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February Issue 2006
Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Carol Simmons
The
Charleston County Public Library in Charleston, SC, will offer
the exhibition, Lowcountry Images: A Different View, featuring
works by Carol Simmons in the Saul Alexander Foundation Gallery from
Feb 1 - 28, 2006.
Simmons offers the following statement about her work. "For as long as I can remember, I have felt compelled to do creative things. In 1990, I took a trip to Dakar, Senegal in West Africa, which profoundly affected me. Upon returning to the United States, I began a quest to redirect my energies towards a vocation that is in sync with my interests and natural abilities. After a long career as a programmer/analyst, I quit my full-time job to become a full-time student, completing a BA degree in Studio Arts from the College of Charleston in 2001."
"I am a late bloomer on a journey of discovery and development as an artist," says Simmons. "My art is a reflection of my heritage. It is primarily figurative, with some explorations into abstraction. I devote time to researching subject matter before starting a painting. Although I sometimes use photo references, most of my images are drawn from my own imagination. Nevertheless, they are based on personal experiences and observations that have made a profound impression on me. I use bright colors, especially primaries and their complements, to represent the richness and vitality of my culture. My primary medium is oil, but I also work with fiber, pastels, watercolor, charcoal and cont crayon."
"Lowcountry Images: A Different View has been inspired by eleven years of living in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. This view of the Lowcountry is from my perspective based on observation and imagination. I focus on the cultural heritage that the Gullah people have retained from Africa - shrimping, harvesting sweetgrass and the products derived from the sweetgrass such as baskets and hats. Peaceful waterways, magnolias and palm trees are interwoven as symbols of the Lowcountry landscape in which the Gullah people have established themselves. My intent is to portray sensitive and colorful images of a strong people, who have endured much, yet survived."
For further information
check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Library
at 843/805-6819.
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