Camden Art Shoppes | February 4 – March 24, 2026
Camden Art Shoppes is proud to present the Landscape Juried Art Competition, a vibrant showcase celebrating the beauty, diversity, and artistic excellence of South Carolina’s landscape painters and fiber artists. This highly anticipated exhibition highlights the remarkable talent of artists from across the state, each offering a unique interpretation of the natural world—from serene rural pathways to luminous gardens and richly textured mountain vistas.
About the Competition & Exhibition
Judge: Pamela Bowers
Exhibit Dates: February 4, 2026 – March 24, 2026
Meet the Artists Reception: Thursday, March 5, 2026 | 5:00–7:00 PM
(Enjoy art, hors d’oeuvres, and wine while meeting the exhibiting artists.)
Location: Camden Art Shoppes
1011 Broad Street, Camden, SC 29020
Located along the TenEleven Galleria Building Painted Riverwalk
This competition is open exclusively to South Carolinian artists, making it a powerful representation of the state’s creative voice and regional inspiration. The exhibition explores landscape not only as scenery, but as emotion, memory, craftsmanship, and place.
Award Winners
🥇 First Place – Terri Carter
Awarded First Place in the Landscape Juried Competition, this captivating work by Terri Carter exemplifies the enduring appeal of contemporary Impressionism. Carter masterfully channels the plein air tradition, using expressive, layered brushstrokes and a warm, luminous palette to capture the quiet beauty of a rustic farmhouse nestled within an overgrown countryside. The golden grasses, softened tree line, and weathered red roof are rendered with a balance of structure and atmosphere, allowing the home to emerge naturally from its surroundings. Her technique—marked by rich texture, subtle glazing, and harmonious earth tones—creates both depth and emotional resonance, inviting viewers into a serene, nostalgic landscape. The painting’s award-winning status underscores not only its technical excellence but also its ability to connect with audiences through its timeless celebration of rural charm and painterly elegance.
“Strong composition, balance, feeling of place, memory title engaging.” –Pamela Bowers
🥈 Second Place – Yvonne DeBandi
Awarded Second Place in the Landscape Juried Competition, this striking wool painting by Yvonne DeBandi showcases the expressive potential of fiber as a fine art medium. Through meticulous needle-felting techniques, DeBandi builds layered textures that create sculptural depth and vibrant color interplay. The bold, striated mountain rises dramatically against a glowing sunset sky, while rolling hills and silhouetted birds animate the composition. The tactile surface catches light in dynamic ways, bridging traditional fiber arts with contemporary landscape design. The award reflects both technical mastery and the emotional resonance achieved through this richly dimensional approach.
“Beautiful color, design. Strong composition with wool.” –Pamela Bowers
🥉 Third Place – Barbara Yongue
Awarded Third Place, Barbara Yougue’s evocative landscape captures the quiet poetry of the countryside with understated elegance. A gentle path leads viewers into a luminous green field toward a distant farmhouse nestled at the tree line. Through subtle tonal shifts and atmospheric perspective, Yougue creates depth and tranquility. Her restrained palette and thoughtful composition invite contemplation, embodying the peaceful spirit of rural South Carolina.
“Poetic quality, atmosphere, sense of space, unusual composition.” –Pamela Bowers
🎖 Honorable Mention – R. Joyce Moran
Receiving Honorable Mention, R. Joyce Moran’s luminous watercolor celebrates the charm of a rustic homestead bathed in soft natural light. Fluid brushwork and transparent washes bring freshness and immediacy to the scene, while vibrant greens and expressive trees frame the welcoming structure. The piece radiates warmth and accessibility, highlighting the enduring appeal of watercolor in landscape expression.
“Sense of place, freshness, line quality, use of white of paper.” –Pamela Bowers
🎖 Honorable Mention – Forrest Fortier
Also receiving Honorable Mention, Forrest Fortier’s enchanting garden landscape draws viewers into a tranquil retreat. A graceful white footbridge arches over reflective water, surrounded by vibrant pink blossoms and towering trees. Rich color saturation and layered brushwork create immersive depth and serenity. The composition’s balance of structure and reflection transforms the scene into a timeless sanctuary of light and color.
“Original, interesting, ambitious, mythical feeling of place.“–Pamela Bowers
People’s Choice Award – ???
Come vote for your favorite at Camden Art Shoppes. Winner revealed at the Award Presentation during the 3/5/26 Reception. Let your vote be counted!
ABOUT PAMELA BOWERS, Competition Judge
Pamela J. Bowers is a painter living and working in rural South Carolina amid rivers, streams, woods, and coastal lowlands. Having retired from teaching Studio Art at the University of South Carolina she now runs an arts and wellness studio for the public called Fern Song Studio. Her work is rooted in nature and attentive to the fragile boundary between seeing and feeling—between sight and touch.
Early in her practice, Bowers pursued travel, residencies, and extended stays in remote and culturally rich environments, including wilderness areas of Southeast Asia, southern China, and North Africa as well as Europe, particularly Italy. These encounters deepened her relationship to place—shaping her work through both cultural exchange and direct elemental experience. This sensibility continues to inform her work.
Her exhibitions span the United States and internationally across galleries, universities, museums, and cultural centers. Her work is held in numerous private and public collections. She currently divides her time between the wooded lowlands of South Carolina and the hills of Umbria, Italy, where landscape, light, silence and a passion for looking, feeling and connection continue to shape her work.
Join Us
We invite you to experience the Landscape Juried Art Competition in person and celebrate the creativity flourishing across South Carolina. Whether you are a collector, an artist, or simply an admirer of fine art, this exhibition offers an inspiring journey through diverse interpretations of landscape.
Be sure to attend the Meet the Artists Reception on March 5, 2026, from 5:00–7:00 PM for an opportunity to connect with the talented artists behind these remarkable works while enjoying refreshments in the welcoming setting of Camden Art Shoppes.
Come explore, connect, and celebrate the landscapes that shape our stories.
