Stephen Scott Young at Charleston Renaissance Gallery

The Veterans by Stephen Scott Young

As the son of a wounded Vietnam veteran, Stephen Scott Young is keenly attuned to the dignity of military service and regularly explores patriotic themes in his work. The Veterans, executed en plein air in 1993, is a stirring example of this artistic passion and personal priority. And while the watercolor celebrates the larger motif of American fidelity, its central focus is the two honored patriots who lived the ideal.

In the early 1990s, an exhibition of Young’s art traveled to Greenville, South Carolina, and the artist was subsequently commissioned by the Greenville County Museum of Art to produce a series of works titled Portrait of Greenville. The Veterans is one of the first studies Young did in preparation for a large watercolor of the same title. The scene depicts two veterans sitting outside a white clapboard VFW hall in a local neighborhood on Memorial Day. The artist worked while the men reminisced about their World War II experiences. The moving characterization of the two figures and play of light on the drapery of the flag and the architecture highlight Young’s artistic mastery and unparalleled technical proficiency. Executed in a liberated style with a wet-on-wet technique that Young often employs for on-site preparatory studies, the work exudes a sense of spontaneity and immediacy that is not evident in his more controlled large pieces, which are painstakingly created by the building up of layers of pigment.

Thomas Jefferson believed that “the cement of this union is the heart-blood of every American.” As does Young. As do we.

The Charleston Renaissance Gallery is located at 103 Church Street in downtown Charleston, SC.

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Helena Fox Fine Art and Amen Street: Partners for the 2010 Palette & Palate Stroll

Located in the historic French Quarter of Charleston, Helena Fox Fine Art is a unique gallery that specializes in fine contemporary representational art. The gallery presents fine American art by nationally and internationally renowned artists such as Sarah Amos, Kenn Backhaus, Christina Bates, John Budicin, Don Demers, Marie Fox, West Fraser, Billy O’Donnell, Becky Parrish, Edward Rice, William Woodward and Kent Ullberg. The gallery’s collection of work mingles impressionistic landscapes and streetscapes, plein-air travel paintings, realistic still-life, trompe l’oeil, with wildlife sculpture and exquisite hand crafted 22K gold jewelry.  Helena Fox Fine Art Gallery is committed to art that is not only beautiful but also thought provoking and innovative. It represents highly renowned artists and continues to put forth work that is outstanding. For the 2010 Palette and Palate Stroll, Helena Fox Fine Art will be  paired with seafood restaurant Amen Street, located at 201 East Bay Street.

The Amen Street menu includes a variety of seafood dishes such as oysters, clams, and shrimp in addition to a raw bar. Amen Street supports Charleston’s local produce as well, an endeavor that Todd Garrigan, Executive Chef, finds to be particularly important. Todd cooked his way through college as an English major and then pursued his passion for cooking as a choice career. Having completed studies in the Culinary Arts at the prestigious Art Institute of Atlanta, Todd brings over 15 years of experience in the Atlanta, GA, Washington, DC, and Charleston, SC, markets. Specializing in fresh meats and vegetables prepared American style, Todd oversees Amen Street’s Lowcountry seafood menu featuring of Daily Market Fresh Seafood, Shrimp, Oysters, Clams and more. This pairing of fine art and fine food will be a valuable addition to this year’s much anticipated event.

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2010 Palette and Palate Pairings

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Charleston Renaissance Gallery and High Cotton: Partners for the 2010 Palette & Palate Stroll

Founded by Robert Hicklin, Jr. in 1972, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery is the only gallery in the nation specializing in fine art of the American South. The gallery has maintained a distinctive reputation for its offerings of 19th and 20th century masterworks, including works on oil, paper, sculptures, the art of the Charleston Renaissance Movement and select works from the estate of Elizabeth O’Neil Verner, one of the most influential artists of her time.                                                               

 For more than 30 years, the Charleston Renaissance Gallery has handled works by the most prestigious Southern artists, as well as American artists who have explored Southern subject matter. The gallery counts private collectors from across the country and around the world, as well as premier national institutions among its clients. In addition to regular exhibitions and educational symposiums, it the gallery has published several scholarly catalogues and three major art volumes. The gallery is also home to a library of more than 4000 books and archives on Southern art history.                                    

A strong supporter of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association since its foundation, Maverick Southern Kitchens’ High Cotton will partner, for the fifth time, with the distinctly renowned gallery for the 2010 Palette and Palate Stroll. The restaurant’s heart pine floors, wide-bladed ceiling fans and walls of hand-made brick have been the signatures of Charleston high-life since antebellum times and makes one nostalgic for older days. The menu is hearty and southern, featuring regional favorites, steaks, game and fresh seafood – all prepared with the famous Maverick artistry. Recently returned to the Lowcountry and new to High Cotton is Chef de Cuisine Ramon Taimanglo.

Born in Germany to a military family, Taimanglo found himself drawn to the kitchen early on. His teen years were spent happily working in restaurants; but in college, he studied business. “Once I had that degree and began working in business, I realized my passion was back in the kitchen,” he says. So he traded his business suit for chef’s whites, and headed for Johnson and Wales Culinary Arts Institute in Charleston, a city that cultivated his gift.

As a culinary student, he worked as a line cook at Slightly North of Broad. Mentored – as so many have been – by Frank Lee, Taimanglo earned his degree and moved out of the city. Though his career path took him to restaurants around the country, Taimanglo longed to return to the Lowcountry and rejoin the Maverick family. He now serves as Chef de Cuisine at High Cotton, a position that affords him the opportunity to work with the ingredients he enjoys most: local produce, fish and meats.   

Though his palate has been honed and expanded by world travels, Taimanglo still understands the comfort and happiness baked into a warm PB&J like his father used to make for him. This understanding of cooking with love makes him an excellent addition to the Charleston community of fine cuisine, and an exciting component in this years Palette and Palate Stroll.

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Corrigan Gallery and Cypress: Partners for the 2010 Palette and Palate Stroll

The Lithographer by Manning Williams, acrylic, ink on board

The Corrigan Gallery opened its doors on September 1, 2005 at 62 Queen Street, Charleston, South Carolina, just off the corner of Meeting and Queen streets in the historic area called by some the French Quarter. The gallery exhibits works of art both representational and abstract possessing the charm of old Charleston with a contemporary edge. Representing artists whose work is beyond the traditional approach to the southern landscape of marshes, the gallery consistently provides new works to see on a regular basis. Artistic vision partnered with an intellectual strength and astute handling of the materials describes the work on display. The gallery is showing art that is just for that – art! Not following this year’s fashions but reaching towards the future and showing respect for the past, the presented artwork fulfills the beholder’s need for beauty and the collector’s wish for strong investments. This is art for the soul; art that lets the eyes breathe fresh air. Visitors may watch paintings in process on location and view works that have been done en plein air as well as in situ studio pieces.

Partnering with Cypress once again for this year’s Palette and Palate Stroll, guests will enjoy Chef Garet Hutchinson’s cuisine. A native of Charleston, SC, Hutchinson’s pursuit of the culinary arts began at a young age. Working in kitchens throughout his high school years, Hutchinson found a true passion for food. Eager to break in to fine dining and prove his talents, Hutchinson joined the Cypress team as a dishwasher in 2003. Around this time, he enrolled at the Charleston Culinary Institute to expand his culinary knowledge. Hutchinson talents were easily recognized both in school and at Cypress. Graduating at the top of his class, he was awarded the James Beard Scholarship and selected as a chef for the National Chef Awards Ceremony. Cypress Executive Chef Craig Deihl who promoted Hutchinson within the Cypress team also recognized Hutchinson’s natural talents in the kitchen. Cypress is eager for Hutchinson to demonstrate his culinary prowess this year during the annual CFADA Palette and Palate Stroll.

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Society 1858 Presents An Evening at Bastille Café July 16 at the Gibbes

The newly formed Gibbes auxiliary group Society 1858, will celebrate Bastille Day in the museum courtyard on Friday, July 16 from 8pm – 11pm.

Guests will enjoy live jazz by Heddy Rae and hors d’oeuvres and boissons (food and drink) courtesy of Rue de Jean.  A French-themed art scavenger hunt will take place throughout the museum. In addition, ballots will be cast at the party for Charleston’s favorite pommes frites (French fries). Guests are encouraged to sample the pommes frites at four area restaurants prior to the party and then vote on their favorite at Bastille Café – a random winner will be eligible for free fries for a year!  The participating restaurants are The Glass Onion, Blind Tiger, La Fourchette, and Rue de Jean.

Tickets for An Evening at Bastille Café are $25 and can be purchased online at www.gibbesmuseum.org/events. The event is free to anyone who attended Society 1858’s May 21 Launch Celebration.  Those individuals should call 722-2706 x22 to reserve their complimentary ticket.

Earlier in the evening of July 16, the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association hosts the Palette and Palate Stroll.  Art lovers can plan to attend that event from 5:30pm – 7:30pm (www.cfada.com for tickets) followed by An Evening at Bastille Café at 8:00pm.

Society 1858 is a group of dynamic young professionals who support the Gibbes Museum of Art with social and educational programs tailored for up-and-coming art patrons. Society 1858 takes its name from the year that the Carolina Art Association was established. Although the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors in 1905, the museum’s art collection began in 1858. Society 1858 aims to continue the strong legacy of art appreciation in Charleston. Members of Society 1858 have access to private exhibition previews and receptions, invitations to social events throughout the year, and free or reduced admission to Society 1858’s exciting programs. Membership to Society 1858 is open to any member of the Gibbes Museum of Art.

Established as the Carolina Art Association in 1858, the Gibbes Museum of Art opened its doors to the public in 1905.  Located in Charleston’s historic district, the Gibbes houses a premier collection of over 10,000 works, principally American with a Charleston or Southern connection and presents special exhibitions throughout the year. In addition, the museum offers an extensive complement of public programming and educational outreach initiatives that serve the community by stimulating creative expression and improving the region’s superb quality of life.

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Amazing Opportunity for Young Art Collectors – 3rd Annual Young Collectors’ Sale at Ann Long Fine Art Opening June 25

Black Pot and Melegrani – Jura Bedic

Opening Friday June 25^th, Ann Long Fine Art will present the 3^rd Annual Young Collectors’ Sale with all work favorably priced from $300 to $3000.  Included in the show will be oil paintings, drawings, and etchings from the gallery’s classically trained painters.  Many of the works have been painted specifically for this show and are arriving daily from Florence, Italy.  While the work is priced with the Young Collector in mind, many of the gallery’s seasoned collectors take advantage of this great opportunity; it is a wonderful chance to acquire beautifully executed artwork from these well-trained painters.  Everyone loves this show – the artists, the collector, and the gallery – the energy is high because the work is good and the prices are great!

The exhibition opens on Friday June 25^th with a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in the gallery at 54 Broad Street and will show through July.

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Photographer Doug Van de Zande at Martin Gallery in Charleston in July

Photograph by Doug Van de Zande

Photograph by Doug Van de Zande

For the month of July and in conjunction with the CFADA’s Palette and Palate Stroll on July 16, Martin Gallery in Charleston, SC, will be featuring work by photographer Doug Van de Zande.  Each image portrays Charleston and the surrounding areas with a timeless quality.  While the subjects are taken directly from the area, it is Doug’s unique printing technique that gives his work the true Charleston flavor.  His printing technique is the perfect complement to his subjects.  The process that yields his signature look was discovered accidentally through a chemical and physical manipulation of the print.  No two of the archival quality photographs are ever the same, though each one bears the subtle textures and tonal nuances that make his work timeless and unique.  It looks as though each photograph could have been taken a hundred years ago.  Doug’s work will be hanging for the entire month of July 2010.

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

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New Works by Julyan Davis at Carolina Galleries During the Palette and Palate Stroll, July 16

Greenville Study by Julyan Davis

Carolina Galleries is pleased to present From the Mountains to the Sea: Landscapes and Interiors of the South by Julyan Davis during the Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association annual Palette & Palate Stroll.  Each July, the CFADA galleries invite the finest restaurants of the city to serve up the finest art and culinary delights for one night only.  July 16, from 5:30-7:30 pm.  Tickets are $45 and available at www.cfada.com.

Landscape painter Julyan Davis is a British transplant living and working in Asheville, NC.  After studying at the Byam Shaw School of Art in London, Davis traveled to America, where his love of the South began.  His work explores the Southern landscape: the abandoned mansions, the dilapidated barns, cityscapes, beach scenes and even some rural yet vibrant Caribbean scenes.  While he rarely includes living beings in his work, aside from a stray chicken, the remnants of human life, the architecture and sweeping landscapes are haunting yet dignified.

Davis has long been one of Carolina Galleries most collected artists.  His work is in the permanent collections the Gibbes Museum of Art, Morris Museum of Art, NC Governors Mansion and Mountain Retreat, and most recently his Interior, Abandoned Mansion of a home in Avery Island, Louisiana was acquired by the Greenville County Museum of Art.  A solo show for Davis at the Greenville County Museum of Art is currently in development for 2011.

Carolina Galleries specializes in museum quality work of the American South.  The walls are filled with work of artists from the 19^th and 20^th Centuries, such as Alfred Heber Hutty, Elizabeth O’Neill Verner, William Melton Halsey, Corrie McCallum, William Lester Stevens, Alice Ravenel Huger Smith.  Contemporary artists are chosen very carefully to complement the aesthetic of those same artists.  Stephen Chesley, Craig Crawford, Julyan Davis, Johnson Hagood, Chestee Harrington, Terri Katz Kasimov, Tom McNickle, Margaret M. Peery, Josephine Pratt & Stephen Scott Young fill the walls with modern masters of Southern art.

Julyan Davis: My American South will hang July 16 – 31, 2010 at Carolina Galleries.  Visit them at 106 A Church Street, Charleston, SC 29401, Monday – Saturday, 11am – 6pm or online at http://www.carolinagalleries.com.

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Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art and BLU: Partners for the Palette and Palate Stroll

Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art will be displaying new works by renowned artists Craig Nelson and Hilarie Lambert for this year’s Palette and Palate Stroll on July 16, 2010.  Nelson hales from California and is Department Chairman of Fine Arts, Drawing, and Painting at the Academy of Art College in San Francisco, California.  He has numerous awards and an impressive number of both private and corporate commissions under his belt.  After a spring trip to gather references, his show features the bright lights and busy scenes of New York City.  These cityscapes are full of life and detail, and whether it’s a daytime or nighttime scene he has truly captured the essence of the Big Apple.

Hilarie Lambert is one of the gallery’s award-winning local artists, and has been feverishly working on this body of works for the last two months.  Lambert shares an intimate view of traditional Southern scenes – from cotton field harvests to early morning cast-net fishing in the creek.  The light and shadows in her figurative works and landscapes perfectly depicts summer in the south.

Chef Jonathan Hagins of BLU Restaurant

This year Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art will be partnered with BLU for the CFADA’s Palette and Palate Stroll. BLU prides itself on fresh local seafood showcasing the finest in contemporary coastal cuisine as well as an eclectic assortment of small plates or ‘tapas’ perfect for sharing.   Located oceanfront within Folly Beach Holiday Inn, BLU combines indoor and outdoor seating with a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean.   With a casual beach bar and comfortable restaurant seating BLU is the ideal setting for a romantic meal for two or for a get-together with friends.  BLU has been awarded Platinum level by the Sustainable Seafood Initiative, the highest level possible.

Chef Jonathan Hagins has recently been announced as the new executive chef for BLU and is very excited about his return to Charleston. Chef Hagins has over 20 years of experience and has spent a large part of his career in the Lowcountry, most recently with Antonio’s in Hilton Head, South Carolina and The Cloisters in Sea Island, Georgia. Chef Hagins is renowned in Charleston as the previous Executive Chef at the Atlantic Room at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. BLU is honored to have him and his creative cuisine will be a vital addition to this years Palette and Palate Stroll.

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