The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that paintings by Conway, SC, based artist Rachel Jones and contemporary photographs by Thomas Pickarski of New York City will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from July 2-31, 2018. Admission to view the concurrent solo exhibitions is free.
Rachel Jones of Conway, SC, will present Washes Over Me, a collection of female portraits. Jones’ paintings are often quiet and mysterious as the subjects fluctuate between distancing and inviting the viewers into the space. She often focuses on the non-traditional beauty that the French describe as ‘jolie-laide’. “I like the fact that despite less than perfect features there is beauty,” says Jones. “I’m drawn to the quirky, the odd, the not so perfect. The imperfections individualize us.” Jones considers the “story” of the image when choosing a medium: “Whatever best suits the telling of that story is utilized. Often a softness needs rendering which I find I’m best able to describe using watercolor. The transparent quality allows the ethereal quality I’m looking for. At other times, I need the weight of oils to best articulate a subject matter.” While her focus has previously been on smaller, intimate works, Jones has begun experimenting with larger pieces.
Rachel Jones is a native of South Carolina and has been an active part of her local art scene for more than 20 years. In addition to being collected locally and internationally, she also teaches public workshops and private lessons. Jones has also been presented with several awards by the community for her works, including an Honorable Mention in Seacoast Artist’s Gallery’s Fall Show (2017), as well as both a 3rd Place and People’s Choice Award in the ArtSpace 506 Small Works Show (2016). For more information about the artist, visit https://racheljonesandart.blogspot.com.
Floating Blue – Photographs by Thomas Pickarski
Thomas Pickarski of New York City will present Floating Blue, a collection of contemporary photographs of icescapes and icebergs. In this series, Pickarski aims to portray both the eternal beauty of icebergs, as well as the otherworldliness of the landscapes in which they exist. Pickarski’s photographs highlight abstracted forms that occur in nature. He chooses icebergs as his subject because “they possess characteristics of color, shape, line, form, and scale that exist independently from visual references we tend to be familiar with in the natural world.”
Thomas Pickarski holds a BFA in Painting and an MFA in Performance Art, both from Arizona State University. His artistic practice leads him to travel the world in search of desolate places and natural forms. He seeks out experiences that take him out of his element, and his travels have taken him to Iceland, Greenland, New Zealand, Patagonia, Norway, Faroe Islands, and India. His work has been exhibited in galleries throughout the United States and in Europe. He recently completed a photography book called Icescapes that will be self-published this year. Learn more about the artist at ThomasPickarski.com.
The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in two corridors of the northwest corner of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free. Gallery hours are Tuesdays 12-5pm, Wednesdays 11am-5pm, Thursdays 11am-7:30pm, and Fridays 11am-5pm. 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 Arts & Culture section of the City’s website.