A Natural State explores how people express a love for nature by shaping, twisting, carving, and weaving materials collected from the landscape. Some of the arts and crafts featured in A Natural State reveal the cultural heritage of South Carolina, while others employ concepts from the world of modern art. For more about this project, visit the credits page.
TO GET STARTED: Click on a landform region below to learn more about these artists and how they use the uniqueness of their environment to enhance their artistic vision. To learn more about each landform region, visit the Where Am I? section.
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There are many definitions about what constitutes folk art. One definition by Sharon F. Patton states that a folk artist is one who is self-taught, usually makes art late in life which is tied to...
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The coiled basket takes shape as Nancy builds up its sides. In this video, Nancy shows how one controls the overall shape and size of the basket as successive rows of the coil are built up.
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The walls of Earthen Cycle were created using a rammed earth technique. A mixture of rounded stones from a local riverbed, Portland cement, and clay were poured into a wooden form. Rust and his...
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Weaving. After Peter has securely attached the broom straw to the handle, he begins to weave the base of the straw into a uniform shape and pattern around the handle.
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To float properly, the body of the duck must be hollowed out with a hand drill and chisel. Buoyancy and stability are achieved by combining a hollow interior with lead weights applied to the underside...
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Molding Clay After the potter blends his clay, he must knead it in order to remove any lumps, soft areas and air holes which might be contained in the product. If the clay hasn’t been kneaded properly...
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Marcelo Novo, a well-known South Carolina artist and self described "city boy," felt a bit out of his element at the Art in the Park event. Without paintbrush and canvas, Marcelo struggled to apply...
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Rock art at the Hagood Mill site is open to many interpretations. Is the imagery sacred, documentation of historic events, part of a simple amusement, or of a larger pictographic language? The answer...
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Wood destined to become part of a canoe is kept dry in a loft above Phil's workshop. A tour through the loft reveals the different woods found in Phil's work including red cedar, bloodwood, walnut...
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When Arianne is satisfied with a layer of color, she "blocks" the layer with a coat of melted wax. The dried wax prevents new layers of color from entering areas that are complete.
