A New Meaning for Eye Candy

At Lambert Gray Gallery's Grand Opening this past Friday, Holly Herrick signed her new cookbook, we poured lots of wine, ate leaf-shaped sugar cookies and coveted some amazing art. The place was packed most of the evening, Kristen of Blue Bicycle Books was selling books, and "sold" red dots were popping up everywhere.

Co-owners and artists Hilarie Lambert and Michael Gray curated an amazing food-themed show, and Lambert got into the spirit herself with great kitchen scenes inspired by her time in France.

When the Dishes Are Done, Hilarie Lambert. SOLD

What was so fun about this show is how the artists brought their own sensibilities and ideas to the table. Lambert's only parameter was "food-related," and here are some great examples of what the artists delivered:

Watermelon. Mark Horton

Chips & Beer Dear. Sheryl Stalnaker

Catch of the Day. Elizabeth Middour

Recipe for Disaster. Shannon Runquist

There's more art just waiting to be "sampled," such as Tate Nation's special take on take-out and Robert Lange's "Banana Seat", and now that the excitement of Artwalk is past us, the gallery is quietly filled with light in its second story Broad Street locale. It's the perfect time for an appetizer of art, so stop in sometime soon before that downtown lunch and get inspired by the plate.

Galleries getting it right

There is a vibrant art scene here in Charleston, and every first Friday evening there is an Art Walk, where Broad Street galleries keep their doors open and we can all wander in. It was a hot July evening with pop up showers on the horizon, but I had art on the brain.

I have enjoyed these through the years, but sometimes, the vibe and the art at many galleries remains the same -- stagnant. Still, if I'm down on an Art Walk night, weaving my way around the palmettos on Broad, it's not an Art Walk for me until I visit Scoop Studios. They always get it right.

And what is "it"? The fact that art is supposed to be living, changing and exciting. There's always a fun signature cocktail, lots of people in the petite space, and *gasp* a new show! They stay true to their contemporary aethestic and bring us artists that are unique to the street. (A projected sock monkey on the opposite building a few months ago won my heart forever.)

Sock Monkey, 33"x32", Acrylic on Board, Bill Mead

Last night was another engaging show, this one a solo John Stango. B. and I discussed the fun juxtaposition of icons, images and memory, and although we weren't fans of the mickey mouse subject matter,

Mickey Mouse Flag, 22 x 33, acrylic on Canvas

we both agreed that "Bullitproof" kept our interest. It was intensely layered and spoke loud and clear.

Bullittproof, 79" x 57.5", acrylic on canvas

Scoop has a wide range of artists, price points and mediums, and since they change shows pretty frequently, have a great website that can show you what you missed. And hey, you never know -- you just might not be able to live without the Monopoly board artwork of your dreams ...

Monopoly, 18"x24", Digital Graphics on Paper, Austin Schulz