Feature Articles

September Issue 2002

Newberry Opera House in Newberry, SC, Features Works by Michael Story

The Newberry Opera House, in Newberry, SC, will celebrate is fifth season this year announcing more than 100 performances of an eclectic mix of some of the finest artists available today. These shows all take place in the newly renovated, beautiful Newberry Opera House, where 426 seats provide a fabulous view of the arts and artists working today.

Just five short years ago, the 1881 Newberry Opera House was transformed with a five million-dollar renovation into a state of the art performance center.

The Opera House is located in the midst of historic downtown Newberry and surrounded by ample parking and some of South Carolina's great restaurants.

One of the special events this year will be an exhibition of the works of Columbia, SC, artist Michael Story. The exhibition open on Oct. 1 and continues through Oct. 18, 2002. Story created the building portrait commissioned by Dr. and Mrs. James E. Wiseman for the opening of the Opera House in 1998.

Story was born in Beloit, WI, but now calls Columbia, his home. His first art teacher was his maternal grandfather, professional artist Ken Osgood. "As a young boy, our time together had an enormous influence on my artistic development. Later, by observing his success as artist and businessman, I gained the confidence I needed to set my own career goals."

In 1960, Story's family moved to a small town outside Philadelphia, where he began taking private art lessons. The family relocated again to Charleston, SC, in 1968, where Story attended high school and received instruction at the Gibbes Art Museum. An offer from (Ted) Turner Advertising to work part time painting billboards after school resulted in Story's first "art" job in Charleston, where he was introduced to the fundamentals of large-scale painting.

Story worked in advertising, studied and painted over the next few years. After being accepted in an international open exhibition in 1992, Story continued to enter and experience success in other shows. His client list expanded to include private buyers, corporate collectors, and art galleries. In 1994 Story began publishing limited-edition prints of his paintings while teaching, guest lecturing, and jurying art shows. By 1997, one of Story's major goals was realized when he signed a publishing contract with Canadian Art Prints Inc. of British Columbia.

In 1998, Story was commissioned by the Newberry Opera House to do an original painting of the newly renovated five-million-dollar performing arts facility. Limited-edition prints of the painting were later published and made available for sale.

In 1999, Story was invited to participate in the South Carolina Arts Commission-sponsored Governor's Award for the Arts, where his oil-painting submissions titled "Lake Murray Vista I and II were both purchased. Later that year Story's pastel painting entitled, Shell Island Creek was chosen for the cover of the Mar./Apr. issue of South Carolina Wildlife Magazine. The oil painting "Congaree Autumn was showcased in the interior article of that issue featuring landscape painting in South Carolina.

Of his painting, Story cites many American Impressionists such as Willard Metcalf and William Merritt Chase as influential. Two other turn-of-the-century painters Story holds in high regard are Abbott Thayer and William Lathrop. "Thayer, the New Englander who became known as a 'soul painter', expressed the spiritual in much of his work. Lathrop, considered a tonalist, created poetic landscapes conveying the many and varied moods of nature."

Contemporary painters Burton Silverman and Thomas Aquinas Daly have also impacted Story's art. "From Silverman I learned the value of painting what you know." Story agrees with Daly's advice: "To the realistic painter a working knowledge of properties of light and atmosphere is of paramount importance. Because light itself is color and form, its significance cannot be overstated."

While Story continues to paint and exhibit in the Southeast, recent travels have provided new inspiration for success farther from home. "Riverbank Vista I and II were the first of several paintings completed upon returning from a recent trip to the West. Both originals sold quickly, encouraging Story to reproduce them as his first two giclée prints and to continue to paint newly discovered areas.

"I am excited about my future as an artist. I feel as though I've come full circle in a career that has taken me down many roads. And now I am truly happy to be painting."

For further information check our SC Institutional Gallery listings or call the Opera House at 803/276-6264 or visit online at (www.newberryoperahouse.com).

Mailing Address: Carolina Arts, P.O. Drawer 427, Bonneau, SC 29431
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Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc., which published Charleston Arts from July 1987 - Dec. 1994 and South Carolina Arts from Jan. 1995 - Dec. 1996. It also publishes Carolina Arts Online, Copyright© 2002 by PSMG, Inc. All rights reserved by PSMG, Inc. or by the authors of articles. Reproduction or use without written permission is strictly prohibited. Carolina Arts is available throughout North & South Carolina.