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December Issue 2006
Mary Martin Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Don Quade and Chad Awalt
The Mary Martin Gallery located in Charleston, SC's French Quarter District is pleased to present From the Forest, and The In Between Season featuring new works by Denver, CO, mixed media artist Don Quade and Atlanta, GA, based sculptor Chad Awalt. The exhibit will be on view from Dec. 1 - 24, 2006.
At first glance, the work of Don Quade evokes the image of a quilt, blocks of color, pattern, and texture cleanly arranged in one finished work of art. Further explanation by the artist though, adds a level of complexity to this simplistic view. Quade uses the garden as a metaphor: "my current work focuses on the transitional and transformative phases of life cycles, specifically exploring the issues of chaos vs. order and creation vs. destruction." This is evident through shapes of disordered collage juxtaposed with solid textural segments. With references to seasonal changes in nature through the presence of leaves in many works, it's easy to see why Quade's new collection is titled The In Between Season.
While Quade creates abstract paintings inspired by nature, Chad Awalt uses nature as a source for media, sculpting life size human forms from raw wood to a soft realistic finish. The natural shape of a log, trunk, or limb dictates the sculptural form of the work, as well as throws delightful challenges the sculptor's way. Awalt explains "I prefer to embrace the scars that might otherwise be seen as signs of weakness or imperfection; [they] reflect the unique strength and beauty of each individual tree." Awalt's new collection is entitled From the Forest and draws a comparative line between the life cycles of both trees and humans.
Quade grew up in El Paso, TX, and is strongly influenced by the vast open space, clarity of light and hues found in the southwestern desert. He holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from Colorado State University and worked as a graphic designer before shifting his concentration to painting and mixed media collage. Quade has continued his studies of painting and collage through the Taos Institute of the Arts, The Arts Students League of Denver and Anderson Ranch. Quade resides in Denver with his wife and son. His work is in numerous private and corporate collections across the United States.
Awalt earned his Bachelor's degree in the studies of Anatomy and Physiology from the University of Colorado. From there he pursued the art of woodcarving and attended the Agrell and Thorpe School of Classic Woodcarving in San Francisco followed by a long chain of additional education of sculpture in Loveland, Colorado; Atlanta, Georgia; and New York. Awalt currently works and lives with his family in Tucker, Georgia on the outskirts of Atlanta.
For more information check our SC Commercial
Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/723-0303 or visit (www.marymartinart.com).
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