This super sweet and talented artist from South Carolina is the sister of a Bride of ours, so we were thrilled when we bumped into each other again and I learned about her work.
photo by Amanda Greenley
We chatted with Dorothy and are sharing some of our favorite pieces… See more
here.
I was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina and was talked into heading to Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas by my best friend from home, Brooke Hughes (whose wedding you just did her wedding, which was incredible btw). At SMU, I spent four years studying painting and had the incredible opportunity to sail around the world via Semester at Sea which completely changed my art and the way I saw things. I came back and quickly realized a traditional career path was not for me. I moved to the Lowcountry a little over a year ago and am so inspired by the creativity that flows through this city. I had the chance to meet Tara and Kate when they planned my sister’s wedding in 2004. I was in high school and was SO inspired by their creativity. I remember scheming how I could go to work for them. I love that we are crossing paths again!
The fabric pieces you see in the photos are hand cut & dyed linens. I use a mixture of dyes and pigments to achieve the colors I am looking for and then I experiment with folding techniques to achieve the desired patterns. Each piece of linen will either be stretched like a canvas or framed. Dying & pattern making dates back centuries and is a an art that is intertwined in every culture around the world including South Carolina’s. These are extremely representative of my love of travel and exploration – they have a global yet modern feel to them.
My secret “routine” to get me in the mindset entails cleaning. Lame, I know. I like to start and end my days in the studio by cleaning and organizing. Something about having my work space in order helps me get my mind ready to paint and create.
I ALWAYS have music going. I can’t paint without it. That is the first thing I do when I get to my studio. I have a couple of friends who I go to for music direction so I usually text them, see what they are listening to on the day and get on their same playlist. If I don’t do that, Darius Rucker is always playing, always.
Inspiration, for me, comes from other creative minds. One of my closest friends from college and I have what we call “Creative Collab Sessions” as often as possible on skype. She is an extremely talented graphic designer in Los Angeles & we sometimes spend up to three hours sitting on our computers together showing each other new blogs, sites, playlists and throwing around ideas. I am always totally reinvigorated after.
I came to the decision that I would start doing art full time in September of 2014. I’d been working in the nonprofit world since college and while I loved working for a cause and feeling connected to a mission, I was constantly struggling with finding an outlet for my creativity. When I moved to Charleston, I saw all of these inspiring young ladies around town making careers for themselves with their talent. At that point, I knew I not only had to do it but I would do it. Bottom line, life is too short to not find a way to do what you love.
