Wells Gallery | 4/10-5/10 | Kiawah Island, SC

Southern Traditions

The traditions we pass down are what form our character, bonds and memories.

While many of us celebrate a plethora of life moments and holidays throughout the year, Wells Gallery out of South Carolina invites viewers to honor themes of tradition, “a custom passed down from generation to generation,” explains gallery director Emily Wagner. “We have cultural traditions and family traditions, and each contributes to a sense of practice and belonging.”

More specifically, Wells Gallery has more than 10 artists exploring themes around their upcoming show, Southern Traditions. While the show focuses on traditions in the Southern U.S., it’s much more than that. It’s about a sense of home that anyone, from any location, can understand. Michael Reibel, Southern Spirits, oil on linen, 12 x 12"

However, the South has much to offer in the way of tradition. “We have Sunday suppers created from recipe cards handed down through the years. We wear church hats and smile at strangers. We comb the beaches looking for seashells and soak in the sun while kayaking down the meandering estuaries,” says Wagner.

The gallery is located in the destination getaway of Kiawah Island, where there’s no shortage of natural beauty. “It doesn’t get more magical than Kiawah,” says artist and South Carolina resident Michael Reibel. “For this show, there are so many elements and inspirations to draw from—the beach, boardwalks across inland ponds, a drink on the porch overlooking the ocean golf course.”Karen Larson Turner, Sanctuary Reflections, oil on linen, 24 x 30"

Like many of the artists participating in the show, Reibel is often inspired by landscape, but has more recently been working on a series of bourbon and spirits still life paintings, all centered on rich bourbon history and traditions, family history and heirlooms.

Reibel furthers, “In these pieces, all the elements of a successful painting are important as is the meaning of each object in relation to the whole and to the client or buyer. Often, the piece is telling a story of a tradition. I go one step further to mount a written ‘explanation’ on the back of the painting to explain why I picked the objects and their meaning to the piece.”Russell Jewell, Cruiser, watercolor, 20 x 16"

Watercolor artist Russell Jewell discusses that his take on Southern tradition is much like his connection to plein air painting, a calling to the outdoors. He poetically states, “It’s humid mornings, fog rising off rivers. It’s a chorus of cicadas singing under a full moon, but it’s also a Charleston or Savannah urban street scene in perspective with the tallest of steeples casting shadows upon unsuspecting passersby.”

Participating artist Karen Larson Turner also takes great interest in the Southern terrain. “As a painter, I am continually exploring the wide ranging moods of our coastal landscape and seeking to capture the awe that one experiences when immersed in nature,” says Turner. “I love exploring both the creeks and the open water…there are fleeting moments of both grandeur and tranquility, and in bringing these to life on canvas, I hope to preserve a memory of our beautiful coast.”Junko Ono Rothwell, Morning Kayaking, oil on canvas, 12 x 16"

From still life bourbon scenes from Reibel, to Turner’s awe-inspiring nature depictions in oil and Jewell’s colorful watercolor scenes, the Southern Traditions show is sure to please. Wells Gallery invites viewers to enjoy the new works from April 10 to May 10, and challenges everyone to “find a piece that reflects a beloved tradition you hold dear.” —

Wells Gallery • 1 Sanctuary Beach Drive • Kiawah Island, SC 29455 • (843) 576-1290 • www.wellsgallery.com