Patsy Stowe
VAN GOGH VIBES & BEAUFORT PRIDE
story by MICAH PEPPERS photos by SUSAN DELOACH
This July will mark the 69th anniversary of the Beaufort Water Festival. As always, residents and visitors around the Lowcounty will enjoy several days and nights of jam-packed events. The Water Festival theme is “Blue Skies and Starry Nights,” led by this year’s chosen Commodore Todd Stowe; however, Todd isn’t the only one in his family who is playing a role in the festival. His wife of 28 years, Patsy, is also involved. In fact, Patsy’s contribution will be seen on the backs of thousands in attendance.
Patsy, a dedicated art teacher, was asked to design the T-shirt for this year’s festival. “Todd told me about the theme for this year, and he wanted to incorporate Van Gogh. He originally didn’t want to incorporate the water in the image as it is often done, but I was adamant about having the river. He ended up agreeing, and I made the Starry Night as the background,” Patsy explains.
Growing up, Patsy always had a love for art. “My second-grade teacher told my dad I had an eye for artwork, so he arranged art lessons for me. I originally wanted to be an interior designer, but I realized I had to decorate for other people’s tastes. I couldn’t just create with my visions. My oldest sister, who had chosen education as a career and is still a teacher today, inspired me. I originally wanted to be an elementary teacher, but God placed me with the age level I needed to teach and the ability to share my love for visual arts. I love what I do. I have taught all these years and have no desire to stop completely.”
After 30 years of teaching, 28 of which were at Battery Creek High School, Patsy recently retired from Beaufort County School District. Patsy has decided to continue with education and will be teaching full-time at Bridges Preparatory School, a charter school here in Beaufort, as their high school art teacher. “I loved teaching at Battery Creek. “I was sad to say goodbye, but I’m looking forward to my new adventure at Bridges,” she said.
Over the years, Patsy has expanded her artwork outside of the classroom. “Several years ago, I painted ‘The Doorways of Beaufort,’ selling the originals through what was then Indigo Gallery. I sold numbered prints along with notecards of the different doors. Additionally, Main-street Beaufort enlisted me to paint their ‘Night on the Town’ prints for several years. I have and still do commissioned artwork.”
In 1995, Todd began volunteering as staff for the Beaufort Water Festival, gradually working his way to Director, then Coordinator, and this year, the Commodore. Throughout the years, Patsy has stayed personally involved, supporting Todd. “In 2006, Julie Schott and I worked together to create an exhibit celebrating the 50th Water Festival. In 2016, I was asked to design the shirt for that year’s Commodore Chris Canaday, and I’ve also been asked to design the fishing tournament shirt. Last year, one of my students from Battery Creek, Emely Masis, created the T-shirt design for the 68th fishing tournament.”
Both Todd and Patsy are looking forward to attending their 30th Water Festival together. Living in Beaufort since the mid-90s, the couple has embraced the Lowcountry lifestyle and raised two wonderful daughters. Their oldest, Christy, followed in her parents’ footsteps and is a middle school math teacher in Winnsboro, outside of Columbia, South Carolina. Their youngest, Jessie, is entering her senior year at Battery Creek High School. The Stowe family is looking forward to this year’s festivities, with Todd leading the way and Patsy’s beautiful artwork on display all week.
