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Current Exhibitions

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  Upcoming Exhibitions in 2012-2013  

 

 

Winter Pepsi
Jim Harrison

NOV 6 - DEC. 29, 2012

Jim Harrison

"Jim Harrison loves the South and rural America with a passion. With paintbrush and pen, he does his best to preserve that part of rural America that seems to be slipping away far too quickly. Jim’s realistic paintings of landscapes with fields of cotton and old barns, old country stores with Coca-Cola signs, and country roads lined with trees—along with paintings of seascapes, lakes, and rivers—bring back special memories to all that view them. Jim’s success is evidenced by more than 35 years as a full-time artist."..."His paintings stir feelings and memories in everyone — from the very young to the very old."

 

 

 

 

Wolf Chef's Den
Tarleton Blackwell

NOV 13, 2012 - FEB. 16, 2013

Tarleton Blackwell

"Tarleton Blackwell has established himself as one of the leading visual interpreters of the rural South. In his celebrated Hog Series, begun nearly twenty years ago and now consisting of over two hundred and fifty works, Blackwell explores the rich iconography of the region, incorporating elements of art history, children's tales, persistent stereotypes and even commercial imagery.

Much of the allure of Blackwell's work rests in his complex, dense, and often ambiguous imagery that plays as part allegory, part fairytale, and part social commentary. Blackwell creates a complete topography of the rural South, grounded in his experience but overlaid with historical and literary musings.

Blackwell has pointed out that hogs, so central to his work, emerged out of his experiences raising them but that over time, they began to mean something more. He articulates our shared cultural and social perceptions about the animal, whether derived from the Three Little Pigs, Porky the Pig, industrial pig farms, and so forth. The same investment of meaning holds true for the wolf, often seen in Blackwell's world as an authority figure."

-- CityArt Gallery, Columbia, SC --

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Holding Hands
Mary Ellen Suitt

JAN 8 - FEB. 16, 2013

Mary Ellen Suitt:
In Retrospect

"Mary Ellen Suitt, a native South Carolina artist, uses both opaque and transparent paints in a bold array of colors. She exercises a variety of techniques and expressions to create her vibrant landscapes and her now trademark "blue people" which are are identifiable as uniquely her own. 'Suitt paints with a touch of genius.' stated Mary Todd Beam whose book 'Celebrate Your Creative Self' features Suitt's work."

For 31 years, Mary Ellenwas a cartographer for the U.S. Soil Conservation Service and drew maps for various countries for the Army and Air Force (including maps of Germany and Japan for the Allies during the Second World War). She is one of the Charter Members of the Artists' Guild of Spartanburg, which was founded in 1957.

 

Ortrud
Carl Plansky

March 5 - May 4, 2013

Carl Plansky:
30 Years of Painting

Carl Planksy, artist, teacher, paint maker, maintained studios in Brooklyn and East Meredith, New York and Budapest, Hungary.   Born in Miami Beach, Carl studied at Maryland Institute College of Art and moved to New York in 1970 to attend Hans Hofmann's New York Studio School.  He also studied with artist Joan Mitchell, a close personal friend who was a strong influence on his work.

Plansky’s paintings are drawn from direct observation, and revel in pitch-perfect color, compositional elegance, and highly expressive brushwork. Also a respected and influential teacher, he guided students at numerous colleges and universities as well as highly acclaimed art institutions, including a return to the New York Studio School in 2004 as a faculty member.
 Forever dedicated to the craft of oil painting, he began making small batches of handmade paint in the 1980s for himself and artist friends. This would eventually become Williamsburg Oil Paint for Artists, now widely regarded as one of the premier oil paint makers in the world and used by some of the most respected artists working today.

Carl believed the only life worth living was based in salvation through individualism. Throughout his life, Carl was intensely committed to the honest, almost cathartic, personal expression found through paint, an idea often at odds with contemporary art world trends. It was a position he found equally frustrating and empowering, as he said "the art world is cool and hip. [I am] too hot and passionate." At the time of his death, Carl had become an esteemed and successful artist on his own terms, without compromise or regret.

Plansky’s paintings are included in many public and private collections around the world.