'First Friday' on Broad

Tomorrow night will mark yet another First Friday on Broad gathering.

Join the galleries and merchants of Gallery Row as they highlight their newest exhibits from 5 to 7 p.m.

In addition to various street vendors, refreshments will be served in all of the galleries. Chef Brett McKee at Oak Steakhouse will be offering shots of chilled gazpacho.

The Edward Dare Gallery, 31 Broad St., will feature an interactive show of portraits. For this exhibition, gallery artists created pieces that represent their vision of the Edward Dare persona.

Patrons who guess correctly will be entered into a drawing for a prize at the end of the monthlong show. Votes can also be cast online by contacting the gallery at www.edwarddare.com.

The Hamlet Fine Art Gallery, 7 Broad St., will feature oils, pastels and mixed media by Melinda Lewin, Kellie Jacobs and Stephanie Shuler Hamlet in an exhibit entitled "Summer Relief."

And the Ellis-Nicholson Gallery, at 1 1/2 Broad Street, will feature Vickie Ellis' newest collection of works called "95 Days of Summer."

Coco Vivo Interiors and Fine Art, 25 Broad St., will feature new paintings of local Charleston scenes by internationally known Lionel Train artist Angela Trotta Thomas. The gallery also will be showing a new line of fall jewelry by local artist Betty Holland of Sophisticated Stones.

The Mary Martin Gallery, 39 Broad Street, will showcase the artwork of local artist Ben Silverman and will be offering Orange Julius drinks.

Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art, 58 Broad St., will show the works of Russian husband and wife, Evgeny and Lydia Baranov, who are renowned for both their paintings and their unusual painting techniques.

This only lists a few of Friday's happenings. Stop by the other participating shops and venues including Utopia, John Carroll Doyle Print Gallery, Martin Gallery, Rivendell Woodworks and Spencer Galleries I & II.

Maps of Gallery Row are available at participating galleries.

For more information about this First Friday event, call 722-1944 or go to www.goodthingsonbroad.com.

Williams in Florence

Native Charlestonian Manning Williams has established himself as a prominent figure in South Carolina art circles over the past 40 years.

Williams graduated from the College of Charleston, where he received traditional instruction in painting and formal technique, and later attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, where he experimented briefly with the potential of abstraction.

He is best known for his large-scale, carefully rendered representational art, including a series of Lowcountry scenes commissioned in 1985 by the Charleston County Aviation Authority for installation at Charleston's International Airport.

Yet, during the past 30 years, he has never completely abandoned the forms found in his early abstract painting.

"The work on display at the Florence Museum represents Williams's ongoing vision for the past 18 years, which is a clear shift towards an abstract mode of expression," says Florence Museum curator Stephen W. Motte.

"Many of these works draw on conventions of comic strip art combined with an inner personal vocabulary of forms and symbols that suggest an elusive narrative. The scale of the paintings range from the tremendous to the intimate and invite the viewer to fill in the gaps where a story seems to begin and where it leads," Motte says.

The exhibit "Manning Williams: A Visual Commentary" opened Wednesday and will be on display until Oct. 5.

A reception will be held 3:30-5 p.m. Sept. 7 at the Florence Museum, 558 Spruce Street in Florence. The artist will speak and take questions from the public during the reception.

For information, call 843-662-3351.

Wells at the Bridge

The Bridge Gallery and Frame Shop, one of Folly Beach's newest galleries, will be showing the serene works of artist Chuck Wells, starting with a reception Friday.

Wells moved to Kiawah Island from New York more than 25 years ago. After a somewhat chaotic and stressful lifestyle as a general contractor, he began his quest for a more peaceful life. Ironically enough, it was Hurricane Hugo that had a life-altering effect on Wells.

"As I came back into town, I was overwhelmed by the devastation," Wells says. "The message to me was direct and personal. I knew at once I must change my life."

He found his serenity in painting and has since been creating a variety of Lowcountry inspired images, focusing on historical buildings and landmarks. Wells has won numerous awards for his works.

View his paintings in person at the Bridge Gallery and Frame Shop, 83 Center Street, Folly Beach. For more information, call 588-2007.

Eye Level Art

Eye Level Art's Queen Street Gallery is widening its scope to include select pieces of vintage clothing.

Locally famed vintage clothing collector Lori Wyatt will be selling her wares in the gallery with a special opening tonight. Her collection includes dresses, handbags, jewelry and shoes.

Eye Level Art, 50 Queen Street, will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with the party starting at 7 p.m.

For more information, visit www.eyelevelart.com.

Hanna Trusler

Expectations Studio will host another of its Rising Star shows Friday, this time featuring Hanna Trusler.

Just this past spring, Trusler graduated from the Charleston County School of the Arts, a magnet program for talented young artists.

In the fall she will be attending the University of North Carolina-Asheville.

There will be a reception 7-9 p.m. Friday with drinks and hors d'oeuvres and live music by Zoo Kept Crush. Trusler will be in the studio at 1256B Ben Sawyer Boulevard all day Saturday to show and sign her work.

For more information, call owner Paul Silva at 810-5262.