| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
November Issue 2004
Works by Karen Larson Turner Offered at The Wells Gallery on Kiawah Island, SC, and in Charleston, SC
Considered one of America's best kept secrets,
Kiawah Island, SC, remains untouched, and the home to many of
the region's original inhabitants. This August, Kiawah Island
Resort, one of the top vacation destinations added The Sanctuary
at Kiawah Island to its name. Upon arrival, visitors will be captivated
by the hotel's four grand murals, located above its four grand
staircases. The magnitude, selection of colors, and realistic
interpretation of Kiawah Island's marshes and waterways capture
the region's serene beauty. Created by Charleston, SC, artist
Karen Larson Turner; the murals add to the hotel's seaside feel
and residential timelessness. Each of them are set at different
times of the day, beginning with the morning on the Eastside and
late afternoon on the Westside.
Turner, a Boston native, moved to Charleston with her husband
several years ago. Painting since she was 12 years old, she rediscovered
her passion for architectural and landscape scenes in the historic
city. When the opportunity to create magnificent murals arose,
Turner ceased it. "I'd never done anything of this magnitude,"
she says. "My works are usually on a much smaller scale."
Turner spent five months, creating each of the pieces in her
studio, completing and hanging the last mural in April.
"People respond to beauty," Turner says. "These
paintings will always be a reminder of Kiawah Island's pristine
beauty, and will be enjoyed by guests and visitors of the hotel
for years to come."
Smaller paintings by Turner will also be featured at the newly
opened The Wells Gallery at The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island. The
gallery will also showcase a selection of paintings, jewelry and
sculptures of some of the Lowcountry's finest artists, Betty Anglin
Smith, Shannon Smith, Jennifer Smith Rogers, George Pate, Glenn
Harrington, Gary Gowans, Linda Fantuzzo, Kim English, Felice Killian,
Grainger McKoy and Darrell Davis.
As a part of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Associations' Sixth
Fine Art Annual, The Wells Gallery in downtown Charleston,
SC, is honored to present, Moods of The Marsh, a one-woman
show featuring works by Karen Larson Turner. The exhibit opens
Nov. 5 and will be on view through Nov. 19, 2004.
This new collection of works is a celebration of Dawn, Day, Dusk and Night in the marshland. For Turner, each encounter with the marsh is unique. It is an opportunity to capture in paint the feeling evoked by a particular moment and atmosphere. The artist known for her eye-grabbing landscapes and for exploring varieties of moods that the marsh can produce, creates a place of sanctuary in the midst of our fast paced lives; a place that can remind us, whether seen or unseen, there is order and purpose in the world.
Turner is inspired by ever-changing and immutable marsh. She feels the rhythm and the order of the tides ebb and flow. The tidal creek becomes a portal for the imagination to enter the expanse of grasses, meander toward the horizon, and tarry in the embrace of tall pines, live oaks, and palmettos, connecting with the ocean beyond. Her imagery reflects the glimpses of pools that mirror the limitless sky, even where no creeks cut through.
"Each of these works has a distinct mood tempered by weather and season," Turner says. "Here in the Lowcountry, we can witness the fullest expressions of these moods in the marshlands. Many different paintings can be inspired by the same grove of trees, whether shrouded in fog or standing in sharp silhouette at sunset."
Turner, Gary Grier, Gary Gowans, Kate Long
and George Pate, of The Wells Gallery will be painting in Washington
Park on Nov. 6, 9am-noon durign the ever-popular "Painting
in the Park" event. Paintings from this event will be up
for bid at the Patron's Gala Reception" at the Harbour Club,
Nov. 6, 6-9pm. The weekend will end on Nov. 7, with "Charleston's
Best Sunday Brunch" at High Cotton. For ticket info contact
CFADA at (www.cfada.com).
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings,
call 843/576-1290 or at (www.wellsgallery.com).
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2004 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© 2004 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.