Dorothy Fletcher Eckmann, above, works on a piece at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art. ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

"This was done within one or two hours of the attacks," Ms. Weigle said, gesturing toward the abstracted crimson tower bisecting a field of smoky white and billowing sky-blue smoke. "And now, looking at it, I think it is that immediacy that makes it special."

Ms. Weigle will be one of more than 30 local artists contributing pieces to Community Artists Unite: September 11th - Reflective Images, an exhibit opening at the Augusta Cotton Exchange today - the first anniversary of the attacks.

Like many artists, she said she was profoundly affected by the events and found catharsis in front of an easel.

Rhian Giboney created two works for the show. The first was used to promote the exhibit. The digitally enhanced photograph shows multiple hands raised in a clasp of unity.

"I think the whole initiative is so important - pulling people together after Sept. 11 and reflecting back on what we went through," she said.

The hands of her husband, Scott, and 9-year-old son, Bryce, are among those in the photograph. Using Adobe Photoshop image software, she gave the photograph the appearance of a painting.

Mrs. Giboney's second piece, an acrylic painting titled Art of the Heart, shows the skyline of Augusta and a large abstract crowd of people.

A few weeks before the show, Dorothy Fletcher Eckmann worked at the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, scuffing white paint onto the textured surface of a faux stone column.

She and Statesboro, Ga., resident Cindy Wallace joined forces to create a large installation for the show. In 1998, the pair collaborated on an installation called A Search for Center: A Mystical Journey. It was a piece neither woman was ever completely happy with.

"It was never really complete, never as we wanted it," Ms. Eckmann said. "Just never quite there yet. So when this exhibition came up, I felt the piece would fit. So we got together and began expanding on what we had done."

When the work is installed, it will include disparate elements such as the columns, topped by multiracial faces, a shrimp-net canopy, photographs and text. Ms. Eckmann said the goal of the piece is to create a peaceful and meditative place, a place that does not respond in a negative or positive way to Sept. 11, but offers people a healing environment.

A few weeks before the opening of the exhibition, local artist Billy S. was still waiting for inspiration to hit. And although he couldn't envision what his canvas would look like, he knew what it should do - heal.

Known for his bold, bright and unapologetically sunny paintings, Billy S. may seem an odd inclusion in an exhibition borne from such tragic circumstances. But he said contrast to the peaceful, happy utopia found on his canvases is always the inspiration for his work.

"I feel like the paintings are even more necessary now," he said. "The reason I do this, the reason I've always put the work out there is in case something like this happens. We all need things to heal us, to comfort us. We need a little beauty.

Local artist Lucy Weigle painted America's Awakening within hours of hearing about the Sept. 11 attacks. She says the piece is special to her now because of its immediacy. ANDREW DAVIS TUCKER/STAFF

"It's my purpose to fill that space, which is cool, because it's a place I'm comfortable with."

One thing Billy S. is sure of is that his painting will not be of fallen firemen, or weeping families or, in particular, the World Trade Center.

"I really feel like I don't have to see those buildings again," he said. "I may just end up painting a big smiling face, something that will make people happy. And really, I'm sure there are going to be enough flags."

ON DISPLAY

WHAT: Community Artists Unite: September 11th - Reflective Images, presented by the Morris Museum of Art, the Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art, The Art Factory, the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, the Augusta Cotton Exchange, RedWolf Inc. and Streeter Printing & Graphics

WHERE: The Augusta Cotton Exchange Welcome Center and Museum, at the corner of Eighth and Reynolds streets

WHEN: The opening reception is today from 5 to 7 p.m. The exhibit continues through Oct. 1. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday.

ADMISSION: Free; for more information, call 724-4067.

Reach Steven Uhles at (706) 823-3626 or steven.uhles@augustachronicle.com.