Page 40 - Lachicotte 2020

Betsy Havens Jim Arnold

Known for her ethereal cityscapes and street scenes, Betsy Havens has made a career of blending Lots of people pick up hobbies later in life, and that’s just what happened to Jim Arnold and photography.
her love for travel and her aptitude for architecture into her work. In a way, photography was in his blood. His grandfather and uncle were both photographers, but Arnold didn’t
pick up a camera in earnest until about five years ago.
Educated at the University of Georgia and the University of South Carolina, Havens earned a
Bachelor of Arts in Design and did post-graduate work in the History of Architecture and Southern “Photography – since I can’t paint,
Literature. Her education and formal training, combined with her penchant for worldwide travels carve or write – is the perfect way for
elicit great inspiration for her paintings of people, land and architecture. me to express myself,” Arnold reflects.
“A picture, hopefully, is composed well,
Over the years, Havens has painted her own interpretation of Medieval and Renaissance knights interesting and tells a story. That is what I
of Europe, domes of Byzantium, landscapes of Tuscany and southern France, and the bustling try to accomplish with each shot.”
metropolitan sidewalks of New York City.
Arnold, who uses a digital single-lens
“Street scenes just come to reflex camera, says he’s learned from
me,” Havens admits. “They reading books and articles as well as
simply come out of the researching online. However, Arnold
end of my brush whether I has found the most important teacher
like it or not. When I go up is experience.
to the canvas, I don’t fight
what’s coming out.” “The best way to learn is by practicing
and trying different techniques and
Always pushing her craft settings,” Arnold says.
in new directions, Havens’
most recent endeavor is Although he only has one photography class under his belt, Arnold has still produced well-crafted and well-
more free association by received images of Pawleys Island. Many of his photos have been shared widely on Facebook from the page “I
brush. While it is, as she Love Pawleys Island” and “Seajimrun Photography.” Arnold says he’s constantly inspired by the iconic structures
says, “a departure from the and boundless nature found on the island.
rest of my painting life,” the
result is a splendid medley “Pawleys Island has always been my inspiration,” Arnold says. “There is beauty everywhere you look, from the
of Havens’ favorite things. creeks to the ocean and all in between. Our world is an amazing place if we only open our senses.”

“It’s very spontaneous,” Havens says. “I try to have nothing in mind. I just let my feelings, my
emotions, my past and what has passed before me come out on the canvas.” Since he works full-time as a regional salesman, Arnold is taking the slow
and steady approach to his hobby with the hopes leaving his amateur
Havens’ work is sought after by private and corporate collectors and she has regular exhibits photographer status for part-time professional sometime soon. Along with
along the South Carolina coast, including LePrince Fine Art in Charleston. Havens, along with her his wife Lisa, Arnold is producing a book of Pawleys-inspired photos and
husband and fellow artist James Calk, moved to Georgetown full time more than 20 years ago. poems that will be released in late 2020.
Her art can be viewed on Facebook or at calkhavensgallery.com.

36 Local Artists | Lords Proprietors