Recap ART Shows and Tomorrow night at Avanti

Come out to Avanti Showroom for the Breast Cancer Silent Art Auction from 5-9 PM Thursday Sept 24th; on Huger St. in Columbia, SC

Okay...so I been busy in the art world these days and happy to be back in the Columbia art Scene after showing in several countries, NYC and Charleston. What's really been wonderful is being back in SC started my show season off with a storm in Charleston; a two woman show, I cooked up with Jean Ehler, the month of August entitled "A Pair of Jeans; Opposing Viewpoints". What sold this show was the idea of two women named Jean working together and studying for over ten years under the same artist, Ilona Royce Smithken, having similar penmanship yet entirely different artistic styles. It went well, it was nice to see the display of our works all on canvas in mostly oils on opposing walls. We each did an oil painting portrait of the other and I even did a fairly realistic rendition of Jean, instead of my typical stylized woman. Much to every one's surprise. I must say Jean was an excellent model as she really could sit still for long periods of time. (unlike my ADD self...LOL; no I don't have an AD disorder but I feel like it when forced to sit in one spot; although by the second day, I did learn to zone out)

My next show also a two woman show; I proposed with Barbie Mathis. Barbie is a national watercolorist that specializes in flowers using multiple layers of atmospheric washes. She also is an excellent photographer. Over the years she has taken photographs of flowers as she finds them and has developed quite an eye for composition and a true talent for finding interesting angles to show us something new within the botanicals she films. We both included a small sampling of our photography on 16x20 framed formats, mine are close ups of butterflies on flowers and quite enchanting.

Our show is currently on going at Frame of Mind on Main St in Columbia, SC across from the Columbia Museum of Art in the heart of the SC state capital and just down the street from the capital building for the state of South Carolina. This show runs until Sept 30th, so you only have a few days left to take a look. My work is featured as you walk into the building the entire floor is all work by me. These works range from mixed media abstracts, to oil paintings, photography, collage, and acrylics. I didn't show any watercolors or drawings in this show and only one pure fiber art and one mixed media with fiber art. Fifteen new painted pieces where created specifically for this show. The pieces in this show are entirely different than what I showed in the Pair of Jeans Show. Many people commented on the mixed media pieces I did that were in burnt sienna with female images hauntingly appearing from the background.

Tomorrow night I will be returning to show at Avanti Designer Showroom where I had shown my work from 2003 -2004. We are part of a fundraiser for breast cancer and I am honored to participate again in such an event to raise money for such an important cause. There will be a silent auction in which the pieces represented are 100% donated by the artists for breast cancer. In addition each artist will have pieces on display and for sale not in the auction; of which 15% will also be donated to the cause. The fundraiser will run from 5-9PM Thursday 9/24/09 at Avanti Showroom on Huger St. Columbia; near Strong Hold Gym. Come on out and support a great Charity and your local artists as well as visiting Avanti Designer showroom; home of beautiful fine furniture.

Yours truly;

Jean Bourque