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September Issue 2002
Tippy Stern Fine Art in Charleston, SC, Offers Group Exhibition Celebrating Imagination
Tippy
Stern Fine Art, LLC, in Charleston, SC, sets the pace for their
fall 2002 season by presenting the innovative group show Cool
August Moon. Celebrating the transcendent romance of the artistic
imagination, Cool August Moon, opened on the night of the
full moon, (Aug. 22, 2002). The exhibit includes a wide ranging
roster of talent including works by: Tiffany Cole, Jeffrey Corbin,
Bridget Dobson, Niklas Drake, Richard Hagerty, Diane Katzman,
Erica Love, Will McDougal and Charlotte Webb. Cool August Moon
promises to be a respite from the lingering summer heat as well
as a foreshadow of the soothing coolness of fall and of the new
art season.
Tippy Brickman, owner of the gallery explains Cool August Moon this way, "The theme of this group show centers on my passion for discovering and presenting new Contemporary Art and talent within the Charleston art scene. As part of our opening festivities we want to communicate the playful and fanciful aspects of Contemporary Art, not only in the way these artists express it, but also in the way Charleston audiences experience it."
The nine artists selected by Brickman to participate in Cool August Moon, have a creative fascination for the romantic pursuit of their artform in a highly individualistic and sometimes idiosyncratic visual language that transcends the conventional and traditional. For example Tiffany Cole's sculptural boxes, radiate an attention to detail that delves into the intricate and delicate. Her autobiographical sculptures include photographs, literature, rusted metal and nails and knickknacks with encrusted textures and patinas. Cole says that, "The stories contained from piece to piece are my own; they are my beliefs, my fears, sorrows and joys. I've come to feel that the stories of my life are really just a continuation of those before and probably after me."
A native of Rochester, NY, Jeffrey Corbin creates colorful multifaceted canvases that are laced with symbolic images and patterns meant to engage the viewer on a number of different levels. Corbin explains that his goal is, "to make sincere, relevant art that is as much about philosophical concepts as it is about aesthetic issues. Ideas are my strength and I hope the viewer sees the beauty in that."
Atlanta, GA, based artist Bridget Dobson paints fanciful idyllic narratives with all the personal freedom of a Chagall. Dobson, who has exhibited her freewheeling figurative canvases from California to New York, says that her paintings, "Have always reflected the joy I hold within, but now they seem to be getting bolder, with larger, curvaceous figures and expressions that are emotionally open to interpretation."
Niklas Drake prefers to color with crayons and colored pencils. The artist teeters his child-like polychromatic illustrations between the scientific and metaphysical by using an improvisational technique. Drake explains that, "The source of all my art is the subliminal expression of all the TV, books, magazines, radio and media that I absorb prior to creating each one of my brightly hued graphic hallucinations."
Artist, surgeon, and former Charleston City Councilman, Richard Hagerty is widely acclaimed for his fantasy watercolors and oil paintings in which he utilizes free association to craft psychologically potent dreamscapes. Dr. Hagerty describes his art making process this way, "Painting is the language of the unconscious. The act of painting itself is as close as we get to dreaming in a conscious state."
Jeweler Diane Katzman has been celebrated for her sense of design and craftsmanship. A resident of St. Louis, MO, Katzman began fabricating her decorative necklaces, bracelets and earrings out of her home. The jeweler employs hand-crafted sterling silver, fresh water pearls, vintage and unusual glass, and Austrian crystal. She explains, "Each piece is hand-strung and incorporates a variety of forms including silver hearts, keys and lockets cast between 1890 and 1940 into the design."
Erica Love combines a variety of mediums, charcoal, paint, ink and pastels, to depict complex and often opposing subjects. Predominately working in an abstract format, Love's art references poetic imagery such as organic cocoons with city skylines and castles of circus tents. The artist characterizes her work as "Carefree with brilliant and playful colors while still having the seriousness of strong composition."
On the other hand, painter Will McDougal executes his work in a simple and straightforward style, with the intent of representing his deeper spiritual concerns. McDougal describes his thematic approach as, "Works about Yoga which suggest my own personal evolution; physically, emotionally and spiritually. Through personal growth and some determination I have come to feel a certain confidence in action. This is demonstrated in yoga with endurance in the posture and mindful breathing deep in the abdomen, in and out of the nose."
Finally, weaver Charlotte Webb threads together subtle and luminescent hand-dyed fibers into wall hangings and tapestries. Only having recently moved to Charleston from Savannah GA, Webb brings with her a dedication to her chosen medium, as well as her detailed attention to craftsmanship, which makes her work immediately alluring. She views her work as "Woven color that becomes atmospheric, creating the illusion of light and space. More philosophically, weaving fosters a visceral connection to the substance of life slowly evolving by hand through time."
For more information check our SC Commercial Gallery listings, call the gallery at 843/534-0028, or e-mail at (tippyb@earthlink.net).
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