Stormwater Studios Resident Artists

David Yaghjian Featured in London Exhibition

Congratulations to Stormwater Studios Resident Artist David Yaghjian, whose small oil painting, Standing by the Door, has been selected for the Hampstead Art Society Summer Exhibition at Gallery 8 in London, UK. The exhibition will be open to the public July 7–13, 2026.

This marks another international recognition for Yaghjian’s work. His painting Leaf Blower was selected for the Hampstead Art Society’s 2025 Summer Exhibition, and his drawing Covid in the Mirror was included in the organization’s 2025 Winter Exhibition.

Founded and run by artists, the Hampstead Art Society promotes artistic excellence through annual exhibitions that welcome submissions from both U.K. and international artists. Selected works are chosen by an expert panel of judges and exhibited in a prestigious London gallery.

A Columbia native, Yaghjian has built a distinguished career spanning decades, exhibiting throughout the Southeast and internationally. His work has been featured in the South Carolina Biennial multiple times, included in the book 100 Southern Artists, and displayed in the American Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. His paintings are held in the collections of the South Carolina State Museum and the Greenville County Art Museum.

Gerard Erley Featured in Two National Oil Painters of America Exhibitions

Congratulations to Stormwater Studios Resident Artist Gerard Erley, whose work has been selected for two national juried exhibitions presented by the Oil Painters of America.

Erley’s painting, Copper Mug with Garlic and Onions, is currently on view in the 2026 National Exhibition at the Steamboat Art Museum in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and will remain on display through August 29, 2026. The work transforms a collection of everyday objects into a carefully observed study of light, reflection, and form. Drawn to the nuances of the copper mug’s metallic surface and the interplay of reflections among the surrounding objects, Erley describes the bright garlic bulbs as “musical notes rising and falling”—a sparkling counterpoint to the deeper tones of the onions.

His work will also be featured in the 2026 National Salon at Cassens Fine Art in Hamilton, Montana, on view July 31–August 29, 2026. His selected painting, Rising Royal, is one of Erley’s imagined nocturnal landscapes. While representational in nature, depicting an ascending moon, the image is not based on a specific observed scene. Instead, it draws from a lifetime of experiences viewing moons in nature and throughout the history of painting, creating a personal and poetic interpretation of the night sky.

Reflecting on these opportunities, Erley shared that he is grateful to exhibit his work in such respected venues and hopes his paintings will resonate with those who encounter them.

Please join us in congratulating Gerard on these significant national recognitions.