November Issue 2001
The Wolf Gallery Opens in Downtown Charleston, SC
A new dealer-run art gallery opens its doors in the French Quarter of downtown Charleston, SC. The Wolf Contemporary Art Gallery is located at 113 Church Street, just north of Broad St., filling the space previously occupied by the Amelia Rose Smith Garden Gallery.
The gallery features well-known local artists including Steven Jordan, Billie Sumner, Carol McGill, Tate Nation, Tammy Papa and Martha Bostick Gunter. "We have a very dynamic and well rounded group of talent, exhibiting a broad range of media and technique that include fine examples of watercolor, pastels, oil, acrylic and even found objects from Martha Gunter whose "I'm a Stranger Here Myself" sculpture stands about 7 ft. tall and greets visitors among the garden in the courtyard. "The variety of subject matter being exhibited offers our clients a combination of experiences that we feel suit Charleston perfectly and also gives the viewer the feeling that they have seen something new and different," says Chuck Wolf, the Gallery's owner. "We do have palmettos, and marshes, and sunsets and shrimp boats," he says, "but they are presented in a fashion that most viewers have not seen before." This is especially true in Tate Nation's abstract style which presents the viewer with a treasure hunt for the eyes, as the images take a while to reveal themselves, and new discoveries are made upon repeated viewing.
The gallery carries only original pieces on
the wall, and then offers some reproductions from limited editions
to giclées of selected works. As members of the French
Quarter Art Association, they will be participating in scheduled
Art Walks, and plan group as well as individual openings.
More About The Artists
Steven Jordan is represented back downtown again, and is being introduced to a whole new audience for the fist time. He has painted at least twenty new originals this year, and the style so far has been very striking and bold, both in the use of large blocks of shape and form, and in the use of deeper, richer, color. With some of his newer images being more architectural in style, his long developed mastery of light and shadow is evident and the subject matter takes on a secondary role to the actual treatment of the subject. Fans of black and white photography, where obscure glimpses of the commonplace provide visually stimulating compositions will have a special appreciation of Jordan's latest work.
Billie Sumner, who had a very successful gallery on Chalmers Street for over sixteen years, is also back downtown now, and is sure to be a favorite on the French Quarter Art Association Art Walks as she is a founding member of the association. Sumner's contemporary paintings consist of watercolor, collages in water media, and oil monotypes. Sumner is a signature member of the Carolina Watercolor Society, the Southern Watercolor Society, and the International Society of Experimental Painters. Several works from her Windows series are on display at the gallery.
Carol McGill, who has become well known for her use of vibrant colors in the depiction of Lowcountry and coastal scenery, has recently begun teaching classes to meet the demand for lessons in her use of color. One testament to her color mixing ability is that she somehow manages to avoid primaries while treating the viewer to such a raw experience of vivid and pure color. Eggplant and azure skies and seas are hallmarks of her depiction of the local coast and harbor framed in lavish gold moldings.
Tate Nation has been a favorite with visitors to the gallery. His non-traditional treatment of local genre is presented in abstract shapes and forms of the familiar. Although a brilliant colorist, the unique textural quality of his work, which is achieved through building up layers of acrylic pigment, is what separates his stand-out work. Nation won the Piccolo Spoleto image for the year 2000 festival with his lively abstract entitled Dance. A companion piece, Joy is now on display at the gallery.
Tammy Papa, a student of both visual arts and music is another award-winning Piccolo Spoleto exhibitor working in pastel and watercolor. A clean and visually pleasing selection of her pastel work is on display. A very warm palette of amber, bronze, and gold bring to life the marsh landscapes of the lowcountry with a noticeable sensitivity to the many moods of the SC skies. Her work is crisp and clean with a vibrant radiance that clearly demonstrates the mastery of her medium.
Martha Bostick Gunter is a guest artist at the gallery. Since the mid-nineties Gunter has been sculpting with found objects much to the delight of her viewers whose common conclusion is that it is "fun". Additionally however, Gunter's work often conveys a message, sometimes, satirical, sometimes self-expressive, or a bit of social commentary. Her clever work combines boundless creativity and resourcefulness with humor and it reminds us on one hand to "think differently", and admonishes on the other to "not take ourselves so seriously".
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 843/577-7100.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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