Artist Spotlight

A native of Massachusetts, retired Finance Manager & Bookkeeper in Charleston. SC. Relocated to Lexington in 2015. Instructions on oil & acrylic mediums from Michael Storey, Dale Bishop, Barbie Mathis, and pencil by Gretchen Parker. 

Born in Texas to a military family, we moved around a bit and finally settled here in Irmo during the spring of 1977. My mother was a semi-professional oil painter and teacher. My father, while being career army, was also an amateur painter, sculptor and carpenter.

Growing up around easels with the smell of turpentine and sawdust in the air was normalcy for me, but I had a propensity towards the musical arts. And while I always kept up with the family tradition of painting as a hobby, it wasn't until a few years ago after a quick succession of major tragedies which included the death of my mother, that I decided to dedicate my life to my art.

 Primarily a commission artist, I specialize in land and waterscapes.

I am a self taught acrylic and mixed media artist from Irmo, South Carolina. I love creating art with bold colors and interesting content.  My love for music, the arts and the beauty of the human spirit is poured into every piece I work on and gives me daily inspiration to create.

I have been a graphic designer for many years and spent the majority of my career in the printing industry.  I started using what I knew about color, balance and visually appealing subject matter to create art that represents my personality and love for design and art.

Prior to the pandemic, I taught classes on fluid art painting for a year and a half.  I worked with schools, companies, organizations, churches and kid’s groups and more to provide fun, informative classes around the Columbia area. 

During the pandemic, I turned my focus to creating art for exhibitions. I have exhibited at Rob Shaw Gallery, Land Bank Lofts, Aloft Hotel, NoMa Warehouse, 14 Carrot Foods, Musician's Supply,  State & Frink Meeting Space, Pitter Platter, Nicky’s Pizzeria, Carolina Imports, Cottontown Art Crawl, Melrose Art in the Yard, Autumn Faire Arts Festival, The Artist Coop, Still Hopes Episcopal Home, Irmo Chamber of Commerce and Irmo Town Hall.
Currently I am working on a new series of retro space futurism to exhibit at upcoming events.  They include mixed media work as well as hand painted ray guns and robots.  My childhood love affair with science fiction has inspired me to create colorful, whimsical space art that I absolutely love making.

Facebook: @swirlygirlarts  Instagram: #swirlygirlartssc_

Artist name: Kimberly Case, Studio 3P, LLC

Artistic medium: Portrait Photography

Favorite subject: individual people

Short biography: Kimberly Case is a visual artist focusing on fine art portrait photo

graphy.

In 2018, her portrait creation Girl with Sword won Best of Show in the Professional Fine Art category of the SC State Fair, notably being the first and only photograph to ever take that prize in the 150+ year history of the fair. In 2019, The Laborer won the SC State Fair Blue Ribbon for Professional Photography, while Lady with Wheat won a merit award for photography. In 2020, her series In the Time of COVID was selected for display at The Koger Center for the Arts, the winner of their “1593 Project” call for art exhibited at the Koger Center April 5-August 13, 2021. In 2021, Airborne won the first ever SC State Fair Blue Ribbon for Professional Digital Photography. Her art piece In the Time of COVID was selected to be a part of ArtFields 2022 in Lake City, SC. Her image Pearls was selected to hang in PhotoSC's group exhibition: Something Blue April 2022. Kimberly's artwork has won numerous other national awards and has been published internationally; her art pieces are in private collections across the southeast.
 

Layne is native of Columbia, SC. She vividly recalls when her art career began at the age of four and the house she drew on the wall with nail polish while in timeout. Raised in Irmo, she relocated to Greenville where she showed her work locally and was recognized by Greenville Tech's Blue Granite Review as 'Artist of the Year' in 2014.

Upon returning to Columbia, she enrolled at the University of South Carolina studying painting, ceramics and printmaking. Also, while enrolled, she traveled abroad to study art in Monte Castello di Vibio, Italy. Layne graduated in spring of 2017 with a Bachelor in Fine Art. Her latest solo show was a two year exhibition in Columbia's Vista district.

Layne enjoys a mixture of crafts, delicately balancing painting, drawing and ceramics. She describes herself as an expressive colorist at heart and does not shy away from abstracts or any other style. She currently resides in Irmo where she has served as an arts/culture advisor for Irmo's A-tax committee and is one of the founding Irmo International Festival committee members.

"Escape the Rules. I like to put my hands in the medium and pour myself into it. Vibrations of vibrant textures and colors. I look for That in life."

Name: Jana Cummings 

Medium: Fluid Acrylic paints & epoxy resin 

Contact: Drippin’ by J.Grace

My name is Jana Cummings and I’m an Irmo native. Have lived here most of my life and have become a seasoned artist over the years.  To expand my artistic creativity, I picked up fluid painting in 2020 during the pandemic.  It allowed me the experience and knowledge of applying an epoxy covering to ensure the longevity of my 

Lisa Alberghini is the Artist of the month for August. Alberghini has been painting since she was a little girl following in her mother’s footsteps as an artist. She has tried all mediums but has found a true love for watercolors. Her favorite subjects are flowers, animals and landscapes.

Alberghini says, “Art brings me freedom from the world’s troubles and allows me to express myself in a way that truly exhibits who I am.”

   

Born in Texas to a military family, we moved around a bit and finally settled here in Irmo during the spring of 1977. My mother was a semi-professional oil painter and teacher. My father, while being career army, was also an amateur painter, sculptor and carpenter.

Growing up around easels with the smell of turpentine and sawdust in the air was normalcy for me, but I had a propensity towards the musical arts. And while I always kept up with the family tradition of painting as a hobby, it wasn't until a few years ago after a quick succession of major tragedies which included the death of my mother, that I decided to dedicate my life to my art.

Primarily a commission artist, I specialize in land and waterscapes.

Trish Gillam is a lifelong resident of Columbia, South Carolina. After graduating in 1966 from University High School (a school located on the campus of the University of South Carolina), Trish studied business administration and eventually settled into a career in real estate and massage therapy.

Trish is known for her colorful and unique displays of art in Columbia, S.C. and surrounding areas. Her art has been displayed and exhibited in venues such as the Autumn Faire Art Festival and Mad Hatters Art Festival at the historic Robert Mills House, Cottontown Art Crawl, and the Melrose Community “Art in the Yard” festival. Her art has also been shown in galleries including the Rob Shaw Gallery and State and Frink Street Venue, both in the Cayce River Arts District, and in local businesses including Musician’s Supply, NoMa Warehouse, The Artist’s Coop, Pitter-Patter Pottery, The Aloft Hotel, and the Land Banks Loft historic building.

Trish considers herself a natural self-taught artist who has been inspired by historical abstract artists Jackson Pollock, Wassily Kandinsky and Helen Frankenthaler. She is also inspired by contemporary artists such as Tracy Verdigo and Shelee Art in Australia, and regional South Carolina artists including Alicia Leeke and Lee A. Monts.

Having a passion for art her entire life, she decided to take a plunge into the world of art once she retired in 2016. She and her daughter combined their artistic talents to create Swirly Girl Arts and began teaching acrylic pouring abstract art techniques to individuals, business venues and schools. Swirly Girl Arts was featured in F-Suite Magazine as a unique mother/daughter team known as “Trish & Kimber.” They have spent many joyous hours painting together, sharing their unique talents, and inspiring others to pursue art in a fun and free-style way. When she is not creating art, Trish enjoys time with family and friends and is an avid gardener.

Mixed Media
Certified Bob Ross Instructor
I use many materials in my work and recently retired from the hospital. I went to school for art and always had a duel resume. But now I'm back where my heart lives in nature.

Art produced from students at HE Corley Elementary School.

Art Teacher: Brandi Floyd