Art & Friendship

I had the opportunity to travel to the quaint town of Augusta, Georgia this past weekend. Having never been to Augusta, I found that it reminded me a lot of the fictional town of Mayberry from The Andy Griffith  show. For my South Carolinian readers, if you've ever been to Camden, double that and you get Augusta. I must admit though, I really kind of liked it!

Growing up in the art world has allowed me to meet some really interesting and talented people in my time.  South Carolina believe it or not has produced some extremely successful artists. One of those artists is Myrtle Beach native, Brian Rutenberg. Brian is represented by museums and galleries across the United States and his primary gallery is the Forum Gallery in New York City. His bodies of work are absolutely mesmerizing. His abstract oil paintings have a way of telling stories of life on the Carolina coast. The neatest thing about his paintings is the way that he applies the paint. There are some areas on the surface that are 4 inches thick of oil paint and rise above the surface. If you are in the Augusta area, you most definitely should venture to the Morris Museum of Art to see Brian's show I Will Tell You A Place: Paintings by Brian Rutenberg on exhibit until May 1, 2011. In the mean time, check out Brian's webpage to see a collection of his works.
http://www.brianrutenbergart.com

Pavillion by Brian Rutenberg 2008-2009 Oil on Linen 
Jerald Melberg Gallery, Charlotte NC


Brian is a dear friend to my family and we had the pleasure of being able to catch up over a nice dinner at a charming restaurant called Frog Hollow in the heart of downtown Augusta, which really comes alive at night.

Who are some of your favorite South Carolina artists?