July 2013

The Real Estate Studio in Charleston, SC, Features Works by Fred Jamar

The Real Estate Studio in Charleston, SC, will present an exhibit of works by Fred Jamar, on view from July 3 - Aug. 13, 2013. A reception will be held on July 12, from 5-8pm.

Before moving to Charleston in 1997, Jamar was a valedictorian from the Belgian Maritime College and spent three years at sea. With a major in finance, he spent 30 years at J. P. Morgan & Co. focusing on global credit exposure, so he was able to live and travel all over the world. There are no continents and very few countries he has not seen. While living in the United States, a favorite family vacation spot was Kiawah, which eventually led to him permanently moving to Charleston in 1997 after retirement, to “the most European of American cities”.

When Jamar was a small boy, his mother would sometimes paint little floral scenes and give them to her children. He also had a neighbor who created backdrops for theaters. Stimulated by these and other examples, he developed a great zest for artistic creation. As a child, he would paint on bed sheets, on cardboard, anything flat. In the Merchant Marine, he used discarded tarps from the engine room. To this day, he enjoys process more than product. The smell of the oils and turpentine, the texture of the canvas, sensuality of brushes and paint are more important to him than the result.

Jamar was very successful with several solo exhibitions at local galleries, and has been selected as an exhibiting artist with the Charleston Artist’s Guild. In 2002 he won the Cooper River Bridge Run Design Competition. His recent work has been dominated by Charleston cityscapes – not seen, however, with the traditional eye. The sky is generally very dark, inky “Prussian” blue, and starless. The trees are assembled color masses, balloon-like in appearance, and the buildings are intensely vivid in form and color, an impression heightened by the overhanging darkness. The paintings are bright-but also lonely, with no human or animal figures.

Jamar laughs at the notion that his passion be considered work. “It’s not a job”, he says. “Art keeps you young. When you’re painting, you forget about pains and aches; you float. Even when I’m painting something I know, such as Charleston, everything is like a dream”.

The Real Estate Studio is the downtown office of Dunes Properties, a boutique real estate, vacation rental and property management company serving the Charleston area since 1989.  The Real Estate Studio supports Charleston’s thriving art community by highlighting a new artist or organization every six weeks. The Studio routinely hosts special events and receptions for area non-profits and artists.

For further information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or contact Susan St. Hilaire at 843/722-5618 or e-mail to (ssthilaire@dunesproperties.com).

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