During December, The Gallery at Flat Rock will highlight new work in a range of mediums by its represented artists. Paintings, jewelry and clothing will be available for in-person viewing in the gallery and as an online exhibition.
Artists, like many whose lives have been upended by the pandemic, have made more time for creating and, in some instances, have found new subjects to consider as well. Saluda oil painter Jim Carson will show work depicting wildflowers and Texas cactus. Another of his paintings that will be on display, A Barn to Paint, is one that was recently exhibited in Oil Painters of America’s Virtual Juried Salon Show.
Bowl of Oranges. Gwyn Susinka, artist
After retiring from a career as an interiors architect, Clare Sahling came to oil painting only because there was not a watercolor class offered. “I’m still new enough to want to try everything,” she adds. She feels that she has an affinity with natural subjects—trees, marshes, hydrangeas, snow scenes, water lilies—and has begun working more with pallet knives and exploring abstracts. “Someone said that consistency was a virtue in a body of work,” she says, “but I’ve not managed that. My time on this planet is finite, so I don’t really want to settle into a formula that works. The uncertainty is scary, but somehow rewarding.”
Gwyn Susinka’s professional background in interior design informs her work. “Sketching interiors and still-life drawing have always been a part of my life,” she says, “and about 20 years ago, after taking some classes, I began painting in oil.” Retired now and relocated to NC from Chicago, she stopped painting for a time to explore creating three-dimensional works. “In this horrible year, I have found myself drawn back to painting interiors, real and imagined,” she says. “I am looking forward to traveling again to find more inspiration, but in the meantime I am painting the interiors from my imagination and photos of past trips with family and friends to Italy, the UK, Spain and France.”
Dale McEntire’s paintings, including Along the Stream’s Edge, begin on location from studies in conté. “A larger canvas will require more than a single session on location and then I bring it back into the studio for editing and my own expression of the landscape,” McEntire says.
The Gallery at Flat Rock is located at Flat Rock Square at 2702-A Greenville Highway, Flat Rock. Regular gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sundays, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; or by appointment. To learn more, visit GalleryFlatRock.com or call 828.698.7000.
