July Issue 1999
Works by Robert Merrill Sweeny at Charleston City Gallery
Robert Merrill Sweeny is having
a one-man show at the City Gallery in Charleston, SC, which will
be on view through July 13. The exhibit entitled, No Loitering
or Standing, shows Sweeny's exceptional draftsmanship. Of
his work Sweeny says, "I find myself constantly surprised
by the subtle as well as the obvious beauty of life in transitional
Charleston. With my pencils, watercolors and camera, I hope to
save some of these fleeting images and perhaps awaken people to
the special scenes of our changing city."
Whenever possible, a constant process of quiet moving observation
and clean draftsmanship have led Sweeny to a contemplative virtuosity
with his favorite tool, the pencil. His strongest works are recent
views of Charleston's facades. Bicycling downtown he watches the
outward appearance of his new beloved city vigilantly, until the
nuance of texture, light and architecture are ready to be caught
by a photo-shoot. Sweeny then starts a process of drawing and
editing to patiently extract and convey not a facsimile but a
true virtual image with amazing dexterity.
Works by Sweeny appear in the current issue of New American
Paintings, Volume 22 by The Open Studios Press in Wellesley,
MA. The Southern Competition was held in December, 1998, and was
juried by Clare Bell, the Assistant Curator at the Solomon R.
Guggenheim Museum in New York City.
"The Open Studios Competitions began in 1993 as an experiment in art publishing. Now bimonthly, they have become America's largest series of artist competitions. Each competition is catalogued in a regional volume of New American Paintings - Northeastern, Mid-Atlantic, Southern, Midwestern, Western and Pacific Coast," notes Herb Gliick, publisher.
Sweeny's work has also been selected for the Seventh Annual International Juried Exhibition of the Colored Pencil Society of America, which will be held in Seattle, WA, later this year.
For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery
listings or call the Office of Cultural Affairs at 843/724-7305.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC
29431
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