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March Issue 2010
Coleman Fine
Art in Charleston, SC, Offers WET PAINT 2010
Coleman Fine Art in
Charleston, SC, will host four of the country's leading artists
for WET PAINT 2010 - the Seventh Annual plein air paint
out in Charleston, Mar. 22 - 26, 2010. This year's Oil and
Water theme will showcase both oil and watercolor painters
including: Gregory Packard, John Salminen, George Strickland and
Mary Whyte. The resulting exhibit will be on view from Mar. 26
through Apr. 25, 2010.
We've invited leading artists in their chosen medium to paint
on location in this beautiful city and the surrounding area. For
2010 we will have nationally known watercolorists John Salminen
and Mary Whyte, each recognized for their mastery of the medium
and their accomplished style; Salminen for his remarkable cityscapes
and Whyte for her intimate Southern portraits. Also for 2010,
we will feature two of the country's finest plein air oil painters;
George Strickland from Arizona and Gregory Packard from Colorado.
Both Strickland and Packard are colorists, yet each communicates
quite differently in technique. A week of plein air work by these
four artists should provide a vibrant and diverse exhibition.
The artists will paint different locations in and around the Charleston
area for one week; typical locations might include historic lower
Church Street, Shem Creek's docks, Magnolia Gardens, Folly Beach,
or Upper King Street. Call the gallery to confirm the day's locations.
Pieces will be available for purchase daily. Throughout the week,
images of fresh works will be posted to the website.
On Saturday morning,
Mar. 27, at 11am the public is invited to join the artists as
they lead a personal walk-through and discussion of the exhibition.
Gregory Packard works as a full time artist in his studio in Montrose, CO. Packard paints in an expressionistic, yet representational, style all his own working in landscapes, still life and figurative compositions. He has been featured by American Art Collector magazine, International Artist magazine, Southwest Art magazine, and Western Art Collector. He is a Patron artist in the California Art Club, and a member Oil Painters of America. In his own words, "Painting to me is about the personal connections we make with all of creation, a language that corresponds directly with how we see and interpret the world around us and within us. The physical act of painting is an experience of passion, somewhat directed with control, skill and luck." Packard will be featured in Art of the West magazine in the upcoming March/April 2010 issue.
Geroge Strickland
George Strickland is a plein air painter and teacher. He started his fine art career through the field of commercial art. He first freelanced in illustration, and his work has received recognition in Communication Arts magazine, Today's Art, American Artist, Illustrators Annual, and The New York Illustrators Society. After moving West with his wife in 1989, Strickland dedicated himself to full time painting, and he currently works out of Parker, CO. "The illustrations I had done earlier were primarily mixed media or watercolor, pencil, acrylic, ink, etc., but when I gave oil painting from life a try, it was as if the lights came on and there was an instant romance for me. The biggest surprise of all was that after painting on location for a few months I began to see more color around me than I had ever seen. In fact, although my eyes are not as good as they once were, I am aware of so much more than ever before. It's a big kick for me to go up to one of my students and paint in a small section with color that they had not seen until I put it in. Then, most times, they can see that color on the object. Our brains are programmed to make quick assessments of things and generalize. But when you learn to look long and hard at life directly, unexpected things are revealed, and the world gets more beautiful right before your eyes!" Strickland paints and teaches throughout the west. He is a member of the California Art Club, and a signature member and past president of the Plein Air Painters of America (PAPA).
John Salminen
John Salminen, an award
winning American painter, works in both realistic and abstract
expressionist styles with watercolor. He earned both his Bachelor's
and Master's degrees from the University of Minnesota, and makes
Duluth, MN, his home where he lives and works. Salminen is a signature
member of numerous art societies, including the American Watercolor
Society, the National Watercolor Society, The Watercolor USA Honor
Society, the Transparent Watercolor Society of America, Allied
Artist and Watercolor West. He has been honored with Master Status
in TWSA and inclusion in the American Watercolor Society's Dolphin
Fellowship. Salminen is an honorary member of the Jiangsu Watercolor
Research Institute in China. He has won more than 175 awards in
national and international exhibitions, including the AWS Gold
Medal in 2006 and the first place award in the National Watercolor
Society Exhibition in 2005. His work has been exhibited in
the National Academy show in New York. Salminen recently won the
Silver Medal with Honors award for his painting in the 2009
Allied Artists Exhibition. His work has been featured in many
national and international magazines and books. Salminen is listed
in Who's Who in American Art and in Who's Who in America.
Mary Whyte
Mary Whyte is an artist,
author and teacher. She is nationally recognized for her figurative
watercolor paintings of the women of Johns Island, SC. Whyte's
paintings have been exhibited in the nation's most prestigious
shows, and her work hangs in numerous private and museum collections.
She was a guest instructor at American Artist first annual
"Weekend with the Masters" this past summer in Boulder,
CO. She was a featured speaker for the 2009 Portrait Society of
America's "The Art of the Portrait" Conference in Washington,
DC, and will be returning again in March 2010. Whyte has been
recently featured in International Artist, American
Artist's WATERCOLOR magazine, American Art Collector
and the French publication L 'Art de L'Aquarelle.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery
listings, call the gallery at 843/853-7000 or visit (www.colemanfineart.com).
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