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| Isabel Forbes' work includes a painting of the old Krispy Kreme building. |
Isabel Forbes’ art in eye of the artist It is certainly true that art is in the eye of
the beholder, but it is even truer that art is in the eye of the artist.
That has never been more apparent than in the
images filtered through Isabel Forbes’ mind and onto the canvas of the 20 oil paintings that go on display at Wofford
College’s Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery on Sept. 6. The gallery is located in the Campus Life Building.
The subjects
of the paintings are scenes that people in Spartanburg drive by daily, often without giving them a second thought because
they are so familiar.
Ike’s, the Nu-Way Lounge, Simple Simon, Blues Boulevard, Krispy Kreme, the Skillet. All of
these facades are woven into the fabric that makes up Spartanburg, but they hardly scream “art” to the casual
passer-by.
The artist’s eye that Forbes has focused on these scenes has elevated them above the ordinary and captured
moments in time. “The subject of my paintings is not primarily buildings and these other objects,” the artist
says of the commonplace images she has chosen for her work, “but rather the composition and contrasting elements of
light and dark, complementary colors and negative space.”
What first attracts Forbes to a subject is the underlying
design, but that design is made more vivid by associations, by the personal stories that bring the subject to life. “I
sure love when I hear some really heartfelt stories associated with the places I paint,” Forbes says of her paintings
that lead people to reminisce and become nostalgic.
While she was working on one of the paintings for the Wofford exhibit,
an old mill house in Drayton, someone dropped by her studio to see her work. The visitor recognized the house as a home she
used to deliver Mobile Meals to years ago, Forbes recalls. “Every time she passed by the house, she said, she would
say, ‘God bless Lila Lou.’” Forbes had been searching for a title for the piece, and she’d found it.
The artist, who grew up in Spartanburg, is no stranger to Wofford College. She developed her interest in art as a student
in Spartanburg School District Seven, studying under mentors MacArthur Goodwin and Betty Bramlett. After graduating from Spartanburg
High School, she enrolled in the Ringling College of Art in Sarasota, Florida, but while working toward her Bachelor of Fine
Arts there, she returned to Spartanburg each summer to take academic courses at Wofford.
Even after she graduated and
began her career as a professional artist in Florida, she was drawn to the familiar scenes from her youth. Those are the scenes
that captured in her paintings.
Oakley Coburn, dean of Sandor Teszler Library and director of cultural events at Wofford,
was immediately taken with Forbes’ paintings of recognizable Spartanburg landmarks. “When we began discussing
the exhibition, I asked for urban landscapes that might teach our students, in particular, about the local region and let
them see it through an artist’s vision,” he says, noting that the impact of the images is enhanced by the fact
that the paintings are of things that people don’t usually consider beautiful.
“We don't always think of
doughnut shops, lunch counters or railroad crossings as beautiful things, but in the hands of an artist these humble images
come alive and resonate with the viewer.”
Coburn likens Forbes’ realistic, carefully constructed paintings
to those of noted American painter Edward Hopper. “Isabel Forbes finds beauty in the urban landscape of Spartanburg,
but doesn't romanticize, and paints it with an unflinching eye for truth as well.”
Though it’s hard for Forbes
to show favoritism to one of her own works, she does admit to having a favorite painting in the exhibit, “Rainy Night,
Krispy Kreme.” Of all her work, the painting of the abandoned Krispy Kreme on Church Street, located hauntingly across
the street from the gleaming new Krispy Kreme, is the one that has elicted the most childhood stories from those who see it.
It’s those stories that help make this painting special for the artist.
She also has a special fondness for a recently
completed painting of the grain silos on Daniel Morgan Avenue. Shortly after she painted the scene, demolition of the silos
began to make way for Spartanburg’s Grain District. Capturing images that are rapidly disappearing preserves history
for generations to come, and with those images reside the stories.
A public reception for the exhibit will be held on
Thursday, Sept. 9, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The exhibit continues through Oct. 31. Third
annual Creative Taste of Spartanburg showcases variety of local restaurants, food, art and music Local restaurants,
chefs, not-for-profit bake sales and food related vendors are joining together to participate in the 3rd annual Creative Taste
of Spartanburg. This event is designed to showcase the variety of local culinary experiences against the backdrop of
family fun and entertainment. Admission to the event is free to the public with food, beverages, art and other items
available for purchase from vendors.
Scheduled for Saturday, September 4, from 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m., there will be
a Restaurant Row featuring local restaurants and chefs; a Made in Spartanburg area highlighting local cookbooks, vendors,
local produce and locally-made food; a "Cook's Corner" featuring food, beverages and gadgets for sale. RJ
Rockers will hold Brewery Tours and a beer tasting from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm and Carriage House wines will hold a wine tasting
from 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm. Also, Hub-Bub will present a "Flavor of Art Mart," featuring over 25 local artists
and kids' activities will be held in the Lemonade Stand area. Tons of local entertainment will be enjoyed throughout the event,
including a special Saturday edition of the popular Rock on the Dock series at the RJ Rockers Brewery. (See attached Entertainment
Schedule) Creative Taste will take place in Downtown Spartanburg in a festival setting west of Morgan Square and the
Clock Tower on Ezell, King and West Main Streets and Daniel Morgan Avenue.
Free parking is located throughout
the downtown area, including the Magnolia Street Parking Garage and the City Hall parking lots on Broad Street.
Several
downtown streets will be closed from 3 a.m. Saturday morning, September 4, until the end of the event. These include Daniel
Morgan Avenue, from St. John Street to West Main; West Main Street, from Daniel Morgan Avenue to Magnolia Street; Spring Street,
from Broad to St. John; Ezell Street from Spring to Daniel Morgan; and Ezell Street from Daniel Morgan Avenue to West Main
Street. Gaffney man pleads guilty in federal drug trafficking case Columbia
- United States Attorney Bill Nettles, stated on August 24 that Michael Wayne Sellers, 39, of Gaffney, pleaded guilty to conspiring
to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in violation of Title 21 United States Code 841(a)(1)
and 846. The charges stem from a long term, ongoing investigation of a multiple jurisdiction drug trafficking organization
that operated out of the Atlanta, Georgia area.
During his plea hearing, Sellers admitted to distribution of methamphetamine
in January 2007. According to Mr. Nettles, during a search of Sellers’ residence in March 2007, officers of the Cherokee
County Sheriff’s Office and the Gaffney Police Department found methamphetamine, wire transfer receipts and other evidence
linking Sellers to the drug trafficking organization. Judge Herlong will sentence Sellers after he receives and reviews a
presentence report prepared by the United States Probation Office.
Sellers faces a mandatory minimum
term of imprisonment of 5 years, a maximum term of imprisonment of 40 years, a fine of $2,000,000, at least 4 years
supervised release plus a special assessment of $100.
The case was investigated by agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Cherokee County Sheriff’s Department and the Gaffney Police Department. Assistant United States Attorneys Leesa Washington
of the Greenville office is prosecuting the case.
*** Greenville man pleads guilty to possessing child pornography Columbia
- United States Attorney Bill Nettles stated on August 17 that Jonathan Brian Couch, age 33, of Greenville, pled guilty in
federal court in Spartanburg, to possession of child pornography, a violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2252A.
United States District Judge Henry F. Floyd of Spartanburg accepted the plea and will impose sentence after he has reviewed
a presentence report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.
Evidence presented at the change of plea hearing established
that on August 3, 2007, a federal search warrant was executed at Couch’s place of business on White Horse Road in Greenville.
The search was based on an investigation revealing that Couch was downloading and sharing child pornography using a
peer-to-peer file sharing program. These programs allow users to search for and share with one another various types
of files, including movies and pictures on the computers of other persons who are part of the network.
A forensic examination
of Couch’s computer revealed images of child pornography. After being advised of his Miranda rights and waiving them,
Couch admitted to agents that he used peer-to-peer file sharing to download and view child porn.
Prior to his
first appearance in federal court, Couch fled the state and hid out in California. He eventually returned to South Carolina
and was apprehended by state and federal officers on June 28, 2010.
Mr. Nettles stated the maximum penalty Couch
can receive is a fine of $250,000 and/or imprisonment for 10 years, plus a special assessment of $100. The case was
investigated by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investi-gation. Assistant United States Attorney William J. Watkins, Jr. of
the Green-ville office handled the case.
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