Get ready to 'BARK!'

Sandpiper Gallery hosting opening reception for Madeline Dukes' exhibit on Saturday

Provided

Madeline Dukes will show her latest body of work featuring trees and dogs at the Sandpiper Gallery on Sullivan's Island. There will be an opening reception at the gallery Saturday.

Mikayla Mackaness/Provided

The Charleston Center for Photography will host Mikayla Mackaness' 'A Photographic Journal.' The artist will speak at the center this week.

Madeline Dukes' latest body of work featuring trees, cold noses and warm hearts will open with a reception 5:30 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Sandpiper Gallery, 2019-C Middle St. on Sullivan's Island.

The "BARK!" show will feature depictions of ethereal trees in the coastal setting of the South Carolina Lowcountry, as well as paintings created as tributes to man's best friend. "This series of dreamlike trees and endearing canines implore the viewer to enter the paintings and awaken their own memories — making the experience very personal as their own recollections become part of the painting," says gallery owner Julie Sweat.

"Although Dukes completes most of her work within her studio, she employs an interactive process of observation in nature to capture color, form and, most importantly, light. A connection with the subject must happen either with a live model or in the outdoors, where most of her paintings begin," explains Sweat.

Once this connection is made, she sketches, paints, photographs and makes notes of her experiences, and usually adds the finishing touches inside her studio.

Sweat says that Dukes' paintings seem to capture the energy of her subjects "with strong brush work, the use of impasto and by layering, scratching and scraping the paint with palette knives, adding visual depth to her work and a sculptural feeling to her paintings."

"My brush work ranges from thick to thin on any given painting, and I will layer, scratch, scrape and make marks to portray the energy of the subject," says Dukes. "I also use various palette knives. I construct with the paint. I am fascinated by the movement between the subject and its environment, and I want to communicate that as well as capture the personality of the subject, the day and the light."

For more information about Dukes and the upcoming show, visit www.sandpipergallery.net or contact Sandpiper Gallery at 883-0200.

'Then and Now'

Norma Morris Ballentine and Anne Hightower-Patterson first met in the mid-'60s when the two East of the Cooper girls began junior high school. Now, more than 40 years later, these colleagues and friends have come together for a joint exhibition titled "Mount Pleasant/Sullivan's Island/Then/Now," which features images from their childhood pasts as well as today. The show is on display at the Lowcountry Artists Gallery at 148 East Bay St.

The year that both artists entered the seventh grade was also the year that Virginia Fouche Bolton began teaching art at Moultrie High School. According to Hightower-Patterson and Ballentine, Bolton had a profound affect on their lives and art careers. Many South Carolinians are aware of Bolton's artistic talent, but her students also benefited from her gift of teaching.

"In a way," said Hightower-Patterson, "this show pays homage to Virginia and the seeds she planted in us as artists."

One of the featured images by Hightower-Patterson is the painting of the Old Village shopping area. Hightower-Patterson says this was an emotional watercolor for her. "I have never had an emotional response doing a painting until now. I grew up on the corner of Venning and Pitt Streets. My first teenage job was at Pitt Street Pharmacy. I played in that street. Each brush stroke brought back memories of a kind of life that shaped the person I have become."

Ballentine's works focus memories of the dunes, beach vignettes, business district and cottages on Sullivan's Island. For her, painting these scenes rekindled a deep respect, love and regard for the island and island life. Her father was "Bill the Barber" of the island, who was known for wagering funny bets with his clients, such as betting on "the next song that the radio station would play."

"Life was amazing on the sleepy island back in the '50s and '60s," says Ballentine. "Along with the beach activities, catching ... toads, exploring the old forts, gathering wild plums in the bountiful thickets, we went to the local movie theater and skating rink. These were all part of growing up on that wonderful island."

Because of the extensive growth of the area, there are many people who are interested in the history of the island and the stories that surround the places and the people. These were slow, sleepy communities that were the quintessential small places of the mid-20th-century South.

"Norma and I went in different directions after high school, but we rejoined forces about a year and a half ago. This show is a natural growth from our common roots," says Hightower-Patterson.

The exhibition will be shown at the Lowcountry Artists Gallery through the end of the month. An artists' reception will be held 2-4 p.m. Sunday and is open to the public. For further information, visit the Lowcountry Artists Gallery or contact Anne Hightower-Patterson at 803-776-9655 or Norma Morris Ballentine at 884-3116.

Mikayla Mackaness

Having fallen in love simultaneous with a camera, tennis racket and rain at age 7, photographer Mikayla Mackaness continued her artistic journey as she blossomed into an adult. Often accompanying her photos are short bursts of fresh, prosaic thoughts.

In her own words: "I crave the emotive nature of still. Yes, still, stare, stay. ... A poignant memory that I never would have remembered if it weren't for this contraption in my hand. I need light. Want it. Yearn for it."

Originally from Montserrat, West Indies, Mackaness went to grade school in Charleston, then lived in Manhattan, Thailand, Venezuela, California, Sydney, Australia, and many other places, working and pursuing political-, social- and media-related cultural contemplations.

Join her at 7 p.m. Monday at The Center for Photography's Second Monday Lecture Series at 654 King St. Admission is free. For more information, contact the center at 577-0647 or visit www.mikaylamackaness.com.

Yo Art Project

The Holy City Craft Bazaar is an event focusing on locally handmade arts and crafts. It takes place 11 a.m. until dusk Saturday behind the Read Brothers Fabric and Stereo store, Spring and King streets.

The Holy City Craft Bazaar's intent is to showcase up-and-coming artisans while raising money for Yo Art, a local nonprofit organization whose mission is to mentor inner-city youths. Its programs help build self-esteem and job skills and focus on academic and community service through art workshops, exhibitions and public art projects. Visit www.yoartproject.org for more information.

The craft bazaar will feature booths of handmade wares crafted by local artists. Entertainment will include a kissing booth, raffle and talent show. All proceeds from the raffle and kissing booth will benefit the Yo Art Project.

There will handmade clothes, paintings, screen prints, zines, knickknacks, paddy wax, baked goods and lemonade. Entertainment will be provided by a talent show with live bands.

Sponsors such as 52.5, City Lights, Redux, Cupcake, Artists and Craftsmen, Elysium, Plum, Andolini's and other local businesses will donate items and gift cards to the raffle.

Anyone interested in participating as a vendor or artist should contact Anson or Bethany at holycitycraftbazar@gmail.com.