Water, Wax, Paint, Paper — new work by artist Jan Dalton

Art Central presents an exhibit of mixed media paintings by local artist Jan Dalton.  “Water, Wax, Paint, Paper” will be available for viewing during the month of June at the gallery at 130 Central Avenue, Summerville, SC. 

Jan talks about her new work: “Mixed media isn't a 20th-century phenomenon, although in previous centuries artists were less experimental in what they used. For example, gold leaf was often added to church paintings; Leonard da Vinci mixed pastels with other drawing media; William Blake used watercolor washes in his prints; and Edgar Degas combined pastels with charcoal and printing inks.

As an extreme example, during a 2013 exhibition contemporary German artist Rosemarie Trockel found a dead moth in the museum and quickly incorporated it into one of her works on display. The act of adding this unusual object added a new layer of meaning to the work.

Now, I’m no Leonard Da Vinci, William Blake, Edgar Degas or Rosemarie Trockel (I can’t see myself picking up a dead creature of any kind and incorporating it into a piece of art).  However, I’m always looking for new ways to stir the creative juices.”

Mixed media art refers to a visual art form that combines a variety of media in a single artwork.  It is closely related to other art forms, such as assemblage. Assemblage is a 3-dimensional sculptural form in which found objects are "assembled" together in a quirky or unique way.  In Jan’s painting “The Golden Hour,” she used modeling glue, acrylic paint and gold leaf to create a 3-D image.  This sense of space is enhanced by the frame.

Jan’s new work includes paintings with different combinations of water, wax, paper, pencil, pen and ink and oil pastels.  In other paintings the artist used modeling paste, acrylic paint, tissue papers and other 3-dimensional items.

Meet Jan Dalton at a reception on Third Thursday, June 20, 2019 5-8 pm.  Check out more of Jan’s work at www.artcgalleryltd.com. 

"Waterscapes" by artist Mary Ann Bridgman

Mary Ann Bridgman’s watercolor show & sale, “Waterscapes,” is featured for the month of April at Art Central Gallery. A waterscape is a landscape scene with a prominent water feature included.

The artist says, “Living in the South Carolina LowCountry, we are blessed to have many natural wonders available to us. A lot of these include water.” Mary Ann learned at a young age that she absolutely loves being near water. Whether it is ocean, river, pond or waterfall, it gives her great pleasure.

What Mary Ann knows instinctively, science supports with data: viewing water provides many benefits. Researchers have determined that being near water has definite calming effects on people. Watching ocean waves is inspiring and lowers stress levels. Even looking at paintings of water scenes can provide these benefits.

Seek out some calming benefits of water for yourself! Mary Ann Bridgman’s exhibit will be available at Art Central Gallery through the end of April, with a reception honoring the artist on Third Thursday, April 18, 2019, 5pm-8pm. For more information about the artist visit the art Central Gallery website: www.artcgalleryltd.com. 

Bridgman’s “Picnic Spot on the Edisto” is a reminder of wonderful times
spent enjoying the beautiful natural surroundings and serenity of our Edisto River. 

. In Mary Ann Bridgman’s watercolor painting, “Headin’ Out”, the ocean is fairly peaceful and cool looking. The artist enjoyed seeing the hopeful gulls following the shrimp boat in anticipation of special treats.

"Shape and Space" by artist Sarah Allums Kuhnell

Artist Sarah Kuhnell’s show and sale, “Shape and Space,” will be featured at Art Central Gallery, 130 Central Avenue, Summerville, South Carolina, through the end of March 2019.

Sarah’s new work in pastel invites the viewer into the openness and space of our Lowcountry vistas.  She says, “While indicating size and distance in a landscape, shapes also draw the eye here and there. In this series, there are few objects to regard as shapes.” The artist asks the viewer to feel the openness and space created by few large masses of color contrasting with each other.

Sarah explains the beginning of a landscape, “The vault of the sky overwhelms me when I’m out painting or taking photos. I love the low line of horizon with sun everywhere. When painting outdoors, I see colors moving in and through clouds, over and through water, and reflected in waves splashing onto the beach.” Sarah’s painting, “Sunny Beach,” is the distillation of the artist’s sensory overload. It’s what is left when she filters out all of the extraneous details and brings her attention to clouds shifting form in the distance, to a warm sandy path to the water, to a rising tide in the reeds.

As she considers numerous opportunities at her chosen painting spot, nothing beckons the artist quite like a path. In “Path at Breach Inlet,” Sarah willingly follows along, noting the foliage, the colors, the smells and sounds. Down to the beach she leads the viewer, feeling a great expanse of sky all around.

Sarah will greet guests at her reception at Art Central Gallery, 130 Central Avenue, on Third Thursday, March 21, 2019 5-8pm. For more information visit the gallery website at www.artcgalleryltd.com.

“Kittens and Flowers" by Detta Cutting Zimmerman 1945-2014

"Spring Flowers"

"Kitty on a Chair"

February's show and sale at Art Central Gallery will feature paintings by artist Detta Zimmerman and will highlight two of her favorite subjects, “Kittens and Flowers.”

Throughout Detta’s long painting career, two subjects appeared repeatedly on her canvases: kittens and flowers.  She made sure to include both in her daily life.  She delighted in the antics of the family pets and waited for them to strike some endearing pose that she could capture in paint.  Her companion, Luceeta, was particularly interested in fresh, warm laundry.

Detta also planned her garden so she would have flowers blooming throughout the year.  Winter always meant camellias; spring was the season for azaleas.  Summer brought annuals, especially zinnias.

Detta often used a still life set up in her backyard.  She loved to paint the flowers, cloths and other items in natural light, with trees and sky in the background.

Some of the paintings in this show have not been shown for a long time.  Detta was a prolific painter and her work continues to delight viewers lucky enough to have known her as well as new collectors just discovering her bright colors and lively style.

Meet the artist’s husband, Delbert Zimmerman, at a reception at Art Central Gallery, 130 Central Avenue, Summerville, SC on Third Thursday, February 21, 2019 5-8 pm.  For more information about the artist visit: www.artcgalleryltd.com

"Color Expressions" by Renee Bruce

Abstract 710

Art Central is pleased to kick off the new year with a burst of color from artist Renee Bruce.  Her solo exhibit, “Color Explorations,” is on display at the gallery through the end of January.

“Color Explorations” comes just in time to brighten a sometimes dreary month.  Renee’s newest work is a collection of paintings created with richly pigmented alcohol inks on impervious surfaces.  The artist is excited about her new work.  She says, “The inks I used in these pieces are captivating.  They’re luminous and seem to float across the surface.”

Renee explains her process, “These paintings were so much fun to create!  No brushes, but I used other tools, including a credit card, cotton swabs, a spray bottle and canned air.  I tried not to control the ink unnecessarily.  The colors mixed and mingled until something beautiful began to happen.  Then I encouraged, repeated, added and subtracted until the image was complete.  It was really an interactive process and very freeing for me as an artist.”

Meet the artist at a reception on Third Thursday, January 17, 2019 5 pm.-8 pm.  Her exhibit, “Color Explorations” will be presented until the end of the month.  More information is at www.artcgalleryltd.com.

Abstract 731

Cosmos I

"Magic Hour" by Alexandra Kassing

Through the end of November 2018 Art Central Gallery will feature the show “Magic Hour” by artist Alexandra Kassing. The artist explores a fascination for sunsets and night skies. “I love this special time of transition when it seems like the land loses its color and light, but by contrast the sky comes alive with vibrant color,” said Kassing, “I call this the Magic Hour”.

“I consider myself a colorist, or modern impressionist - with light and color being the dominant feature of my work. In this series, I pushed this even further by painting the land almost colorless using a very dark palette which contrasts with the intense light and vibrant color of the sunlit sky,” said Kassing.

The largest painting in the show, “Worth the Wait” depicts two boaters on a dark marsh who are poised in silhouette watching the sun descend. “In this work, I wanted to recreate that place of quiet and solitude where one can rest and watch the spectacular show taking place in the sky. I wanted the viewer to almost feel the cool descend over the marsh, as the sky was all ablaze with warm” says Kassing.

Another painting, “Sunset in the Holy City” was inspired by a view the artist had from a Charleston rooftop. Kassing says.  “I was fascinated watching the edge of night descend over the city, and how the intense light made the church steeples almost seem to dance. By contrast, the rest of the city below was indistinct but still attracted me with its dark, mysterious places.”

Meet the artist at the Third Thursday reception, November 15, 2018 from 5-8pm at Art Central Gallery, 130 Central Avenue, Summerville.  For more information visit the gallery website: www.artcgalleryltd.com

Bright Blue Weather by June Sullivan

“O suns and skies and clouds of June and flowers of June together, ye cannot rival for one hour October’s bright blue weather.” - Helen Hunt Jackson

Photographer June Sullivan was inspired by the beauty of autumn and poetry in her latest photography show “Bright Blue Weather” featured at Art Central Gallery through October. June says, “When I was in the fifth grade, I was required to memorize and recite 'October’s Bright Blue Weather' by American poet and novelist Helen Hunt Jackson. Through the years, this poem continued to resonate with me and is one of my earliest memories of my love of the fall season. Color and light are important factors for a photographer and the fall season is an excellent time to capitalize on those two elements. From the beautiful leaves and berries of the pyracantha in my photo, ‘Autumn Comes Calling’ to a picturesque courtyard in ‘Autumn in Charleston’; my photographs feature the colorful palette of low-country South Carolina this time of year”.

Visit Art Central Gallery  located at 130 Central Avenue, Summerville, SC through October 2018 and find your own autumn inspiration! Meet the artist at a gallery reception on Third Thursday, October 18, 2018 from 5-8pm.