Flat Out Under Pressure Art Competition

The Greenville, SC art community is a vibrant one, which is why so many artists come out to compete in the Flat Out Under Pressure (FOUP) 24-hour art making competition at Metropolitan Arts Council every June. I’ve done it for many years now, and each time, I still bite off WAY more than I can chew. But somehow I always get it done!

After much debate (with myself) in the weeks leading up the competition, I decided to create what I do bet: a mixed media fiber art landscape. I always toy with trying something wildly different, something outside of my usual subject matter or medium, but as tempting as it is, this competition is not the time to take a risk, it’s the time to shine and show your best work.

The round landscape uses wool fabric strips (rug hooking techniques), various sizes of yarn (punch needle techniques), wool fiber (needle felting techniques) and some embroidery for the flowers. I was up late, I was up early, and I had only an hour to spare when all was said and done.

Over 100 Greenville artists participate in the competition. We all show up at the MAC office Friday morning to get our work surface stamped, we go work work work in our studios, then we return the finished piece 24 hours later. The competition exhibition is amazing to see in person - all these incredible works of art created in the same time, in only a day. It’s truly impressive! Although my work did not win, it sold in about 20 minutes, so it was a great way to end Flat Out Under Pressure 2026 and I’m already looking forward to next year!