We represent a variety of artists from around the globe. All of our artists are extremely talented individuals with a style
all their own. Our goal is to provide quality art at affordable prices. In addition to the pieces you find on the website,
all of our artists will create commissioned works. Please do not hesitate to email us for specifics.
Artist Profiles
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Tyler BlantonA South Carolinian native, Tyler Ann Blanton is returning to the state of her roots after seven years of studying and working as a fine artist abroad in Italy. Having lived and exhibited in both Ven-ice and Rome, her works have also been acquired in Italy’s Piemonte region- Torino and Asti- and Tuscany’s Pietra Santa and Reggio Emilia. Tyler has exhibited in Fuori La Biennale in Venice consecutively for three years during Venice’s biennial culmination of the Worlds top artists. Tyler received a BA from Smith College in Northampton, MA and an MFA from New York University, NYC. After a recent move to James Island, Charleston, Tyler's works will now be represented by Eye Level Art gallery on Queen Street in historic downtown Charleston. Her most recent works are experimental in nature, weaving and layering materials into a mixed media collage. “I studied Classical Ballet as a young girl in New York City with George Balanchine’s School of American Ballet, and with the Tbillisi Choreographic in Tbillisi; Georgia, the former USSR per-forming also in Moscow, and Saint Petersburg at age fourteen. The art of dance and movement still pulses within my veins and moves within me during the creation process. I love to work on a large scale surface- which opens the door to the body’s movement in space with paint on my hands or objects made into tools. Just as the art of dance is raw, fresh and new with each move so too does the canvas capture those body movements and strokes in time. Even words on newspaper, which I sometimes collage into works, are a movement in time. I often approach the painting’s from a socio-political standpoint that is not always immediately apparent. It has been said that my paintings are like subtle awakenings that lead to a greater picture.” |
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Andrew CottonNew-York based artist Andrew Cotton was born and raised in Northwest London. His formal art training included a foundation course in fine art painting at Central St. Martins Art School in London, and further fine art study at Brighton University. After spending a year and a half under the "instruction" of contemporary artists at Brighton, he became disillusioned by their opposition to alternative art forms as well as the lack of vocational training taught in university. Convinced that the creative world could not provide necessary financial security, Andrew left art school and moved on to succeed in jobs in advertising and trading. It was during this window into the world of commerce that Andrew learned the dark realities of marketing and sales. Knowing he could do the 9-to-5, he decided to revisit the creative impulses that had remained persistent. After moving to New York, Andrew returned to painting and began selling his work on the streets of Soho – an inspiring and challenging experience. The streets confirmed the wide appeal of Andrew's work as he began receiving offers to do gallery shows, private commissions and work for commercial venues. Now selling work through various channels, Andrew still returns to the street where he interacts with clients and gets constructive feedback. Over the last three years, Andrew's work has evolved from spray paint and complex stencil work to a cross-section of paint mediums to, most recently, exploring oxidation combined with hand-paced serigraphs. This medium was inspired by his recent collaborative show "Exploration in Oxidation." In using oxidation techniques and paint, which corrodes over time, Andrew's current work reflects the ever-changing urban landscape which both celebrates and entraps the human spirit. |
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Bill DaviesEarly on, Bill’s artwork was inspired by life on the shores of Lake Erie, New York and, now, the captivating coastlines of the Carolinas stimulate his imagination and brush strokes. His evolving love affair with the element of water and nature is uniquely captured in his paintings, which bridge the spectrum of serene and mystical drama to bold passion. Bill moved to the Low Country six years ago and resides in Mt. Pleasant. |
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Kay DongesKay Donges was raised in North Louisiana and currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia. She has a degree in art education from Northwestern State University of Louisiana. Her works have received numerous awards and regional recognition. In 2002, Kay turned from egg tempera strictly to acrylic painting, using more vivid flat colors. Her subject matter also changed focusing more on the scenery and objects of the Atlantic coast region. Kay loves a palette of bold clear colors. Her works reveal her appreciation for the emotional value of the simple scenery around her. Recurring elements of Kay's paintings are objects, boats, and houses. Kay considers herself primarily a colorist. She is constantly on the lookout for the interplay between juxtapo sed pigments producing a very powerful image. Representational art, as I practice it, needs no interpretation. Rather, the paintings themselves are an interpretation of subjects as diverse and familiar as small boats, still-lifes, and arrangements of chairs. I attempt to obtain realism by laying one color next to the other, giving the impression of detail by letting the eye do the blending when viewed from a distance. It is the aspect of beauty in everyday things that most appeals to the painter in me. My paintings endeavor to share the impact of a particular moment with the viewer. Her work is included in a number of private and corporate collections. |
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Christopher DotsonChristopher Dotson has been involved in the visual arts for over 13 years, and uses a wide variety of mediums. This includes Watercolor, Pen and Ink, Graphite, Charcoal, Oil paint, Acrylic paint, and ceramics. His images are a blend of visual realism, and imagined realism. While the titles of his works may give a hint as to what may have inspired them, the meanings are for the viewer to interpret. Christopher Dotson is a former member of the Charlestown Artist Group in Charlestown, MA, and has sold his work to private collectors in Boston, MA and in Charleston SC,. He is now a member of the Charleston Artistís Guild in Charleston, SC. |
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Nicolas DrakeNicholas (Nicolas) Drake was an artist, philosopher and man of many words but most importantly opinions. A creative spirit and mystical visionary way before his time in the south, Nicolas was one of the forefathers of the modernist movement in Charleston. His passionate interest in physics, astronomy and humanity’s future in space informed his interpretive expression of art. He explored the intersection of art and science through painting, photography, film, sculpture, journalism and multi media artistic displays. A fine conversationalist, Nicolas was most at home in the realm of ideas. As the radio host of “Talk About”, a weekly 30 minute radio program on South Carolina Educational Radio Network/NPR Affiliate, he displayed his knowledge of the world, science and the arts by exploring a fascinating montage of topics and guests. As a commentator on the arts, Drake wrote numerous art and book reviews for the Post and Courier, covering exhibits at the Halsey Gallery and the Gibbes Museum of Art. His commentaries were also published in a number of national art journals. In 2001, Drake directed the first South Carolina Independent Film Festival for the Piccolo Spoleto Festival. Nicolas was tied to the south by his roots but also because of health reasons- he endured a life-long battle with kidney disease, diabetes and blindness. Years of dialysis, frequent illness and a kidney and pancreas replacement kept him close to home and constantly battling health issues. He passed away of associated complications in October of 2005 at the age of 52. Nicolas’s art is held in private and public collections around the United States. “So like a cultural gadfly, stinging his way past the foibles of American culture to light on those rarified flowers of genius, but with nothing much new to say.” Nicolas Drake, reviewing a book by the critic Robert Hughes in 1997 |
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Adam Miguel EstevezAdam Miguel Estevez’s fondness for palm trees stems from growing up in St. Petersburg, Florida. Although his work has expanded into both photorealism and the abstract, the current pieces reflect a more realistic depiction of palms. His inspiration comes from his travels, his Cuban heritage, music, other contemporary artists, and his ‘other’ life as a forensic and general psychiatrist. After living in New York for six years and establishing a solo exhibit in Chelsea, New York, Adam Miguel has returned to his hometown in Florida. His work has been shown and sold throughout the United States including Maryland, New York, Florida, Wisconsin, Indiana, South Carolina, Texas, Massachusetts, and Oregon. |
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Sharon FowlerCrape Myrtle / "An abundance of visual nuances attracted me to painting these forms. Studying this botanical species(Largerstremia sp) for the past five years I am still intrigued by this morphic tree. Like a chameleon that changes it's skin in color and then goes beyond. Because of the exfoliating bark, it also changes texture." "Familiar in my mind, a category from horticulture to human takes on new structures of bones, muscle, skin and then a voice. This secret changing ability alluded me at first and then drew me in. Seasons change from winter to spring to summer to fall. From cool blues to lush greens to vibrant reds and everything else in between, by observing these emotional cycles, I joined a quiet organic structure to a speaking painterly voice." Sharon Fowler's many recent achievements include / A solo Piccolo- Spoleto show. A solo show for the city of North Charleston, where she was an artist in residence. Director of ChurchStudio. Featured artist in gallery shows, participated in many group shows. Has been recognized by the design community through many awards. She also is a graduate from Ringling School of Art. Why Crape Myrtles as an inspiration? Well, as a subject they are ever-changing. Everything has a direct effect on how they look. Light, rain, time of year, and the trees themselves are fascinating. The shape and texture of a Crape Myrtle invite you to touch them. Watching people react to the trees is what started me thing about painting them. The first painting was a landscape with Crape Myrtles. Ok, but admittedly not exciting. The next painting was a close up of a tree, better but not quite right. Finally an extreme close up of the bark. Voila, an abstract with out being an abstract. Crape Myrtles are a subject that I look forward to exploring for a long while. AWARD: Piccolo Spoleto Outdoor Art Exhibit 2008 Judged by Jonathan Green Won "Mayor's Award" (6x4 piece bought by the city and will hang in the Mayor's office for a year, then go into the city's permanent collection) |
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Carolyn FrancisCarolyn Francis, born in a small town in the Midwest, experienced a picturesque childhood. Summer days were filled with joyful activities including swimming in the Misissippi River, running through cornfields, and chasing fireflies after dusk. On rainy days, she loved to sketch and not surprisingly, art was her favorite high school class. Upon graduation, events catapulted her to New York City where she enjoyed a successful modeling career with the Ford and Elite agencies. Extensive travel through Europe awakened her to the beauty of historic cultures. After returning to America, she pursued another childhood dream and subsequently performed as an actress in many television shows and commercials. But art was aways a passion. Mostly self taught, she studied at Santa Monica College, Pratt Institute, and the Woodstock School of Art. Carolyn’s style comes from the embattled artistic tradition known as realism. The realist looks at the ordinary world around him and records it. He does so out of the philosophic conviction that goodness, beauty, and interest are in the world as it is. This must not be confused with the very different notion that everything in life is good, beautiful or interesting. Realist choose those things, people, and events that they find sufficiently compelling to share with others. |
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Glenn FriedelA native of Washington, DC, Glenn Friedel received his BA in Radio/Television from George Washington University. He took his Master of Fine Arts in Film and Electronic Media from the American University. He has made a feature film, underdogs, which won several awards playing in multiple film festivals worldwide. In graduate school, Friedel became somewhat frustrated with the lengthy process of filmmaking. As he progressed through the program he increasingly focused on photography as a way to execute his ideas more rapidly. Starting with black and white he quickly moved onto color negatives and slides. Always interested in experimentation and extremely affected by the photograms of Man Ray, Maholy-Nagy and others, Friedel moved on to this medium. With unbridled enthusiasm he has spent nearly a decade working towards perfecting his style. Besides working as an artist, Friedel worked as a graphic designer in Virginia and taught photography and digital imaging classes at area colleges and universities from 2000 to 2006. In the fall of 2006 Friedel moved to Brooklyn, NY to pursue his artistic endeavors fulltime. In the short time that he has been there Friedel has had a solo show in a Chelsea gallery which sold out over half of the work. He has since signed an exclusive contract with Jan Larsen Art in Brooklyn for all of NYC. Among the many galleries and collectors that own his work Friedel has sold art for public view at the Westin Hotel in Washington, DC and several pieces for the set design of the upcoming national show Army Wives. Last Summer Friedel showed in a Washington DC city wide show highlighting contemporary artists produced by the Kreeger Museum. |
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Darlene FuhstDarlene Fuhst was born in Michigan in 1969 and grew up in a small town outside of Detroit. After graduating from Central Michigan University in 1992, Darlene relocated to Charleston, SC, where she currently resides. Right from the start, Darlene’s paintings have exhibited elements of her highly recognizable style that features strong design elements combined with saturated colors and unusual compositions. Though the subject matter of Darlene’s paintings has been quite varied, the unifying theme of her work is the depiction of things that people see every day but don’t take time to truly examine. By removing these items from their usual context and presenting them as art, Darlene is encouraging the viewer to contemplate their aesthetic value without regard to function or literal meaning. Though the objects themselves are depicted in a very realistic style, the paintings are abstract in the sense that they often reveal only a portion of the object or present it from a unique angle or perspective that is different from the typical view. Darlene Fuhst has participated in several group shows in the Charleston area and has had her work featured in local publications. Her work is in private collections in Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Greenville, Dallas, Michigan, New York, and Key West. |
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Brownie HarrisBrownie Harris is considered one of America's great portrait photographers, Brownie Harris has been described by journalist Bill Moyers as a," true artist." Harris began his career at the age of 22 with WNET/Thirteen/PBS in New York City, where he photographed celebrity guests for Moyers and talk show host Dick Cavett. His photographs paint a broad-brush stroke across the spectrum from architecture to landscapes and portraiture. He is also a well- known and highly sought-after industrial and corporate photographer. After over 20 years in New York City, he is now based in Wilmington, North Carolina with his wife, Christine and daughters Sarah and Rebecca. |
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Kevin HarrisonWhile born in New York, Kevin Harrison spent his early years in Malaysia, where his mother is originally from. He also spent a year in Australia when his family moved as part of a teacher exchange program. Kevin is a man of many talents and interests. Flash animations, graphic design work, short film production, photography, and acting as a freelance marketing conceptual director for several national & international companies are just some of the ways he occupies his time when he is not painting in his studio in Charleston, SC. Kevin sells through galleries in St. Augustine, Fl., Charlotte, NC, Asheville, NC, and Charleston, SC. His work has been commissioned all over the US including, New York, Chicago, New Orleans, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, and of course, Charleston. |
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Lee JohnsonLee Johnson was born in 1964 in the small northern Chinese town Anqing, near China’s capital of Beijing. Johnson showed a passion for art from a young age, and in 1982 he further pursued his interests at the Academy of Fine Art in Xian. Upon completion of the program, he had acquired numerous awards and honors based on his artistic talents. Johnson found work as the Director of the Editorial Department of Fine Arts Magazine while continuing to paint at his own art studio, producing a line of more contemporary oil paintings. “Oil paints are the words I use in my works; every finished oil painting is a whole story,” Johnson has said. In addition to his work with the Fine Arts Magazine, Johnson has also been engaged in artistic creation and theoretical research through the Research Academy of Chinese Painting. While Johnson’s early works focused on abstract inkwash painting, he later moved to abstracts in oils, including a fascinating genre of exquisite and natural paintings. Johnson’s works have been exhibited in many art galleries throughout South East Asia. Many art lovers around the world collect his work. |
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Thomas KephartThom Kephart grew up in the heart of coal mining country, in Clearfield, PA, where he began photographing the remnants of dying industries in the area. He enjoyed the freedom of shooting pictures of his choice, developing an independent interest at his leisure while in high school. Though Kephart’s photography began as a hobby, it was not done without careful thought. His budding interest became serious after high school, when he traveled through Yosemite Park, capturing images with his aunt’s everyday SLR camera, focusing on how to improve each shot. It carried black and white film, fitting because it explains Kephart’s theory on photography. Kephart prefers black and white film because it reduces and complicates the piece simultaneously. Throughout school, art class dominated his interest, and his dedication to his craft paid off when he became a photographer for The Daily Collegian while studying at Penn State University. Kephart graduated from Penn State earning a bachelors degree in Advertising with four minors including history, business, American studies and international studies. Today, he balances photography with his full-time job at BookSurge, shooting pictures as a form of relaxation and a way to simplify his busy life. He enjoys the satisfaction that comes by taking time to look at the details that often get overlooked and capturing them on film. Kephart plans to continue polishing his skills, like a serious artist would, and will use his charismatic approach to begin shooting portraits in the future. |
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Timothy LangTimothy David Lang was born in Morristown, New Jersey April 18, 1979. He attended Morristown High School and during these years he began to gain interest in fine art. This small foundation soon led to a greater interest in graffiti in his teenage years. Following High School, he continued his education at Salisbury University on the Eastern shore of Maryland. He began his first semester as a business major but quickly switched after his first year. He chose to major in Fine Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing. After graduating from Salisbury University with a BFA in 2002, he moved to Hawaii to live with his brother for a few months before relocating to North Carolina. Timothy currently lives and works in Wilmington, NC. |
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Dabney MahanesAs far back as she can remember, Dabney Mahanes has loved drawing figures. The attraction has always stayed with her. Now she is committed to creating art through painting. The human figure allows Dabney to explore the full range of her creative expression. She can find rhythmic line in the movement of body gestures, the shape in human contours, the composition of figures in relationship to one another, and pattern and texture in costumes. Perhaps what attracts Dabney the most are the emotions naturally present when painting the human form. Every pose, expression, attitude, situation, gesture all possess a story that inspires her creativity. Dabney loves using vivid color and strange lights and darks to create a mood or a poignant moment in time. Her hope is that her work will stir emotions, stimulate imagination, and maybe even draw the viewer to a place of reflection. |
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Charlie McAlisterOriginally from Charleston, SC, Charlie McAlister has been making "things" since the early 80's. Charlie McAlister's visual art, like his music is all at once crude, honest and brilliantly playful. A fair survey of his work might read something like this: Folk visionary, Howard Finster meets punk rock graphic novelist Raymond Pettibone. |
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Danny McLaughlinDanny McLaughlin is Charleston’s premier painter of the “City of history, mystery and preservation.” He has built his entire career on his love affair with Charleston and with collectors like you who share that love. Danny is a master oil and acrylic painter, and has captured our coastal plain of sparkling beaches, and spacious marshes. His scenes downtown preserve forever the unique architecture of the south in what has become a visual museum of American history. Color and texture are very important in his paintings- the subject is secondary. He paints anything that visually excites him: portraits, still life, landscape, figurative landscapes, etc. The colors Danny applies to his canvas are planned. There are no happy accidents; even the small textures of color are there for a reason. When Danny starts painting, he does not do any preliminary drawings on canvas. He doesn’t believe in the use of projectors to transfer the sketch to the canvas. He mentally plans his images so he can start painting immediately. Every brush stroke is planned until he has accomplished his intentions. Danny’s realistic atmospheric paintings have been admired, honored and collected since his graduation with a Fine Art degree from the College of Charleston. He has done portraits of Jimmy Buffet’s children. His work is hung in the homes of people like Chubby Checker and Oprah Winfrey. He has works in the Library of Congress. Danny is a believer of giving back to the community, donating over 80+ paintings to the Red Cross, Libraries of the Lowcountry, Big Brother/Big Sisters, Salvation Army, Tara Hall Home for Boys, Maritime Museum, Ducks Unlimited, Churches of the Lowcountry, Trident Culinary Institute. |
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M. McveeM. Mcvee, has a degree in art education, she has been shown her art works through out the country. Her art works has been collected by fans around world. Mary came to US in early 90's, now she and her young children live in Buffalo, NY. Besides work at her studio, she teaches art class as well. "I found that the heave texture, the layers of paints, the lines, shapes and the freedom of composition giving me the total energy to perform, the canvas is my stage, just like a musician performs his music, slowly and freely, the (music) notes together become a beautiful piece of music. In my painting, I hope that you will see the shapes, textures and layers of colors as you would enjoy a beautiful piece of music" |
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Max MillerMax Miller was born in 1980 to a family of artists and craftsmen. His early years were characterized by his family constantly moving among various locations throughout North Carolina and Texas. Without any steady playmates, drawing became his chief activity. Max's parents would bring home reams of discarded paper, which he would set about covering with monsters. His father began working as an art director in the movie industry when Max was very young; some of his earliest memories are of accompanying his father to the sets of various films. The earliest painting Max remembers appreciating, apart from his fathers work, was a reproduction on canvas of 'Saturn Devouring His Children' by Francisco Goya. In 1991 Max and his family moved to Charleston, South Carolina. During adolescence, he continued drawing and gained an appreciation for the human form by copying superheroes from comic books. In 1997, he was selected to attend the South Carolina Governor's School for the Arts summer program. The following year, Max began undergraduate studies at the College of Charleston. Max's initial focus at college was sculpture, from which he branched into printmaking and photography. One evening during his third year, he found a paintbrush and a half-empty tube of burnt umber in a trashcan in the school's painting studio. After using these to rework a drawing, Max discovered an intense desire to devote himself to painting. In 2001, he traveled to Spain and visited the Museo del Prado, where he finally saw the painting of 'Saturn Devouring His Children' in person. Max was also exposed for the first time to the work of Jose Ribera, whose paintings continue to inspire him. The next year, he was awarded the Visual Art Scholarship from the College of Charleston and graduated with a double B.A. in Studio Art and Art History. For the next two years Max set about creating work for several solo exhibitions and group shows. Yearning for more instruction in the realistic path he had begun to follow, he was pointed in the direction of the classical atelier tradition. Max was accepted into the Charles H. Cecil Studios in Florence, Italy during the summer of 2004. By January of 2005 he was teaching beginner sculpture at Cecil Studios in the morning, and studying painting in the afternoons. Under Cecil his understanding of beauty, anatomy and composition flourished like never before. Max currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina. |
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Katie MixonOriginally from Orangeburg, South Carolina, Katie began painting at a young age with local artist Elsie Fogle. Interested in pursuing a career in art, Katie enrolled at Davidson College to attain a Bachelors of Art degree in Studio Art. While at Davidson, Katie studied directly under professor and artist Herb Jackson, who introduced her to oil pastels, igniting what would become a dedicated love for the medium. Katie also spent time studying pastel techniques as well as photography in Florence, Italy. Her time spent traveling abroad influenced both the style and technique of her work. After graduation, Katie moved to Charleston, South Carolina to live closer to the coast, where she finds much of her stimulation. Katie currently paints out of her studio at 10 Storehouse Row on the restored Naval Base in North Charleston. Katie has been represented by the Van Every/Smith Galleries, Davidson, NC, CALeidoscope Gallery, Charlotte, NC, and most recently the North Charleston City Gallery, North Charleston, SC. In addition, several of the galleries hosted independent shows for the young, emerging artist. Katie’s work was also featured in the Charlotte Art League and is part of the permanent corporate collection of Ingersoll Rand Company. |
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Yvonne MoraYvonne Mora was born in Lima, Peru, in 1959. She graduated from the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1985 and has held a very active career since. She considers herself an expressionist painter with a strong influence from the masters, Cezanne, Picasso, Van Gogh and Sorolla. A very secure bushstroke and a rigorous composition characterize her expressionism. Her painting is full of color, light and life, according to her. Well deserved recognition did not take long to arrive, as soon as art dealers from the United States and Japan took notice to her work. Mora claims that her travelling to Japan and the USA has enriched her painting with universal elements that allow her to transcend the barriers of a regional expression. Her most important shows include the Miami Biennial I, the JAALA (Japan Afro Asian Latin-American Artists Association) Biennial IV and V in Japan, Acuerdo de Cartagena, two One-Person shows at the Tsukuba Gallery in Japan and six One-Person shows in different galleries in Lima. |
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Christopher MurphyAbstract Painter Christopher Murphy creates non-objective art. He’s found it offers the purest vehicle for expressing the metaphysical and spiritual aspects of the human experience that so fascinate him. He applies his own unique form of expression by painting actively and dynamically to chart his explorations of the unseen. After earning his Master of Fine Arts degree, intuition led Murphy to move to Charleston. On earlier visits, he sensed the vitality of the city and its natural surroundings. The sophistication of the locals plus the beauty and history of the area proved irresistible. The move has proved sound. Murphy has found in Charleston a significant interest in art and a community willing and ready to join with artists to explore new forms of creative expression. Murphy’s love of art and passion for creating has always been with him. From his earliest days growing up in Florida, he showed a natural ability in the visual arts. His parents encouraged him and by his senior year of high school, he had won several state art competitions. His hard work led to a major scholarship from the Columbus College of Art and Design. At CCAD, Murphy excitedly explored the possibilities open to him within the different fields of art. Ultimately he discovered painting to be his true passion. Even so, the explorer in him compelled him to incorporate drawing, printmaking, and collage in his works. After graduating in 1992 with a BFA he returned home to Orlando. Though he worked, like many artists, in related fields to keep a paycheck coming, he painted tirelessly, and exhibited his work at every opportunity. In time, he decided the next phase of his career would best be served by returning to school. In 2004, Murphy enrolled in Graduate School at Georgia Southern University. He excelled as an art student there and worked his way through college as a teaching assistant for the art department. While in school he continued to show his work throughout the southeast. In 2007, Murphy was awarded his MFA. Murphy’s colorful abstracts will now be represented by Eye Level Art gallery on Queen Street in downtown Charleston. He’s equally delighted with this new opportunity and with his new home. Charleston looks to be the ideal launching ground for the next phase of a career as an abstract painter moving toward national and ultimately international recognition. |
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Bart ParnallBart Parnall was farm-raised on the rugged coast of Maine. He earned a Bachelor of Science at Murray State University as he trained, and then served, as an officer in the US Army. He arrived in Charleston in 1991. He is the son of award winning designer, illustrator, and author Peter Parnall, and Virginia Buck, a children’s book author as well as the founder and curator of the Wethersfield Academy for the Arts in Wethersfield Connecticut. Needless to say, art has been a part of his life since he was a child. All my life, I have been surrounded by art of all types. I have always had a great appreciation for the skill and patience it takes to produce innovative, well-designed pieces, but I tend to get bored looking at pictures of real-life objects that were drawn just for the sake being drawn. Art without innovation or imagination does not interest me. I am drawn to art that pulls me near – art that captures my gaze from far across a room – because the design, rather than the topic, is captivating. I call my art 2D3. It is constructed of many laminated layers of various sheet-like materials that build on top of each other to produce a 3-dimensional design. Imagine a topographical land-map where each layer of elevation is a separate layer of material – all glued on top of each other to complete the map – but in a more pronounced way than on simple paper. In effect, the picture is still in a 2-dimensional format, but the layers give it a 3-dimensional look and feel. |
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Patrick PelletierBorn in California in 1974, Patrick Pelletier is certainly one of the most interesting and creative artists in Charleston. It is impossible to categorize him, either professionally or personally. Patrick has had a passion for art since he was only a child creating various pictures and images, but has only in the last four years began to pursue this passion. “Art is the translator for my mind’s eye”, Patrick explains, “memories swimming in my subconscious surface onto canvas in color and form, both literal and translucent.” Patrick’s primary style is abstract, using an array of mediums from oils and acrylics, to pastels. Noteworthy of Patrick is the evolution of his work on a daily basis influenced primarily by his surroundings in nature and his daily life. His color pallets are compelling, and sure to evoke emotion, passion and intrigue from those who meet Patrick or view his work. |
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Tom PotockiTom Potocki is a professional artist who has exhibited in numerous National and Regional shows. He works in a variety of styles and media including drawing, painting, sculpture and photography. His eclectic style has been described a reflecting neo-classical and pop art with a dash of refined graffiti. He earned a BFA degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He also spent a summer studing in Rome as a student, and while at CMU did design work for Westinghouse, Mellon Bank and US Steel. After graduating, Tom moved to New York City and was involved in the Pop Art movement and produced the first "Happening" at Fire Island off Long Island. He then spent a year in Greece with a studio on the island of Hydra. Returning to the US, Tom began a college teaching career and was a founding member of the Northwestern PA Artists Association. Exhibitions include The International Superman Show in Cleveland, National Design Center in NYC, Butler Institute of American Art, Chautauqua Exhibition of American Art, International Graphics in Palm Beach, Erie Art Museum, Icon Factory in Sacramento, Prince Street Gallery in NYC, and the 2003 Appalachian Corridors Exhibit in Charleston, WV. Artworks also included in an International trade show in Basel, Switzerland. |
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Mandy SmartMandy Smart is a British artist, born in 1963 in Liverpool, England. Mandy currently lives in Los Angeles, California, where she has resided since 1989. Mandy has painted throughout her life, influenced by the pop culture of her hometown, Liverpool. Inspired by the satirical sense of humor, which the city is famous for, she went on to study fine art in college there. Mandy paints ever day in her, “factory like” studio in Silverlake, Los Angeles, where she also resides with her architect husband, “Fifi” her schnoodle dog and 3 cats. From Buddha’s to booze to playboy bunnies, her eclectic and satirical style is her signature. Mandy’s work has an appealing, informal, unrestricted quality, which captures the viewer and brings the art to life. An array of vivid colors and unique imagery is what will strike you, upon entering Mandy’s funky and eccentric studio, which was formerly a famous underground gay sex club in LA!! Her fabulous paintings exude a glamorous and funny take on everyday life. Nudes, perfume, high heel shoes, kinky boots and champagne, on large canvases, old doors and wood. Her studio is a delicatessen of art. Most intriguing is the way Mandy expresses her thoughts, by incorporating words and phrases into the paint, turning her work into humorous compositions and commentaries. Her titillating nudes and figurative work tease her audience with dry wit and comical parody making everyone smile. |
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Caryn SmithCaryn Smith's unique style and vibrant color palette in rich oils is easily recognized in her large scale abstract paintings and lowcountry scenes. She paints en plein air, capturing the beauty of the lowcountry's landscape and architecture, while in her downtown studio she is drawn to paint abstracts. Painting is like therapy, getting lost in time, sometimes yearning to paint what she sees, and sometimes needing to paint what she feels. She finds her inspiration in many things. Her favorite time to paint outdoors is capturing the last light of day when the sky has a pretty warm glow. Caryn has studied with many notable artists such as Rhett Thurman, Billyo O'Donnell, Craig Nelson, Karen Hagen, Jim Darlington and Maggie Mandell, taking many plein air workshops and studying at The Gibbs Museum of Art. She has always been interested in art and has been drawing and painting since early childhood, even painting on jeans, growing up in Chicago and Toronto. She attended The University of Mississippi in Oxford then received a BA in Interior Design from Ray College of Design in 1990. During college she started painting large scale abstracts. Since college she has been working as interior designer and painting commissions for clients. Her design background plays a large role in her painting, using her trained eye to balance scale, shapes, color and value, the combination of warms and cools, composition and perspective. Caryn Smith's work hangs in many private collections throughout the United States and Canada. She has exhibited in many juried shows, Piccolo Spoleto outdoor art exhibition and donated paintings to silent auctions for good causes around the lowcountry since moving to Charleston in 1995. She is a member of COPA (Charleston Outdoor Painters Association), a member of the Charleston Artist Guild, and ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). |
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Kevin E. TaylorKevin E. Taylor was born December 28, 1972 in Charleston, SC. In 1995, he received a B.F.A. from The Savannah College of Art and Design. His work has been exhibited in US cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Atlanta, as well as internationally in Sweden, Japan, and Italy. Recent accomplishments of note are a feature in Juxtapoz Magazine (October, 2007), and a solo exhibit marking the debut opening of San Francisco’s Gallery Three. His future exhibition schedule includes dates in the US, Berlin, and London. Kevin lives in San Francisco, CA. I attempt to expose the animal within. Much of that which is assumed to be chaotic and incomprehensible within the human paradigm can be clarified through the observation that we, like all organisms are bound first and foremost by natural law. Over time, civil responsibility has ordered a physical detachment from nature, however a deeper mental architecture remains intact. It is this power play with which we struggle internally. I take interest in formulating a parody, amplifying an analysis, and offering visual depiction of this all at once grotesque, lovely, and hilarious production. |
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Lesley WamsleyTraveling and exploration have always been a source of inspiration for W.V. native Lesley Wamsley. A graduate of Miami University, she has also spent time studying art and culture at the Université de Bourgogne in France and The University of Newcastle in Australia. Further travels throughout the South Pacific, Asia, and Central America have pushed this painter to create landscapes that reflect a world in a constant state of flux. The idea of a fluid environment is expressed by using a painting technique that highlights the paint’s liquidity so that it represents both medium and subject. Aerial photographs, topographic atlases, and geological maps are also used as a primary source of inspiration. This combination of perspective and painting technique establishes the central objective of the work: the tension between representation and abstraction. The final result is imagery that reflects an imploding of multiple states of consciousness; the viewer finds they are in a world that is recognizable and, simultaneously, a world in which time and space have no limitations. |
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Ishmael ZCOMING SOON....... |
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