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February Issue 2006
Waterfront Gallery in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Susan Colwell, Morgan Kuhn, and Karen Vournakis
Waterfront Gallery in Charleston, SC, is presenting the exhibit, The Passion of Color: Three Perspectives, featuring works by three distinguished women, Susan Colwell, Morgan Kuhn, and Karen Vournakis, on view through Feb. 28, 2006. All three artists are represented by galleries throughout the southeast and for this exhibition, each is celebrating color in her own individual interpretation.
Susan Colwell is well known for her abstract expressionistic landscapes with loose, impetuous strokes. "Often a painting begins with a color and the color itself leads me in a specific direction," says Colwell. "Everything I paint is about color and the mood it creates. The subtleties of the paint can provoke a mellow, soothing effect that takes you into the painting. Layers of paint create a richness and depth and I love to move the paint on the canvas."
"For me, painting
is highly emotional and cathartic at the same time," adds
Colwell. "Four years ago, my husband died, and only within
the last year have I been told by several respected people that
my work seems more energized, and the color now has a vibrancy
that was missing. For me, a painting is a reflection of my life
at the moment."
Morgan Kuhn
For this exhibition, Morgan Kuhn needed no special inspiration to showcase her "passion for color." Choosing the dynamic color palette of the warm spectrum, her paintings capture the essence of spontaneity and freshness. From the energetic vitality of an orchestra playing Vivaldi, to the luxurious calm of her still-lifes, Kuhn proves she is a master of enveloping the spirit of the moment.
Originally from Savannah, GA, Kuhn harbored and nurtured a secret - the heart of an artist who was fettered by the daily routines of a young wife and mother. With obligations outgrown, she unleashed an exuberant, vivacious style encouraged by the art community and people of Charleston. Although she recently returned to her roots in Savannah, now dividing her time between the two cities, Charleston remains a place of special inspiration and rejuvenation.
Karen Vournakis, a photographer and mixed media artist, uses her passion for color to transform black & white photographs to full color. She considers this an interpretive process wherein the photograph is the basic structure on which to build a complex color image. Vournakis uses color to create the atmosphere and set the mood within the image. Her technique is loosely based on the Nineteenth Century tradition of hand tinting photographs. Vournakis' mixed media approach, however, of layering oil, aquamarine crayons and pencil directly onto a gelatin silver photograph, printed to archival standards in her darkroom, results in a unique blend of painting and photography. Her knowledge of color theory is reflected in the final product by the ability to emphasize certain areas of the photograph with color.
Vournakis' latest body of work represents the artist's continued exploration of historical architectural landscapes, both sacred and secular. In past work, she created hand-painted photographic scenes of archaeological sites in Greece and Italy. Vournakis has currently focused her attention on creating a series of photographic studies of the Lowcountry plantation Drayton Hall. Color in this new series is subtle due to the monochromatic color schemes extant in the elegant interiors of this, the oldest preserved plantation house in America. The challenge realized in these finished images was to capture the unique beauty and craftsmanship of each room using natural light from windows and hand painting the raw photographs with a limited color palette to bring out the many stunning architectural details.
For further information
check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at
843/722-1155 or at (www.waterfrontartgallery.com).
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