May Issue 2002
Church Street Inn Gallery is Newest Gallery in French Quarter Art District in Charleston, SC
Charleston, SC's newest addition to the art scene, the Church Street Inn Gallery, enjoys a fresh air approach to showcasing its collection. The gallery was instrumental in creating an abundant garden atmosphere to the once neglected courtyard behind the Inn. Weather-permitting, the area evolves into an outdoor art display.
The premier artist represented by the gallery is internationally acclaimed James M. Sulkowski. His work is collected by President Bush, royalty, and major institutions such as the Metropolitan Opera. Sulkowski's subject is nature and he uses his knowledge of science in preparing his materials by hand, grinding his own paints and consulting Renaissance formulas to make his own gessoed panels.
Sulkowski studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and with Frank Mason at the Art Students League in New York. Among his many awards are top honors for "Best Floral Painting" at the American Artists' Professional League's 64th Grand National Exhibition in New York. Sulkowski has also been invited to exhibit with the Artists of America Show and Sale in Denver and his work is represented in The Best of Floral Painting by North Light Books.
In addition to Sulkowski's florals, landscapes and civil war paintings, the Church Street Inn Gallery features a growing number of local artists, including Alice Ann Dobbin, Susan Pleasant, and JoAnne Younts.
Charleston resident Alice Ann Dobbin has been drawing and painting since childhood. While still in elementary school, she was selected to attend classes for the artistically gifted. She later obtained degrees from Pennsylvania State University and Washington and Jefferson College. The prestigious Beta Scholar designation was awarded her by the president of Washington and Jefferson. Formerly an art instructor at elementary, high school and college levels, Dobbin also has won numerous awards in graphic design. She later studied printmaking with Paul Edwards, producing a series of etchings and mezzotints.
Experienced in a variety of media, Dobbin's work is influenced by the fauve painters of the Impressionist period and inspired by the rich colors of the Carolina landscape. Dobbin's paintings are at the same time representational and surreal. She enjoys the play of texture and pattern, alternating smooth surfaces with heavy swirls of pigment. In her oils, she combines palate knife with detailed brushwork to create a whimsical sense of space.. The focus of Dobbin's work is the celebration of God's creations. "As He is concerned with every detail of our lives, my own work tends to be more simplistic than panoramic; the blade of grass rather than the mountain."
The Church Street Inn Gallery is planning periodic workshops in Charleston with James Sulkowski. These will be for experienced oil painters. Classes in beginning drawing and painting with Alice Dobbin are available by appointment.
For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or call the gallery at 843/722-3420 or 843/697-0304.
Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer
427, Bonneau, SC 29431
Telephone, Answering Machine and FAX: 843/825-3408
E-Mail: carolinart@aol.com
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Carolina Arts
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