31 Aug Artzilla – Live Painting in 2026 Festival
For two decades, Artzilla has brought the creative process to life during Arts in the Heart of Augusta. What began in 2006 as ART45, a small group of local artists gathering to paint live during the festival, has grown into a beloved tradition and an energetic celebration of Augusta’s creative community. This year, we are thrilled to welcome Emily Bender, Katie Scarborough, Porkchop, Jacki Mayo Van Dyke, Tatiana Liu, Blaine Prescott, Foltz Studio, A.C. Daniel, PASC, and Tiphiknee De Herrera to the Artzilla lineup. Throughout the weekend, festivalgoers can experience these talented local artists creating their work in real time, from the first brushstroke on a blank canvas to a finished piece of art.
Artzilla is a collective of Augusta-area artists working across a wide range of styles and mediums, including painting, illustration, graphic art, mixed media, and more. Over the years, dozens of local creatives have participated, transforming the simple act of making art into a shared public experience. Today, the group continues that spirit beyond the festival through regular live painting meetups at locations throughout the community, bringing artists and audiences together and offering a behind-the-scenes look at the sometimes messy, yet always fascinating creative process.
During Arts in the Heart, Artzilla gives festivalgoers a front-row seat to creativity in action. Watch as blank canvases become one-of-a-kind works of art over the course of the 2.5 day weekend. Whether you are an artist yourself, an art collector, or simply curious about how a masterpiece comes together, stop by the Artzilla booth, meet the artists, and enjoy a peek behind the curtain that makes Augusta’s arts community so special.
About the Artists:
Foltz Studio
Alex Foltz is a Contemporary Realist artist living in Augusta Georgia. Growing up in the mountains of Vermont, Foltz was drawn to the beauty of nature as a child, and quickly developed an interest in portraiture at the age of 12. He has since taken to painting in oils, regularly combining his love of nature, and figurative art in his work: often depicting emotional states or philosophical concepts as scenes for the viewer to explore.
A.C. Daniel
CSRA based artist A.C. Daniel has been drawing and painting just about as long as he’s been alive. He’s spent the last few years mastering his pen and ink style and painting murals when given the opportunity. Charcoal and pastel works are a big focus lately. A.C. is currently enjoying teaching middle school art classes at the Episcopal Day School and Aiken Senior Life Services.
Emily Bender
My name is Emily Bender and I do creative things. I am a designer and artist focusing on fiber art, hand-painted murals and digital art in the Southeastern United States.
Tatiana Liu
Tatiana Liu is a multidisciplinary artist, creating images that touch upon various themes, including scientific and anatomical imagery. She works in ink, graphite, digital colors and paint. Her goal is to blend various elements to create beautiful and yet curious illustrations.
Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman
Augusta artist Leonard “Porkchop” Zimmerman has spent decades transforming everyday spaces into joyful works of art. Known for his colorful murals, imaginative characters, and community-centered creative projects, Zimmerman continues to shape Augusta’s cultural landscape through public art that invites people to smile, explore, and connect.
Jacki Mayo Van-Dyke
Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, Jacki was inspired to create art at a young age after watching her mother draw. She now explores themes of space, sea, and multidimensional dream worlds as a way to process her thoughts and explore her own consciousness. Through her art, Jacki hopes to inspire others to question their perceptions and look beyond the realities of everyday life.
PASC
PASC (Jon Paschal) is an Augusta-based artist known for his bold, colorful style blending graffiti, street art, cartooning, and retro ’80s Synthwave influences. Working across murals, traditional media, and digital art, PASC uses bright colors and crisp lines to create memorable imagery that sparks conversation and evokes emotion. His distinctive “PASC style” has become a recognizable part of Augusta’s local art scene, including his colorful monster mural on the 5th Street Freedom Bridge.
Tiphiknee De Herrera
Tiphiknee De Herrera is a contemporary surrealist artist based in Augusta, Georgia. Her work blends figurative realism with dark fantasy, sensuality, and symbolic imagery. Exploring themes of transformation, identity, duality, and the subconscious.
Originally from Oregon, Tiphiknee is a self-taught oil and acrylic painter, and digital illustrator. She teaches these forms of art to adults in her home studio, as well as at Gertrude Herbert Institute of Art in down town Augusta.
Blaine Prescott
Blaine Prescott is a local artist born in Augusta Georgia. He writes short stories, songs, and then he turns them into paintings. His work is often surreal and can reflect the shadow self. He focuses on environmental issues by the personification of animals and creatures he pulls from his dreams. His paintings illustrate deep, conceptual issues that force you into self discovery and conversation. Blaine Prescott is driven by imagination and prefers to be thought of as an imagineer rather than a painter, creative writer, and musician.