COLUMBIA, SC — Art lovers have a new option for viewing and creating art in the Rosewood community.

Redbird Studio and Gallery, at 2757 Rosewood Drive, will host a grand opening from 5 to 8 tonight with refreshments, raffles and special deals.

“It’s really kind of like my dream gallery,” said Virginia Scotchie, head of ceramics at the University of South Carolina.

Scotchie is opening the facility with Bri Kinard, who will be studio manager and instructor. Kinard, a USC graduate, earned a master’s of fine arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Crafts in New York.

The gallery will feature art in a variety of formats – from drawings and paintings to jewelry and pottery – from 15 emerging to established artists. Most are artists that have never shown their work in Columbia, Scotchie said.

What you won’t find at the gallery are pictures of sunflowers and palmetto trees, greeting cards and bars of soap, Scotchie said. While those things have a place, Redbird is geared toward more abstract art.

The idea was to “highlight artists whose work I respect, unique pieces,” Scotchie said. “They’re not easy art.”

Shows will rotate every four to six weeks with prices ranging from $25 to $2,000, she said.

“We just really wanted something contemporary and cutting edge in Columbia,” Scotchie said.

The studio will offer a full array of classes, including date nights, open studio and children’s classes.

The business partners picked the location because they said they wanted to help bring life back to an area they feel has been neglected, Scotchie said.

“It’s starting to change,” she said. “We’d like to see Rosewood … become something a little more eclectic ... with places where people from Shandon and Rosewood walk.”

Shop shorts

•  Art is also on display – and for sale – at the Trenholm Artist Guild’s holiday market, being held through Dec. 15 at 4711 Forest Drive, next to Piggly Wiggly. The more than 40-year-old guild is featuring pieces from 75 local artists in a variety of sizes and prices.

•  Home Furniture on Lake Murray Boulevard in Irmo recently added a “ready to finish” furniture gallery, selling unfinished and custom-finished pieces from the Whitewood Line. The line features dining room, kitchen, bedroom and children’s furniture, as well as harder to find specialty pieces, the store said.