The Charles Street Gallery's exhibition series continues with Betsy Chaffin's show of colorful crosshatches and depth-giving tar until November 24th, followed by the 4th Annual Invitational opening on Friday, November 30th with a reception from 5:30-9:30 with the fifteen artists who have created work for the innovative event. This year, the Invitational offers the theme of "My Essence of Beaufort." The interpretations of Beaufort by these artists will be multi-media, including photography. The Lowcountry scenes will be varied, the colors abundant, and the essence of Beaufort finely distilled. The 15 Artists are Eric Horan, Gary Geboy, Joshua Savage Gibson, Paul Keyserling, Jim Rothnie, Benton Lutz, Betsy Chaffin, Lynn Brown, Alexandra Sharma, Sharon DeAlexandris, Cabell Heyward, Rebecca Davenport, Kathy Crowther, Susan Graber, and Priscilla Coleman. Painter Jim Rothnie went straight to the source for his piece, choosing the Charles Street Gallery itself, and titling his oil painting "My Essence of Beaufort: Charles St. Gallery."
    "Charles Street Gallery, with it's hominess, excellent shows, and great opening night parties attended by everybody, captures the warm small town feeling of our village perfectly," Rothnie said. "My painting shows the front of the gallery beneath the protective boughs of a Spanish moss draped oak, the iconic natural symbol of the Lowcountry."
    Photographer Eric Horan got out of downtown historic Beaufort to capture his essence of Beaufort. He chose to focus on the primeval coastal forest.
    "While working on erosion images on the barrier islands, this fallen oak tree I came across really illustrates the fact that mother nature does have her way in the end," explained Horan. "And with the present focus on preserving the planet, and because of where I live and work, I've been presented with a chance to help bring the real meaning and just one of the eventual consequences of "Global Warming" to light.
The 4th Annual Invitational runs from November 30th to December 29th. Charles Street Gallery is an established source for Lowcountry and international art, presented within a carefully renovated house surrounded by a lush garden in the middle of Beaufort's historic district. 914 Charles Street, 521-9054, http://www.thecharlesstreetgallery.com