The February group show at Robert Lange Studios delves into the abiding passions of artists. Playing Favorites showcases the favorite subject matter of two dozen accomplished contemporary painters. Featuring all new work created for this show, the exhibition is as bold as it is diverse.
Anthony Waichulis, Fortune, oil on panel, 5 x 7"
“We asked artists to look back over the span of their painting career and remember paintings they really loved to create and why,” gallery owner Robert Lange says.
For Nicola Johnson, the answer is found in painting figures.
“My favorite subject matter is people,” Johnson says. “I’m drawn to capturing someone in a beautiful, quiet moment of meditation.”
Her painting, Calm, does just that. Johnson uses blocks of color and shadow to capture a young woman standing at a window. A cityscape appears just outside. Perhaps it is springtime, given the woman’s light turquoise dress. She could be a dancer preparing to move across a stage. Or is she gazing at her own
reflection? Her narrative is not specified, thus leaving room for the viewer to join her in contemplation.
Denise Stewart-Sanabria, Marco Polo Pool Party, oil on canvas, 36 x 36"
Johnson’s style requires striking a delicate balance as she deconstructs a scene into blocks of color. “If I take it too far I lose the subject matter and the story,” she says. “In this painting, the face was my favorite part to plan and paint. It’s broken down into the simplest of shapes, yet the subject’s expression still conveys the calm pause between thought and action.”
While Johnson likes painting people themselves, Denise Stewart-Sanabria prefers painting their stand-ins. “One of my favorite produce items to use as an anthropomorphic actor is the pear,” she says. “Pears interact well with each other, and it is easy to have them engage in foolish behavior since they are also clumsy.”
In her painting, Marco Polo Pool Party, Stewart-Sanabria achieved two of her favorite things. One is in her process. She loves to play around with props in her paintings, and in Marco Polo, she literally has the props play a game. One unfortunate pear has landed face-first in the watermelon, a.k.a. “the pool.” With his eyes covered like this, the pear serves as “Marco” blindly searching for his other playmates.
Nicola Johnson, Calm, oil on aluminum, 48 x 36"
Tropical wallpaper and vivid tiles complete Stewart-Sanabria’s luscious scene. “Most of my paintings have a Versaille-esque gluttony of riches,” she notes. “They are celebrations of centuries of design and epicurean creativity as backdrops for cultural statements and human behavior.”
Robert Lange has included his own work in the show. His painting, Unstoppable, portrays one of his daughters standing tall against an oncoming sea wave. It’s as if the child is staring down the wave and causing it to retreat. Lange says he admires his children’s idealism. “They are unafraid to stand up for what is right, and to show empathy and love with ease. I wish more adults would pay attention to what they can teach us.”
Painter Katie Koenig liked the freedom to choose a subject that resonates with her and use it to express an emotion. Her piece for the exhibition features butterflies.
Robert Lange, Unstoppable, oil on panel, 36 x 36"
“Butterflies have always been fascinating and symbolic to me and I enjoy finding new ways to use them in paintings to communicate thoughts and ideas,” she says.
Viewers will have to wait until February to see Koenig’s painting at the gallery and online. She hinted that it will be whimsical and surreal, exploring elements like smoke. Her methods challenged her to invent as she went along, rather than have control over the painting the entire time. “That was difficult for me, but hopefully allowed me to grow as an artist,” she says.
Diane Davich-Craig, I Like it, I Love it, I Want Some More of It, oil on panel, 24 x 30"
Meanwhile, George Ayers’ Spaghetti is one big plate of realistic indulgence. “It’s easy to say ‘I love spaghetti,’” Ayers says. “But putting a composition together that works and is pleasing as a still life is an entirely different struggle. Fitting that process to a specific theme makes it more challenging—which I enjoy.” Ayers work can be seen at the gallery and online when the show opens.
On the more subtle end of things, Anthony Waichulis’ Fortune shows an ace of clubs tucked into a worn five dollar bill. This small painting—only 7 by 5 inches—beguiles. Is this evidence of a poker cheat whose pockets have been turned out? Or does the playing card have some other importance that the owner wishes to keep tucked in their wallet?
Matt Bober, Wanderer, oil on panel, 11 x 18"“I am drawn to this subject matter quite often,” Waichulis says. “The nature of the subject and the significant challenges involved in its representation make each revisiting engaging and fulfilling.”
Other participating artists include Brett Scheifflee, Cassandra Kim, Diane Davich-Craig, Erik Johnson, KC Collins, Kerry Simmons, Matthew Bober, Megan Aline, Nathan Durfee, Patrick Nevins, Paul Cristina, Ted Walsh, Tiffany Sage, Julie Beck, David Cheifetz, Jacob Pfeiffer, Taylor Faulkner, Robert Stark and Timur Akhriev.
An opening reception will be held February 3 from 5 to 8 p.m. —
Robert Lange Studios
2 Queen Street
Charleston, SC 29401 • (843) 805-8052
www.robertlangestudios.com
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