Editor’s Note: I knew back in mid-December that many an exhibit would be falling victim of the Holiday scramble – meaning a lot of folks weren’t going to get all their work done before they left for a holiday break. I’m not going to give a second chance to all that come in as the first of the year speeds by, but this one is an exception. There may be other exceptions – who knows.
Spartanburg, SC, native and artist Doug McAbee is exhibiting his work in the exhibit, The One About Pop, on view at the Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg Gallery in the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg. It opened Saturday, Dec. 29, and will run through Monday, Jan. 28, 2013. This free exhibit is open to the public Monday through Saturday, 10am to 5pm and on Sunday, 1-5pm.
An assistant professor of art at Lander University in Greenwood, SC, McAbee, 40, is displaying a collection of 21 works, both two-dimensional drawings and steel sculptures, that were created in the wake of his father’s recent death. “He rode trees, hunted hawks and told amazing stories,” McAbee said about his father. “He also unknowingly helped his youngest son become a contemporary artist. There have been bits and pieces of him in my artwork for years but this body of work brings him into sharper focus–that’s if the vague nature of my work can be described as focused.”
McAbee’s father passed away in 2012 leaving McAbee with metalworking skills and years of great imagery. The imagery, stories and thoughts were stirred into the drawings and sculptures that make up this exhibit. “The exhibit is almost as colorful and fun as the man who inspired it,” McAbee said.
Most of the hangings are large drawings: Sharpie permanent markers on birch wood panels. Most of the tabletop sculptures are abstract shapes covered in shiny bright colors. All of the works incorporate recurring and opposing images, such as whales, fins, guns, tools, and saws, that morph and interact in surreal settings.
There will be a gallery reception from 5 to 9pm on Thursday, Jan. 17, which is the City’s ArtWalk. McAbee will give an artist talk at 7:30pm.
For more information, please call 864/764-9568 or visit (www.artistsguildofspartanburg.com).