My News 2: Supporting arts education in the Lowcountry | WCBD

Click here to watch the video. My News 2: Supporting arts education in the Lowcountry | WCBD.

Lese Corrigan of CFADA on Channel 2 this morning talking about the importance of art education with Tara Lynn.

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Fred Jamar’s “Private View” at Robert Lange Studios March 5

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Ann Long Fine Art Presents Marc Dalessio: Giardino Italiano, March 5

Beginning Friday March 5^th, Ann Long Fine Art will present Marc Dalessio: Giardino Italiano.  The show opens on Friday, March 5^th with a reception from 5 to 8 pm in the gallery at 54 Broad Street and will show until March 26^th.

Born in 1972 in Los Angeles, Marc Dalessio is a naturalist painter who established himself at a young age as one of the foremost plein-air painters working today.  His artistic training began at the University of California and continued in Florence, Italy where he trained as a portraitist for four years at Charles Cecil’s atelier, learning the traditional techniques of naturalistic drawing and painting.

Dalessio has continued to live in Florence for the past seventeen years, painting out of his 19th-century studio in Piazza Donatello as well as teaching at the Florence Academy of Art.  He also travels extensively throughout Europe and beyond to paint for his galleries in the United States and Great Britain.

For this exhibit, Dalessio stayed closer to home to capture en plein-air the gardens of Italy.  His paintings depict the private and public gardens of Florence, Lake Como, and Tuscany and are based on his own experience with nature as well as the influence of late 19^th century landscape painters.

Dalessio comments on finding inspiration in nature: “When I first began painting outdoors, I remember walking for hours trying to find something that inspired me.  Now I see beauty everywhere.  Being inspired is like any other skill in that practice makes it easier.  Having a personal vision of what an artist wants to paint also helps a great deal, but the best artists are always pushing themselves to tackle new subjects.  I believe an artists can learn to develop an awareness and sensitivity to inspirational subjects to the point that he or she feels inspiration almost on demand.”

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Paul Mardikian’s Palimpsest Opening March 5 at Corrigan Gallery

Paul Mardikian, ink, acrylic, polymer on wood © 2010

Artist/conservator Paul Mardikian will present his newest series entitled “Palimpsest” at Corrigan Gallery llc from March 3 through March 30 with an opening reception held on March 5 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM as part of the French Quarter Gallery Association  spring artwalk.  The gallery is located at 62 Queen Street in downtown Charleston.

A palimpsest, from the Greek “again I scrape,” is a manuscript usually written on papyrus or parchment on which more than one text has been recorded, with the earlier writing incompletely erased and still visible.  Mardikian feels that a ghost emerging from the past and any surface can become a palimpsest — our body, our memory, layers of wallpaper or paint, love letters, notes or flowers lost in books. He sees the earth itself as a giant palimpsest in perpetual rearrangement. The term is often used in archaeology to describe traces or earlier phases of construction in the midst of, and below, modern occupation levels.

Mardikian’s work reminds us that a painting is more than a two dimensional illusion, it is a true spatial composition made up of multiple painting events. The accumulation of multiple layers acts as a mystic writing pad or magic slate.  Even though certain information appears to be irreversibly erased, the substrate can survive and become visible under certain conditions. Texts, symbols, and erasures are superimposed and become part of a spatial and temporal composition.  Each of Mardikian’s new works resembles a palimpsest with its unique layered history. Binders and pigments are added and subtracted to recompose the visible skin of the painting. “My paintings should be seen as an open window to a world of poetry and reverie.  Similar to exploring archaeological layers, my work  opens a window to the past, and superimposes one image over another, so that both the past and the present are visible at once.”

“My artwork is probably the result of a wide combination of influences including -but not exclusively- my work as an archaeological conservator over the last 20 yrs. It is also a blend of cultures and encounters with splendid individuals and places. My heart is filled with European, African, Asian, Australasian and American wonders.  Most of my early work is inspired by Lascaux and rock art in general. Not really for the representational power of the animals, more for their abstract beauty and the miracle of their preservation. This incredible preservation after some 18,000 years is the result of an unexpected combination between the human hand and the mineral substrate. The human being behind the trace is long gone but the trace remains almost intact. This thought inspires and fuels all of my work.  Does not the same thing occur with our memory?”

Paul Mardikian was born in France in 1963 and spent most of his childhood near Paris. At the age of 25, while studying archaeology and conservation science at the School of the Louvre and the Sorbonne University, Mardikian developed his own painting techniques and tools that he now uses to convey his feelings through abstract painting, abstraction being something the artist feels is a state of mind, a particular way to look at the world and comprehend its substance.  Mardikian’s training in art restoration offered him a precious understanding of the chemical, physical, and optical properties of paint.

Mardikian’s career in conserving archaeological artifacts, such as those of the Titanic and the Hunley submarine, has fueled his inspiration.  Being directly connected to the past, discovering and preserving the fragile remains of ancient civilizations, has left a mark on his artwork.  “Interpreting abstract traces of humanity such as imprints, traces of fire, tracks, trash, brush stokes, graffiti, and scarifications left by a human being on any given substrate are part of this iconography. Those traces, whether intentional or inadvertent, are symbolic of the temporary physical presence of a person in the flux of time.”

Corrigan Gallery, now in its fifth year, is a culmination of 22 years of experience in the Charleston art market.  The gallery represents more than a dozen artists in an intimate space and presents 6 to 10 shows per year with the gallery being refreshed every month.  Visiting artists are included in the yearly roster with most of the artist being either Charleston natives or individuals living in Charleston. A gallery of contemporary works exploring the depth and intellect behind the drive to create, Corrigan Gallery provides a breathing space around the historic city’s traditional bent.  Open six days a week and other times by appointment, the gallery can be viewed 24 hours a day at http://www.corrigangallery.com, contacted by phone 843 722 9868 or email art@lesecorrigan.com.

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Helena Fox Fine Art Presents New Works by Gallery Artists on March 5

West Fraser, Fall Tides, Oil on Linen

On Friday, March 5, Helena Fox Fine Art presents “New Works” by gallery artists West Fraser, Sarah Amos, Kenn Backhaus, Mary Erickson, Terry DeLapp and Joseph Paquet. The gallery is located at 12 Queen Street in downtown Charleston. Please join us for a reception from 5-8 p.m.

Sarah Amos, 22K Gold and Moonstone Pendant

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“A View of Charleston” Opens at Ella W. Richardson Fine Art March 5

Ella W. Richardson Fine Art is delighted to present a brilliant body of new works by New England artist Scott Moore in a show titled “A View of Charleston.” The show opens with an artist reception on Friday, March 5 from 5-8 p.m. at 58 Broad Street in downtown Charleston.

Scott Moore spent the harsh winter months in Maine painting daily in his studio, and is now on his way south to Charleston to finish a series of plein air paintings. Scott will be painting the lowcounty landscape as well as his unique architectural renderings of downtown. His work has often been compared to the style of Edward Hooper. The use of vibrant colors and his ability to master the light in every scene has brought him national recognition. Scott has been professionally painting for over three decades. We welcome him back to Charleston and are excited to show you this remarkable collection of works.

Housed in an elegant and inviting three-room historic property, Ella W. Richardson Fine Art represents regional, national and international award-winning artists. The gallery specializes in classical realist and impressionist paintings and sculpture by renowned American, Dutch, Russian and Korean artists, and is the exclusive North American representative of Bronze Sculpture by Dutch artist Marianne Houtkamp.

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New Works by Guest Artist Matt Overend at Smith Killian Fine Art, March 5

Smith Killian Fine Art is pleased to announce an exhibit featuring guest artist, Matt Overend. Join us for an artist reception on Friday, March 5 from 5-8 p.m.

“My paintings are an exploration of the structural relationship between gesture, shape and space through the manipulation of color and texture,” says Overend. Originally trained as an aeronautical engineer at Georgia Tech, Overend studied art at the University of California at Santa Barbara and Yale University.  His corporate collections include SC Arts Commission, First Union, Bank of America and Charleston Place Hotel.  Overend has exhibit throughout the Southeast for over 20 years, including the Gibbes Museum of Art.

Smith Killian Fine Art is located at 9 Queen Street in historic downtown Charleston, SC.

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Lake Como, Italy: Plein Air Paintings by Kathleen Billis Opens at Martin Gallery March 5

Join Martin Gallery on Friday, March 5 from 5-8 pm for a solo show titled Lake Como, Italy: Plein Air Paintings by Kathleen Billis. Billis paints in the plein air tradition of turn of the century impressionists.  She and her husband travel all over the United States to paint, but live and work in Maine.  They spend part of each spring painting in Italy.  This particular collection of work showcases their recent trip to the Northern Lakes region of Italy, with most of their time spent at Lake Como.

The word “artist” definitely applies to Kathleen Billis.  She was originally trained in ballet, but had to give up dancing at the age of 15 when she developed rheumatoid arthritis.  Dancing was her love and life and evoked a spirit inside of her like no other…it was her passion.  When she met plein air painter Mitch Billis painting became Kathleen’s new calling.

“Until I met Mitch and began painting again, nothing compelled my total attention and motivation like dance.  I feel so lucky to be able to share the life of painting with someone who understands and indeed has taught me the kind of commitment it takes to be a plein air painter,” says Billis. To paint plein air is to be totally a part of the landscape–light and atmosphere.  Finish work may be completed in the studio, but the work is about the present, capturing a special moment or feeling of place that can’t be experienced again in just the same way.  Kathleen can be observed in all seasons trying to, as Willard Metcalf encouraged his students, “Go out, paint what you see, and find a place for yourself within your own culture.”  Kathleen’s colorful harbor scenes and depictions of rural life in Maine, South Carolina and Italy have helped her to do just that.

Martin Gallery is located at 18 Broad Street in downtown Charleston, SC.

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Helena Fox Fine Art Opens a Sister Gallery at Palmetto Bluff

Helena Fox Fine Art is excited to announce the opening of its new sister gallery. The Palmetto Bluff Gallery presents fine American art in the idyllic location of Palmetto Bluff, in the South Carolina Low Country. With artwork ranging from representational landscape paintings to wildlife sculpture, and southern photography to maritime oil paintings, the Palmetto Bluff Gallery showcases museum quality pieces for the discerning collector.

West Fraser Painting in the Park

Each artist represented at Palmetto Bluff Gallery exemplifies the finest in American art. Donald Demers’ Maritime and Travel Paintings, West Fraser’s American Impressionism, Jack Leigh’s American Documentary Photography, Joseph McGurl’s American Luminist Paintings and Kent Ullberg’s Wildlife Sculpture will be on display alongside a select group of others.

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff recently received the distinction of being named the “#1 Best Resort in the Continental U.S & Canada” in Travel + Leisure’s 2009 World’s Best Awards. The Inn also ranks as number 14 in the “World’s 100 Best Hotel’s Overall.” The Palmetto Bluff Gallery is situated at 64B Boathouse Street, Bluffton, SC 29910.

To contact the gallery, call (843) 706 3888 or email info@palmettobluffgallery.com.

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12-Year-Old Fascinated by West Fraser’s Painting in a Tree Project

When West Fraser, a renowned Charleston painter, hid his painting in a tree, he had no idea that a 12-year-old girl will make it her mission to find it. Kenner Carmody learned about West Fraser’s project when her father read about it in the Post and Courier over the holidays last year. Kenner now has her first piece of fine art!

Fraser’s paintings come with a personal note on the back of each painting appealing to the finder to give back to their community. Kenner and her family decided to make a charitable donation to the Gibbes Museum. Their donation will be used for the Daniel West Fraser Memorial Scholarship Fund, established by West Fraser to honor his son Daniel who was born in 1983 and passed away in 1986. The Daniel West Fraser Memorial Scholarship Fund provides financial assistance for children and teens to study at the Gibbes Museum through art classes and art camp.

Paintings were hidden in Charleston, Palmetto Bluff’s Wilson Village and Cumberland Island. There are still paintings hidden in a tree. West Fraser’s works can be found at Helena Fox Fine Art in downtown Charleston, SC.

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