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.

PUZZLE ART by Faith Cuda

"Prismatic Puzzle"

During the month of September, Art Central Gallery presents a solo exhibit, “Puzzle Art,” by Faith Cuda.  This captivating body of work is on view during regular business hours, Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm, at the gallery at 130 Central Avenue, Summerville, South Carolina.

Speaking of her newest paintings, Faith says, “Creating art can be both fascinating and challenging at the same time.  With these paintings, I held the image in my mind and heart along with the medium (oil or acrylic paint) and my unique style of applying the paint.  All of it came together to bring the images to life.  The size of a piece of art, whether large or miniature, is also part of the equation.  The work can be a single canvas or a number of pieces put together like a puzzle to create the final image.”

In “Puzzle Art,” Faith uses the time-honored method of continuing the image across two or more canvases.  A diptych, such as “Sunburst,” is a two-paneled piece joined into one painting, with or without a hinge.  The showcase piece of this exhibit, “Prismatic Puzzle,” is a triptych, meaning the painting consists of three panels.  The panels do not have to be the same size.  One panel can be larger and the other two smaller or any creative combination the artist wishes to arrange the three pieces.

“Poppies Galore” is a polyptych, or a piece of art having more than three panels.  Faith explains, “A polyptych can include many panels depending on the size and structure of the total image being painted.  In this case I painted four canvases that were the same size.  The resulting work is unusually large and hopefully powerful.”

Faith Cuda will be honored at a reception on Third Thursday, September 20, 2018 5 pm-8 pm.  Her exhibit, “Puzzle Art,” will be presented until the end of the month.  For more information visit  www.artcgalleryltd.com.

"Sunburst"

"Poppies Galore"

"Water Water Everywhere" by Laura Cody

Artist Laura Cody will be exhibiting her latest pastel paintings at Art Central Gallery, at 130 (Short) Central Avenue, Summerville, SC during the month of August.  The exhibit, Water Water Everywhere!, includes pastel paintings of waves, beaches and the people who enjoy them.

Laura Cody loves to paint waves!  She says, “There is something so majestic about the ocean and I especially love trying to capture the light as it comes thru the cresting waves.  I find wave paintings to be very calming and peaceful to look at.”  This fascination with the water and the beach are evident in Laura’s newest paintings.  “Surf Side” is 12 inches high and 36 inches wide, a shape that is particularly suited to the wide waves.

“Being at the beach brings up so many wonderful memories of my childhood, my children on our summer vacations and my grandchildren visiting us during the summer.  In “Beach Fun” I was drawn by the sun light on the child and her reflection in the shallow water.”

Laura’s exhibit will be at Art Central through the end of August, with a reception for the artist on Third Thursday, August 16, 2018 5-8 pm.  More info about Laura’s work and the gallery is at www.artcgalleryltc.com.

This Land I Love

Detta Cutting Zimmerman

"This Land I Love" group show by Art Central artists will be featured through July 2018 - reception on Third Thursday, July 19th 5-8pm

The Paper Chase by Delaine Walters

Art Central Gallery presents “The Paper Chase”, works on paper by artist Delaine Walters. The show and sale will be available at the gallery through June 30, 2018.

Some of these works are batiks on rice paper.  This paper is a thin tissue with fibers embedded and is deceptively strong.  It can stand up to the wax, paint and heat of the batik process.

Delaine values this paper for its airy softness and texture.  She says, “When I think of batik paintings, I feel softness and I see texture.”  The artist’s response involves all of the senses.

The batik process is exciting for Delaine because of the element of surprise.  Delaine explains:  “I draw the pattern on the smooth side of the rice paper with a waterproof pen. Then I wax out the areas that will remain white.  When the wax cools I add watercolor.  After 6-8 more layers of wax and watercolor, the pattern gets lost and I continue on instinct.  At the end, the entire piece of rice paper is covered with wax.  As I iron out the wax, the magic happens!  My planning and careful attention almost always end with a surprise.”

Other pieces in this exhibit are watercolors on handmade paper.  “The Paper Chase” is on display at the gallery, 130 Central Avenue, 10 am-5 pm Monday-Friday, 9 am-4 pm Saturday.  Meet the artist at a reception on Third Thursday, June 21, 2018, 5-8 pm. For more information visit www.artcgalleryltd.com

"A" IS FOR ART by Yvonne L. Rousseau

“A” IS FOR ART by Yvonne L. Rousseau

Yvonne L Rousseau is the Artist of The Month for May at Art Central Gallery.  Her exhibit, “A” IS FOR ART, will be displayed through May 31, 2018 Monday-Friday, 10-5 and Saturday, 9-4.

Rousseau says,  “In this exhibit you will see subjects that I find interesting which begin with the letter “A’.”

ABSTRACT:  These works are inspired from musical lines, rhythms, textures, shapes and colors.  They are my visual interpretation of sounds transformed with paint onto canvas.
ARTIST:  One painting depicts an unsuspecting fellow artist caught in the act of contemplation. Another is a still life of artist tools.
ARCHITECTURE:  Timeless architectural designs are seen in several of the paintings.
AUTOMOTIVE:  These classic vehicles have playful light reflections on metal and sparkling chrome.
ANIMAL:  These are interesting personalities and mysterious glances captured from furry and feathered creatures.
APPLE:  And of course, A IS FOR APPLE, a simple shape whose color and form, when explored, become much more than ordinary or mundane.”

Meet Yvonne during a reception for the artist on Third Thursday, May 17, 2018, 5-8 pm at Art Central, 130 Central Avenue in Historic Summerville.  For more information or to see more of Yvonne’s work, visit www.artcgalleryltd.com.

Lowcountry Potpourri—New Paintings from Mary Ann Bridgman

"Old Crabbing Dock" by Mary Ann Bridgman

Mary Ann Bridgman is the featured artist at Art Central Gallery during the month of April. Her exhibit, “Lowcountry Potpourri,” is a collection of watercolor paintings depicting various Lowcountry scenes.

The artist says the South Carolina Lowcountry offers continual inspiration for her paintings. She loves the rich and diverse landscapes and the way light and shadow change them in different seasons and at different times of day.

Bridgman strives to convey the essence of this unique place with her artistic interpretations. In “Botany Bay Pathway,” we can see special light effects coming through lush vegetation. 

“Joe’s Hideaway” looks like the perfect place to unwind and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings.

Meet Mary Ann Bridgman at Art Central Gallery, 130 Central Ave. on Third Thursday, April 19, 2018 5-8pm. “Lowcountry Potpourri” will be displayed until April 30, 2018.  See more of Bridgman’s work at www.artcgalleryltd.com.

ORDINARY TO EXTRAORDINARY

Art Central Gallery features the March 2018 show and sale "Ordinary to Extraordinary" by artist Debbie Grogen. Join us on Third Thursday, March 15, 2018 5-8pm for a gallery reception and meet the artist!
  
"We have all done it.  We go to a new place or on a new adventure and we must capture our experience with our photographs.  But what happens after that?  Do you look at your photo and say I remember this brighter, softer, more vivid?  The camera has never been able to capture what the human eye can see.  It cannot capture the all the shades and tones of color your eye sees.  Nor can the camera capture the feeling of standing on a beach with the breeze caressing your face with a delightful coolness on a humid day: or the sheer magical lavender colors in the sky after the sun has set.  But your art can capture that feeling.

 The reason is simple.  When you create a painting, it is from your soul.  Do you remember that moment when you were inspired to take that photo and why?  What attracted you to this image?  The light against the dark contrast, the colors, shapes, textures or the historical importance that a place evokes. These are questions that your art can try to answer for the viewer.  It involves taking the ordinary to the extraordinary.

My theme of this show endeavors to show how art can transform an image and make it special to the viewer.  Each piece of art work was inspired by a memory, feeling, or sense of inspiration.  Both the photo and the art that was inspired by it will be displayed to demonstrate this transformation.

It is my fervent wish that after viewing this exhibit you will be enchanted from the ordinary to the extraordinary both in visual delight and emotion." - artist Debbie Grogen