Line and detail are the trademarks of this multifaceted show at The Charles Street Gallery, March 12 through April 5; reception with the artists is on Friday, March 12th, 5:30-9pm, at 914 Charles Street in Beaufort.
In his studio on Dataw Island, Robert Steinmetz has captured the jewel-tones from his Italian travels, covering an impressive range of subjects – from architectural close-ups, to streetscapes of narrow alleyways, to public sculpture and candid figure studies of local residents. Steinmetz began painting full-time in 1990, shortly after retiring from a 27-year career as a practicing architect in Connecticut and relocating to the coast of Maine. As a watermedia artist his work ha
s been juried into many local, national and international shows and in many cases also has been selected for recognition with awards. In 2009 he was one of only nine artists in the United States elected to “Signature Member” status in the country’s oldest art organization, the American Watercolor Society. He has achieved similar status in the National Watercolor Society and the North East Watercolor Society.
Just twenty minutes inland, native photographer Paul Keyserling has been snapping his shutter in a signature way that captures the odd angles of telephone lines and Piggly Wiggly signs, the distractions and drainings of this coastal environment, and the beauty of life in the sun. His lensmanship stems from a career of SC Educational Television and fil
m making. “All the while, still photography has been an ongoing distraction which drains exponentially more assets than it generates,” Paul commented, but he wasn’t counting the calming process of looking into the depths of his photographs to decipher the pristinely wordless stories he has captured. “I’ve been taking pictures for a long time and I’ve amassed quite a collection. I’m not really a capitalist, but I spend a lot of time at the Charles Street Gallery, we’re friends, and it’s very comfortable. Georgia motivated this show.”
The 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 29902, 843-521-9054, http://www.thecharlesstreetgallery.com.
