art beat

from March 2021 Leland Magazine

fitness

Wisconsin To Carolina

Local Artist Explores Nature In Paint

STORY BY CARLA EDSTROM

Taking in the incredible beauty of nature is something we can all certainly use during these most difficult times. A solitary walk on the beach and deeply inhaling that salty sea breeze can calm your mind like nothing else. But when it’s cold outside, I suggest a day spent in a museum or browsing local art galleries. A simple still life painting can come to life and bring back treasured memories. Landscape paintings can bring us back to places we have once visited or lived in, taking our minds away from the troubles of the world.

Nancy Henkel Schulte, local painter originally from Kenosha, Wisconsin, remembers walking through the Chicago Art Museum as a young woman and admiring the Andrew Wyeth collection. Much of her work includes the beauty all around us such as landscapes, still lives, flowers and also includes beloved dogs and architectural studies. “I have been painting for 35 years and try very hard to improve with every painting and lesson. I have gone to every art museum in my travels and I always carry my sketchbook and camera,” she said.“ I have taken from more than 40 people…”

Always the creative artist, Schulte also loves to work with her hands in cooking, decorating, sewing, quilting, writing and knitting. “I was very good even as a grade school artist and won awards through high school. However, I thought I should have a ‘real job’ and was very interested in nursing as my career. I continued to take art lessons while raising four kids and nursing,” she said. “People always ask me how long it takes me to do a painting. I think and dream about a painting before I ever sketch. An artist ‘sinks in’ a creative mode and time just flies,” she explained. “I love people, animals, flowers and landscape. I like to show ordinary things in a meaningful way. Sometimes a subject is serious, calm, silly or beautiful.”

Being an artist involves being a part of a community and arts family that is often more than willing to encourage and teach others. “Artists I met along the way that were older than me would have a tendency to take me under their wing. I appreciated their interest in me. They gently encourage me. I have taught painting for 30 years because I want others to enjoy the creative process as well. It is a way for me to give back and I’m very glad to do it. I volunteered at a kids camp for cancer, nursing homes, and taught all ages in my home. I miss this since COVID came.”

“Finding time to be creative is sometimes difficult,” said Schulte. “Commission work challenges me. I like to please the buyer but I want it to be my style,” she said. “I’m painting a portrait of Mary and Jesus for someone. I’m also doing some beach people. I did angels during the Christmas season because I broke my wrist and had it casted for six weeks. That was hard! I was delighted to sell a large piece in the Gallery at Howe. People are interested in decorating their homes now.”

Schulte loves people and considers painting people her favorite subject. “Being a mother, grandmother and RN have given me many valuable experiences and deep appreciation for life itself. It is imperative for me to record everyday happenings in a sensitive manner. I want to evoke emotion. I’m deeply blessed and grateful to share my talent with others. My talent is a blessing that I recognize and develop through the years.”

You can see more of Schulte’s work at Franklin Square Gallery and the Artisan’s Gallery on Howe in Southport. Check out her website at www.nhschulte. com. You can reach her directly at 910-540-9177 nancyschulte@me.com.

Coastal Home & Lifestyle Expo 2021

Southport-Oak Island Chamber of Commerce Hosting New Event On Oak Island

STORY BY JEFFREY STITES

As the summer season starts to wind up, the Southport -Oak Island Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Coastal Home and Lifestyle Showcase to help service providers, contractors, retailers, and food and beverage businesses connect with potential customers. This new annual event takes place on Saturday, May 8 from 10 am - 3 pm in Middleton Park Extension behind the Oak Island town hall. Admission will be free and locals, visitors and out of town homeowners will enjoy free samples, giveaways, food, music and can register for a $200 cash drawing.

Chamber Executive Director Karen Sphar says spring is the perfect time for such an event. “Spring is all about nesting and renewal – the birds are singing louder, the blooms on the trees and flowers are brighter, and people are in a state of mind to make improvements or changes to their homes or lives. An expo focused on how to help people make these changes is perfect in spring.”

The popular Coastal Consumer Showcase hosted by the Chamber has been moved to January and this Home and Lifestyle Expo added to the annual calendar. “We are moving the Coastal Consumer Showcase which is all the different types of businesses in our community to January because it is not weather dependent,” Sphar said. “ The Coastal Home & Lifestyle Showcase naturally lends itself to spring because its focus is on businesses that can protect, support or create indoor and outdoor living spaces or the activities and health of a person.” “We expect a nice crowd of residents and second homeowners will take the opportunity to Shop Local and get ideas. A business who provides services or products related or supporting the home and lifestyle will want to be seen and take advantage of the opportunity to talk with potential new clients,” Sphar said. “You may not make a sale today but you need to make an impression so that you can close the deal in the future.”

Restaurants, bakeries and wineshops are also welcome to participate. “This is a great opportunity for our restaurants and bakeries to get some exposure but also sell direct to those who are in attendance. People get hungry and thirsty at these events,” she said. However, no alcohol sales will one permitted.

This may be a perfect opportunity to join your local Chamber of Commerce. “You don’t have to be a member of the Chamber of Commerce to purchase a display booth,” Sphar said. “However, it is a good time to consider Chamber membership since member businesses receive a discounted booth fee and since we are at the end of the fiscal year, your business will receive 14 months of membership for the price of 12!

Coastal Home & Lifestyle Showcase Saturday, May 8, 2021

Middleton Park Extension, Oak Island 10am-3pm | Admission is FREE www.coastalhomeandlifestyleshow.com

Meet local business people who specialize in maintaining your home, outdoor living, and supporting your healthy and active lifestyle.

Vendors and sponsors contact 910-457-6964 or www.coastalhomeandlifestyleshow.com

www.LelandMag.com / www.LelandMag.com /March 2021/ Leland Magazine 17

Upcoming Art Events

ALL Programs Feature An Art Show, A Watercolor Artist and Photographers

IT’S ALL ART 2021

The Art League of Leland (ALL) is accepting submissions for “It’s ALL Art,” the organization’s annual art exhibition and sale to be held on May 1 and 2, 2021, at the Brunswick Forest Fitness and Wellness Center in Leland, in accordance with NC guidelines in effect at that time. The deadline to register is March 5, 2021.

ALL welcomes applications from 2-D and 3-D artists in various disciplines throughout the Lower Cape Fear area. The cost to enter is $25 for Art League of Leland members and $40 for nonmembers. Three pieces of artwork will be selected by exhibition visitors for People’s Choice Awards.

Visit ALL’s website www.artleagueofleland.org for submission guidelines and a PDF of the registration forms to print and complete. Considerations for acceptance include but are not limited to the quality of the artwork and a balance of media represented in the exhibition. Accepted artists will be responsible for delivering their artwork on April 30, 2021. If you have any questions, please email itsALLart2020@gmail.com.

April Meeting

The Art League of Leland (ALL) invites artists and art enthusiasts to its Thursday, April 1, 2021, virtual meeting with featured speakers Kari Feuer and Donna Launey. Feuer will discuss finding and obtaining artist residencies, and Launey will talk about what art gallery owners look for in artists and artwork. The meeting, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 4-6 pm. To register to attend, email artleagueofleland@ gmail.com by March 26.

Landscape artist Kari Feuer paints in oils, often with a knife, working toward an abstracted style. Her work has won national awards, and she teaches painting to artists locally and around the U.S. Feuer will speak about finding and obtaining an arts residency, a sponsored trip to a setting that is granted to the artist for uninterrupted time and support to create new work. Feuer will share what she has learned from her personal experiences in arts residencies, including setting goals, packing supplies, and making the transition from the studio to a new location.

Acrylic painter Donna Launey owns Gallery Citrine in Wilmington, which functions as a co-operative for local artists to gain exposure, collaborate, learn, and enhance their art. After retiring from her medical practice as a Diagnostic Radiologist, Launey began to pursue her artistic passion. Using bold, expressive brushwork, she strives to create pas-

Above: Last Glimmer by Kari Feuer

Right: Solo Debit by Donna Launey

sionate, imaginative interpretations of everyday objects in her paintings, which have been in many local juried art shows and are in private collections in the U.S. Launey will speak about what gallery owners seek in the artwork they select.

Details about how to join the Zoom meeting will be emailed to registered attendees several days before the meeting. ALL will announce meeting updates on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and www. artleagueofleland.org.