From The Gallery

Welcome to Collectors Corner!

Recognized and acclaimed regional artists have captured the beauty of the South Brunswick Islands. Their art describes and defines the essence of the coastal region and the ambiance that draws visitors back year after year. These contemporary artists live among us and have recorded in their art the culture, history and lore of the area. Click on an artist’s name and another page will open, containing a sample of their work and a brief biography. The works shown are available at Collector’s Corner.

Ivey Hayes

“When you see me paint something, it’s not about that image…. I stress the importance of color, emotion and composition.”
Ivey Hayes was born and raised in rural southeastern North Carolina and educated at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro where he received a Master’s degree in Studio Painting. Initially, he painted realistic rural scenes with watercolors as his medium. In 1994 his religious beliefs led him to seek after God and he believes that God gave him a new direction and a new focus for his work. He began to paint expressive colorful scenes using acyrlic paints straight from the tube to create paintings full of color, life and emotion. Ivey has been a professional artist for over thirty years and still resides in his hometown of Rocky Point.

Susan Dade

“Since coming to North Carolina I’ve been able to concentrate solely on painting. I was inspired by the Southport area and longed to paint the boats and marsh scenes. Now that I’ve painted so many landscapes of the area, I’m starting to loosen my approach as I find new subjects to capture.”

A graduate of the prestigious Parsons School of Design, Susan began her career as a high fashion illustrator for Womens Wear Daily and Glamour Magazine. After her stint in the fashion world, Susan went on to teach in various New York art schools. Tired of years of hectic city life she was ready for a change of pace and a warmer climate. Having vacationed in the area Susan and her husband moved to Brunswick County. Now, instead of sketching models, she paints landscapes, waterfronts and marshes. Her paintings are free and loose, yet detailed. Her palette is bold, colorful and expressive. As a water-colorist, her style is uniquely her own.

Martha Lee

“When I experience something that excites me, a passion stirs within me to paint that image as I remember it.”

Martha Lee, a self taught watercolor artist, expresses her love of nature and God’s creations through her painting. Martha is truly a salt water baby, an avid salt water fishing enthusiast, and for twenty years has painted images depicting sport fishing and the beauty and peaceful feeling of coastal living.

Bryan Varnam

“Art is the painter’s way of telling a story. The story I like to tell is of a way of life which is vanishing and of the unspoiled beauty of the area.”
Bryan began painting as a child and has been a professional artist for the last thirty-six years. He has a passion for capturing on canvas the everyday lives of the commercial fishermen and for creating paintings which capture the beauty of coastal and rural areas. Bryan is a lifelong resident of Brunswick County and lives with his wife, Tami in Varnamtown

Ken Buckner

“I explore beauty with my camera. The photographs show the journey.”
Ken Buckner was born in Ohio and educated at the University of Michigan and at the Art Center College of Design in California. After achieving acclaimed success in advertising in New York and Los Angeles, he turned to fine art. Ken’s love of nature prompted him to move to North Carolina, where he pursued a career in painting and nature photography. In 1990 he established Doe Creek Gallery.  He is recently divorced. This unique gallery is devoted to aesthetic realism. It is located on Ocean Highway 17 in Supply, North Carolina.

V Ryan Lauzon

“There is joy in the pursuit of painting. It is finding yourself in the world around us and in family and friends.”
V. Ryan Lauzon has been producing award winning paintings for more than twenty years. She studied at the Art Institute of Chicago, the University of Kansas, and the Columbus School of Art in Columbus, Georgia and for two years with the acclaimed portrait artist, Jean Pilk in Washington, D.C.. Her work captures the excitement and fun which children have as they discover nature and play on the beach. She also paints coastal scenes and landmarks