Page 14 - Georgetown NCG 2019

BRENDA AUSTIN M.P. “SQUEAKY”
TURNER BOND SWENSON

CANDLE MAKER PHOTOGRAPHER CONTEMPORARY LANDSCAPE PAINTER

• Grew up in Bandy, VA • Grew up in Conway, SC • Grew up in Hell Hole Swamp in the Frances Marion
• Bought a vacation home on Pawleys Island 20 years ago • Murrells Inlet resident National Forest in Berkeley County
• Moved here full time 2 years ago • Austin Bond, Photography • Publisher of the Coastal Observer
• Creator of WISH Candle • Majored in English at Clemson University
Q: What was your entrance into photography? • Moved to Georgetown County after college
Q: What inspired you to open WISH? What sparked A: “I lived at the parsonage on Belin’s campus when we
the idea? moved here. The sanctuary is positioned right next to Q: What do you enjoy most about living in this area?
A: “Candle making was my hobby…years ago. After my Murrells Inlet. When you walk out the front door of A: “Well, I have to tell you, I’ve traveled a lot, and I feel like the
husband passed away, I was up in the middle of the night the sanctuary you’ve got this glorious view of the inlet. coast of South Carolina is probably one of the most beautiful
one night making candles. And I thought about trying to And there’s a large cross…I was just blown away by how places in the world. And that’s what I love about living here.
create a message in a candle. At that moment the idea came beautiful things were down here. I would take It’s the only place on the East Coast where a river runs
to me that I should create a candle that would hold a pictures…put them on my personal Facebook…and parallel with the ocean. To me you have the best of all
handwritten letter or message…I’ve always had a passion I got a lot of response from that. People would worlds here. You’ve got the ocean. You’ve got the marsh.
for making wishes. And when I decided I was going to start sometimes ask me if they could buy my photos. When I And you’ve got the river.”
making the WISH candles, I decided I was going to make started getting questions like that, I thought, well maybe
them out of 100% pure beeswax…it’s a wax that cleanses there’s something more to this.” Q: How does this area inspire your work?
the air and sparks creativity.” A: “When I was an English major, I wrote a lot of poetry. And I
Q: What is your favorite spot in Georgetown County? continued to write poetry as I got older. But I realized
Q: What is the next step for WISH Candle? A: “I do love Huntington Beach State Park, from the beach that…you can convey a message a lot quicker visually than
A: “I’m in the process of looking for other creative people to the causeway, which has an incredible view of the you can with the written word. So, I try…for my paintings
and artists…I feel like we are at such a crossroads. Our inlet, and all the different types of wildlife that are there. to be visual poetry…I like to communicate feelings and
daily lives have been taken over by technology, and From the alligators to so many different bird species, emotions. That’s very important to me. Water is an
the more we communicate on a technical level the less we to seeing the blue crabs in the water, it is an incredible important symbol in my work. It shows up all the time.
communicate with each other. My mission is to bring people place. I love walking or riding my bike on the beach to And I think that’s because I’m so influenced by my proximity
together to communicate not only through the handwritten the jetties…That whole area is so gorgeous and I’m just to water. I mean, I grew up on the water. I grew up on the
word, but through the things they make with their hands so thankful for the Huntington family who provided this Santee River. And some of my most wonderful memories
and create.” land…It’s in its natural state. One of my favorite things are out fishing with my Daddy on that river, into the edges
to see fly by is of course the bald eagles that live there. of Winyah Bay and the Santee Delta. All of that has
Q: What would you like a new resident or business It’s such an incredible moment when you see one soar influenced who I am and my art.”
prospect to know about Georgetown County? past. They’re just so huge and beautiful.”
A: “My mission this year is to find other people in the Q: What is your favorite spot in Georgetown County?
Georgetown area who also have a passion for making Q: What would you tell a new resident or business A: “About five years ago, I moved into doing these landscapes.
things, and to have them come into the shop and share prospect about Georgetown County? I just wanted to do them. And I think that was because
what they’re making. We have a bulletin board where we A: “There are just so many hidden secrets. I’ve lived here every day I walk down to the Waccamaw River…and look
like to put up information about other artists. So, we can eight years and I still discover things each week that just over this bluff that looks over the river. It’s just…I can’t get
share their stories with people who come in.” blow me away. And then you’ve got the obvious it out of my head. It just keeps popping up. That view of
things…like how valuable the Murrells Inlet MarshWalk looking down on the river and the marshland.”
is as far as great restaurants. A great place for tourists
and locals.”

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