March Issue 2001
Wells Gallery in Charleston, SC, Presents New Works by Karen Larson Turner
The Wells Gallery in Charleston, SC, proudly presents Tide and Table, the current collection of works by Karen Larson Turner. The exhibition will be on view from Mar. 16 - Mar. 31, 2001. The artist has been a participant in other shows at the Wells Gallery (Form and Figure in Aug. 2000 and Still Life Exhibition in Oct. 2000), but this exhibition is her first solo show in Charleston. Included in her subjects are realistic landscapes of the Lowcountry and western North Carolina, architectural cityscapes, still lifes, and figurative.
Many who have entered the doors of the Wells Gallery will remember seeing her still lifes that are painted with such detail you feel as if you could taste the sweet red strawberries scattered about, or run your fingers along the smooth, cool surface of a gorgeous bronze vase that sits atop a table. You might recall her landscapes with simple marshes and grand, sweeping skies so breathtaking, you have to have seen a Lowcountry sunset to believe it. If you haven't had the pleasure of viewing her work, you can't afford to miss this event.
When asked to describe her work, the artist says, "It is driven by a desire to connect with the contemporary audience aesthetically, emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. As a representational painter, my language springs from the world around me, and I focus on those things that move me on some or all of those levels. Taking three distinct paths-landscape, still life, and figurative-my work is characterized by a search for the universal inherent in every particular." This attention to the particulars of life is what makes her works so fascinating and soothing at the same time.
Originally from the Boston area, Karen moved to Grand Rapids, MI, where she studied to receive her BFA from Calvin College. She then completed her artistic training at the School of Representational Art outside of Chicago. After painting in Asheville, NC, for a few years, she moved to Charleston in 1999, where she currently lives. However, she also spends her summers painting on Martha's Vineyard. With this travel history in mind, she observes, "There are countless images before us wherever we go: the curve of a road, the fleeting shadows of a porch, a formation of clouds. Those scenes which cause us to stop and stare, if only for a moment, those things that inspire awe or contemplationgrand or humble, these are worthy to be remembered. I try to capture in a painting the very thing that caused me to give a second look."
The Wells Gallery is located at 103 Broad Street,
on the corner of King and Broad Streets, in downtown Charleston,
South Carolina, and is a member of the Charleston Fine Art Dealers
Association.
For more info check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call
the gallery at 843/853-3233 or at (http://www.wellsgallery.com).
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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