Feature Articles


March Issue 2000

Three Artists Featured in Exhibit at New Life Gallery in Charleston, SC

In celebration of its first anniversary, the New Life Gallery in Charleston, SC, is proud to present works by a trio of Charleston women artists through Mar. 18. The show entitled, Art That Reflects The Soul, features photography by Robin Lee, paintings by Kim Alsbrooks, and charcoal drawings by Susan McKeller.

In an expressive collection, Robin Lee of Charleston, SC, presents black and white photographic art including hand-painted scenics, still life, nudes and inspirational images of children. She captures the essence and spirit of life in her work through use of infrared and high speed film, then by hand-painting the images transforms them into "reawakened visions." Each photograph is mounted on layers of handmade paper and framed in refinished old and antique frames. "My current work reflects the power from life that I feel at this very moment. Enhancing the beauty and intensity of my subjects and creating images that exude my own perception of precious life compares to nothing else. I learn so much about myself and the joy of living with every photograph."

Kim Alsbrooks' uniquely elegant paintings are inspired by its surface, the texture and pattern. Using a variety of mediums she creates her art upon floor linoleum. "One day while visiting my brother as he was renovating and replacing the floor of an 18th century kitchen house, I came across pieces of the floor which had been cut into chunks leaving the heart pine intact and exposing several layers of linoleum. I took them to my studio and began the first of a series of paintings on floor linoleum." She leaves them in their slightly asunder shapes, unframed, revealing their original function, as an old kitchen floor. "The paintings are assimilated images from a variety of sources which rely on the viewers intuition to appreciate, as they relied on mine to create them." Alsbrooks is a teacher at the Gibbes Art Studio, director of a local arts organization, painter and printmaker.

Susan McKeller's charcoal drawings depict the natural beauty and realism of female nudes in art. "Through my work, I express sexual liberation, self-fulfillment, and self-realization. The nudes in my work are never presented as entertainment. Their eyes are are closed and turned away, making no connection with their audience. These figures are preoccupied with their own thoughts and feelings." A former art instructor. McKellar is a full-time artist in Charleston.

In historic Charleston, a city that has become a popular destination for art lovers, the New Life Gallery at Healing Rays is a fine art contemporary gallery that offers works of art in a variety of mediums by local and regional artists.

For more info check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call 843/853-4499.

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