VALDOSTA – The local art scene consists of theatre, painters, photographers and musicians – all of which may be considered typical mediums to most people. 

Art also comes in forms not traditionally thought of including architecture, interior design and landscaping.

This report explores the artistic aspect of those chosen careers.

The Art of Architecture

When people ride past Scintilla Charter Academy or CrossPointe Church, they are looking at the work of Bruce Smith.

Smith has a strong art presence around town, specifically in his role as president of the Public Art Advisory Committee.

But the enthusiast crosses paths with art in another way.

While Smith has previously been a watercolor painter, he has changed his focus to designing buildings.

He works as an architect for Studio 8 Design Architecture on North Oak Street.

Beginning his career more than 40 years ago, he has worked both in Valdosta and Atlanta. He is registered in Georgia, Florida, Alabama and South Carolina.

“The creative part of architecture involves an understanding of what colors work well together and what colors tend to fight each other,” Smith said.

“An understanding of proportions and textures as well as contrasting materials are critical to the creative aspect of architectural design.”

It’s the principles of scale, proportions, colors, textures and human scale that relate typical art to this form of unconventional art, he said.

Prior to the construction of a building, Smith draws a blueprint of how the structure will appear.

While some clients enter his office knowing exactly what they want, Smith said he has free range to design and be creative on rare occasion.

His creativity with design is limited to client preferences, budget limitations and code requirements.

Smith has designed Destin Commons, a shopping mall in Destin, Fla., small retails and office spaces throughout his registered states as well as a board of regents building.

“I consider architecture to be a form of sculpture. Buildings are three-dimensional, and when they are well-designed, they convey a positive impression to the observer,” he said.

“Likewise, when a building is poorly designed, it usually conveys a negative impression. In this sense, well-designed architecture is a form of art that can significantly contribute to a community or to society in general.”

Email bsmith@s8darchitects.com or call (229) 244-1188 to contact Smith.

Rooms of Art

Matching samples of floor tile to samples of countertops, Erin McCloud spent one early morning assisting her client with selections for a bathroom remodel.

An interior designer for Mizell Floor Covering and Interiors, she helps clients navigate their way through decorating their homes from start to finish.

“Interior design and art, they’re very similar,” said McCloud, who has been in the profession for 10 years.

To assist clients with readying a room for new design, McCloud works with them to “gut” it out.

She does fabric and wallpaper matches and furniture placement, but there is far more to interior designing than matching colors and patterns.

McCloud draws out concept sketches that provide a visualization for clients. For example, she has artistically structured how a shower is going to look based on client preferences.

“I try to work with their needs and requests and kind of make it what they envision,” she said.

A traditional artistic background is beneficial in interior designing, McCloud said.

The nontraditional art form requires a person to take art courses to learn skills such as two-dimensional and three-dimensional design.

“When you first start out, you do a lot of the hand-sketching and spacial awareness,” McCloud said.

Decorators must learn about proportions, codes and budget limitations – all similar to architecture.

Budgets cause McCloud to be creative in her efforts to decorate a room, a condition she said she doesn’t mind.

Similar to some traditional artists, she said she enjoys mixing typical and nontypical elements. For instance, she doesn’t like to create symmetry.

She said while traditional artists focus on their personal tastes, an interior designer must center on the client’s taste.

Call (229) 244-2333 to contact McCloud. 

Exterior Decorators

Chris Weeks has always had an eye for landscaping.

He has been in the industry for more than 23 years with 15 years spent owning Weeks Landscaping and Irrigation.

Landscaping, in its own artistic form, does more than make a yard look appealing.

Weeks said it makes a home look beautiful and increases its value.

“Landscaping is artwork with the colors you use and your design and layout,” he said. “Landscapers have tools like artists do.”

Weeks Landscaping does trimming, fountain installations, koi pond installations, puts out mulch and lays straw to name a few services.

“There’s a lot of different things you can do to make everything more aesthetically pleasing,” he said.

Items, such as shrubs, can add color to a yard.

Weeks is sometimes asked to draw out his plans before working, relating him to more conventional artists. He said this could take several hours.

He calls a yard with no landscaping a blank canvas, and he calls landscapers exterior decorators.

“A yard without landscaping is boring,” he said. “The landscaping can make a house. Landscaping is art on the outside, and paintings are art on the inside.”

Call (229) 891-8555 to contact Weeks Landscaping.