[caption id="attachment_353" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Local artist Kathy Crowther will be showing her work at the Celadon Fine Arts Festival. She has been working on a new series, getting underwater with sea turtles and sea horses."]<a href="http://www.beaufortislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Arts-Celadon1.jpg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-353" title="Arts-Celadon1" src="http://www.beaufortislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Arts-Celadon1-300x162.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="162" /></a>[/caption]

<a href="http://www.beaufortislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Arts-Celadon21.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-355" title="Arts-Celadon2" src="http://www.beaufortislandnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Arts-Celadon21-150x150.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="150" /></a>“I am looking forward to the Celadon Arts Festival because it is the first of its kind in Beaufort County,” said artist Eve Miller. “The eclectic mix of media is very exciting.  Hopefully it will be the start of an annual event showcasing the arts in Beaufort County.”

Eve’s got it right — this May 20-22 is the official launch such an annual event. For this inaugural year, 28 artists from five states are competing for your attention and $3,000 in prizes. Kathy Crowther, for instance, has been working on a new series, adding turquoise (“it’s such a happy color”) and getting underwater with sea turtles and sea horses, in addition to the amazing birds that she’s so well known for.<!--more-->

Both Eve and Kathy live on St. Helena Island. “Since we moved to St. Helena, I’ve thought that we need a show like this, we have so many artists,” said Kathy. “We used to live in Chagrin Falls in Ohio, and every summer outdoor festival draws people from all over. It’s something that everyone  looked forward to every year.”

Celadon is offering a lot of that and more. The event starts at 4 p.m. on Friday, and lasts until 8 p.m. Saturday is Family Fun Day, with food, beverages, music, and family entertainment. Admission is free, and there is a $5 donation for parking per car. Artists, and their work in clay, wood, gourds, paint, and glass, will be available around the clock, of course. And there’s the Artist Award Reception (they’re competing for $3,000 in prizes!) from 7:30 to 9 p.m., also on Saturday. The reception is $10 per person. Pam Kessler, an amazing and nature-influenced artist here in Beaufort County, is the judge for that. Sunday, this breezy Lowcountry event runs from noon to 5 p.m.

Visit www.ArtWorksInBeaufort.org and www CeladonFineArts Festival.org for details and updates. The Celadon Fine Arts Festival is produced by the Celadon Community Arts Trust Association and ARTworks, the Arts Council of Beaufort, Port Royal &amp; the Sea Islands. For more information, call 843-379-2787.

The arts are an important representation of a community’s culture, commented Eve Miller: “Usually people react positively to my artwork, and when the viewer becomes engaged a wonderful feeling is evoked. I create because I have been fortunate to realize my passion lies in painting. It is when time stands still and I am totally in the here and now.” In her beautiful work, Eve uses and underpainting technique that creates a sophisticated sfumato effect — just one of the many assets that the Celadon Fine Arts Festival offers local artists, collectors, and families looking for the fun of the arts, here and now.

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