148 E Bay St
Charleston, SC 29401
USA
Lowcountry Artists Gallery’s Featured Artist for the month of February is Gale Ray with her latest collection “Whim-Seas.” Her one-of-a-kind hand built pottery and oil paintings are inspired by creatures from the sea including fish, shells, corals and waves. Join us for the Opening Reception on Friday, February 2, 2024 from 5-8 PM at the Gallery, 148 E. Bay Street. Light refreshments will be served and the artist will be in attendance.
Artist Statement: “Whim-Seas began last April when my brother and sister-in-law came to my house for lunch. After lunch I asked them what they’d like to do, perhaps go to my studio and make something out of clay. My brother, who’s a fisherman and wood worker, said yes. Then I asked what would you like to build. He said a fish. I said if you build a fish, I’ll build a fish. We had fun and I’ve been building fish ever since. And so the Whim-Seas collection began.
I squished out little fish, then made a big fish bowl, Big Mouth Bertha Bass, then some fish mugs. It became a little too crafty for me so I changed gears. The “Conchitas” came about when I was inspired by the carrier shell. It goes along and picks up dead shells and attaches them to its back. I began embellishing my pottery with small shells and corals. It was challenging and time consuming but I enjoyed embellishing the pots. Then I wanted to take it all a step further and combine the fish, the embellishing and my earlier work, the Triton Series (pinched textures). I made a small piece to see how it might work, construction wise. I call it “Fish Bowl” 5 x 5 x 5. Then I went a little bigger, “Aquarium” 6 x 10 x 8, and finally much larger “Sirens of the Sea” 10 x 12 x 6. The collection currently has 10 pieces.”
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