For years, North Bryan County’s rural beauty has been an inspiration for photographer Glenda Carter and painter Carol Duggar.

The two North Bryan natives recently put their inspiration on display for everyone else, holding a four-day exhibit of their work from May 6-9.

"This exhibit came about out of our shared interest in documenting, in photographs and paintings, the landscapes along the roads we travel," Duggar said, "and the familiar structures we see so often in our home town and our need to bring attention to the value they add to their lives."

Approximately 125 people attended the exhibit, which was held in downtown Pembroke on Bacon Street in space donated by Hector Lopez.

"He was very kind to donate the space for the week," Duggar said. "Money is always important. You need money. But it’s also people that drive the art and it’s contributions like his lone of the space that make it happen."

Those who attended got an eyeful of dozens of photographs and paintings of North Bryan landscapes, buildings, people and places.

"We are surrounded by so much art right here in our own community," said Carter, who retired as Human Resources Administrator for the Savannah Airport Commission to become a full time photo artist. "We felt it was very important for the community to somehow promote the arts and we felt we could be a part of that by having this exhibit."

Both women said their first exhibit went well and another could be on its way in the fall. Duggar, who was born and raised in Pembroke and now lives on her family farm after years spent traveling, said she and Carter hope to add more North Bryan artists to the mix by then. And it’s clear neither woman is through finding inspiration from the place they call home.

"It’s a continuing project," Duggar said. "There’s a lot more we can photograph and paint. We’re still taking our journey."

The two are members of Arts on the Coast and Carter also belongs to the International Freelance Photographer’s Association. Duggar is also a member of Statesboro Regional Art Association and Oil Painters of America.

They hope to display their work in businesses in Pembroke as a way to bring more attention to the arts and share their work with others.

"Arts are part of the fiber of small towns just like they are in metro communities," Duggar said. "They flourish in small towns. We want to offer an experience for people we know ... with the people we know."