Two Girls and a 'One Night Stand'

Two former fine art gallery directors, Colleen Deihl and Rebecca Powell, have teamed up to produce Scoop, a series of art shows featuring new local and regional talent.

Scoop's first event, titled "One Night Stand," will take place this Saturday at the Rick Rhodes Studio, 1842 Belgrade Ave., West Ashley, just off U.S. Highway 17S and Wappoo Road. Guerrilla Cuisine is catering and Sweetwater Brewery is sponsoring the show with beer.

"One Night Stand" includes painters Bill and Jesse Mead, Greer Farrell and Janelle Riolo.

Beaufort native Bill Mead started his "Surrealist Fruit Landscapes" series while watching a fruit stand for a friend.

"To pass the time and sell more fruit, he made a sign to catch the eyes of the drivers. Instead of selling the fruit, he sold the sign and was convinced that he should paint more," recounts Deihl.

Isle of Palms native Jesse Mead, who started drawing comic strips of friends and their conversations in high school and quickly became popular with his peers. He is intrigued by the subject matter of the female figure and the reaction it often elicits from viewers.

Painter Greer Farrell relocated to Charleston from New York, where she had studied art at the Waldorf School and continued her painting into college, making murals on dorm walls.

"Her 10-piece painting will amaze you. You can take it apart and shift each painting to create a hidden word and a completely new painting. Each piece in this collection can be purchased separately," says Deihl.

Deihl describes Janelle Riolo as someone who puts energy and movement into every brush stroke of her paintings, creating a calming and spiritual release for the viewer. Riolo says, "Art, as well as life, should not be taken too seriously, it should just be appreciated for its beauty."

Her work was also recently featured at a Guerilla Cuisine event.

Powell and Deihl are thrilled to bring this collection to the Charleston public and are extremely excited about Scoop's inaugural event this weekend. For more information, call 224-6184.

Gallery presents "Audubon in Love"

At the Bridge Gallery is hosting Dr. Roswell Eldridge, noted New York authority on the life of John James Audubon, to speak on

"Audubon in Love," a special talk about this famous early nineteenth century painter and naturalist.

"Audubon's character, scientific prowess and writing skill come to life in his intimate account of a pair of nesting Eastern Phoebes," says gallery owner Suzan Michaels.

In early April 1804, 19-year-old Audubon took a table and chair and moved in with a pair of 'plain coloured' Pewee Flycatchers, or Eastern Phoebes, just as the birds returned to their Pennsylvania cave. He repeated these visits daily, and the birds eventually were calm in his presence.

Audubon acquired deep affection for, and extraordinary knowledge of, this rapidly growing family. He came up with and tested many theories, and he also figured out how to achieve life-size and lifelike portrayals by using two parallel grids.

Scholars attribute Audubon's burst of creativity that summer to the fact that he had just fallen in love. Come and listen to Eldridge's fascinating talk about this incredible man who changed our point of view of the natural world forever. The talk will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday at the gallery, 83 Center St., Folly Beach. For more information, call 843-588-2007 or visit www.audubonroyaloctavos.com.

Weekend art shows

Check out two of Phillip Hyman's latest shows this weekend.

Vickery's downtown willhost the works of local artists Erin Eckman, Phillip Hyman, Chuck Keppler, Justin Kamer, Christina Rodino, META, Tim Showers and others. The show is 6-9 p.m. Friday.

On Saturday, visit the Mill in Olde North Charleston for the "Nostalgia" Art Show featuring works by Sharen Mitchell, Mile Lane, Phillip Hyman, Chuck Keppler, and others. The event will be 6-9 p.m. Saturday.

For more information, contact Hyman at 345- 3670.