ARTworks applies the many creative tools of The Arts to strengthen artists and to enrich audiences, collectors, and visitors through high quality arts experiences and arts education programs 365 days a year.
The Schedule:
Generations ~ the work of James & Demetric Denmark; January - February, 2012 |
Youth Art Month; March 2012 |
"People, Places, and Chickens", The Artwork of James St. Clair; April - May, 2012 |
Trevor Foster & Friends, The Art of Clay; June 2012
"The Low Country through My Lens," photography of Scott Quarforth; July - August, 2012 |
The Artwork of Candace Lovely; September - October, 2012
Generations: the work of James Denmark and Demitric Denmark; January - February 2012; Opening Reception Friday, January 13th ~ 6 - 8pm
Start 2012 with a generational look at beauty. James, the renowned artist and collagist (including a spot in the Absolut collection in Stockholm) and his grandson Demetric, based in Florida, join forces to fill the spacious gallery at ARTworks, January through February.
In his studio in Yemassee SC, James Denmark creates compositions that go beyond the superficial and transitory. He focuses, instead, on what is eternal and universal. Denmark's work is consistently and eagerly sought after by galleries and collectors worldwide: most notably New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art.
"Trust and faith creates confidence, which allows me to move forward with my work," stated Denmark. "I leave everything to the spirits. I step back every so often to peek at found collage materials, and to ponder new possibilities. I am a party to improvisation, found materials, and the impact of color."
Born in 1935, Denmark was exposed to color and form at an early age by his grandmother, a wire sculptor and quilt artist, by his grandfather, a bricklayer noted for his unique custom design molds, and his mother who was gifted with an intuitive feeling for design and a fastidiousness for detail which she expressed in all aspects of her daily life. This family tradition continues in grandson Demetric, who is forging his own artistic career as an adult.
James's career began as an art teacher in the New York public school system. There he met and was nurtured by an immensely talented community of artists, including abstract expressionists as Jackson Pollack, Clifford Still, and William DeKooning. The African-American masters Norman Lewis, Romare Bearden, Jacob Lawrence, and Ernest Crichlow instilled in him an appreciation of his African-American artistic heritage, and he began experimenting with collage.
Denmark has a natural affinity for the difficult and largely improvisational medium of collage and quickly developed his own unique and easily identifiable style.
Demetric Denmark was born in Winter Haven, Florida. He attended Winter Haven High School where he first recognized his talent in art. He graduated in 1993 and received a football scholarship to Dodge City Community College. There he received his A.A. in 1995. He went on to attend Kansas State University also on a football scholarship, where he progressed in his art studies. He says that he gets his inspiration from his grandfather James Denmark and his colleagues. Demetric's paintings and portraits have been exhibited and sold in New York and Florida. He currently works and lives in Florida.
"People, Places, and Chickens", the artwork of James St. Clair; April - May 2012; Artist Reception Friday, April 27th ~ 6 - 8pm
James E. St.Clair (aka The Artist Saint) is an award winning South Carolina Low Country artist. Many of his paintings depict the rich heritage and culture of the Low Country and the Sea Islands. Steeped in history, Saint's visual stories tell tales of work, humor and adventure. He primarily paints with acrylics on many surfaces, including canvas, paper, clayboard, masonite, wood and even newspaper. Some of his most popular series of paintings are: Harlem Renaissance, Low Country Folktales, Black and Blues, the Adventures of Geechee Joe and Gullah Girl, and his newest , the Misadventures of The Chickens.
Saint's works hang in private collections nationwide. His work can be seen at the South Carolina Artisans Center, Walterboro, SC, the Salkehatchie Arts Center in Allendale, SC, Alluettes Jazz Cafe in Charleston, SC, The Spirit Sanctuary in Meadow Bridge, WV. He also participates annually in both the Gullah Festival, Beaufort and the Gullah Celebration, Hilton Head, SC.. Commissions and wholesale inquiries always welcomed.
"The Low Country through My Own Lens", the photography of Scott Quarforth; July - August 2012; Opening Reception Friday, July 6th ~ 6 - 8pm
The show will be focused around the wildlife and landscape photographs I have taken in the Beaufort area. So, it will be focused around subject matter. The photo book I have been working on in conjunction with this show is entitled, The Low Country Through My Lens and will feature most, if not all, of the photos in the exhibit. I will have famed prints, canvas (gallery wrapped), and photos printed on metal.
"I began using photography as a medium after my college course in black and white film photography. Currently, my primary focus involves the digital process. I enjoy a variety of printing mediums including standard glossy photo enlargements, metallic finishes, canvas gallery wraps, and metal prints. I am drawn more to landscape and wildlife photography with an emphasis on sunrise and sunsets around water and capturing wildlife in its natural environment. My hope is to have the viewer become more aware of the need for continued land preservation in order to maintain its beauty. This is why I am drawn to the beauty of the Low Country in South Carolina which contains a wealth of diverse life and plethora of incredible landscapes."
