28E.Thursday, September 1, 2011 ________________________________________ CHARLESTONSCENE.COM __________________________________________________ The Post and Courier
Artists work on Pour House September art walk jumpstarts weekend
BY DENISE K. JAMES
Special to The Post and Courier
You can always find space for great art, and Pour House owners Alex and Vanessa Harris have decided that the James Island Pour House/El Bohio building is the perfect place to show off Lowcountry talent. A mural-painting event runs through Labor Day weekend, with about 12 artists participating. “It all started as just an idea we had to make the outside of the building look more colorful and inviting,” says Alex Harris. “We also know a lot of people who paint, and we have a lot of space around us. It just seemed like the thing to do.” The building has been divided into spaces, with each of the 12 artists claiming one portion to paint. Artists were allotted a week to work, from Monday to Sunday, and the Pour House will host parties Saturday and Sunday to celebrate the paintings, as well as the restaurant’s ninth anniversary. “We’ll be open at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday,” says Harris. While there are no strict regulations for the painters, Harris hopes that the art will reflect what the Pour House
is about. “Our motto here at the Pour House is ‘Love live music,’ so I hope that the paintings will reflect our love of music in some way,” he says. “There’s also a possibility that we’ll do this again next year, and have new artists paint new stuff over it.” As for the competition part, after each of the artists completes a mural, the public will be given the chance to vote for the finalists starting Sunday and continuing through the next week. The winner will receive the $500 grand prize, and the runner-up will receive $200. The second runner-up will receive a Pour House bar tab worth $100. Artists participating include Charleston painters Angela Chvarak, Sheepman, Ishmael and Tina Christophillis. There’s also plenty of live music during the event. “We’re encouraging the artists to paint between the hours of 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. over the weekend,” he says. “They were able to start early, but there will definitely be live painting during the event,” Harris says. “We plan to have familyfriendly activities like facepainting, games and craft vendors. We’re hoping to have a lot of traffic.”
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larger studio works, portraits and still lifes. The M Gallery is at 11 Broad St. Call 727-4500 or visit www. mgalleryoffineart.com.
‘New Age Nouveau’
BY OLIVIA POOL
Special to The Post and Courier
A
h, September. There’s a possibility that means slightly cooler weather, or more hurricanes and hurricane parties. None of those things are for certain, but the art scene here definitely will keep you twirling. Check out the First Fridays on Broad art walk to jumpstart your weekend. Unless otherwise noted, all opening receptions are 5-8 p.m. Friday and are free and open to the public.
‘Bird’s Eye View’
If only you were a bird. Well, in Wanda Steppe’s upcoming solo show, “Bird’s Eye View,” you’re asked to be one. Martin Gallery director Kit Porter explains, “The viewer is asked to approach each painting in the collection from the perspective of a bird, and sometimes the point of view of a bird.” A bird’s-eye view is typically an elevated view, a different perspective, if you will. Having gone through intense chemotheraphy, Steppe was unable to paint for a long time, as the smell made her feel worse. When she was finally was able to get back in the studio, she found she was much more interested in painting “imaginary landscapes that were metaphors for the passage of time. When I
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“Phoebe” by Wanda Steppe will be on display at the Martin Gallery, 18 Broad St. began the landscape series, they were simply about the metamorphic effects of time and the elements, but as I healed, they became more about emotional healing and spiritual freedom,” said the artist. The final works in the series are contemplations on the fragility and uncertainty of the physical world and the nature of spirituality. The Martin Gallery is at 18 Broad St. Call 723-7378 or visit www.martingallerycharleston.com.
‘Strength and Grace’
Painter Michelle Dunaway’s figurative works sometimes make the viewer feel like they are getting
a glimpse of someone’s quiet personal moment of thought. Typically romantic in nature, the title “Strength and Grace” is appropriate for this upcoming show at the M Gallery. Carlen Quinn of the M Gallery explains it best: Dunaway believes that every aspect of creation contains a balance of strength and grace. Strength, according to Dunaway, is that which we are able to bring about through our determination and perseverance, while grace takes care of whatever is beyond our control. The show will include about 23 pieces, ranging from smaller alla prima studies and drawings to
Whet your appetite.
“Women are a gift,” says painter Jeffrey Louis Fitzharris, whose work has been compared to Alphonse Mucha and Gustav Klimt. True enough, the artist fell in love with Mucha at age 7, when a kind librarian guided him to the arts section of the library. It’s been a love affair ever since. Fitzharris now specializes in portrait paintings done in this style. Among his list of clients are Sylvester Stallone, Joanna and Sidney Poitier, Sumner Redstone and Paul Reiser. Fitzharris explains his “New Age Nouveau” signature style as “honoring” the masters of Art Nouveau in the rendering of his artwork, just as those artists painting with an impressionistic style “honor” the masters of Impressionism. See it at Mary Martin Gallery, 39 Broad St. Call 723-0303 or visit www. marymartinart.com.
‘My Eyes’ Mind’
Deidre Black will be showing her newest works in oil, called “My Eyes’ Mind,” at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery. Even though her paintings are inspired by the Lowcountry, the gallery and artist say they are not about the Lowcountry. “They are about the stacks and layers of color, shape and motion contained within nature’s already finished works of art,” Black said. Visit the gallery at 1½ Broad St. Call 722-5353 or visit www.ellis-nicholsongallery.com.