| For more information about this article or gallery, please call the gallery phone number listed in the last line of the article, "For more info..." |
September Issue
2008
Lowcountry Artists Gallery in Charleston,
SC, Features Works by Bonnie Stabler
Lowcountry
Artists Gallery in Charleston, SC, is presenting the exhibit,
Roads Less Traveled, featuring original oil paintings by
Bonnie Stabler, on view through Sept. 30, 2008.
Known for her urban paintings of upper King Street and Charleston street corners, Stabler's new collection features rural landscapes. Whereas her urban paintings typically have dynamic compositions and a bold color palette to portray the bustling city, many of these rural paintings have a more somber, tonal palette, capturing the essence of the peace and quiet of life in the country.
Based primarily on country roads and small
towns in and around Ehrhardt, SC, where she and her husband, Jay
have a 350 acre "farm", the oil paintings depict quiet
themes of farm life and bygone eras. Cows Watching typifies
the quiet atmosphere at sunset on a neighboring farm on Buttermilk
Road. Dramatized by backlighting, the cows quietly gaze at the
viewer through a golden haze. "The cows were curious about
me and what I was doing. They're not used to much traffic and
certainly not an audience. As a matter of fact, of the four pickup
trucks that passed by while I was painting, two u-turned to see
what I found so fascinating and paint-worthy."
A morning walk with her border collie inspired perhaps the most
colorful painting in the collection. Morning Light and Shadow
is infused with light streaming through china-berry trees, vibrant
colors of spring green and purple and awakens the senses as one
can almost sense the dew on the ground and the morning mist burning
off in the distant hayfield.
Stabler divides her time between her Mt. Pleasant, SC, home and the farm, where she often explores back roads and nearby farming communities. "There is a quiet dignity about the area. Winding roads, beautiful light, an interesting mix of swamp and farm; there's inspiration around every turn," she explains.
Stabler's use of dramatic light and rich color has earned her recent acceptance into the 2008 Oil Painters of America National Show and the 2007 Oil Painters of America Eastern Regional Show, among other awards and juried shows. She retired from teaching High School Art in 2004 to pursue painting full time.
For further information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/577-9295 or visit (www.lowcountryartists.com)
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc. Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2008 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.