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March Issue 2009

Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Mary Walker

Corrigan Gallery in Charleston, SC, will present the exhibit, On The Stage of Life, featuring works by Mary Walker, on view from Mar. 4 - 31, 2009.

Walker's new series of paintings explores the emotional life of humans by presenting vignettes with bits and pieces of life coming into and out of the paintings. This is Walker's first solo show since the Griffith Lowcountry Artist Award show in 2007. Walker is featured in the March 2009 issue of Charleston Magazine.
 
These new paintings began as a continuation of a series of works inspired by ballads. The music chosen consists of  Strange Fruit, Norma and La Voix Humain, the last two being operas rather than ballads. The idea of a square format drew Walker's attention as the square seemed like a stage or a circus where different players could interact. She has begun pieces with a subject inspiring the work such as the ballads and operas but she does not emphasize the imposed themes instead letting the work develop on its own. The narratives presented in paint show threads of communications that might include heartbreak or joy ­ all emotions are fair game with indifference being anathema to the artist. The gloomy theme of Strange Fruit led to leaving the ballad theme behind yet a struggle began immediately and the artist felt a failing for losing the original themes. Letting the paintings evolve and to take on an energy of their own, the artist's philosophy of life emerged. A philosophy appears indicating that despite sorrows and hardships, life is a rich tapestry.
 
Many think that artists start with an image then draw the image on the canvas and then paint. Walker does not follow these steps. She may start with one central figure, add two during the process and end up with four. One of the most fascinating things about the stages of her paintings is seeing how they will turnout. Walker has often started with no fixed narrative, adding figures and a story develops. She likens it to being inviting several people to a gathering ­ never quite sure who will show up or when or what might develop. The ballads are portraits of a character, a single figure. Yet even in those, there is frequently a reference to another character included in a symbolic manner.

James Innes, the recently deceased artist, speaking in 2005 to Mary Walker said, "You're a problem solver in your paintings. I don't mean in the sense of composition, although maybe that too, but in the sense of content."

Walker says, "I'm working in a space between abstraction and figuration. I work from ideas rather than from reality. I'm not looking at a scene or an image, just using ideas, sketches, and looking at the painting as it develops. I love working with a narrative. Though I'm not a writer, I borrow a writer's narrative and try to express it with paint, figures and symbols. I enjoy having several characters together in a painting. Going from one to two characters sets up a tension and a dynamism, which I find interesting and very lifelike."
 
Walker was born in New York and grew up in North Carolina. She started painting in 1975, while living in New York and studied at the Art Students' League with Isaac Soyer. After moving to Charleston, she continued to study painting and printmaking for several years at the College of Charleston. She often travels to Italy to work and vacation. Walker accepted a Margo-Gelb Dune Shack residency in New York in 2007 and was the 2006 winner of the Griffith Lowcountry Artist's Award. The resulting solo show at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park in Charleston, led to her being chosen as the poster artist for the Piccolo Spoleto program "Opera is for Everyone."  She has received several grants from the South Carolina Arts Commission and the Lowcountry Quarterly Arts Grant Program. In 2004 she organized "The Scrolls," an anti-war project involving both national and international artists that has been exhibited in Charleston, Cincinnati and Washington, DC. As a narrative painter and printmaker, her main interest is with the figure or that of birds, horses and cats.
 
The Corrigan Gallery presents art with a future instilled with intellect. Varied, thoughtful, provoking works are presented in an intimate space for the viewing pleasure of all. Bringing 21 years of Charleston art experience to collectors and presenting artists with up to fifty years of creating as well as those in the early years of their careers, the gallery provides a fresh alternative to the traditional southern art scene. Located in the heart of the historic district, the gallery combines the charm of the old city of Charleston with a look to the future.

Paintings, drawings, fine art prints, photography and sculpture are readily available for the discriminating collector. Artists represented include Manning Williams, Gordon Nicholson, Mary Walker, Kevin Bruce Parent, John Moore, Kristi Ryba, Sue Simons Wallace, Paul Mardikian, Daryl Knox, Richard Hartnett, Tim Fensch, Lynne Riding, Richard (Duke) Hagerty, Lese Corrigan and John Hull.  

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/722-9868 or visit (www.corrigangallery.com).

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