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Visual Arts - Fall 2011
The HeArt Attack
words: Stacy Huggins
The theme of love is as timeless as, well, time. We’ve seen every kind of love expressed in every kind of way: romantic, friendly, familial, platonic, unrequited. And in every kind of medium: paintings, photographs, film, sculpture, music, dance, theatre. The list goes on.
Filmmaker Justin Nathanson and contemporary art gallery manager Erin Glaze have gathered a talented group of local artists who will create new works on the theme of love. Nothing new there. A percentage of all artwork sold will be donated to the local chapter of the American Heart Association. Noble, but nothing new there either. However, The HeArt Attack—an exhibition positively bursting at the seams with love—is a totally unique event.
What’s new is that just a few short hours before The HeArt Attack’s opening, Nathanson and Glaze will be married. Instead of having a typical reception, these two decided to celebrate with a show of love, quite literally. The HeArt Attack is a wedding reception, art show, rock concert, and benefit all rolled into one sweet little ball, and everyone is invited.
The Local Honeys will set the mood with their unique, acoustic sounds. Later on, the roof-raising rock band The Shaniqua Brown will tear the house down and simultaneously celebrate the release of a new studio album.
To round out the evening, there will be specialty cocktails featuring Van Gogh Vodka, named for the famed artist himself, and a dessert bar, just in case you aren’t already full of sugary sweetness.
The event is free and all are welcome to attend, but they’d really love it if you donate to the American Heart Association. Glaze’s grandfather suffered a massive heart attack earlier this year, and his loss is especially felt during such an exciting time. Nathanson and Glaze teamed up with Meredith Gale of the American Heart Association to raise awareness – heart disease and stroke are the number one killers in South Carolina. Every dollar raised for the AHA can make a real difference.
The HeArt Attack
Saturday, October 15 from 8-11pm
Eye Level Art, 103 Spring Street
Admission free and open to the public (Suggested $10 donation for the American Heart Association at the door)
www.The-HeArt-Attack.com
Kevin E. Taylor
words: Stacy Huggins
Kevin Earl Taylor was born in Charleston in 1972. Taylor grew up skateboarding and listening to heavy metal music, loving animals and art. He always knew he would be an artist, because “it was always what I was best at,” he laughs. He headed south to the prestigious Savannah College of Art and Design, where he earned his bachelors of fine arts in illustration in 1995, before returning home to Charleston.
“In those days there was nowhere to show my work around Charleston,” so during Spoleto one year, he pasted works of art around the city and drew a map for viewers to find them all. Fast forward to present day: Taylor has relocated to San Francisco and now shows with galleries in Charleston, San Francisco, Berlin and online. His work has graced album covers, been in Playboy magazine, and this past August was featured in Berlin’s Circle Culture Gallery Paper Works show.
Taylor’s work has been called dark or even grotesque, but the beauty and the skill cannot be denied. “I kinda laugh about it because people look at the news every day and that’s more dark than anything I could ever paint,” Taylor says. He’s more interested in images that are not quite resolved or that explore a darker side rather than making a ‘perfect’ painting.
He returns to Charleston this fall with his new show Primal Union, which is a dramatic departure from what many people know of his work. The themes of nature, animals and humans are very much still present, but the compositions are dramatically different. These portraits of tribal figures present solitary figures on a stark white background, rather than submerged in a landscape. Moss, barnacles, sticks and other foreign objects adorn or literally sprout out of the subjects. People are the organic matter, and nature emerges out of them, rather than us out of nature, because ultimately there is no separation anyway.
Rebekah Jacob Gallery
169 King Street
843.937.9222
www.rebekahjacobgallery.com
www.kevinearltaylor.com
Lisa Willits
words: Stacy Huggins
Lisa Willits was an artistic kid: painting, drawing, making greeting cards for her family. In high school, she began studying biology because she loved the great outdoors. With her undergraduate and masters degrees in biology, Willits moved to Charleston, where she enrolled in the MUSC graduate program. However, working in a biomedical research lab each day did not satisfy her love of nature, sunlight and all things outdoors.
Willits began taking photography classes at the Gibbes Museum School in the mid 1990’s, where she met and studied with artists Jim Darlington and Rhett Thurman. She explored the gamut of mediums before choosing oil painting, which best allowed her to capture vibrant color. Thurman has been a guiding beacon for Willits and, along with friends and family, gave her the encouragement needed to get her work out there. Willits has also studied with Chris Groves, a landscape and still life painter with a gift for light—a natural fit for Willits’ style.
Her lifelong love of the outdoors translates into atmospheric, tonalist landscapes. “Favorite Time,” depicting a beach pathway at dusk, is a great example of her tonalist style. She likes including things such as telephone poles or watertowers to give her paintings a sense of place. Willits’ work is typically very serene—images that one can happily live with and enjoy every day.
One of her favorite challenges is painting while on the boat. “The Spot” is a scene painted behind Goat Island, a dreamy bit of land between Mount Pleasant and Isle of Palms, which can only be reached by boat. Her thorough knowledge of the local environment allows her to quickly compose reference images on site. “I’m already thinking of how I’m going to mix my paints while I’m still out there,” says Willits.
Back in her studio, Clyde, her adorable yellow Labrador puppy waits patiently for her to create more magical places on her canvases.
27 Wentworth Street
studio visits by appointment
www.lisawillits.com
Tom Potocki
words: Stacy Huggins
Tom Potocki has paint in his blood, almost literally. His father was a painter who worked as a commercial artist, back in the days when real artists painted billboards and such. Potocki has been painting since he was six years old, “and maybe even before that,” he says.
He studied formally at Carnegie Mellon University where he got his BFA in painting and design, then received his MFA from Edinboro University. Potocki spent years teaching fine art at institutions across what he calls the ‘Rust Belt’ of Pennsylvania before moving to Charleston seven years ago. He and his wife live in Hollywood, SC, a 40-minute drive south of Charleston, where his studio is a sanctuary in the middle of the woods, separate from their home. “Art is a private thing, until you exhibit it,” says Potocki.
A reviewer once described Potocki’s paintings as ‘refined graffiti,’ which he embraced. His abstract paintings are an evolution from his classical training, in which he challenges viewers to “let down their preconceived notions of what art is, and use their imagination a little bit.”
His creation process is a physical, tactile one. He often applies paint directly onto the canvas with his hands, and sometimes even uses his whole body to move it around. The physicality of the process is what appeals to him.
Water is another tool that Potocki uses to manipulate the paint, which removes a lot of the artist’s control. While that is a scary idea for many, he enjoys the freedom of this process he’s developed over the years. Water creates an unpredictable element, and sometimes the colors accidentally mix themselves. In this manner, the painting ultimately takes control.
You can see Potocki’s love of paint and process in each canvas, but he wants you to finish his work. “The viewer completes the cycle of creation. I create something, then they complete it by experiencing the work and taking something from it,” he says. Step out of your thinking pattern, head to the Michael Mitchell Gallery, and complete a work of art!
Michael Mitchell Gallery
438 King Street
843.564.0034
www.michaelmitchellcharleston.com
Karole Turner Campbell
words: Stacy Huggins
Growing up in New York City, Karole Turner Campbell’s father took her, along with her siblings and cousins, to the museums every Sunday. She loved spending the day drawing in her sketchbook and taking in the art and history. With a family incredibly supportive of her love of the arts, they were excited for her to attend the High School of Music and Art.
Campbell, or KTC as she’s affectionately known around the community, spent 34 years as an educator in the New York City school districts. By doing so, she was able to participate annually in the Lincoln Center Directors Lab, a life-changing experience for this educator, artist and art appreciator.
As an aesthetics educator in a magnet-style school, she was moved by how aesthetics could be applied to any subject within the arts and beyond. Understanding the aesthetic principles of music or art or dance, she found ways to apply those outside their original realm – into social studies, history, and even law. “The arts are the stuff of life,” is her personal motto, with kudos to playwright William Shakespeare.
Campbell believes that being engaged in the arts makes not just better educators and artists, but better people. She is very active in the local arts community, with organizations like the Charleston Artist Guild, North Charleston Artist Guild, and BAMNN (an acronym for By Any Means Necessary, Now—a group focused on promoting local artists through expanded exhibition opportunities and much more).
This past summer, Campbell exhibited in the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition’s “Black and White Summer Art Show.” She is active in curating exhibits locally, like 2010’s “I-8-TEE” exhibit to raise money for Haiti, and this past summer’s “We Carry These Memories Inside of We,” an art exhibit and poster competition celebrating the 20th anniversary of acclaimed African-American filmmaker Julie Dash’s “Daughters of the Dust.” This explores themes such as Gullah-Geechee cultural traditions, family dynamics, female identity and love among African-American society.
View her work at Gallery Chuma, 43 John Street or the Charleston Artist Guild, 160 East Bay Street.
Karole Turner Campbell
843.608.9172
www.ktcsart.com
Falling in Love with Natalie Holland
words: Olivia Pool
I had the incredible opportunity to chat with internationally known artist Natalie Holland and learn more about how this Russian-born artist speaks her “language” and gets people to fall in love with her very authentic, striking work.
Art Mag: Your bio says you were skilled in both art and music but that your mother wanted you to attend music school. You were more interested in art but did both to appease her. You’re obviously a very driven person. How did those hardworking earlier years affect you?
Natalie Holland: Going through both art and music school in Russia gave me enormous discipline, which people admire in me today. My studio is in my home, and I’m able to work eight hours everyday because of this discipline.
I’m very driven and disciplined because of my education, but also because I want it myself. I experienced a turning point listening to a great Russian pianist when I was younger. I understood something about great masters. That was his language. He wasn’t just playing; he was talking through his instrument. I realized no matter how much I’d train, I’d never be as good. But when I looked at art, the paintings spoke to me. That was my mother tongue. My language was pictures.
AM: Your works often challenge the viewer in the sense that they’re not easy pieces for many people. Have you ever struggled with this?
NH: No, I never struggle with that, and in fact I get fantastic responses from people. I paint things that either inspire or provoke me. My opinion might be faulty, but it doesn’t matter, because it’s my opinion so I voice it. I did this very dark exhibition six years ago on the effects of modern civilization. There were pieces on self-harm and eating disorders—things that often affect young women. I got a lot of feedback about how important my work was to them, and that is a form of payment. I still have a message from a 16-year old girl who had seen the piece on self-harm and saying it was the first time she didn’t feel alone.
It’s like that with artists. If I can touch just one person, then I consider myself successful. That’s what it’s about. As an artist, I want people to understand and react to things.
AM: So it’s more important to you to elicit a reaction in the viewer than it is to sell the pieces?
NH: You know it’s sort of one and the same thing. Artists are a strange breed. Some people try to find that one person that loves them. We artists sort of address the whole world and see whoever will love us. “Here’s my painting. Love me or not.”
Obviously I make my living as an artist; that’s how I pay bills, buy paints, etc. If people buy my work, it’s easier for me to continue to produce. It also says to me, “We love your work so much that we will pay the price you ask.” That is confirmation to me that I’m being loved.
AM: You apprenticed with the famous painter Odd Nerdrum. What was that like?
NH: I spent two years at his studio; he’s very eccentric. He paints the entire day. It’s a passion. You don’t get up and say, “I’ll paint something to pay my bills.” You wake up and your still unfinished painting is the first thing you want to see. He and I are alike in that way. Being his student was a good memory for me.
AM: Is Odd his real first name?
NH: Yes. It’s funny but it’s a very common Norwegian name.
AM: You’ve done several paintings of Oscar Pistorius—obviously a fascinating man, who has been referred to as “the fastest man on no legs,” and nicknamed “Blade Runner.” What inspired you to paint him?
NH: I saw him by chance on TV, then googled him and found out he was born with no legs and that next year he’ll be running in the Olympics against full-body athletes. I immediately wanted to paint him because it’s not often that you encounter someone of that caliber. This shy, 24-year old South African is very normal until he starts to talk about running. When I painted “Blade Runner,” I thought of him as someone who changes, like Clark Kent turns into Superman.
It was a shock when I first saw him without legs, but I quickly forgot about it because Oscar doesn’t think of himself as disabled. That’s exactly what he wants to change—he wants people to see that disability is only in your mind.
Of course I asked him, “Where do you get your driving force?” He said from his mother, who never pitied him or treated him differently. She always told him he can do whatever anyone else can can do.”
AM: You seem to have a similar drive. What drives you?
NH: It’s the same as asking, “Why become an artist?” Your talent is given; you choose whether to develop it or not. In my case, I felt like I didn’t have a choice. It is my passion, my language. I want to make a difference with my art, even if it’s in just one person’s life. That’s what drives me. I want my paintings to be able to touch people even after I’m dead. I suppose it’s a ticket to immortality, for everyone. When I paint a live model, I imagine I might be giving them immortality in the painting.
AM: Tell me about the painting called “Eve” that’s here in Charleston at the M Gallery.
NH: I’m attracted to change and things have evolved so much for women. To me, Eve represents curiosity and being very human. In the painting, Eve is opinionated, looking at you, and not afraid of her femininity, but most of all, she’s curious. I think it’s a great quality because without being curious you’ll never know. Adam didn’t do anything. It was a female that realized to gain knowledge and understanding, you have to act on something. It is human nature. Sometimes it doesn’t go well, but then you know.
AM: Will you be visiting Charleston?
NH: If the people of Charleston love my art and they love me, then I would definitely come.
Natalie Holland
M Gallery
11 Broad Street
843.727.4500
www.mgalleryoffineart.com
ChART Outdoor Initiative & Gallery
words: Maggie Bacon
Geoff Richardson and his wife and business partner Noel spend their days styling hair at Lava Salon, their edgy, funky salon in Avondale, West Ashley. Styling hair is an art form in itself, but Geoff brings art to the community in more ways than one.
On a recent trip to Barcelona, Geoff was inspired by how accessible the art was to the masses there. He loved the open mentality and the outdoor art that created interest and uniqueness and wanted to share it with the local community here. The answer came quickly. Just behind his own salon and the strip of other businesses there in Avondale was an old, unattractive alleyway. With approval from the city and neighboring businesses, Geoff created ChART (Charleston Art Outdoor Initiative and Gallery—a place where local artists could come and create something easily accessible to the public.
Well-known regional street artist Ishmael did the first mural. Soon, artists such as Johnny Pundt, Patch Whisky, Molly Rose Freeman, Ben Sellers, and Haley Hobeika were calling him and asking, “Can I get a wall?!” Due to the craftsmanship of more than ten contributing artists (comprised of an equal mix of men and women), this once ordinary back alleyway has transformed into an outdoor gallery filled with diverse styles that demonstrate some of Charleston’s most interesting young talent.
The alley is a constantly evolving work of art. A second walk through is bound to reveal new discoveries from the first, and when all the walls are taken, they will get painted over. Geoff has lots of plans to keep the initiative growing by potentially including poetry, metal work, and other art forms. There is also talk of having another branch of the project in Park Circle in North Charleston. The hope is to create an entire network of outdoor galleries across the city and connect them using QR codes and the internet. Considering the continual outpouring of support from the community, that hope is bound to become a reality pretty quickly.
Spend the day in funky Avondale and check it out. Get a great haircut from Lava Salon or Strawberry Blonde Salon, grab a glass of wine at Avondale Wine and Cheese or a beer at Gene’s Haufbrau, dinner at Al Di La…And of course, check out the ChART alleyway.
ChART Outdoor Initiative
www.avondalescene.com
Art Destination: Athens
words: Maggie Bacon
Revisiting a Classic
About an hour outside of Atlanta, southern charm meets an eclectic, artistic culture in Athens, Georgia. Creativity abounds in this small town with multiple galleries, museums, theaters, and award-winning restaurants. Athens may be widely acknowledged as a favorite spot for football fans to cheer on the Dawgs, but it is clear this town has much more culture to offer than a Saturday tailgate.
After a two-year expansion project to triple the gallery space and add a sculpture garden, the Georgia Museum of Art is re-opening this coming January. Located on the University of Georgia Campus, it houses more than 9,000 works of art and various traveling exhibitions. Less than two miles away is the Lyndon House Arts Center. Built as an extension of a mid-nineteenth century antebellum home, the LHAC contains six galleries and seven workshop classrooms open to the public.
The Athens Institute for Contemporary Art exhibits more provocative and experimental art and performances from musicians, writers, and other performance artists. Other performing art venues include the Morton Theater, one of the oldest vaudeville theaters in the United States; the Classic Center Theater, host to touring Broadway productions; and Canopy Studio, which exhibits flying dance trapeze.
Athens also boasts a lively music scene with classic venues such as the 40 Watt Club and the Georgia Theater, recently reopened after a fire in 2009, which have both been homebaes for bands such as R.E.M, the B-52’s, and Widespread Panic. All three of these bands actually started becoming famous in Athens.
After a day of touring around this creative city, what better way to end the day than with a delicious meal? Farm 255 serves local, seasonal food with Mediterranean and Southern influences. Vegetables from their five-acre, organic farm are integrated into their menu, which changes daily. Chef Hugh Acheson’s restaurant, called Five and Ten, features a diverse menu with Italian and French influences. Chef Acheson will soon be a judge on the reality TV show, Top Chef.
From visual to performing to culinary arts, the diversity in what Athens has to offer is guaranteed to have something for everyone.
PLAN YOUR NEXT TRIP
www.visitathensga.com
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Visual Arts - Summer 2011
Tivoli Studios and Gardens
words: Stacy Huggins
The search for affordable studio space in Charleston has long been a pipe dream for many local artists. It is hard to come by, and many spaces large enough to accommodate the needs of an artist are more expensive than the average artist can afford.
Nic Roberts has experienced this firsthand. Since he had nowhere to go, he started building his own studio in his backyard, but when his neighbor protested, Roberts had to find elsewhere to create. After talking to some friends, he realized there were many other artists facing similar dilemmas.
Roberts fell in love with the bare bones warehouse space on upper King Street and signed a lease. Along with friend Mason Greenewald, Roberts began work on subdividing the warehouse into studio spaces and building those out of found and repurposed materials. Thus began Tivoli Studios and Gardens.
Tivoli is affordable and accessible to artists, and fosters a feeling of community among its residents. There are flexible studio spaces that can accommodate between 8 and 20 artists, depending on how they choose to reconfigure them. The communal garden began as a form of meditation and fun for Roberts. He and many of the artists there are inspired and influenced by nature. The sunflowers were just beginning to bloom during our visit.
While they are still defining the identity and future of Tivoli, Roberts has several guiding principles that define the project and its goals. Nurturing both the artistic community and Charleston at large, through a collaborative approach and sustainable practices are paramount to the soul of Tivoli.
Tivoli Studios and Garden
656 King Street
www.tivolicharleston.com
Tammy Papa
words: Stacy Huggins
As the daughter of an Air Force pilot, Tammy Papa lived all over the world, from California to Delaware, Washington DC to Germany. After graduating high school in Germany, her family came back to the states and ended up in South Carolina. Papa attended Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC, where she studied music for two years before realizing that art was her calling.
As many artists do, Papa felt the pressure to study a subject that would naturally transition into a ‘real job’ so she ended up getting a degree in advertising design, and working with prestigious advertising firms like Rawle Murdy. After her daughter was born, Papa’s world was consumed by raising her children but that never stopped her love of painting.
“I had always been an artist; I just didn’t know it,” she says. Her college art classes had always come easier than the music, and the experience helped in her ad design. Papa began taking classes at the Gibbes Museum of Art, where she met accomplished Charleston artist Rhett Thurman. Thurman, her mentor, was leading a painting trip to Taos, New Mexico. “I called my mother and asked her watch the children. I told her I was going west to be an artist.”
Papa’s background in design, music, and painting all add up. “It all helps,” she says. She enjoys the challenge of always learning, whether it is a new technique or trying new mediums. She began painting first in watercolor with Thurman, then ventured into pastel and later into oil.
Not very long ago, a gentleman was walking from booth to booth at an artist exhibit in the park. After making a full circle, he came back to Papa’s tent and told her, “Your artwork makes me feel the way I do when I read poetry.” It has been her favorite compliment to date.
Michael Mitchell Gallery
438 King Street
843.564.0034
www.michaelmitchellcharleston.com
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Karin Olah
words: Stacy Huggins
Karin Olah is in love. With fabric. Growing up in the heart of Amish country in Lititz, Pennsylvania, Olah was moved by the beauty and art in the Amish’s quilt making. To her the quilt is literally a work of art that brings both beauty and comfort into the owner’s life, and that is exactly what her work does.
A decade ago, Olah was painting on fabric at her studio during the day and picking up needle and thread to quilt at night, but neither felt quite right. She took the best part of each project and brought them together in her paintings with fabric. The process is very intensive, with lots of
planning, thought and preparation before she even starts cutting out shapes to create the collages.
Like a quilt, there is a lot of handwork, thought and time in each piece. She soaks each piece of fabric in rice starch and then carefully applies each, pressing firmly to smooth out all the bubbles. Olah’s pieces may have between 10-12 layers of drawing, under-painting, and fabric collaged together. The end result is layered like a beautiful, colorful quilt.
Her August 2011 solo show at SCOOP Studios will feature both the floral/orchid theme she has been working in for the last year or so, as well as this summer’s return to looser abstract collages that focus on color and shape. “My work got very technical and tight for a while, focused on petal shapes and getting shadows right on a stem. Now, I’m going back to a more organic feel,” Olah says.
Her return to abstract work, full of curves inspired by the wrought iron work of the city’s homes and buildings, brings with it a palette full of fresh, fruity, happy, bright colors. If you ever meet Olah, you’ll see that this is an appropriate way to describe her personality too. And not only is she in love with fabric, Olah is also madly in love with the world, her husband Craig Knowlton and their fantastic dog Joby.
SCOOP Studios
57 ½ Broad Street
843.577.3292
www.scoopcontemporary.com
Michelle Dunaway
words: Stacy Huggins
You know those moments? The little ones, where you happen upon a perfect sunset or have an incredible conversation with a perfect stranger and don’t even notice how much time has passed? Those are the moments Michelle Dunaway wants you to see.
Living in the gorgeous, expansive landscapes of New Mexico, Dunaway spends her days painting moments, trying to get onto canvas the subtle, transitory instant of the perfect expression on a person’s face. Her figurative drawings and oil paintings are representational, influenced by masters like John Singer Sargent and Cecilia Beaux. Her talent and composition combined with the intimate moments that Dunaway captures will stop you in your tracks.
Her September show at the M Gallery of Fine Art is titled “Strength and Grace.” “Strength and grace seem distinctly different, but often merge so beautifully in life,” she says. Dunaway paints from live models, supplementing with photographs when she has to. “As models pose, even though they are completely still, emotions pass over their eyes. It’s that glimpse into a person’s story” that she constantly strives for.
Dunaway believes that, despite the differences between us all, every person has an emotional journey, and in that, we are all the same. She wants the viewer to recognize a special moment in her artwork and go forward into the world paying just a little more attention to those fleeting moments of perfection, because they will never come again. “Painting is my way of saying ‘Amen’ visually… to say I am in agreement with the beauty and mystery of this world,” says Dunaway.
As a teacher, Dunaway loves seeing her students have those “Aha!” moments, where they suddenly just get it, what ever ‘it’ is that they are struggling with. “We all want to do something meaningful with our lives, to make a difference, to help people, to love and be loved,” she says. “If I can get that onto canvas, and let the viewer connect with that moment too…well, that’s my highest aspiration.”
M Gallery of Fine Art
11 Broad Street
843.727.4500
www.mgalleryoffineart.com
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 Martha Sharp
words: Stacy Huggins
Martha Sharp’s entrepreneurial mindset permeates all of her various endeavors. From painting to painting instruction to her art tour company, Sharp spends each day honing her many crafts and introducing others to the truly special world of art in Charleston.
After a career in software and owning a software company in the 80’s, Sharp left the rat race. Not long after, her dear friend, local artist Morgan Kuhn, suggested she take a painting class at the Gibbes Museum School. It was love at first brush stroke.
Her first teacher at the Gibbes was accomplished local artist William McCullough who made a lasting impression on Sharp. Since that first class, she has sought out many other gifted teachers like Ron Hicks and Scott Burdick – people whose work resonated with her. She is inspired by many Lowcountry scenes and landscapes – a vanishing vista, a café interior, a perfect magnolia flower. Her favorite subject, however, is the timeless classic of the female nude.
After 14 years of oil painting, she is now both an accomplished artist herself as well as a teacher. Sharp has a busy summer ahead. In addition to hosting a plein air painting instruction series at Mingo Point on Kiawah Island, she will also be creating an entire body of work for her November show at Hagan Fine Art Gallery and Studio with Karen Hagan. Titled “A Kiawah Reverie,” the show will feature both artists’ interpretations of the immaculate landscape of Kiawah Island, a fabulous resort sea island just 40 minutes south of Charleston.
Being an artist obviously led Sharp into the gallery world, where the entrepreneurial side of her noticed a void in the market. Since the best way to experience Charleston is by walking, we have many walking tours focused on our city’s amazing history and architecture, but no one had yet created one focusing on the thriving art scene! Thus was born Charleston Art Tours.
Sharp’s art tours give you a unique insider’s experience by personally introducing you to some of Charleston’s best local artists. (You know artists can be hard to find sometimes!) The tours are informative, personal, and lots of fun.Her guests always get a little present at the end!
Hagan Fine Art
27 1/2 State Street
843.754.0494
www.haganfineart.com
www.marthasharp.com
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Moran Woodworked Furniture: Artistic Process
words: Stacy Huggins
Michael Moran believes in good wood.
The Moran Woodworked Furniture team, comprised of Moran and fiancée Celia Gibson, are committed to conducting their business in the most responsible way possible, from start to finish. This includes sourcing their wood from a variety of places like abandoned mills, plantations, or trees that have fallen during storms. They have cultivated strong roots with local horticulturalists, city officials, and the like, who keep an ear to the ground for wood that Moran can use.
“We combine the best modern innovations with tried and true, traditional methods of woodworking,” says Moran. So what does that mean? For one, they have a solar-powered kiln to dry the wood. The drying process is a science, but their dedication to it gives the furniture greater stability. “We make furniture you can pass on to your children and your grandchildren,” says Gibson.
Moran keeps it all in house, so they can ensure the highest-level quality of the furniture they produce. Moran hand chisels each joint; you’ll never find a nail holding any of his pieces together. Screws only come into play for cabinet hinges. His prize collection of Japanese chisels, made by a fifth-generation blacksmith, have their own handcrafted box. Moran shapes each board, pulling out the inherent beauty of the grain.
Gibson admits that during the creation process, “It’s almost exclusively Michael’s hands on each piece.” However, she handles all the varnishing – by hand. Their varnish was years in the finding. Moran found a family owned company that produces a durable product with the same responsible values they hold themselves. The varnish is safe for even your littlest ones to be around.
Every piece is a blend of form and function. They are passionate about making beautiful furniture that you will treasure – and use. Each piece is created with usability in mind and the best method to showcase the beauty of the wood. “Most of our clients fall in love with the story behind a piece of wood… It’s weird to even call them clients. They’re cool people we get to email and interact with,” says Gibson.
Visit Moran and Gibson in their studio on Meeting Street Road (a few miles north of downtown, and just off Meeting Street), and fall in love with your own piece of good wood. Their greyhound Addie loves doggie treats!
MORAN WOODWORKED FURNITURE
1745 Meeting Street Road
843.793.9765
www.michaeljamesmoran.com
Art Destination: Hilton Head Island
words: Meredith Gale
When it comes to art, you might wonder why you would ever leave Charleston, with all that the Holy City has to offer. Take the short trip south to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and the surrounding areas and you will realize Charleston isn’t alone when it comes to
embracing the art world.
Hilton Head is home to some great treasures of our fair state, including Charleston artist West Fraser’s childhood home, a charming Thursday afternoon farmer’s market which hosts local artists and loads of unique galleries like Morris & Whiteside, Picture This, and J. Costello Gallery at Red Fish.
It doesn’t end there—from Hilton Head, take a short 10-mile trip down Highway 46 and you will arrive at the enchanting Palmetto Bluff. Once a working plantation, Palmetto Bluff is now home to a charming village of restaurants and shops. With breathtaking and inspiring scenery, it’s no wonder that at any given time of the year you are likely to run into one of the property’s artists in residence. Some of Charleston’s finest have made the trek, including Mark Horton of Horton Hayes Fine Art and others from his gallery. One can enjoy talks and plein air painting outings, if creating your own art is what you are looking for. Where else can you hunt turkeys in the morning, kayak in the afternoon, paint an amazing sunset, and finish the day at one of Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best for a glass of wine?
In the mood to stay closer to Hilton Head Island? On Thursday afternoons, head over to historic downtown Bluffton and peruse offerings from local farmers,
artisan cheese makers, potters and visual artists. Not in town on a Thursday? No need to worry, Calhoun Street has more than a dozen charming shops packed with vintage finds, locally crafted art and more.
Pick your favorite road trip play list and head south on Highway 17.
Public Art Exhibition at Historic Honey Horn
September 24 – December 31, 2011
843.785.3673, www.hhipublicart.org
Hilton Head Island wants more public art!
In 2006, “The Community Foundation of the Lowcountry established the Public Art Fund with a goal to bring art into the public realm and introduce it into the lives of the community, engage and uplift the viewer, add to civic pride, and enhance the unique place that is Hilton Head Island,” explains Jessica Gardo of the Hilton Head Island Visitor & Convention Bureau. The inaugural piece of public art was of the first modern developer on the island, Charles Fraser. He is shown here in this “Walking the Alligator,” installed at Compass Rose Park years ago.
This year, the Public Art Exhibition of HHI aims to place another piece of public art on the grounds of the Coastal Discovery Museum, at historic Honey Horn. An open call to sculpture artists was placed a few months ago. They will be competing in a juried show to select the new sculpture to be added to the town’s growing public art collection. An exhibition of the best sculptures will be held beginning on September 24, 2011 at the beautiful grounds of the Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn, where the winning sculpture will remain.
Palette & Palate Stroll
words: Jessica Dennis
July 15, 2011
5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
tickets $45, reservations required
843.819.8006, www.cfada.com
Foodies and art-lovers unite! Charleston never disappoints when it comes to incredible food and fine art, so on July 15, 2011, treat yourself to the finest edibles and elite artworks that Charleston has to offer. Come stroll through the enchanting streets of the French Quarter and take in high quality artworks from some of the most prestigious galleries in town, while sampling food paired from some of the finest restaurants. What could be more romantic and fulfilling than taking in Charleston at dusk with two such complementary art forms? In both respects, there is certain to be something to suit everyone’s tastes. Get your ticket today because this event always sells out!
Gallery and Restaurant Pairings:
Charleston Renaissance Gallery + Circa 1886
Corrigan Gallery + Cypress
Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art + Blu
Horton Hayes Fine Art + La Fourchette
John C. Doyle Art Gallery + Caviar & Bananas
Martin Gallery + Social
Robert Lange Studios + Charleston Grill
Smith-Killian Fine Art + McCrady’s
The Sylvan Gallery + Halls Chophouse
Wells Gallery + Rice Market
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Visual Arts - Spring 2011
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 Redux: Movin' on Up
words: Stacy Huggins
2008:
Studios are full, education program is getting on its feet, room to grow.
2011:
All programs are at capacity, no room or time to add classes, waiting list for studio space is growing daily.
ALL SIGNS POINT TO ONE THING –
IT’S TIME TO GROW REDUX CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER
In the midst of a troubled economy where the arts are perpetually in a precarious position, Redux is experiencing incredibly positive movement. At the helm of this ship is Karen Ann Myers, artist and executive director of Redux. Her right hand is Kyle LeGette, director of development. Together with their board, members, studio renters, planners and architects, they are charting a course for new territory.
Construction of the new building began the day of our interview, and by mid-April the new annex will be ready. At that time, current residents will move in while walls are knocked down and improvements made to the original Redux building. They will then be using both buildings! The project is scheduled to be complete by June and then the world will be introduced to the new, improved and larger Redux.
With the expanded space will come a dedicated classroom. Up until now they’ve had to have classes in the print studio, which has been a bit cramped. The dark room will double in size, the woodshop sound-proofed and expanded, and private studios will increase in number from 15 to 22. The Redux artists have access to the facilities 24 hours a day, and Myers believes the opportunity for artists to interact with each other as well as visiting artists is an invaluable resource. The feedback from open and honest critiques from an outside viewer challenges artists to be at the top of their game.
The programming and education opportunities at Redux are designed to meet the needs of all members of the arts community, from the professional artist to the enthusiast and advocate. Their emphasis on production and presentation space is singular in the Lowcountry. Redux has the only public dark room and print shop in the Lowcountry, available at incredibly low rates, thanks to their tireless year-round fundraising. “What we have available for $65 a month rents for $210 in New York, where the supplies are severely limited,” says Myers.
After eight years, Myers feels like this non-profit, 501c3 arts entity has finally proven itself. “Yes, we’re a group of artists who like to have fun, but when it comes down to it, we are serious, professional and organized.” Myers says the founders of Redux are very proud of the tremendous growth in such a relatively short amount of time. The exhibitions are professional, cutting edge and nationally relevant. The receipt of the Warhol Foundation’s grant has been an enormous help and is a huge seal of approval from the arts community at large.
None of this growth comes without a cost. A capital campaign will begin to fund the expansion, with their goal at $100,000—a modest budget for such a large project. Myers has faith the community will rally to support the expansion. “Redux has grown because of the community’s support and we couldn’t do it without them.”
REDUX CONTEMPORARY ART CENTER
136 St. Philip Street
www.reduxstudios.org
843.722.0697
Ann Dettmer
words: Erin Connal
Ann Dettmer lives high in the mountains of southwest Colorado. She enjoys traveling and had just gotten back from visiting her family’s farm in northeastern Iowa when we spoke. She was excited to get back to her painting and has been preparing for her upcoming show here in Charleston. She studied fine art in college, then established and ran a successful business in graphic design, and has spent the last 20 years painting. Dettmer explains that she turned to painting full time when her “need for it simply became too great to do anything else.”
Working mainly in oils Dettmer’s paintings on the surface depict life, towns and landscapes. But on a deeper level they are expressions of emotion and experience. She describes the subject matter itself as a “point of entry” into her work and adds, “there is a pretty open flow between my heart, my hand, my brush and the canvas.” With her brush as the conduit for her emotion, the result is not simply a painting of a subject, but the visual expression of her feelings. A painting of traffic on a slick afternoon road has an unexpected sense of calm as the car headlights shine on the rainy road ahead. Diner booths await lunch time and a pool room is peaceful and quiet.
Dettmer has an adventurous and curious spirit and revels in exploring on solo road trips, driving less traveled byways and taking in the land, people and architecture of new and old places. She explains, “Each place, each experience and moment has its own voice and I listen to it.” Her paintings project these emotions and allow for individual reflection and interpretation. Ann Dettmer has a solo exhibition at the Mary Martin Gallery on Broad Street on view through the end of April.
Mary Martin Gallery
39 Broad Street
843.723.0303
www.marymartinart.com
Helen Beacham
words: Erin Connal
The first thing you notice about Helen Beacham’s latest series of watercolors is a sense of calm and quiet repose. Titled “The Essence of Vapor,” this collection of work depicts dreamy watercolor landscapes in soft hues from blue to green, yellow to red, created on translucent Jupo paper. Having had a positive experience experimenting with with watercolor on the translucent Jupo paper, Beacham quickly discovered the paper’s versatility, and was inspired to create this series of works.
On a recent visit to Indigo Fine Art Gallery, which Beacham co-owns with artists Paula Lonneman and Judith Perry, she told me she never planned to create a series, but it just started developing itself. As a result, the paintings in “The Essence of Vapor” series are just as mysterious and organic. Even though they are landscapes, their unconventionality invites the viewer into a calm, yet reflective state of being.
Beacham is a great watercolorist, but she tries her hand at many mediums, styles, and subjects. Along with her work on Jupo and traditional watercolor paper, Helen works with acrylic on canvas. Her scenes range from interior studies of texture and light to live oak trees draped with Spanish moss to architecture as well as the human figure. “I don’t want to do what’s been done,” she adds. It is a statement that leaves you wondering, “What will she do next?” Her watercolors and acrylic paintings can be viewed at Indigo Fine Art Gallery and her series “The Essence of Vapor” will be on display from April 30 through the end of May.
Indigo Fine Art
102 Church Street
843.805.9696
www.indigofineartgallery.com
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Steve Reinmuth
words: Erin Connal
Steve Reinmuth creates otherworldly sculptures that are both intriguing and inviting. His most popular works are his soundsculptures. They range in size, form, and aesthetic, but what they all have in common is that they each create sound. And we’re not talking about the noise they make when you knock one to the floor. Each piece is accompanied by a sleek and functional mallet, often a movable part of the actual sculpture. These functional mallets are purposefully there for the viewer to strike the sculpture with, producing a rousing, often trance-inducing sound. This may be one of the only times you are encouraged to hit a piece of art in an art gallery, and it’s a lot of fun!
From resin and found object works, to bronze sculptures, and now his soundsculptures, Reinmuth work has evolved in a natural and organic way. He explains the evolution of his body of work saying, “After working in visual form for a while it seemed the next logical step to engage another sense and add to the experience. The pieces invite interaction, even require it to reach their intended purpose.”
Through interaction with his soundsculptures you understand his purpose. Some sculptures produce predictable sounds, while others surprise you with their tenacity and volume. He explains, “I’ve been doing this a while and I have a fair idea what the sound will be like even before the finished piece is realized.” He also has the ability to tune the sculptures and exercise control over the tone that they produce. The effect ranges from haunting to jolting, encouraging both contemplation and exhilaration for his audience.
Reinmuth’s sculptures, sound producing or not, are works that allow for individual interpretation, and could be described as surreal and dreamlike. His soundsculptures can be seen, heard and struck at Martin Gallery.
Martin Gallery
18 Broad Street
843.723.7378
www.martingallerycharleston.com
Eva Carter
words: Stacy Huggins
Abstract artist Eva Carter is thrilled to be back in downtown Charleston. She never really left, but after living and working downtown for over 30 years, she closed her gallery in the city in 2009. Carter moved her studio into her home on Wadmalaw Island (22 miles to the south) for a well-deserved sabbatical and to spend some time streamlining her life. Now she’s come back to the cobblestone streets of the city, stronger and better than ever.
Growing up in rural, east Tennessee taught her the value of hard work and survival skills. “In those mountains, you got a double dose of those,” says Carter. She studied art at East Tennessee State University in the early sixties – the same time the abstract expressionist movement was in full swing in art meccas, like New York.
While she occasionally painted abstracts in college, she never showed them. Surprisingly, she was a plein air watercolor painter for 15 years, until she made “The Big Switch” to large-scale, abstract oil paintings in 1986. “I was limited by the size of the paper. I wanted to paint large.” While the change initially shocked some of her loyal clients, they have happily come along for the ride with her, and are surely grateful for it as her paintings have certainly appreciated in value.
Bold colors make their home on neutral backgrounds, and her new studio downtown is the perfect backdrop for them. Clean, simple furnishings allow the work to fill the space. The easel is conveniently set up where she can get enough distance to really view what she’s working on. Carter is excited to welcome clients into her studio and says, “It’s great to be back in my neighborhood.”
“Shifting to abstract painting was the best thing for me,” she says. Abstract paintings can be daunting to a viewer, but Carter wants people to “give themselves permission to enjoy the painting.” When we, as viewers, let go of the need to ‘understand’ a painting, then we will be able to truly enjoy it.
“Be true to yourself. That’s the most important thing to do,” she says and we couldn’t agree more.
6 Gillon Street, 2nd floor
Charleston, SC 29401
www.evacarter.com
843.478.2522
Hirona Matsuda's Artistic Process
words: Olivia Pool
Hirona Matsuda loves to find things. Ever since she was “itty bitty” she has had collections of objects. From coins and feathers as a child, to animal skulls and insect “parts” these days. If you’ve ever visited the Artists and Craftsman Supply store on Calhoun Street, you’ve most likely met her, as most of her days are spent running the store. There she is surrounded by materials and is inspired by all of the possibilities they hold. While Matsuda enjoys oil painting, etching and other media, she is best known for her “boxes” or wall-hanging sculptures.
Matsuda loves giving new life to the old and abandoned objects she might find on the side of the road on her walk to work. Objects a typical person may consider useless are total gems to her, and this is how her process really begins – lots of hunting for atypical treasures. Think super unique found objects – tiny light bulbs, skeletons, bolts, bottles, gears, insects, and the like. She prefers the unusual ones, like those “that have been run over or disfigured so much that you don’t even know what they are anymore.” “There’s a lot to be found in Charleston, if you are looking,” she says.
In addition to finding small nuggets of inspirational objects, she is also always searching for different “boxes.” These vessels – old frames, electrical boxes, cigar boxes, pieces of metal – are her foundation pieces. These serve as the containers in which all the smaller elements will go to create the final pieces.
After the hunting and gathering comes the filing and organization. Her studio is full of tiny objects arranged and filed in nooks and drawers, many of which are sub-divided into even more compartments.
Next, she marries all the components together in one cohesive work of art. Her works might unite a preserved moth with an arrangement of wooden chess pieces, metal cogs and other unidentifiable objects. She has a true talent for finding and combining seemingly unrelated pieces that, when put together, take on an entirely new meaning as a group. She explains, “When I’m putting them together, I get really into the idea of not having to alter the objects. I like it when they fit together by themselves.”
French Quarter Gallery Association
words: Stacy Huggins
The cobblestone streets of Charleston are lined with galleries, especially in the historic French Quarter. This charming district exists within the original walled city, once settled by the French Huguenots, and is nowadays defined as being between South Market and Tradd Streets, and Meeting Street and the Waterfront. Over 30 of the galleries here are part of the ever-growing French Quarter Gallery Association. The association organizes and coordinates the famous French Quarter Art Walks on the first Friday of March, May, October, and December from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
With so many amazing galleries, there truly is something for every collector. Whether you gravitate toward painting, sculpture, photography, handcrafted jewelry or glass, this is where you’ll find it. What you’ll also find is true camaraderie as gallery owners will happily point you in their neighbor’s direction if that is more your style.
APRIL
Ann Long Fine Art: new work by Mario Robinson
Ella Walton Richardson: new work by Jeff Jamison
Gaye Sanders Fisher Gallery: new work by Gaye Sanders Fisher
Indigo Fine Art: Helen K. Beacham’s The Essence of Vapor
M Gallery of Fine Art: An American Collection: Works by Gene Costanza from West to East
Robert Lange Studios:
Megan Aline & Nathan Durfee’s Whisper Brightly
SCOOP Studios:
Christopher Murphy’s From the Ashes
MAY
Ann Long Fine Art:
new work by Daniela Astone, Jura Bedic & Jordan Sokol
Bernie Horton Gallery:
new work by Bernie Horton & Sara Stenlund
Ella Walton Richardson:
new work by Aleksander and Lyuba Titovets
Ellis-Nicholson Gallery:
sculptor Wayne Salge
Horton Hayes Fine Art:
Mark Horton’s Lowcountry Life
Indigo Fine Art:
Amelia Rose Smith’s Splendor, Light and Life
M Gallery of Fine Art:
Group Invitational Show Private Spaces
Pink House Gallery:
Group Show, Still Life: oil demonstration by Nancy W. Rushing
Robert Lange Studios:
Jessica Dunegan & Ali Cavanaugh’s Arcs & Angles
SCOOP Studios:
Lisa Shimko’s Stop Making Fence
JUNE
Ella Walton Richardson:
Craig Nelson
Ellis-Nicholson Gallery:
Kathy Casey’s Twenty-Four
M Gallery of Fine Art:
Jacqueline and Stacy Kamin’s Light and Movement
Pink House Gallery: Study in Blue and White: oil demonstration by Audrey Price
Robert Lange Studios:
Joshua Flint’s Reconstructions
SCOOP Studios: Revisiting Antarctica SCOOP Group
www.frenchquarterarts.com
Art Destination: San Miguel
words: Olivia Pool
San Miguel de Allende was calling my name over and over again, like a beautiful, mysterious resounding echo that you feel compelled to follow. Everywhere I turned, some sort of sign appeared telling me I need to go, so off I went to spend two weeks in this quaint, high-altitude art town in central Mexico.
Several years ago, several of my artist friends here in Charleston decided to move to San Miguel de Allende to explore the growing art scene and experience a slower pace of life. You may remember the names E.C. Bell, Beatrice Aarsonson and Stephen Eaker from their somewhat renegade art shows in Charleston. SMA embraced them and their art that many had considered too “strange” for Charleston years ago. Their art was ready to move forward before the city was ready. Charleston has changed considerably since then, and they’d be greeted with open arms if they ever decided to come back. But they’re head over heels in love with SMA, so I don’t think that will be happening.
As a matter of fact, SMA is full of American ex-patriates. The city has a lot to offer – beautiful architecture, kind people, great food, spiritual consciousness, amazing weather, and the favorable exchange rate with the dollar will have you living a pretty sweet life for not very much money at all. Not to mention the fun fact that it’s totally normal if you want to ride a horse or donkey through the cobblestone streets of the city – you might even meet a real cowboy.
If you love art and creative people, this is your spot. Famed Charleston photographer Jack Alterman and his wife Jennett visit there frequently, as does painter Leslie Pratt-Thomas. Artist Frank Garner also now lives in SMA while he sends beautiful paintings of the city back here to be sold through the M Gallery on Broad Street.
There’s this magical inspirational and spiritual energy about SMA that just keeps drawing people to it. I tried to figure out what exactly it is, but then realized sometimes your heart is smarter than your brain. You just have to experience it for yourself.
HOME AWAY FROM HOME in San Miguel
Just before I left for SMA, I was at the Charleston Grill chatting with Eric Monteiro and found out that Orient Express, the company that runs the Charleston Place Hotel, also has a property in San Miguel de Allende! I’m telling you – the connections with that place are unbelievable! Casa de Sierra Nevada is their luxury resort hotel down there and it’s absolutely amazing. If you want to truly pamper yourself, this is the place. Ask for Ari Martinez Latapi, public relations manager, and tell her Olivia sent you. She’ll be your new best friend; she certainly became mine.
Sculpture in the South
words: Jessica Dennis
Charleston County’s 13th Annual Sculpture in the South Show and Sale will exhibit over 35 local and world-renowned sculptors. This lovely, casual event will feature demonstrations and lectures by sculptors, activities for children, live music, BBQ, and a silent auction of sculptures ranging from gift to life-size. All proceeds will go to Summerville’s Permanent Public Sculpture Program, so come experience the charm and beauty of Summerville’s Azalea Park and some really impressive sculptures.
May 14-15, 2011
downtown Summerville
www.sculptureinthesouth.com
Charleston International Film Festival
words: Jessica Dennis
Lights, Camera, Action!
Who doesn’t love a good movie? Sit back, relax, and enjoy the Charleston International Film Festival at the landmark art deco American Theatre. The competition will showcase films by veteran and emerging filmmakers from the around the Lowcountry, the nation, and across the world. All genres and types of films including shorts, features, documentaries, and animations will be presented, so there is sure to be something for you. Don’t miss the exclusive after parties, held nightly in Charleston’s finest venues.
May 18 - 22, 2011
American Theatre, downtown Charleston
Movie Tickets $10
www.charlestoniff.com
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