PAP-SE Wet Paint Show Opening 11"13

And the PAP-SE paints Charleston Marathon continues:

All week long we've been watching the nationally, and internationally known artist members of PAP-SE painting in on the streets  and surrounding marshes of  Charleston.

 

   This evening we got to see three  of the paintings produced by each of the artists at  the

Wet Paint Show Opening - Nov. 8 

While I had enjoyed watching the  artist's work in progress,  it was even better to get to talk with them without fear of interrupting their  concentration,

 and to see their beautiful artwork finished and framed.

 Their work will continue to be on display  until Nov 16th 

  at three adjacent  Charleston galleries:

Coco Vivo - 25 Broad Street,

 Galerie on Broad - 29 Broad Street

and Edward Dare - 31 Broad Street

Plein Air Painters of the South East Paint Shem Creek 11'13

Usually, I am the one in control of  a paintings progress, but at last Saturday's  paint out in Washington Square  I got a taste of what it is like to be on the other side of the easel watching someone  else develop the subject.  I have to admit I was  feeling very frustrated by  having to leave before I could  see the artwork through to completion.

I was delighted to learn that the fine artists of Plein Air Painters of the South East  were planning on painting  painting together again at Shem Creek.  

My friend Annette Goings and I left very early so we could insure getting to the Shem Creek Shrimp Docks  while the light was ideal and the artists were still in the early stages of the composition .  Even so, there were still  several early birds who  had nearly finished  one painting  before we arrived , and were about to begin another.

Frank May

Frank May and Diane Cruickshanks May were bundled up against the cold
 on an exposed boardwalk

Diane Cruickshanks May

  painting the "Sea Horse" upstream from where they were set up.

"The Seahorse"

Jim Richards

James Richards and Lori Putnam had set up inside a sheltered gazebo to paint the

 "His and Hers" and the "Capt. Tang"

Lori Putnam

 This is how the shrimp boats " looked from  their field of vision.  They had nearly finished their paintings and were about to begin another when I arrived 

His and Hers and Capt Tang

Jim and Lori  and had nearly finished their paintings, 

Frank May  and Diane Cruickshanks May( Foreground)

when Frank May and Diane  Cruickshanks May showed up to begin working on their  second paintings of the morning .

Mrs Judy Too and Winds of Fortune

 Within a half hour of our arrival, a dozen or more painters  had arrived and set up along the boardwalk.

Dee Beard Dean and Annette Goings

Dee Beard Dean  was one of the first to arrive.

Hodges Soileau and Dee Beard Dean

Hodges Soileau set up next to her 

Sea Horse from Hodges and Dee's viewpoint

Both artists had a similar line of sight of the  "Sea Horse", but each painting was unique

Sea Horse from Shannon's vantage

Shannon Smith had slightly different angle of view 

And an entirely different approach to the subject

One thing all of the painters had in common was that they each elected  to paint the shrimp boats as opposed to the marsh.   I am not sure if that is beacause it was a unique opportunity to do so for the many landlocked artists in the group, or if it is just because they felt that boats well better.  But it was interesting to not that almost everyone painted a shrimp boat as opposed to a marsh scene.

For More about the Plein Air Painters of the South East

Check out their website at: http://pap-se.com/

 or their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/papsoutheast

Litchfield Alley 11'13

 " Litchfield Alley"

 Southern artists love to paint the heritage oak lined drives that are  called  "Alleys" (usually preceded by the name of a plantation).  I was cruising along  in early morning traffic, on my way  to deliver some paintings to the Seacoast Artists Gallery, when I saw something  that gives a whole new meaning to the term "Litchfield Alley out of the corner of my eye,  I noticed some movement where none should be.  I did  a swift scan  of the open lawn near the south entrance of the Litchfield Resort, then let out a  gasp. There was a young adult 6' alligator rising up from beside a massive oak, and it was beginning to  lumber toward  Hy-way 17.  Alligators are a protected species in South Carolina, but if she reached Hy-way 17,  protected species or not, she would be roadkill .  By this time I  had driven past the beast, so I continued  on to the north entrance into the Litchfield  Resort, then circled around behind the beast on the resort's driveway.  My husband jumped out of the car,  and dashed across the lawn to try to herd the animal away from Hyway 17 traffic.

Hunkered Down

 She  hunkered down low on the grass when he  approached, but soon got up and started moving toward the South entrance road.

Approaching the South Entrance

 Since  there was no place for her to hide in the open grass, the only option we had was to continue escorting her until she could find someplace more protected..  I used  my vehicle  and car horn  as a road block against traffic on the south entrance, while Bruce walked her across the street.  When last seen she had taken shelter in some dense shrubs on the business property just South of the Litchfield Resort.

Safely across the road at last.

Live long and prosper Litchfield Alley

You definitely made the trip to the gallery more exciting today.
The lesson I took home from today's trip is that sometimes it is not enough just to paint nature for posterity.  You have to get involved in actually saving it, if you want it to be there for future generations to relate to

Sometimes its about the journey 11' 13

Charles Williams and Annette Goings

 Sometimes finding inspiration is more about taking advantage of the opportunities that arise along the journey than getting to the planned destination. I had blocked off Saturday to be spent  meeting and  greeting visitors at at the Charleston Artists Gallery, but  my friend Annette Gongs reminded me that  artists from the CFADA would be sponsoring and plein air paint out with signature artists of  the Plein Air Painters of the South East.  Gotta go with the flow.

Larry Moore painting Broad Street Architecture

Some of you may remember, that I had attended this event in xxxx  shortly after I first arrived in the South east, and was disappointed  in what I saw.  But I figure everything deserves a second chance, so I revised my schedule to spend the first part of the morning in  Washington Square Park meeting and greeting other
plein air painters.

.

Broad Street from Larry Moore's vantage point

 I certainly wasn't disappointed this time.  To be sure, there were a couple of painters painting from photographs, but their work was so superior,  and they were supporting such a good cause, I could  no find issue with their painting with plein air artists.

Simon Kenevan painting a seascape.

Right from the moment I got near Washington Square , I could see that the members of PAP SE had turned out in force.

 They spilled out onto the sidewalk s surrounding Washington  Square

Mary Erickson painted

a Charleston Courtyard Garden

and many others painted inside the Washington Square Park

Figurative artists, Rhett Thurman painted her niece en plein air

Craig Nelson focused upon  one of the massive heritage oaks in the park

As did Francis Sills

See below

Wes Frasier painted one of the park's statues

This  was one of the more inspiring  moments of the week,  Definitely worth the detour.  I only wish I had had more time to see the paintings through completion.

In conjunction with  watching the Painting in the Park, visitors could also meet the city’s next generation of artists and view a select group of paintings, created by some of the city’s most talented students  Paintings  completed during the  paint Washington Square out  paint out will be auctioned off  in participating Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association galleries to raise money for local student art programs and supporting art education in Charleston. 

New art at Seacoast Artists Gallery 11'1

3032 Nevers Street, Myrtle Beach, SC

New month, all new art. Drop by the Seacoast Artists Gallery in the Market Common  between 11 am and 7 pm today to be amongst the first to see all the new art that went on exhibit today.  Artist June Groft will be happy to answer any of your questions