Orangeburg County Fine Arts Center Director Beth Thomas raved Wednesday about the creations coming in her door for the "Art of Wood" exhibit to be displayed during the latter half of March at the FAC.

This exhibit, which will run from Thursday, March 15, until Thursday, March 29, in the FAC Lusty Gallery, includes the carvings of members of the Orangeburg Wood Carving Club. It features the works of Dr. Robert Moe, Heyward O'Cain, Jack McMakin, and Butch Norris. The wood-turned art of Dr. Ben Pendarvis and furniture by Joseph Thompson will also be exhibited, as well as the marquetry of Christie West. 

A Meet-the-Artist reception, which is open to the public, will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 20, but the exhibit runs from Thursday, March 15, to Thursday, March 29.

"The exhibit is exquisite," said Thomas, director of the FAC. "Dr. Pendarvis has candlesticks, pepper mills, six styles of ichibana, wine stoppers and bowls in Bradford pear, sycamore, cherry, oak, pine, maple, poplar -- you name it! I think if it grows, he's turned it!

"And Joseph Thompson's furniture -- have you seen it? He has several different style chairs, three styles of barstools, tables, a writing desk -- he's been busy -- and the wood that he used .... It's all the natural finish and it's oiled and you just wipe it with a cloth. And the different colors when it ages -- it's just beautiful.

"Christy West has about 30 pieces of marquetry. A lot of them are figurines but many are floral designs. It's all inlaid wood, so it's two-dimensional art. It's all on the wall."

All of the wood carvers were putting their art up Wednesday night, so Thomas had only seen a few pieces. "There are several different birds that Dr. Moe has done, and Heyward O'Cain has carved a duck nesting and another one sitting on a stump on a base that looks just like water; Heyward said a taxidermist taught him how to make it look like that."

Thomas was eager to see the carvings of Norris and McMakin, who also makes furniture.

Just about everything is for sale, she said. "It's a show, an exhibit and a sale. This show provides a unique chance for this community to see a different visual art form." 

For additional information call the center at 536-4074. The FAC is located at 649 Riverside Drive in Orangeburg.

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