landmark depot. Melanie did some research and found that the mo o of Jesup is “The town that trains built”, Melanie’s mother, Lee Herrin, verifi ed the mo o with City Hall.
The Middletons then reached out to their long-time friend, artist Sim Doster, a graduate of SCAD, who lives in Athens. Sim eagerly embraced the mural project, making it his goal to bring the vision to life and honor the city in the process. He designed a classic locomotive to be the central feature with wildlife images and dogwood blossoms surrounding the train.
When Sim arrived, he was immediately impressed by the small-town charm of Jesup. As his work progressed over the next few days, and the subject ma er of the painting became apparent, the restaurant’s general manager Sam Doppke told Sim that one of the most beloved aspects of the community is the widespread support for Wayne County High School athletic teams. Sim recognized that of course, that would be important to the locals, incorporating the Wayne County yellow jacket in the painting. In the months since the mural’s completion, it has become a regular topic of conversation around Pizza Inn. The owners and employees are
Pizza Inn mural artist Sim Doster
proud of the positive feedback. Doster produced an amazing result and brought to life the sense of community they’d hoped to achieve.
Keith’s parents opened the original Jesup Pizza Inn on East Cherry Street back in 1983, the year he graduated from high school. He logged many hours of work at that old location before his aunt and uncle, Jimmy and Brenda Minick took over ownership of that store and then operated it for over fi fteen years. Though Keith and his wife, Toni, are residents of Glynn County, Keith has deep generational family ties on both of his parents’ sides to the Jesup area.
Keith thinks completing his wife’s long-time dream of the mural project is an appropriate full circle. Not only is he continuing the tradition of his family’s restaurant business in the city, but the mural predominantly honors trains, and since his paternal grandfather made his living working on the railroad up in Townsend back in the day, it’s a fi ing part to the ongoing story. |WM
