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Halsey Institute to Host 'Young Contemporaries 2008'

By Olivia Pool

Provided/Ann Long Fine Art

The acrylic on panel 'White Boat,' by painter Elizabeth Leary, is part of the artists's exhibit at Ann Long Fine Art Gallery. There will be a reception for the artist this weekend.

Provided/Robert Lange

Charleston-based painter Robert Lange, who's work is shown here, investigates his role as a creator in a series of 17 new works titled 'The Joy of Painting,' at his East Bay Street Gallery.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art at the College of Charleston's School of the Arts will host the 23rd annual juried student art exhibition "Young Contemporaries 2008" today through April 25. There will be an opening reception today from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Halsey. "Young Contemporaries 2008" is co-sponsored by the Halsey Institute, the Department of Studio Art, and the College of Charleston's Visual Arts Club.

"This year's juror is Marc Trujillo, an urban landscape painter whose work borders on photo-realism. The artist depicts the big-box retail stores, self-service gas stations, and fast-food chains that make up a large portion of the urban landscape," says Mark Sloan, the Halsey's director. Trujillo lives in Los Angeles.

The Studio Art Department at the college offers instruction in painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture and photography. Each spring, students at the college who have shown exceptional artistic ability are invited to submit their work for jurying, in hopes of having their work exhibited in the professional gallery setting of the Halsey Institute. Works are available for sale at the discretion of the artist, and it is a good opportunity to purchase artwork by these emerging artists.

Concurrent with the Young Contemporaries show in the gallery is the "Salon des Refuses" in the student gallery. The origin of the "Salon des Refuses" dates back to Paris, 1863, when an exhibit was held by command of Napoleon III for those artists whose works had been refused by the jury of the official Salon. In 1863 the Salon rejected paintings, which caused such a protest from the rejected painters and their supporters that they formed their own exhibition, "Salon des Refuses." "Among the painters in the 'refused' show were Camille Pissaro, Henri Fantin-Latour, James M. Whistler and Edouard Manet," explains Sloan.

The Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art is located within the Simons Center for the Arts, 54 St. Philip St., between Calhoun and George streets. Parking is available in the St. Philip Street Garage, north of Calhoun Street. Gallery hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, contact the Halsey Institute at 953-5680 or visit www.halsey.cofc.edu.

The Artist Speaks — John Douglas Donehue, Jr.

The Ellis-Nicholson Gallery's final winter-season demonstration/lecture of the gallery's "The Artist Speaks" series will be 3:30 p.m. Saturday at the gallery, 1 1/2 Broad St.

John Douglas Donehue Jr. will present "My Ideas in Metal." Donehue's focus will be on making a random metal sculpture. "This will include bending of different metals and various ways to connect them using a brazing torch and bronze weld. He will show how the process can take over and creativity can just happen," says Jeannette Nicholson, co-owner of the gallery.

Donehue says, "I thrive on the process, the thinking and the randomness within the process that goes into making the sculpture. My work involves common ideas. Ideas that are familiar to us all, but that also spark the imagination. ... It is important to me to have a cohesive body of work, while keeping each piece as unique as possible."

Born and raised in Charleston, Donehue graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design. His work is influenced by the orphic Cubism of Robert Delaunay, the abstracts and paper cuts of Henri Matisse, the bold lines of David Smith's steel, and the mobiles of sculptor Alexander Calder.

Following Donehue's presentation at the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, there will be a reception and a chance to talk with the artist. The event is free, but seating is limited. Call the gallery at 722-5353 to reserve a seat.

Robert Lange

Charleston-based painter Robert Lange investigates his role as a creator in a series of 17 new works titled "The Joy of Painting." On view throughout April at his gallery on East Bay Street, the show chronicles the painter's role in the production of a painting.

"At the age of 27, Lange was recently featured in New American Paintings and invited to join the Charleston Fine Art Dealers Association. He received a BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and is best known for creating bodies of work that investigate the intimate details of the art industry," says gallery director Meghan Lange.

In "The Joy of Painting," Lange is now giving the viewer a look at the artist's impact on their subject and by doing so, attempts to remind the viewer that the artist is present in the painting.

"For example, in one of the pieces for his April show titled, 'Live Well,' Lange has depicted a nude figure holding a watering can. Within the watering can is a barely noticeable reflection of the artist taking the photograph," says Lange.

"I am fascinated by how the realized presences of the painter changes the viewer's experience," says Lange. "I've only ever looked at paintings as a painter, and therefore my experience is very different then most people's. In this show I wanted to remind the viewer that still-lifes start as objects, and chiaroscuro paintings start with a candle and a model, the rest the painter generates during the creation process.

"I truly love painting and perhaps more than anything else the reinvention that takes place every time I make a painting," says Lange. "The interaction between the artist and the subject being painted, which is the physical painting itself, even more than the actual application of the paint or subject matter, is what I think captivates the viewer."

"The Joy of Painting" will hang at Robert Lange Studios, 151 East Bay St., starting Tuesday. There will be a reception Friday, April 4, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. and the artist will be present. For more information, call 805-8052 or visit www.robertlangestudios.com.

'Stillness Speaks'

There will be an opening reception Friday at the Ann Long Fine Art Gallery for the gallery's new solo show featuring Elizabeth Leary's works, titled, "Stillness Speaks."

As a classical realist, Leary perceives a certain mathematical clarity in the chaos of the world. Using a calm palette, she places great emphasis on precise drawing and geometrical forms over which she layers color in monochromatic washes. This austerity and clarity of vision lend an aura of haiku poetry to her still-lifes and architectural painting.

Although she favors a tight realistic style, Leary leaves the interpretation up to the viewer. "Yes, they are realistic, but there is also a bit of detachment. If I paint a barn, it's not exactly one in the landscape it truly fits in. I like to have some mystery, to leave something up to the viewer's eye. I see it as creating a stage set for the viewers, and they add personal thoughts, moods, emotions and their own interpretations to the work."

Through April, Ann Long Fine Art will exhibit Elizabeth Leary's recent paintings of serene still-lifes and carefully rendered historic architecture. Friday's reception will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the gallery, 177 King St.

For more information, call 577-0447 or visit www.annlongfineart.com.

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