Palette and Palate Stroll

Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association will hold second annual art, food event

Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association will hold second annual art, food event

Friday, indulge in some of Charleston's best art, food and wine during the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association's second annual Palette and Palate Stroll — an evening dedicated to fine art, cuisine and wine.

In 2006, the event attracted more than 700 people from across the nation and raised more than $12,000 for the associations' scholarship fund. Founded in 1999, the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association consists of some of the city's most prominent galleries. The association promotes Charleston as a fine art destination for talented artists, passionate art enthusiasts and avid collectors.

Connoisseurs will enjoy an array of breathtaking art, created by nationally and internationally renowned artists at all of the association's member galleries: The Audubon Gallery, Ann Long Fine Art, Carolina Galleries, Charleston Renaissance Gallery, Coleman Fine Art, Corrigan Gallery, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art Gallery, Fraser Fox Fine Art, Horton Hayes Fine Art, Margaret Petterson Gallery, Martin Gallery, Robert Lange Studios, Smith-Killian Fine Art, The Sylvan Gallery, and the Wells Gallery.

Participants will also be able to indulge in fine cuisine prepared by Charleston's circle of prestigious chefs, including Charleston Grill, Coast, Cordavi, Fleet Landing, Grill 225, McCrady's, Oak Steakhouse, Tristan, Carolina's, Cypress, Granville's, Muse, Social Restaurant and Wine Bar, Cru Cafe and Charleston Cooks.

The event begins at 5:30 p.m., and is presented as part of the association's Studio Series, benefiting its visual arts scholarship. The cost is $40 per person, reservations are recommended, and can be made by calling Smith-Killian Fine Art at 853-0708.

For more information, please visit www.cfada.com.

'The Exhibition.'

South Carolina-based painter Robert Lange investigates the dynamic between patron and painting in a series of 17 new works entitled "The Exhibition." On view Friday through July 31, the show chronicles massive paintings being viewed during a gallery's opening night celebration.

For example, in the painting "There Are No Ordinary Moments," one of the works from the show, Lange has painted an older man in a seersucker outfit looking at the provocative image of a bleeding hand. The hand appears to be twice as tall as the man viewing it. And in another painting called "Studied Indifference," Lange has depicted artist Gary Grier, wearing ripped-jeans and sitting contemplatively in a concrete room. The image appears as a 16 foot wide painting being viewed by a young white male.

"In this series I wanted to evoke through the illusion of a 16 foot painting the humbling feeling that someone would be taken over by while standing there," says Lange. "But most of all I just wanted to make really big paintings that might take a lifetime to create."

"As an artist, who is also a gallery owner, I have a behind the scenes vantage point that allows me to see both sides of the art world," says Lange. "I am continually intrigued by preconceived notions about who likes and who buys art."

"The Exhibition" series will hang at Robert Lange Studios at 151 East Bay St. starting Friday night. The opening reception will be 5:30-9 p.m. tomorrow, and is also part of the association's Palette & Palate Stroll.

Visit www.robertlangestudios.com or call 805-8052 for more information.

'Three Palettes'

Opening in conjunction with the association's Palette and Palate evening, the Ella Walton Richardson Gallery will feature three of Charleston's talented women artists in the gallery's show entitled "Charleston: Three Palettes." The show consists of their "fresh-off-the-easel" tributes to the beauty, grace, and vibrant life of Charleston's cultural landscape. A Founding Member of the Charleston Outdoor Painters Association and a Signature Member

of Plein Air Painters of the Southeast, gallery resident artist Karen Hewitt Hagan imbues her oils with her passion for the fluidity of open waters and the essence of Charleston's own inspiring color palette. Hilarie Lambert, known for the vibrant flair with which she approaches the vivacious energy of Charleston's downtown, will focus on her visual interludes of alluring cafes, elegant restaurants and stylish shop windows.

A College of Charleston Fine Arts graduate, Susan Mayfield feels most fulfilled depicting the Southern coast and its swiftly disappearing Gullah heritage.

Contact the gallery at 722-3660 for further information and to make reservations for the Palette and Palate event.

Redux Classes

Redux Contemporary Art Center is currently offering an Intro to Collage class, taught by local collage artist Karin Olah. This promises to be a great introduction to the world of collage and assemblage art. Students will incorporate many materials (paper, photographs, magazine clippings, fabric, wood and found objects) into their own original compositions. They will also explore the collage compositions of famous artists such as Henri Matisse, Robert Rauschenberg and Joseph Cornell. Classes start Tuesday, and continue 6-8:30 p.m. July 19, 24 and 26.

The cost is $150 for nonmembers and $120 for members, with most materials included.

For more information, contact Redux at 722-0697 or visit www.reduxstudios.org.

Mary Martin Gallery

The Mary Martin Gallery is teaming up with Oak Steakhouse for a reception Friday evening in celebration of three of the galleries top national artists: Jean-Claude Gaugy, Cary Henrie and Richard Pankratz. Each featured artist is a master at their medium, and uses a unique contemporary flair to set apart their style and work in today's modern art world. A menu prepared by Chef Brett McKee served that evening includes Mini Tartlets of Ginger Poached Shrimp with Spicy Tomato Montrachet and Wasabi Caviar, Mini Milk Chocolate Tarts, and more. This event is 5-8 p.m. Friday at the gallery on 39 Broad Street.

Call 723-0303 or visit www.marymartinart.com for more information.