January Issue 2001
Tidwell Art Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works of Carolyn Epperly
The Tidwell Art Gallery
in Charleston, SC, will present an exhibition entitled, Color
and Light in Motion, featuring watercolor paintings by Carolyn
Epperly. The exhibit will be on display from Jan. 19 through Feb.
10, 2001.
A self taught artist who paints subjects in strong, raking light, Epperly is best known for her figurative work. Children in action with bright, vibrating colors are trademarks of her work.
"When I was a child, my father designated me as the artist, my sister as the writer, and my brother as the future attorney in the family. As the artist, I was required to copy comic strips, particularly Prince Valiant. My father believed that if you produced a realistic, recognizable image, you were an artist," says Epperly, continuing with, "By that difinition, I became one early in life; however, it took me until I was in my late 20s to attempt to be an expressive, creative person - what an artist is in reality."
A native of Martinsville, VA, Epperly moved to Charleston, SC, after visiting a college friend. Inspired by the beauty of the city, she took a two day workshop from Virginia Fouche Bolton and began to paint.
Epperly, like many
women artists, had to deal with the conflict of being a wife,
mother and artist. She was happy to stay home and raise her children,
yet she felt the pull of her former life as an artist. It was
a struggle to paint landscapes on location and one day a friend
told her to use her children as her subject - which resulted in
the best of both worlds - balancing family and art together.
Epperly just had a seven page article entitled, Backing Out
of the Background, published in Watercolor Magic magazine.
In this article, she has the following to say about the dispensable
background, "There's nothing more beautiful than the dynamic,
lithe bodies of high-spirited children at play. Because I want
to emphasize the lines of that movement, I dispense with the setting.
Children playing tag or monkey-in-the-middle run with the same
exuberance whether they're in South Carolina or Michigan. Rather
than spell out the context, I paint the forms and place them against
the brightest light - which is the white of my favorite paper."
In 1999, Epperly had the opportunity to used
her skill of painting children when she illustrated two childrens
books written by Virginia B. McCann. The books were titled, Sammy
and the Day Care Bear and Granny Comes to Visit. These
books gave her paintings of children an even wider exposure.
Awards for Epperly's work have been numerous. Some include Salmagundi
watercolor awards, Watercolor USA museum purchase, SC Watercolor
cash awards, Watercolor USA juror award, Northwest Watercolor
award, and many more. Epperly has exhibited her work in galleries
and museums across the country, such as Deland Art Museum, FL,
Springfield Art Museum, MI, Kirkland Gallery, Washington, Salmagundi
Club, NY. Epperly's work hangs in many collections both public
and private.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/723-3167 or on the web at (http://www.tidwellart.com).
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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Carolina Arts
is published monthly by Shoestring
Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston
Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts
from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts
Online, Copyright© 2001 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved
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