Artist pays tribute to fields

Web posted October 12, 2000

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By Katie Throne
South Carolina Bureau

AIKEN - Trish Arnold's favorite childhood memory of her family's Dunbarton farm is the freedom she felt standing in the middle of its vast fields.

``There was something amazing about being able to walk out of your front door and into the fields,'' Ms. Arnold said.

The Aiken artist captures her respect for the men and women who sow the land in her latest collection of paintings, called Outstanding in My Field.

If you go What: One Fine Night, a free fine arts festival in downtown Aiken When: 5 to 9 tonight Where: The Arnold Gallery, 321 Richland Ave.; The Aiken Center for the Arts, 122 Laurens St.; Court Yard Studio, 137A Laurens St.; The Jackson Gallery, 300 Park Ave.

``The title stems from the first joke I remember hearing as a child,'' Ms. Arnold said. ``My daddy would drive up to our neighbor and ask him what he was doing. He would always reply, `I'm out standing in my field!'''

Her eight-piece tribute to Aiken County's sprawling fields opens today in conjunction with Aiken's second annual One Fine Night, a fine arts festival with openings at The Arnold Gallery, The Aiken Center for the Arts, Court Yard Studio and The Jackson Gallery. The downtown galleries will showcase exhibits from 5 to 9 p.m. today.

``If we have a portion of the success we enjoyed last year, I'll be happy,'' said Ms. Arnold, who has owned her gallery for five years. ``We're hoping this festival will draw some more galleries into Aiken.''

Ms. Arnold's exhibit of abstract landscapes is a yearlong labor of love, made especially poignant by the death of her mother last week.

``Mom always took us by the hand and invited us to see the world,'' Ms. Arnold said. ``She's the reason I became an artist.''

Ms. Arnold was able to show her mother every piece of the exhibit before she died.

``My mother said she didn't know where these places were, but they brought back memories from the past,'' Ms. Arnold said. ``That's exactly what I want people to feel. I want the fields to lead you to think about places you've been.''

Growing up the daughter of a farmer, Ms. Arnold said, she sees a lot of parallels between her father's career and artists.

``Men who take a piece of metal, rip the earth open and plant a seed in it really gamble to make a living. That takes a lot of courage,'' she said. ``My father gave me the willingness to go out on a limb as an artist.''

The Arnold Gallery also will showcase photographs from Ginny Southworth, and oils on canvas and watercolors from Ridge Spring artist Judy Adamick.

Reach Katie Throne at (803) 279-6895.

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