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January Issue 2006
Waterfront Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Karen A. Vournakis
The
Waterfront Gallery located in Charleston, SC, is featuring new
work by the photographer/mixed media artist, Karen A. Vournakis
during the month of Jan. 2006.
This body of work represents the artist's continued explorations
with her camera lens of historical sites. For many years Vournakis
has been interested in history and architecture and has photographed
archaeological sites in Greece and Italy. Recently she has turned
her attention to Lowcountry plantations, namely in capturing the
beauty of the interiors of Drayton Hall. The sense of history
and time permeates the house and the artist is interested in recording
with black & white film the craftsmanship and unique beauty
of each room using natural light. Then she hand paints the image.
Vournakis works in the 19th Century tradition
of hand painted photography, taken to a new level of subtlety
in form and color. "I've developed a unique technique of
layering oil, aquamarine crayons and colored pencil applied directly
to a black/white photograph which is on fiber-base paper. The
photograph is the basic structure on which I build a complex color
image." This mixed media approach transforms the gelatin
silver print into full color. The result is a unique blend of
painting and photography.
Vournakis' extensive education in the arts began at Albion College
in Albion, MI, where she received a BA in Fine Arts and continued
her studies at Syracuse University's College of Visual & Performing
Arts, were she received her Masters of Fine Arts. She taught photography
at Syracuse University, Colgate University and Dartmouth College.
Vournakis' many years of participation in the arts has allowed her to create an internationally known presence and her work has been included in many collections including the Bibliotheque National, (Paris), the Everson Museum, (Syracuse NY), the Erie Museum, (Erie, PA), Kidder Peabody & Co. Inc. (New York City), the Atlantic Mutual Co. (Madison, NJ), Fidelity Management & Research, (Boston & London), Charleston Place Hotel (Charleston, SC), Woodstock Inn & Resort (Woodstock, VT), the Greek Embassy (Washington, DC) and the Roper Hospital in Charleston, SC.
Vournakis has been a member of the Waterfront
Gallery, a premier artists' owned and managed gallery in the Historic
District of Charleston, SC, since 1997. The Waterfront Gallery
celebrated it 10th Anniversary in 2005 and continues to feature
original works of art in oil, watercolor, pastels, mixed media,
collage, photography and monotype prints from seventeen Charleston
based artists.
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings
or call the gallery at 843/722-1155 or at (www.waterfrontartgallery.com)
Carolina Arts is published monthly by Shoestring Publishing
Company, a subsidiary of PSMG, Inc.
Copyright© 2006 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
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