Mark Bailey on upcoming show "DUO"

"Flight" by Mark Bailey

"Pike" by Mark Bailey

I was out at the beach one evening a couple months ago and I witnessed what had to be one of the most amazing sunsets ever, one like none I had seen before. Something about it deeply affected me, I realized that I will never see THAT sunset again, and in fact every moment and experience is just as rare and fleeting, moving slices of time. We are always in motion, moving forward, moments and the memories constantly passing us by. I am trying to find a way to capture these moments. Not just to record a still image or take a "snapshot", but I have been trying to give my images more motion and energy, with the realization or idea that this scene is passing, and will never re-occur. I am relying more on the memory and feeling of that time rather than trying to accurately convey it as I saw it. It can be the bustle of people within a setting, the sound of music coming from a group of musicians, the crisp air in a winter scene, or water rolling up onto the sand. I have struggled throughout my life to remain in the moment, which means I consciously have to make an effort to take in what is happening at the time. I have tried my best lately to focus on today, to enjoy what I have right now, and attempt to capture the memory, emotion, movement, and energy, as I am here. I strive to take those moving slices of time and create a painting that will more accurately convey the emotion and feeling of that moment or memory. ~ Mark Bailey

Junko Ono Rothwell Visiting Artist

The Wells Gallery is proud to bring you the innovative and powerful

works of visiting artist Junko Ono Rothwell.

Junko Ono Rothwell received her art degree from Okayama University in Japan, and soon after came to the United States and attended art classes at Cornell University. Rothwell’s cultural heritage can be seen in her use of space and shape – which echoes Eastern art, yet her color palette is strongly influenced by her American art experience. She uses bold bright colors in contrast to the more delicate tones often associated with Asian art. “When I was an art student in Japan, I used darker colors. But after I moved to the U.S., I often went to museums where I learned to use brighter colors.” Rothwell uses color to bring out the mood, movement, and energy of her works. “I do not block each color, but try to flow colors over the entire paper to create the feeling of movement. Color brings each painting to life.” The pieces Rothwell created for the Wells Gallery are brought to life by this color interplay. These works include images of Charleston as well as Kiawah marsh landscapes. Rothwell is a master at capturing changing color and light as she paints en plein air. “I am always impressed at how the sun lights up the marsh and changes its colors and moods at different times of day and during different seasons of the year. Weather patterns also dramatically change the look of a marsh. In summer, I always love to paint big white clouds floating over the distant marsh. And in November, the marsh glows with a lovely yellow-orange cast.” It is for a marsh scene that Rothwell is best known on Kiawah – a large colorful marsh owned by the Sanctuary Resort brightens their east wing and draws in locals and visitors alike.

The Sanctuary is not the only fortunate holder of Rothwell’s work. Her works have been purchased by the State of Georgia and many corporations including the Southern Company, Continental Telephone, Kaiser Permanente, Prime Bank, Nations Bank, George Washington University Hospital in Washington, D.C., and the Northwest Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

"Blueprints" by Russell Gordon

"Blueprints" by Russell Gordon began as a traditional tabletop still life, but evolved into a painting with visual dimension as well as depth of meaning.

"The actual blueprints I used as a prop are the ones we had drawn up by and architect when our studio was built in 2000. I tried to make the painting an homage to the arts, primarily with the palette and brushes but also to music (the treble clef formed by the string near the shell) and poetry literature (books). The blue bird (an Indigo Bunting) was a late addition but I felt gave the painting some life and snap. The snail finds his way into a lot of my work as a nod to the time it takes to work this way, so slowly. The mortar and pestle and the bottle are old apothecary tools but I use them to grind paint and of course as pictured to hold paint, watercolor style. I sort of bound the whole composition in a string to unify it but also left the viewer a pair of scissors to cut where they want." ~ Russell Gordon

What the viewer gets is a masterpiece that prompts discussion both for its underlying meaning but also the impeccable details only achieved through a combination of the marojer medium used by Gordon and his incredible skill.

Palette & Palate Stroll 2010

Before every show, there is this sense of anticipation and excitement to share the new works with our beloved collectors and fans. This year's Palette & Palate Stroll is no exception since we will be having so many things going on in the gallery beside just the amazing selection of food. First of all, we get to host Charleston Grill again, and they never disappoint. Also, Felice Killian of Felice Designs will be bringing her behind-the-scenes studio work to our gallery so you will get to see her create her murano glass beads using the lampwork process live at the event. Rick Reinert will be our artist on hand to do a live painting and discuss his works. Also, since the whole reason behind the CFADA Palette & Palate event is to increase funding for the Charleston visual arts education programs, we will host Hans Turner, an incredibly talented local 18-year-old artist. We will be exhibiting his Prismacolor drawings exclusively during the event. Any sales of his works from the evening will help fund his education at the Art Institute of Charleston.

Tickets sell out every year, so we will repeat ourselves, definitely buy your tickets early. To purchase tickets for the event, go to www.charlestonfineartdealersassociation.com

necklace by Felice Designs

"The Colors of Rain" by Rick Reinert

"History in Repose" by Hans Turner