ARTS

LEPRINCE FINE ART

LePrince’s work is also represented by Pecky Interiors at 100 Central Ave. in Sarasota, Florida, and Jett Thompson Home at 393 Broad Ave. South  in Naples, Florida.

LEPRINCE Fine Art, located at 184 and 183 King St., doubles as a studio for owner and artist Kevin LePrince. LePrince paints there six days a week and encourages guests to watch and ask questions about the process.

The walls are filled with bodies of work from a select few nationally recognized, emerging artists from across North America. While the general look of the artists represented could be described as contemporary impressionism, each artist has a unique style defined by brushstrokes, palette choices and composition.

“I’m trying to encourage artists to push their creativity,” LePrince says. “I do this by giving them more wall space. That way, they’re not restricted, and they can get outside of their comfort zones, push the envelope a little.”

Between both galleries, there is 3,600 square feet of open gallery space, high ceilings and hardwood floors. The gallery has been designed to highlight the art—a collector can relax and enjoy a painting from a distance.

LePrince’s work is also represented by Pecky Interiors at 100 Central Ave. in Sarasota, Florida, and Jett Thompson Home at 393 Broad Ave. South  in Naples, Florida.

LEPRINCE FINE ART
843.442.1664
LEPRINCE.COM

ALLISON CHAMBERS

 

ORIGINALLY from Wilmington, North Carolina, Allison Chambers is an impressionist painter who refers to herself a Carolina artist.

She calls both Charlotte and Charleston home and receives her inspiration from the region’s landscapes; the Lowcountry’s marshlands particularly capture her eye. This is easy to see in her paintings, which exhibit elegant brushstrokes that play amongst the meeting of water and land. Through a blend of “reality with imagination,” Chambers combines color and texture in an impasto style to create an abstracted interpretation of life.

In addition to painting, she also gets joy from teaching art. “Teaching is very important to me, and it helps me learn and grow as an artist while giving back to people who want to discover this gift,” Chambers says. She conducts classes in her own studio as well as courses in Provence, France, every fall. 

Chambers hopes her art will provide her viewers relaxation. “Because I love to express myself through art,” she explains, “the landscapes I paint are the places that cause me to take a deep breath … that take me away, that make me happy.”

Chambers is represented by fine galleries throughout the South.

ALLISON CHAMBERS ART
704.516.9505
ALLISONCHAMBERSART.COM

DEBRA PAYSINGER

 

DEBRA Paysinger’smaster’s degree in biology has informed her subject matter, as she primarily paints birds, lures, sea life and rabbits—or the raddits, as she endearingly refers to them. She owns the registered trademark for the term “the raddit” and each whimsical creation is uniquely numbered within the painting.

Paysinger assigns a not-to-be-repeated human name to each expressive bird she paints. These names are found on the back of each work. These striking animal portraits stand on their own yet have a grounded familiarity with the others. It’s as if Paysinger knows the personality of every raddit and bird and finds a way to let that personality shine through. Paysinger paints and sells what she loves—and  nothing could make her happier.

You can find Paysinger’s art in Studio 151 Fine Arts Gallery on Church Street in Charleston, at Over the Mantel Gallery on Carlisle Street in Columbia, and at Abode Home 2 in  Banner Elk, North Carolina.

DEBRA PAY-SINGER
DEBRAPAYSINGER.COM

HILARIE LAMBERT

 

OIL painter Hilarie Lambert will tell you that, while she enjoys painting the familiar—vintage toys, notable architecture or coastal scenes—nothing about her work is “ordinary.” Through the filter of light in an egret’s wings in flight or the way a newspaper crumbles under just-caught blue crabs, Lambert reveals the beauty in what we might have forgotten or gotten too busy to notice: the magic of the everyday.

Originally from the Finger Lakes Region of Upstate New York (Canandaigua), she was a graphic designer and illustrator for major corporations before moving to Charleston 16 years ago. “My focus turned to oils and painting outside on location,” Lambert says. “With so much to paint here—I was enchanted by the water, the light, the color in the shadows—I set out to capture that on canvas.”

Since then, she has been invited to show at both national and international exhibits, including the Women Painting Women exhibitions, and has won numerous awards and accolades, such as Southwest Art Magazine’s “Top Emerging Artists” and Figurative Honorable Mention at the Oil Painters of America National Exhibition.

A self-proclaimed “gypsy” with a love for travel, she maintains a studio on James Island, South Carolina, where she keeps busy painting commissions.

ALLISON CHAMBERS ART
704.516.9505
ALLISONCHAMBERSART.COM

MITCHELL HILL GALLERY

 

FILLED with paintings, sculptures, custom furniture  and photographs, Mitchell Hill Gallery offers the city a refreshing departure from the formal, traditional spaces so often seen in Charleston.

Original works from more than 35 artists from across the United States are currently on display in its mixed-use space. Daily arrivals and departures foster an ever-changing environment you will want to stop by often.

The first floor gallery space offers a sneak peek into the interior design aesthetic of owners and designers Michael Mitchell and Tyler Hill. Upstairs, Mitchell Hill offers full-scale interior design services.

The gallery always pulls from its enormous inventory when building a project. “Often, we’ll use a piece of art as a leaping-off point,” co-owner Michael Mitchell says.

Custom furniture made in the Southeast breaks up the 12,000-square-foot space, featured in creative vignettes that are outfitted with unique accessories, pillows and artwork.

Located at 414 King St., Mitchell Hill Gallery is open seven days a week. Visit the website to explore interior design projects as well as a roster of artists and the Mitchell Hill collections.

MITCHELL HILL GALLERY
843.564.0034
MITCHELLHILLINC.COM

ELLA WALTON RICHARDSON FINE ART

 

ELLA Walton Richardson Fine Art is home to more than two dozen award-winning American, European and Asian artists. Their styles range from realistic to impressionistic to abstract.

Born in Shandong Province, China, Hongshu Lei’s relationship with fine art painting began in her childhood when her parents immersed her in the art world. Although her path toward becoming an artist was a winding one, those initial stories of artists and their masterpieces maintained her attraction to painting and she eventually pursued a Master of Fine Arts at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

In the 2018 Spring Show at the Academy of Art University, her paintings Secret and Waiting won the First and Third Award in figurative paintings respectively, and A Moment won the First Award in still life paintings. In the 2019 Spring Show, her painting Break won the First Award in Figurative paintings and Coincidence won the First Award in still life paintings.

Describing her work, Hongshu says: “I like to paint people because people are so complicated; inside each one is a unique universe that presents endless visual opportunities. I believe that paying attention  to those true feelings helps me open doors to a spiritual  self-discovery.”

ELLA WALTON RICHARDSON FINE ART
843.722.3660
ELLARICHARDSON.COM

CHERYL NEWBY GALLERY

 

ESTABLISHED in 1983, Cheryl Newby Gallery is the Grand Strand’s premier fine art gallery, representing renowned artists from around the country. For more than 35 years, the gallery has maintained its reputation for the highest quality fine art. Located in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, known as one of the oldest coastal resorts on the East Coast, the gallery currently represents 18 professional painters and sculptors whose works vary in style and range from purely abstract to representational. One-person and group exhibitions are presented each quarter, with smaller “pop-up” shows throughout the year.

Among the artists represented are William McCullough (South Carolina), the late Ray Ellis (Massachusetts), Lisa Gleim (Georgia), Paula Holtzclaw (North Carolina), Martha dePoo (Florida), the late Quita Brodhead (Pennsylvania) and Mike Williams (South Carolina). Five nationally known sculptors, Sandy Scott, FNSS (Wyoming); Gwen Marcus, FNSS (New York); Amy Kann, FNSS (Pennsylvania); Tony Hochstetler, FNSS (Colorado); and Catherine K. Ferrell (Florida), also have work in the gallery, as does ceramics artist Glenda Taylor (Florida).

While it has acquired many loyal patrons, both private and corporate, this gallery continuously makes welcome and enjoys providing assistance to  the novice collector.

CHERYL NEWBY GALLERY
843.979.0149
CHERYLNEWBYGALLERY.COM

NEEMA FINE ART GALLERY

 

CHARLESTON’S newest art gallery features original art, jewelry and pottery by South Carolina-based African American artists. Located at the start of Gallery Row, Neema Fine Art Gallery represents 15 artists, including Tyrone Geter, the 2019 Yaddo Resident and winner of the 2019 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Artist of the Year Award; renowned civil rights era photographer and 2019 Elizabeth O’Neill Verner Lifetime Achievement awardee Cecil Williams; highly collected husband-and-wife potters Winton and Rosa Eugene; and acclaimed collage artist James Denmark.

Says gallery owner Meisha Johnson: “My mission is threefold: to help increase the number of African American artists that are represented by galleries on the peninsula, to help diversify who shops here, and to encourage the emergence of more minority-owned businesses here.”

Weekly events include Sweetgrass Basket Thursdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., featuring discussions and demonstrations of this quintessential Lowcountry art form; Book Signing Saturdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m., with talks by local award-winning authors; and weekly music and art instruction for all ages. Soon to come are monthly fine dining experiences coupled with live performances through the Sankofa Supper Club and Dinner Theater.

Johnson, who has fostered exciting partnerships in the community, says, “I want everyone who enters the gallery to feel a sense of ownership, to come in and experience the art and feel at home—this is their gallery.”

NEEMA FINE ART GALLERY
843.353.8079
NEEMAGALLERY.COM

REINERT FINE ART & SCULPTURE GARDEN GALLERY

 

OWNED by contemporary impressionist painter Rick Reinert and his wife, Ann, Reinert Fine Art showcases more than 60 regional and nationally acclaimed classical painters, as well as figurative and abstract sculptors. Each gallery location is thoughtfully curated to appeal to both the connoisseur and casual collector.

The owners are pleased to present a collection of diverse paintings and sculpture that range in style from traditional to impressionistic to abstract. Reinert Fine Art has two locations in Charleston: 179 King St. and 181 King St., located right next door. With over 4,000 square feet of gallery space as well as an outdoor courtyard and sculpture garden gallery, it is a wonderful experience for the senses. Original oil paintings, bronze sculpture, handblown glass and artisan jewelry created by a talented group of diverse artists, both local and international, can be enjoyed seven days a week.

Rick Reinert’s summer studio on Ocean Point Road in the beautiful town of East Boothbay, Maine, will be open through the end of September. Enjoy watching Reinert paint the many diverse and interesting landscapes the region offers. Friends and collectors are invited to stop by when in the area.

REINERT FINE ART & SCULPTURE GARDEN GALLERY
843.694.2445
REINERTFINEART.COM

STUDIO 151 FINE ARTS

 

LOCATED near the corner of Church and Market streets, Studio 151 is filled from floor to ceiling with pieces from more than a dozen local artists, all of whom use their art to respond to what’s around them here in the South. From Bob Graham, a Civil War painter, to Daryl Knox, who’s inspired by Lowcountry marshes and creeks, a passion for this unique corner of the country is evident throughout the gallery.

Studio 151 also features watercolors, oils, monotypes, and mixed media from Colleen Wiessmann, Lu Bentley, Sandy Scott, Detta Zimmerman, Rosie Phillips, Jennifer Koach, Amelia Whaley, Dixie Dugan, Nancy Davidson, Debra Paysinger, Christie Crosby, Nancey R. Rushing, Kelly Meredith Paysinger Hart, and jewelers Lissa Block and Jean Norman.

Styles and subjects can range from collage works to abstracts and traditional realism, and the gallery’s jewelry artists ensure you can always leave with a wearable souvenir. Artists are  in-house daily to greet and discuss their works, and the gallery is open every day of the week.

STUDIO 151 FINE ARTS
843.579.9725
STUDIO151FINEARTS.COM

LOWCOUNTRY ARTISTS GALLERY

 

FOUNDED in 1982, Lowcountry Artists Gallery is the oldest artist-owned and -operated gallery in Charleston. Located at 148 East Bay St., the expansive four-room gallery recently underwent renovations.

Lowcountry Artists Gallery represents 26 member and guest artists—seven of whom were added in the last year. Their work caters to national and international collectors and spans a multitude of styles, a variety of subject matter and many mediums. Lowcountry Artists Gallery also offers stunning jewelry, sweetgrass baskets, pottery and bronze sculptures, which are suitable for indoor or outdoor display.

“We’re really proud of the diversity our gallery offers,” says co-owner Sandra Roper. “Not only the artists themselves, but also their styles and the mediums in which they work.”

Roper shares ownership with local artists Norma Ballentine-Cable, Fer Caggiano, Stephanie S. Hamlet, Lynne Hardwick, Kellie Jacobs, Monnie Johnson, Rana Jordahl and Ivo Kerssemakers.

Lowcountry Artists Gallery is open seven days a week. When you visit, don’t forget to take a selfie with the gallery’s life-size, whimsical copper frog. For hours and a full list of artists visit the website or facebook.com/lowcountryartists.

LOWCOUNTRY ARTISTS GALLERY
843.577.9295
LOWCOUNTRYARTISTS.COM

REVEALED ART GALLERY

 

SINCE its opening in 2016, Revealed Art Gallery has solidified itself as a local hub of culture and creativity. The dynamic gallery space showcases an eclectic mix of artists and mediums, ranging from paintings, sculptures and photographs to handmade jewelry, bags and furniture. Currently, works from more than 20 local and regional artists and artisans are on display.

Founders Jaclyn Quilal-lan and Scott Parsons enjoy the contrast their contemporary art gallery, located in the French Quarter just steps from Charleston’s iconic Dock Street Theatre, brings to its historical surroundings. The longtime friends and art enthusiasts also strive to foster connections with the community, through workshops, classes, events, private rentals, brand collaborations and more.

Revealed Art Gallery is located at 119 Church St. in Charleston, and it is open every day, except Wednesday, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 4 p.m. The gallery will feature artist Laurie Yeates Adams for the October CGA art walk. Visit the website for more information about upcoming events.

REVEALED ART GALLERY
843.872.5606
REVEALEDGALLERY.COM

BEN HAM IMAGES

 

BEN Ham is a world-renowned fine art nature photographer. His stunning black-and-white landscapes, captured on film, hang in private, corporate and government collections from Australia to Africa and all points in between.

Ham is a self-taught photographer, inspired as a teenager by the work of Ansel Adams. He works with an 8-by-10 folding wooden camera, dark cloth over his head, using sheet film in that same methodology.

Ham is predominately known for his arresting and peaceful images of the South Carolina Lowcountry. Through his travels, he has built extensive collections of the Rockies, the Southwest, the Pacific Coast and Italy, which have become highly collected.

He opened his first gallery in 2011 on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, followed by his second gallery at 416 King St. in Charleston in 2013. In 2017 he opened his third gallery in Old Town Bluffton, South Carolina.

A visit to one of his galleries will transport you into the magic of a Ben Ham landscape, as you step into a world created through his unique eye. Bring his art into your home to experience that magic for yourself. 

BEN HAM IMAGES
843.410.1495
BENHAMIMAGES.COM

PERSPECTIVE GALLERY

 

TAKE a moment from your busy day and visit East Cooper’s largest and most diverse gallery yet. Perspective Gallery, located at 1055 Hwy. 17 N., Mount Pleasant, in Crickentree Village Plaza, is a treasure waiting to be discovered. Tucked into the corner of the shopping center, its humble facade may seem unremarkable, but once you venture inside, the gallery instills the same feeling Dorothy had when she stepped into the technicolor world of Oz. Color everywhere, breathtaking, vibrant and rich. Paintings of every style and technique are wonderfully displayed in this welcoming space.

Parking can be a problem at lunchtime, but Perspective opens at 10 a.m. and artists are here until 5 p.m., so plan to stop by in the morning or later in the afternoon. The works displayed are a feast for the senses, lovingly created by your talented and respected neighbors and friends. Exhibiting artists are members of the Mount Pleasant Artists Guild, and a portion of ALL sales of artwork goes to the Mount Pleasant Artists Guild annual college scholarship program.

PERSPECTIVE GALLERY
843.800.5025
MPAGPERSPECTIVEGALLERY.COM

SANDRA ROPER

 

SOUTH Carolina artist Sandra Roper was an art major at the University of South Carolina before her path led her to a career in advertising. But 17 years ago, the Greenville native left the corporate world to stay at home with her two sons. “I wanted to go to all of their ball games,” she says. “And then I started painting again and things just evolved from there—and I never missed any ball games.”

Painting in watercolors, Roper finds inspiration in the creativity and brilliance of Charleston’s eclectic styles of architecture and from the passion, perseverance and dedication people have for their work and traditions.

These days, Roper is working on a series of ordinary people doing extraordinary things—oyster shuckers, shrimpers, farmers, hog butchers—as a  way of preserving the stories of waning art forms.

You can find Roper’s paintings at the Lowcountry Artists  Gallery at 148 East Bay St. or  on her website.

SANDRA ROPER
SANDRAROPER.COM

WENDY JACKSON

 

AWARD-winning artist Wendy Jackson is a native of South Carolina, though she now lives in Georgia. Her interest in art began at a young age when she was first asked to sketch the commonplace objects around her in school art class. Since then her style has turned more abstract; she never hesitates to indulge in the boldness of color and depict the day-to-day ups and downs of life.

Jackson says, “I like combining colors to tell a story, but the brightness, design, the way the paint ends up on the canvas is always a surprise.” As is the way her audience views her paintings. “Most of all I want the paintings to bring people joy,” she says, but as to what they see within her thick brushstrokes, that varies.

“I’ve had people tell me, ‘Wow, I saw an angel, a bird, a burning bush—it speaks to people, and that allows me to know that everything I put onto the canvas I’m sharing from my heart.”

What’s her favorite piece? “Definitely Transition,” she says. And not only because it won her the BoldBrush for Abstract Award by FASO. It reminds her of what’s occurring in her life currently, as she transitions from one phase of life to the next in her endeavor as a full-time artist.

WENDY JACKSON
404.735.2259
WENJARTIST.COM

KATHERINE CURTIS HESTER AND TOM CURTIS

 

A CHARLESTON native, Katherine Curtis Hester spent her childhood on a wildlife refuge that was overseen by her father—biologist and artist Tom Curtis. The environment offered unique experiences with nature that are reflected in her art.

Illumination drives the subjects she paints—the colors of fleeting light on the Lowcountry landscape found during sunsets, early mornings and around storm fronts. Her figurative work aims to capture the play between illuminated shapes and their surroundings, such as ballerinas as they dance in and out of stage light. Regardless of the subject, she says that striving for absolute command of color takes the lead in every piece.

Her father, Tom Curtis, grew up in coastal North Carolina and moved to the Lowcountry as a fishery biologist in 1969. This occupation and a lifetime of outdoor vocations created a strong love of nature and helped hone his observational skills, which he uses to create a sense of serenity, wonder and appreciation of nature through his oil and pastel paintings. “I am especially interested in the mood and rich colors produced by the play of light across the landscape,” he says.

Curtis currently serves as president of the Berkeley County Artist Guild. His works are on exhibit at Over the Mantel Gallery in Columbia, South Carolina.

KATHERINE CURTIS HESTER & TOM CURTIS
843.729.9275
CURTISHESTERGALLERY.COM

CHARLESTON ARTIST GUILD

 

THE Charleston Artist Guild (CAG) was founded well over a half-century ago by a small group of local artists—including Anne Worsham Richardson, Alfred Heber Hutty and Elizabeth O’Neill Verner—who sought a way not only to display their own works, but to network with other artists in the city and to become more involved with the community.

Today, more than 70 artists are featured in the extensive gallery, now at 160 East Bay St., all of whom contribute to the organization’s outreach programs. A nonprofit organization, CAG is constantly busy fulfilling the wishes of its founders. To that end, the Guild works with Arts for Alzheimer’s, provides awards for its high school scholarship program, and also works with Extraordinary Arts and Pattison’s Academy.

Every September new exhibit-ing members are juried into the gallery. September is also when CAG’s monthly meetings with art demonstrations—always open to the public—resume. The Guild now has nearly 700 members, many of whom will be featured at CAG’s annual Members’  Exhibition.

CHARLESTON ARTIST GUILD
843.722.2425
CHARLESTONARTISTGUILD.COM

BETSY JONES MCDONALD

 

CHARLESTON artist Betsy Jones McDonald began her artistic training as a teen with watercolorist Geri Davis of Columbus, Georgia. She went on to study fine art at Columbus State University, and her eye for design was later put to work as a design manager during her years working in visual merchandising.

After moving to Columbia, South Carolina, McDonald began doing murals, which is when she realized her true love lay in large-format painting. She’s pursued oil on canvas ever since and paints using her own custom-mixed hues. McDonald also co-owned Island Art Gallery in Pawleys Island for four years, where she continues to regularly teach color theory workshops.

These days, McDonald’s art is inspired by the marsh surrounding her Daniel Island studio. “I love the colors of the marsh and the way they change with the seasons and the tides,” she says. “Every time you look at the marsh, you see something different, and I’m fascinated by that.”

You can find her paintings exhibited at Brookgreen Gardens in Murrells Inlet, Island Art Gallery in Pawleys Island, Perspective Gallery in Mount Pleasant and at the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery.

BETSY JONES MCDONALD
207.320.5884
BETSYJONESMCDONALD.COM

MEREDITH POSTON

 

MEREDITH Poston was born in Louisville, Kentucky, into a family that appreciated the fine and performing arts. From an early age Poston wanted to be an artist and was strongly encouraged by her family. She focused on human and animal subjects, and she copied the work of her father, who was a medical illustrator.

Throughout her adolescence Poston’s passion for art grew. She participated in art classes and camps throughout high school. She attended Western Carolina University, majoring in fine art and communications, where she developed her abstract style. After graduation Poston left the North Carolina mountains for the Charleston coastline, settling on James Island in 2009.

Poston paints abstract expressionist remembrances and reflections. She finds solace in loose, sporadic brushstrokes, with a combination of soft elements juxtaposed to stark separations of contrasting color. Her work is an expression of nature as she sees it—colorful, sometimes gentle, but often startlingly real. Poston paints in her waterfront home studio when not working as a writer and researcher; she also contributes to the James Island govern-ment, as secretary for the James Island Public Service District.

MEREDITH POSTON
843.593.5215
MPOSTON.COM

TOMMY BEAVER

 

AFTER a career in furniture design and sales, Tommy Beaver started painting roughly 15 years ago. Beaver says: “I started collecting vintage artwork from the 1960s and ’70s out of Florida. … Eventually I thought, ‘I might do that.’ I didn’t even know I could paint.”

The award-winning, self-taught artist works with oils in a loose, impressionist and semiabstract style that features large brushstrokes and rich, emotive colors. Using both brushes and palette knives, he creates highly textural paintings that express the mood and energy of the moment, bringing careful attention to lighting and shadows.

His inspiration comes largely from the landscapes and seascapes of the Lowcountry. Says Beaver: “I’ve always been a real visionary-type person. Sometimes an image sticks in my mind, like a field or a marsh or Charleston city scenes. It’s such a neat city, and I try to capture the feeling and mood of it, especially late in the day.”

Beaver teaches art workshops in Georgetown and McClellanville, South Carolina. His paintings hang in private and corporate collections across the United States, and he is represented by Lowcountry Artists Gallery in Charleston. He lives and paints in the picturesque town of McClellanville, where his studio gallery is located and open by appointment.

TOMMY BEAVER
336.466.1885
TOMMYBEAVER.COM

MARGARET DE CARLI BARRY

 

AWARD-winning artist Margaret De Carli Barry has been painting for nearly 20 years. Studying under artists such as John Massimino and Kyle Stuckey, she has learned a variety of techniques and styles, which she enjoys teaching to her own art students. Says the artist: “I think it’s important to keep progressing. I continually challenge myself to grow.”

Oil painting is her passion. “Oils take longer to dry, which means I have more time to play with the painting,” says Barry.

“I do a lot of knife work; a lot of my paintings are heavy with paint.” As for subject matter, she says, “I like being versatile. I find painting produce so much fun, but I also like experimenting with different subjects. My art very much expresses who I am.”

Barry loves making others’ wishes come true through commissioned pieces. “I intend to lift people up and make them smile,” she says. “I want the viewer to have an instant connection and emotional bond with the painting.” Barry describes her process thus: “I take some photos, stare at a scene, write notes. I enjoy every minute of it. I want to take my time with my painting. … It’s the joy of life.”

Barry is represented by Perspective Gallery in Mount Pleasant and the Charleston Artist Guild Gallery. Follow her on Instagram @margbarryart.

MARGARET DE CARLI BARRY
843.822.3355
MPAGPERSPECTIVEGALLERY.COM

SWEETGRASS GALLERY

LOCATED on Broad Street’s historic Gallery Row, Sweetgrass Gallery showcases the incredible talent of local and nationally recognized artists. With five separate salons, the gallery’s cutting-edge display features a 60-inch flat-screen TV for multimedia presentations of artists and their work. The gallery’s impressive roster includes renowned painters Alice Ann Dobbin, Anne E. London and sculptor Alexa King. It also introduces new talents, such as realist Mick Elam. Opened in September, the gallery will host  a Grand Opening gala to meet the artists on November 1, 2019, from 6–8 p.m.

London is an internationally recognized artist whose work combines two of her passions: visual art and the conservation of endangered species. From her earlier intaglio engravings to her latest work with impressionistic charcoal and watercolor, London brings to life breathtaking portraits of wildlife in their natural habitats. Says London: “When I look at a lion, I see its uniqueness as an intelligent being. All animals have a rich interior life full of emotions; to ignore that fact is to miss something significant we share.” Through Arts for Animals, her nonprofit in Zimbabwe, thousands of children connect creativity with conservation to make a difference in their future. It provides scholarships in the arts, as well as funding for conservation efforts, such as anti-poaching police.

 

 

King, former artist-in-residence at Churchill Downs, is internationally recognized as one of the leading sporting sculptors in the world. Chosen from a field of 100 sculptors to create a full-sized replica of Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro, her sculpture is the culmination of a lifetime of studying movement in animals. Says the artist, “When I hold clay in my hand, I sense the movement of a horse.” Her sculptures are in the collections of America’s most prominent families and have been successfully auctioned at Sotheby’s as well as Christie’s in London. Recently, King broadened her scope to include birds and other wildlife.

Charleston artist Alice Ann Dobbin earned her latest recognition with “Best Painting” at the 2019 Piccolo Spoleto Juried Art Exhibition. Like the previous artists, her passion is nature. For the past 20 years, she has focused on the landscapes and wildlife of the Lowcountry. Her work transcends conventional realism to evoke a tranquility that is almost spiritual. Dobbin was a solo artist at the MacCallum More Museum in Virginia and has participated in prestigious invitational exhibits throughout the country. She is an avid supporter of animal rescue charities.

SWEETGRASS GALLERY
843.608.0759
SWEETGRASSGALLERY.COM

WILLIAM TURNER

 

OIL painter and Charleston native William Turner began showing an interest in art by drawing at the age of 5.

A graduate of The Citadel, he counts among his many accomplishments walking onto the military college’s football team and once winning a fight by decision over the future Golden Gloves State Champion. Turner is now nurturing his early love of art by pursuing a career as a professional artist. When La Carreta commissioned him to paint a large mural of Frida Kahlo on the front of its James Island restaurant, it solidified his decision to pursue art as a business. Turner experimented with watercolor as a child and transitioned to oil by the time he was 10. He continues to favor the medium and looks to the beauty of Charleston for inspiration. The Charleston Battery remains his most popular piece.

A member of the Charleston Artist Guild, Turner accepts commissions and includes among his offerings personalized gifts, prints and framed originals.

WILLIAM TURNER
843.345.6325
THEWILLIAMTURNERGALLERY.COM

IVO KERSSEMAKERS

 

AWARD-winning photographer Ivo Kerssemakers took an unexpected path. He was born in the Netherlands and raised in Amsterdam, where he started his own software business. In 1997, he moved to the United States and continued to work as a software developer throughout the country before settling in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina.

In 2015, he began pursuing his passion for photography professionally. His signature work consists of long-exposure photography, with an emphasis on clean, surrealistic, minimalist-type imagery. The long-exposure technique means he uses neutral density filters up to 16 stops to achieve exposure times of more than four minutes in bright daylight. Kerssemakers pays careful attention to the way landscapes change in different lighting and weather conditions and will revisit locations to see how they change. He is currently focusing on the Charleston area, in particular Botany Bay, as well as working on an architectural series in London and Amsterdam.

He prioritizes using the highest quality sustainable materials for printing and framing, and he specializes in large-scale works. Venues in South Carolina where his work can be seen include Lowcountry Artists Gallery in Charleston, MISC-Everything Murrells Inlet Gallery and Waccamaw Boulevard Gallery in Myrtle Beach.

IVO KERSSEMAKERS
843.424.6225
IVOKERSSEMAKERS.COM

SHEILA PRINGLE

 

SHEILA Pringle started painting before most children learn to read. Says the Charleston-based artist: “I started at 3. When I was 5 my mother took me to the Corcoran School of Arts and lied about my age. I studied there until I was 15.”

Decades later, Pringle continues to practice her craft, though her path was not without obstacles. After studying and working as a landscape architect, Pringle started a family. A few years later doctors discovered a brain tumor in her frontal lobe. During recovery, Pringle returned to her passion, and found that art was a huge part of her healing process. “The first day they gave me medicine I started painting. Researchers have found that more parts of the brain are used when painting than when performing brain surgery,” she explains.

After studying with artists such as Amelia Rose Smith, Pringle soon joined Perspective Gallery. Her artwork is mainly figurative. “I enjoy painting people. I paint them as I find them, scenes from around here, mostly kids, skateboarders, surfers, swimmers, people enjoying outdoor life … It’s life in South Carolina,”  she says.

View Pringle’s work on her website or in person at Perspective Gallery, located at 1055 Johnnie Dodds Blvd. in Mount Pleasant.

SHEILA PRINGLE
843.696.8537
TALKINGTREESGALLERY.COM

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