Cover Artist

Each quarter we feature a local artist on the cover of High Tide's Guide to St. Simons Island. This has been our tradition since the first High Tide was published in the Summer of 1982. We have enjoyed sharing with our readers the many different views of island life as portrayed by so many talented artists over the years.

The Art of Ken Wallin "Passion and Color through Paint and Canvas" Ken Wallin has been painting nature, villages and the landscape for over thirty years. His passion for the arts began in the fourth grade when he finished his work early and his teacher gave him a paint brush to work on a class mural. Ken has never stopped painting since then. Ken's training has included many workshops in France and the southwest United States. Regional artists have helped him in his journey to create his unique style with palette knife and brush. His work has been influenced by the Impressionists, especially Van Gogh and Monet. His inspirations come from his travels; he paints what he experiences.

Ken and wife Judy, a talented photographer, travel around the world to France, Italy, Costa Rica, Mexico and the coastal areas of the United States on their creative adventures. Ken's art patrons often describe his work as powerful, magnetic with a profound use of color to convey his passion for particular regions of the world's landscape. His work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions and he has received numerous awards for his use of color and form in oil painting. In addition to his training in the arts, Ken holds a doctorate in counseling psychology. He has published works on anger control, positive thinking and the use of the arts as a tool in healing. He creates illustrations to convey the message of his published works on conflict management. He is a motivational speaker and performance artist. Several of his paintings create a metaphor to help the reader connect with the use of the arts in enhancing one's life and journeying toward creativity and positive thinking. Ken has a new adventure in sculpting. Self expression has no boundaries and clay is another way of stating his feelings about the nature of the human condition. Ken is an associate member of Oil Painters of America and the American Society of Marine Artists, and a member of the American Impressionist Society and the Plein Air Georgia Association. He recently published The Creative Art Adventures of Ken Wallin, an art book illustrating over 90 images of his work. Ken's book is available at his gallery and at local bookstores. Recently, Ken has explored the human figure in the landscape and created a series of pieces that reflect daily life on St. Simons Island. He paints daily in his studio which joins on to his gallery. Painting workshops, art books and sculpture are also available. Art patrons and enthusiasts often visit, talk to him while he paints and enjoy viewing his most recent work.

In This Issue

Darien and McIntosh County presents the 40th Annual Blessing of Fleet Festival April 11, 12, &13, 2008 "The Best Blessing Ever!" The Darien News, front page, April 2007

The 40th Annual Blessing of the Fleet in Darien, Georgia will have something for everyone - a street parade, sumptuous food booths, vendors booths, Art in the Park, kids fishing tournament, children's carnival, fireworks, and the largest Shrimp Fleet Parade in the United States. The entertainment this year includes Country Super Star, Sammy Kershaw; International Performer Trina Hamlin; the ever popular, Sensational Sounds of Motown and McIntosh County's favorite son, Vic Waters. This three day festival is a spectacular event that promotes the natural beauty of the Altamaha River system, the charm of small town coastal living and the Blessing of the local Shrimp Fleet for a bountiful season. During the festival, people from all walks of life come together in celebration of Darien's rich history and southern hospitality. From the banks of the Darien River, one has the opportunity to glimpse into the past of Darien and the historic Colonial Coast of Southeast Georgia. Pristine views of the Altamaha bio-reserve; the shrimp fleet docked on Darien's waterfront, along with public docks, boat ramps and floating docks of boaters, as well as canoe and kayak enthusiasts. And, the sunsets on the Darien River are spectacular every evening. All of these provide many wonderful things for each visitor to enjoy. For additional information you may contact us directly at chamber@darientel.net, call (912) 437-6684 or visit our website at www.blessingofthefleet.com.

The Glynn Art Association Presents Art & Sol... and other great Spring exhibits

GlynnArt had a record number of entries for this year's Coastal National Juried Exhibit, sponsored by the Coastal Bank of Georgia. Judge Joana Wardell has juried the show and its opening reception will be Thursday April 3 from 5-7pm at the GlynnArt Gallery on Mallery in the Pier Village on St. Simons. The show will remain in the gallery until Saturday April 26. GlynnArt Pottery Studio Show and Sale will be held on Saturday April 5 from 1-4pm at the pottery studio, 217 Skylane Road, McKinnon Business Park off Demere. Look for signs that will lead you to wonderful hand-built and wheel-thrown pottery. On Saturday April 12 and Sunday April 13, 10am-5pm, don't miss the beautiful fine arts and crafts at the Art and Sol Festival sponsored by the Glynn Art Association. The tents and the arts and crafts will be under the oaks of the park in the Village on St. Simons Island. This is a perfect family event! May's exhibit will feature the juried artists of GlynnArt. Look for new and exciting work by the Golden Isles' best artists. Photography, paintings, pottery, sculpture, local authors' books, and prints make GlynnArt's Gallery on Mallery an art lover's treasure. Opening Reception will be Thursday May 1 from 5-7 pm. Thursday June 5 from 5-7pm join GlynnArt in presenting the opening reception for By the Sea. Two and three dimensional artwork depicting children by the sea, fish in the sea, and beautiful coastal landscapes are all included in this spectacular show.

Historic Brunswick's May Fair Downtown Brunswick May 10th 10am - 10pm

Brunswick invites the whole family to May Fair, an old-fashioned street fair on May 10th. Walk down the historic Newcastle Street to discover unique arts & crafts, gift items, antiques and fabulous Seafood Celebration! While strolling through the displays and exhibitor tables, stop in the quaint shops on Gloucester and Newcastle Streets where local shop owners will be offering a great savings on a variety of gifts, artworks, framing and specialty items in celebration of May Fair. Enjoy the Tour of Homes on Mother's Day Weekend in Historic Downtown Brunswick. For more information visit www.downtownbrunswickga.com or contact Lynda Dalton Gallagher at art downtown 912-262-0628.

The Annual Original Georgia Sea Islands Festival 2008 (Also known as the Sea Island Festival) Founded by Mable Hillery St. Simon Island Pier Village Saturday, June 21, 11am 6pm Sunday, June 22, 12 noon - 6pm

Featuring Georgia Sea Island Singers • From Africa to Eternity (Regional Gullah & Geechee exhibits) Enslavement artifacts • Much more Enjoy varioius Gullah & Geechee craft demonstratins including basket weaving, quilt making and net making. Entertainment will include spirituals, gospel singing, great blues and folk dancing. The delicious smoked mullet, old fashioned barbeque, deviled crabs and home made cakes and pies will delight your taste buds! The Georgia Sea Islands Festival is sponsored by the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition. www.GeorgiaSeaIslandFestival.com for more information.

The Fourth of July Sunshine Festival In Neptune Park at The Pier Arts & Crafts - July 4 - 6 Entertainment • Food • Activities - July 3 - 6 Bring the family for an exciting long weekend celebration. This year the Annual Sunshine Festival will rule St. Simons Island from Thursday, July 3 through Sunday, July 6th. Food and live entertainment begins Thursday, July 3rd.

An Island tradition, the Sunshine Festival features a juried Arts and Crafts Show which will highlight over 100 artists both locally and from the Southeast. There will also be live entertainment nightly, military and firefighting displays and great food from your favorite Island restaurants. The One Mile Fun Run is being held at 7:45am on July 4th at the Mallory Park baseball field. A 5K Road Race will take place at 8am - same date and location. The best fireworks in Coastal Georgia will begin at 9pm the night of July 4th with more fireworks than ever before. Bring a chair and meet your friends in the park to sit back and watch the show off the end of the Pier. The Sunshine Festival is sponsored by the Pier Village Association and all proceeds from the festival go toward the betterment of the Pier Village and Neptune Park.

Island Players Downtown Programs that benefit the entire coastal Georgia community The Island Players is an award winning organization that has been bringing live community theatre to Coastal Georgia since 1956 making it the oldest continuing theatre arts organization in Glynn County. The non-profit organization is an all-volunteer organization governed and managed by a Board of Directors and receives funding through corporate and private donations, membership subscription and box office receipts. The Island Players are actively involved in programming that benefits the entire coastal Georgia community: YPSW (Young Peoples Summer Workshop) Developed in 1976, this program provides a participatory theater experience each summer for 80-100 young people ages eight to eighteen years old. Each young person is directly involved on and off stage in the YPSW main stage production's 12 to 15 public performances. Annual Island Players Scholarship Award Funds are awarded annually to students who show an active interest in theatre by participating in Island Player productions and programs on and off stage. To date, 29 students have benefited from this program. IPTAG (Island Players Teen Actors Guild) This group provides teens with an extracurricular theater activity designed to enhance their knowledge of theater and to give them experience in all phases of theater production. Theatre Outreach The Island Players lends its talent and resources to other counties and area organizations to aid in fundraising events for special projects that involve the arts and humanities. In Spring 2004, the Players presented 9 performances of "Stalag 17" as a tribute to the area's WWII veterans and collected veterans' names and information and added them to the National WWII Memorial in Washington DC. In June 2005, the Players took their production of "The Butler Did It Singing" to Darien, Georgia to help raise funds for the Ida Hilton Public Library. In 2006, the group staged the premier production of "Waiting for Oprah" by Georgia playwright Mary Miller in Darien with local Darien actors to once again raise funds for the McIntosh County library. The Island Players Downtown theatre is located at 1409/11 Newcastle Street in historic downtown Brunswick. For more information about the Island Players call 912.554.2034 or visit www.theislandplayers.com