Artist Hussey plans show

PROVIDED/REDUX

Installations by artist Susan Meyer will be on display during an open reception on Saturday.

PROVIDED/ TIM HUSSEY

Art by Charleston artist, photographer and illustrator Tim Hussey, including this photograph entitled 'Beth 2,' will be shown at an opening for the artist Wednesday night. The opening will be at The Trusted Palate.

After working for 15 years as an editorial illustrator for the likes of Rolling Stone, Ray Gun and The New York Times, Charleston native Tim Hussey achieved a level of success that set the foundation for his switch from publications to galleries.

However, Hussey, 38, who also had worked as art director for magazines such as Gentleman's Quarterly and Musician, did not undergo a complete departure from his past efforts.

"I believe a significant part of my commercial success actually rested on my ability to merge the emotional and ethereal power of fine art into my illustration work," says the Porter-Gaud graduate who went to the Rhode Island School of Design and spent his junior year studying in Paris.

After deciding to head in the direction of fine arts, Hussey has exhibited his paintings in solo exhibits and with other artists in San Francisco, Detroit, Nashville and Santa Fe. Most recently, he exhibited at Charlestonian Shepard Fairey's gallery, Subliminal Projects, in Los Angeles, and at the prestigious Art Basel project in Miami.

Returning to Charleston in 2002, Hussey has had paintings exhibited at the College of Charleston's Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art. He currently works as a magazine designer with his business Hussey Design.

Two years ago, he turned his focus largely to photography, which had been his passion in college.

Hussey is excited that this week "Archive: Past Paintings, New Photographs" will open with 25 photos, along with 25 of his paintings, being shown at The Trusted Palate. An opening reception will be 7-9 p.m. Wednesday at the restaurant/gallery, 563 King St. The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 13.

"Locally, I have been sort of on the fringes as to what I want to do," says Hussey. "Though I show my work all over the nation and have a number of big clients, I don't get a chance to show in my own hometown what I'm working on, so this show is important to me mainly to become more integrated into the struggling contemporary art scene in Charleston."

Pair of artists

Artists Karen Hewitt Hagan and Hilarie Lambert focus on diverse subjects in their paintings, one focusing on the coastline, the other on urban landscapes, but works by both will be shown at Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, 58 Broad St., through July 31.

Hagan has been chasing what she refers to as "the glow" since she started painting many years ago. The "glow" that fascinates her is the momentary light that happens at the beginning and at the end of each day.

"It's that type of light that makes ordinary objects appear to be almost magical," she says. "This compels me to head out in my truck just before sunrise or sunset in search of my next painting."

As a Signature Member of the Plein Air Painters of the Southeast and a founding member of the Charleston Outdoor Painters Association, Hagan feels her best paintings are waiting just outside her door, wherever she happens to be.

Hagan recently has moved onto a newly outfitted yacht, and her newest work features her passion for the coastline. Her work recently was exhibited in Carmel, Calif.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; and Savannah.

In contrast, Lambert, known for her vibrant flair and broad brushwork, creates urban landscapes, often capturing the energy of downtown Charleston, for private collectors across the nation.

Originally from the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, Lambert has called Charleston home for six years. Fusing her background in graphic design with her abundant enthusiasm for revealing color, value and beauty through paint, she creates bold architectural portraits and figurative studies.

Her oil paintings have been featured in one-woman shows throughout the Southeast and at the Salon International, the Hilton Head International Art Exhibit and the 2006 Piccolo Spoleto Juried show as well as in publications from Plein Air to Skirt!

Sci-fi exhibit

Redux Contemporary Art Center, 136 St. Philip St., will exhibit the futuristic installation of its fifth artist-in-residence, Susan Meyer, through July 27.

Titled "Together," Meyer's installation is grounded in the idea of a utopian environment and in past social experiments that have led to the success or failure of these social structures. She is interested in the intersection of art, commerce and modernity and the environments they create.

The installations typically take the form of stalactite structures that are tiered with several layers. Upon each layer are scale figures the size of model trains that take the form of small crafted people who live and work on the structure. Some of the structures are linked by long bridges so that the inhabitants hypothetically may cross their environment in search of their needs, says Seth Curio, Redux director.

Composed of acrylic shapes that make reference to organic landscapes and architectural models such as Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes, the sculptural elements combine to create a fantastical environment. Meyer has noted that the occupants may seem at odds with their environment as the installation suggests model utopian worlds that may or may not be working out.

While here in June for her residency, Meyer also conducted a research project based on the ideals and development principles of the Mount Pleasant neighborhood of I'On. She also worked with students at the College of Charleston on various facets in the world of art.

Reach Dottie Ashley at 937-5704 or dashley@postand courier.com.