Story by Hailey Wist
Photographs by Lindsey Shorter

As the tide rose in Cinder Creek and an egret stepped soundlessly through the marsh grass, six Kiawah kids stared thoughtfully at the horizon, considering the color green.

Playing outside is fundamental to childhood, to the cultivation of imagination and wonder. On Kiawah Island, children are free to roam—to ride bikes, swim in the ocean, and spend summer afternoons in the crow’s nest of a giant treehouse. It is on Kiawah that these kids learn the difference between a heron and an egret, how to surf and kayak, and where to look for the nests of sea turtles. 

Nature affects the mind of a child in dramatic ways, enhancing physical, emotional, and cognitive skills. And art—painting, writing, dramatic play—is like the other half of the whole—fostering emotional development and identity. to create art in nature? Now that is a worthwhile endeavor. On a breezy morning in late June, Charleston-based artist Sheryl Stalnaker taught a plein air painting workshop to six Kiawah kids. The experience was magic.

“I love to watch kids get in a flow state. They get really calm and start to observe the world around them. They are standing behind their easels tuning into sights and sounds—the birds and the wind. There’s something about that that resonates with them. That’s how they feel like real artists. And a small group like this is free to experiment and play. It is a very mindful way to be outside.

When you paint plein air, you are painting the smells, the weather—the energy of the day and setting. My goal is to teach them to paint the feeling.

In the Lowcountry, we have endless shades of greens. The limey-yellow green of the marsh, blue-teal greens, dark greens of the maritime forest, and light mossy greens. To see this kaleidoscope, you have to quiet yourself and really observe. And when children start really observing, they can see the nuance.

There are so many different levels to the landscape here. We have the flat marsh grass, the height of palmettos, and live oaks. We have big skies, expansive landscapes. And the water! I love painting water—winding creeks and rivers, the ocean.” 

PAINTING OUTSIDE THE LINES

Painter Sheryl Stalnaker finds inspiration in depicting the beauty of wildlife and aquatic habitats, capturing the essence of these fragile landscapes that are increasingly threatened by human activity. Whether it’s a Lowcountry marsh, an Atlantic coastline, or the rapids of a freshwater river, Sheryl brings each scene to life, capturing the light, movement, and energy with her unique approach to painting.

Stalnaker’s award-winning works have been exhibited in galleries along the East Coast and showcased in juried events like Piccolo Spoleto in Charleston, the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition’s landscape show, ArtFields, and the Telfair Museums’ PULSE Art and Technology Festival in Savannah. A graduate of the University of Washington, her paintings are held in private and corporate collections across the United States, England, and Asia.

“Places like Kiawah are rarer and rarer—these are unspoiled landscapes that I love to paint.”