rolling into 2021 virtually with two amazing solo exhibitions for susan mcalister and charlie hanavich. both southern painters have been working hard in their studios over the last year building a new body of work. charlotte artist susan mcalister is a landscape painter through and through. her paintings show her love of the land and she pushes the boundaries of abstraction in her brushwork. susan explores every river bend, marsh, hill and mountain depicting the beauty in every element on the surface. she transforms her surrounding into lush paintings the viewer yearns to enter.
atlanta artist charlie hanavich recent paintings delve into history with a line up of iconic mugshots. each mugshot has it’s own captivating story behind the scenes which makes the images even more intriguing. in 1967 mick jagger was just 23 years old when he was arrested in brixton, england after the police were tipped off of possible drug use at the house of guitarist keith richards. both were arrested and taken to jail. over the years johnny cash has been arrested 7 times for misdemeanors and never spent more than one night in jail. his mugshot included in the exhibition was actually taken at folsom prison in 1966 as a joke with the guards the first time he preformed there. the late congressman john lewis has a long arrest record which he used to his advantage to win the 2012 reelection. john lewis good trouble mugshot is from his 1963 atlanta toddle house sit-in. the line up of mugshots exhibited together are a powerful vision to behold.
“confluence” began with an interest in places where things flow together: rivers and tides, footpaths and trails. then 2020’s travel-restrictions and geographic-limits further oriented my focus to familiar places. my grown-up family converged for long periods. the sounds of nature – birds, water and wind – amplified. time lulled us into new rhythms. all the while the world seemed harshly unrecognizable and breaking apart.
franz kline once said “paint never seems to behave the same” way twice. the brushstrokes of “confluence” speak to this magical, often uncomfortable unpredictability of paint and nature and time. it references 2020’s simultaneous experience of convergence and fragmentation; a year of reinterpreting familiar places; and of further exploring the tension between abstraction and representation. nature’s uncanny ability to reflect life never fails to astound.
-susan mcalister 2021
charlie hanavich attended the university of alabama where he studied advertising and art history. while his creativity and artistic talent were evident from childhood, it was not until his later years that he truly discovered his love for painting.
the summer of 2006 was a defining period. searching for direction in life, charlie moved to new york for what proved to be a short-lived visit to his own future. while he did not find the business direction he was seeking, his time in new york reignited his creativity and was the catalyst for his future as an artist.
in 2012 he moved to miami to hone his skill. host to international art fairs such as art basel, miami’s art scene was exploding with opportunity at the highest levels. immersing himself in miami’s artistic landscape, charlie was able to find himself as an artist and develop his distinctive style of painting.
fueled by his interactions and experiences, charlie is constantly refining and evolving his unique process and technique. the grid series, his most recent body of work, is strongly influenced by chuck close.
charlie’s paintings are displayed in numerous private homes and commercial spaces both domestically and internationally. he now works and resides in atlanta, georgia.
all available work by each artists can be viewed on our website on the artist page under each individual tab. click on the artist’s name to bring up all work with sizing and pricing. please call the gallery if you have any further questions.