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May Issue 2004
Sullivan's Island, SC, Host Small Gallery/Studio Tour
On Sat., May 8, 2004,from 6 8:30pm, Sandpiper
Gallery and Susan Mayfield West Studio will host an Evening on
Sullivan's Island. The exhibit will introduce new works in oil
by Hilarie Lambert and Ann Lee Merrill, plus sculpture by Julie
Townsley at Sandpiper Gallery. This exhibit will be on display
through June 15, 2004. At the same time, a Piccolo Spoleto preview
show of Susan Mayfield West's latest work will be held in her
Island Studio. This work will be on display through the opening
of Piccolo Spoleto on May 28, 2004. Sandpiper Gallery and The
West Studio are located on Sullivan's Island's Middle Street;
just a casual evening stroll apart.
Award winning artist, Hilarie Lambert has been drawing for most
of her life, beginning as a child in the Finger Lakes area of
New York State and throughout her career as a graphic designer
and illustrator. Her focus changed to painting after moving to
Charleston, SC, and joining COPA, the Charleston Outdoor Painters
Association. She is now considered primarily a plein air painter.
Lambert was chosen as one of 12 artists in the Carolinas to be
invited to participate in the Landfall Foundation's 1st Annual
Plein Air Paintout held in Wilmington, NC, last fall.
Lambert says, " I am so lucky to live in this area of distinctive beaches and cityscapes. Whether I'm hidden under an awning in the rain or out on the beach painting, I strive to create an image that moves the viewer, entertains them, and makes them look back again. I read somewhere that like Murphy's Law; no one will ever stop by to watch you painting when it looks the best! Once you get over the fear of strangers looking over your shoulder, it is such joy to paint outdoors."
When Lambert is not painting outdoors, you can usually find her in her studio creating her large, "beach portraits". She has developed a following for these playful pieces featuring a women and children in a variety of everyday scenes. Three of these paintings have graced the cover of SKIRT! magazine, including this May issue. Lambert's new body of work is representative of her portfolio: a broad spectrum of styles from playful retro-style figurative pieces to more traditional impressionistic creeks, boats and seascapes.
Lambert is a Signature Member of the Charleston Artist Guild and has been selected for the past two years in all special shows, received an honorable mention in 2002, and her piece, Flamenco Colour was chosen for the cover of the invitation for Spoleto's Signature Show in 2003. Her work is featured in both private and corporate collections, both nationally and internationally. She resides in James Island, SC.
Ann Lee Merrill is a local artist whose love
of the light and atmosphere of the Lowcountry are evident in her
palette and choice of subjects in her award winning oil paintings.
Merrill has won many awards for her work in juried shows in the
Charleston area. Most recently, she won the second place award
for her painting, New Shoes, in the 2004 Mt. Pleasant Artist
Guild Show sponsored by the town of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Other recent
awards include the 2002 Peoples Choice Award in the First Federal
Show and First Place in the 2002 Charleston Artist Guild Signature
Exhibition. Merrill was also the featured artist for Creative
Spark's annual Art on the Beach event on Sullivan's Island
in 2003.
As an art educator for 30 years, Merrill has taught art at all
educational levels from 1st grade through college as well as adult
education levels. During the year she lived abroad in Finland
she continued her art instruction. She has work in public and
private collections in the US and in Finland. Since moving to
Mt. Pleasant in 1995, Merrill has been an active exhibiting member
of both the Charleston Artist Guild and the Mount Pleasant Artist
Guild. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree with concentration
in Drawing, Painting and Graphics from Wayne State University,
a Masters Degree plus many additional hours of postgraduate work
in art. Merrill continues to study and teach locally, attend workshops
and be artfully inspired by the beautiful surroundings that are
a part of living in Mt. Pleasant, SC.
Julie Townsley is a local artist whose goal
is to "create visual art images that are at once familiar
and excitingly original experiences. I want to give the world
"Happy Art" that they can hold in their minds. I hope
that my work can always be thought of as fresh, interesting, beautiful
and never disappointing." Townsley's three-dimensional soft
sculptures are hand sewn figurative works of art crafted with
traditional sewing methods such as standard quilting and trapunto.
She shapes the figures from muslin or canvas and sews them onto
an armature, stuffing them with a nylon synthetic material. The
pieces are then primed with gesso and painted.
Townsley's style combines traditional crafts with more modern
methods of expressionism and she incorporates elements of romantic,
impressionist, abstract and pop styles into her pieces. "Art
is something that I want to do for the rest of my life in Love.
It is not my intention to be shocking or decorative, says Townsley.
"I just want to do great art that will touch people's lives
and hearts in a good way." Her new body of work is self described
as "Picasso Gone Crazy with influences of pop art and some
elements akin to Magritte" .
Townsley's work has been included in shows in galleries from Ohio
to South Carolina. She was recently commissioned to create a piece
for the Charleston Children Museums permanent collection. Her
work is held in both private and corporate collections throughout
the United States. Townsley happily resides on Folly Beach, SC.
Susan Mayfield West is an award-winning artist
who is well known for her use of color and light in her pastel
landscapes. After living on Sullivan's Island for the past 4 years,
she recently opened an island studio there; a move that has inspired
a new body of work including images from her life on the island.
After graduating with honors in Fine Arts from the College of
Charleston, she continued her studies with many prominent artists
from around the country. West's career has included solo and group
exhibits in galleries such at the Wells Gallery in Charleston,
SC, the Joyce Robins Gallery in Santa Fe, NM, The Red Piano Gallery
in Hilton Head, SC, and The City Gallery in Greenville, NC. Her
work is in many corporate and private collections.
Since West's move to Sullivan's Island, she has enthusiastically
embarked on a new course in her career. This new chapter includes
a continued exploration through paint and pastel of the elements
that surround and define life on the coast. She feels a sense
of purpose to record and depict the way of life that exists on
these islands; a way of life that is disappearing at a furious
pace. In addition to painting, West teaches ongoing art classes
to children and adults in the community.
"My vision", West says, "has evolved over the years and I find myself wanting to go to a deeper level with my art. Not only do I look for images to paint that embody the particular beauty of this landscape, but also I want to make a connection with the soul of the places that we pass by everyday and maybe take for granted."
Susan Mayfield West's studio is located 2 blocks up the street from Sandpiper Gallery at 1820 Middle Street.
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/883-0200 or on the web at (www.sandpipergallery.net).
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.