A dual exhibition featuring new watercolor paintings by Alexandra Sharma and one-of-a-kind jewelry by Kym Welton opens with a reception on Tuesday, March 11 from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at the Art League Gallery in Pineland Station.
The exhibition runs from March 10 through April 12. The public is invited to meet the artists.
Water Works reveals glimpses into an artist’s watercolor world. Alexandra chooses to look at the interaction of man and nature together, recording how each impacts the other and capturing that moment of inspiration for the viewer to see. The process of creating goes on every minute that we are alive and Alexandra invites the viewer to enter her world where manmade things are changed by nature, and nature is altered by man’s presence within it.
Alexandra delights in finding her scenes in the hidden-away things, the private moments, fragments of buildings, and ordinary objects viewed from an unusual point of view. She finds her inspiration on Hilton Head Island and the Lowcountry, as well as in her travels to India and Canada. Her recent trip to India is reflected in several paintings of interiors and views from the family home.
Born into a family of celebrated artists – Alexandra’s grandfather was an internationally acclaimed etcher and her father, a sculptor – gave her a unique awareness of form and space that is manifest in her work. A painter, printmaker, sculptor, and art professor, Alexandra has a Master of Fine Arts and has studied at the Sorbonne and Oxford in Europe. Her work spans over twenty years and she has taught art in Toronto, in Beaufort and Hilton Head. She exhibits regularly at the Art League Gallery, Mars – the Real Estate Store on Hilton Head, and at the Charles Street Gallery in Beaufort.
A lifetime member of the American art honorary, Delta Phi Delta, Alexandra is also a founding member of the Multi Media Arts Guild, Kingston, Canada, long time member of Ontario Woodcarvers Association, and active member of the Beaufort Art Association, the Art League of Hilton Head, and the Apple Pie Painters.
Island Treasures showcases a selection of Kym’s unique jewelry. She chooses from a wide variety of materials. She makes lariats and chokers with crystals and stones wired to leather; delicate necklaces, or multi-strand, chunky necklaces with larger stones and beads lending a western flair that goes well with jeans and a white blouse. She laughs, “there’s that ancient Indian spirit emerging in me.” Lately she has diversified into smaller, more refined pieces using pearls of all shapes and colors, and crystals from Australia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and, of course, the Swarowsky kind. Her bracelets are made with sterling silver and silver wire and display an eye-catching stone as a centerpiece. Kym prefers her materials have a natural look to them. She chooses fresh water pearls that have slight variations in color and texture, which give the pieces individuality and character. Her turquoise comes in numerous shapes and shades. She loves to mix the colors of turquoise with other natural materials like sea glass, jasper, malachite, howlite, or coral for their unique effect. Her creative process begins with finding one stone or a pearl that stands out, then choosing crystals or other stones to complement it. Once she can visualize the whole piece, only then she buys the materials and rushes home to create it.
Before settling on Hilton Head Island in 2002 Kym led an active vagabond life in different parts of the continent, moving between her native Mississauga, Ontario, to Vail, Colorado, then to Saskatchewan, Canada and back to Hilton Head. She treasured her stay in Colorado, “out west where the ‘Cowboys and Indians’ lived” and wonders, if she hasn’t been part Indian in a previous life. Early on she attended creative arts courses at SCAD, took a silver jewelry making class and managed two retail silver jewelry stores. She also modeled, became a pilot, a realtor, and a certified fitness trainer. She continues to learn new techniques by attending classes, and the ideas for new pieces are bubbling forth.
The Art League Gallery of Hilton Head in Pineland Station, Suite 207, is open Monday-Saturday from 10:00-6:00. Meet the artist ALEXANDRA SHARMA at the reception March 11, 5-7pm, or between 10am – 2 pm on March 13, 14, and 15. For additional information call 843-681-5060 or check the website at www.artleaguehhi.org
