Charleston (re)Building

     Here's some new work that's been going on in the studio. Downtown Charleston is going through a phase of urban renewal, with new buildings popping up and old ones being rehabilitated. I thought it was a perfect opportunity for a new series of paintings and drawings. In Charleston, they carefully dismantle old buildings, stripping it down to the original wooden beams and posts, sometimes temporarily jacking up a building, while they re-do the foundation. I find it fascinating and odd...in New York, they would just demo the whole thing and rebuild from scratch. Not only do I find the forms interesting, as the 'guts' of the building are laid bare, but it seems like a perfect metaphor for the making and remaking of a painting.

small sketch book study, 6" x 9"

   This one building in particular has caught my attention. I pass it every day on the way to my kid's school. It's right off the elevated highway as you enter the crosstown through the Charleston Peninsula, and each day I watch as the building changes appearance. I worked on all these from photos, just because of the constant state of flux that the building is in.

pencil, 15" x 22.5"

     Here's a painting based on the small sketchbook study:

oil, 15" x 20"

     I want to keep the paint fresh and loose like the drawing...hard to do sometimes working from a photo. Still working on this one...I'll probably scout out some more spots as I see interesting construction projects in the works. The weather's warming up a bit, so I can head outside again.

charcoal, 22" x 30"