North Charleston City Gallery to Exhibit Works by Charlynn M. Knight & Gingi Martin

Angel Oak, Wise One by Charlynn M. Knight & The Elusive Peacock of Cypress Glade by Gingi Martin

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that watermedia paintings by the City’s current Artist-in-Residence, Charylnn M. Knight, as well as oil paintings by Pineville, SC, based artist, Gingi Martin, will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from January 2-31, 2014. The artists will host a free public reception at the gallery from 5:00-7:00pm on Thursday, January 2.

Visions of the Lowcountry Through a New Perspective – Watercolor Paintings by Charlynn M. Knight
In Visions of the Lowcountry Through a New Perspective, Charlynn M. Knight presents watercolor paintings that depict the beauty of the everyday. Her recent works feature scenes captured during afternoon walks down well-worn dirt roads and paddling through the Lowcountry’s coastal waters in a kayak. Her approach with watermedia captures the “glow” and vibrant colors and textures of her subjects, which include the marshes, avenues of oaks, Lowcountry wildlife, and Deep South beauty and charm that coastal South Carolina has to offer.

Knight, a native Charlestonian, received a BA in Studio Art from the College of Charleston in 1994 and continues to further her painting knowledge through workshops with national and international artists. She has worked primarily in watercolor for over 28 years and has received numerous awards for her paintings. She has taught visual art classes and workshops in all media for children and adults since 1990, and is currently offering residencies to North Charleston schools and community groups as the City’s 2013/14 Artist-in-Residence. Knight’s work has been published in International Artist Magazine and her paintings are featured in several private and corporate collections, including the City of North Charleston’s Public Art Collection. Presently her work is available at Karen’s Korner in Mt. Pleasant and Laura Alberts Tasteful Options in Daniel Island.

La Tempesta – Oil Paintings by Gingi Martin
Gingi Martin’s great passion for Nature and its preservation manifests itself in the work presented in her exhibit, La Tempesta. The collection of oil paintings featured in the exhibition includes mostly landscapes. “I rarely represent the human figure because of its historically negative impact on Nature,” she explains. Martin’s utilization of intense colors and depictions of super-realistic scenes take inspiration from her deep love of the music and art of the Baroque, Classical and Romantic eras, and their relation to the Sublime.

A native of Pennsylvania, Virginia “Gingi” Martin received a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Art from Hiram College (Hiram, OH), and a Master of Fine Arts from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology (Rochester, NY). She currently lives in Pineville, SC, where she maintains an art studio and teaches private art lessons. Martin has been painting in oils for eight years and finds the medium preferable to others with which she has experimented, largely due to their richness and texture, the ability to apply the paint in multiple layers, and the use of glazes to enhance color and atmosphere. In an on-going effort to understand the potential of color in landscape and portrait painting, she has conducted extensive and in-depth studies of color mixing and color theory. Aside from painting, Virginia and her husband, Dr. Peter W. Ferran, are collaborating on a book about creative individuals, their inspiration and drive to create.

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily. The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only. Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843)740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.

Works by Matt Tomko and Dan Vaughn at City Gallery in March

Pintails by Matt Tomko

Works by North Carolina artists Matt Tomko and Dan Vaughan will be on display at the North Charleston City Gallery during the month of March.

Both artists’ work will be on display from March 1-31, 2012. A free opening reception will be held at the gallery on Thursday, March 1, from 5pm-7pm. The artists will be present and the public is invited to attend. 

Matt Tomko, from Durham, North Carolina, will be featuring Serene Recollections of the Natural World.  This exhibition consists of forty oil paintings depicting wildlife and nature scenes.  Paying close attention to the fine details in feathers, branches, eyes, or leaves, Tomko’s work invites the viewer to recollect on past memories of special places and experiences often stored away in their memories.  

The inspiration for Tomko’s work began in his youth.  As a child, he would catch and release birds and small animals.  He began drawing as a way to keep a small part of nature with him.  From 2007 to 2009, he studied art at Studio Amid the Pines in Bear Creek, Pennsylvania, with Judith Keats.  Since then, he has been a featured artist of the Triangle Wildlife Rehabilitation Clinic, the Durham Arts Council Fall Class Catalog, as well as various solo and group exhibitions.    

Hooded Merganser by Dan Vaughn

Also on display at the gallery will be twenty-five large pastel paintings by Carrboro, North Carolina, artist Dan Vaughan. In Carolina Waterways, Vaughan presents realist depictions of the Carolina coast and waterways. Whether it is the sun breaking the early morning fog or the last rays of sunset illuminating the coastal breakers, the Carolinas’ picturesque coastal regions are beautifully recreated and preserved in Vaughan’s works.

Born and Raised in Michigan, Vaughan received degrees in biology and medicine from Michigan State University and Wayne State University.  Though his science studies took up most of his time, remained a serious photographer and painter.  His retirement from the University of North Carolina in 2003 has allowed him to devote more time to his art.  Vaughan’s work is greatly influenced by his biology training and shows a great appreciation of the outdoors.

The North Charleston City Gallery is located in the Charleston Area Convention Center with free parking and admission during regular Convention Center operating hours 9:00am – 5:00pm, daily.  The Gallery is staffed on Friday, Saturday, and Monday only.   Inquiries regarding artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org.