October Issue 1999
The Art of Mezzotints at Starbucks in Charleston
An exhibit entitled, Emerging
Shadows and Everyday Heroes: Recent Mezzotints, by Alyssa
Shackle-Millard will be on view at the Starbucks coffee shop,
second floor gallery, located on King Street in downtown Charleston,
SC. The exhibit will be on view from Oct. 5 through Oct. 31.
The Mezzotint, a highly technical and complex process, lends itself
to taking one's time and is consequently a rarely practiced art
form. It was invented in the year 1642 by a German by the name
of Ludwig von Siegen, and to this day is still practiced by only
a handful of people world-wide as their "medium of choice".
Mezzotint, although a labor intensive process, is still done because
it is so attractive as a medium and because it can achieve a rich
velvety blackness that very few, if any, other mediums can boast.
Alyssa Shackle-Millard, a newcomer of only two years to the possibilities
of this medium, is one of the few who have chosen to pursue this
medium. In this exhibition, the artist hopes to educate others
as to the wonders of this medium as well as to show them how this
process is done.
Shackle-Millard hand-picked the subjects for her imagery, based
on her fascination with each person's ability to overcome certain
traumas or hardships in his/her life. Each person (as many of
us do at some point in our lives) triumphed over some seemingly
insurmountable event, thus demonstrating the truly powerful strength
of the human will to survive. These people were extraordinary
in situations that were anything but ordinary. The pursuit of
these "heroes" was based upon the artist's search into
her family's history, and has now flowered into her desire to
find more of these "everyday heroes". Although the general
public will not be familiar with most of the subjects offered,
text will be provided at the exhibit which will help explain each
individual's life.
Shackle-Millard feels that this particular medium quite appropriately
"sets the mood" for the imagery and even tends to convey
a sense of the passage of time. They are small, intimate, peeks
into the past which practically force the observer to slow down
and take a break from today's technologically based (obsessed)
and fast-paced society. There is still something to be said for
doing things by hand.
Shackle-Millard graduated from the College of Charleston in 1998
with a BA in studio art. She currently works at the McCallum-Halsey
Studio as an assistant and printmaker. Along with those pursuits,
she is also working to build her own portfolio and plans to attend
a graduate program to attain her master's degree in studio art/printmaking.
There will be a reception for the artist at Starbucks, located
at 239 King Street, on Oct. 9 from 5:30 to 8:30pm.
For further information about the artist call 843/889-8953. For
info on the exhibit check our SC Commercial Gallery listings or
call Starbucks at 843/805-8007.
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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