MEDIA ALERT:  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NOVEMBER 1, 2010

Drown Then Swim:  A Retrospective of Multimedia Paintings and Drawings-December 10, 2010- January 23, 2011

Charleston, SC- From December 10, 2010 until January 23, 2011, the work of respected local artist Tim Hussey will be featured in an exhibition entitled Drown Then Swim:  A Retrospective of Multimedia Paintings and Drawings at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park.  This exhibition will include a comprehensive survey of the artist's work from 1992 to the present day.  An installation of more than fifty works will document Hussey's progression from his early commercial illustrations to his more primitive, spontaneous expression of his paintings on canvas and paper.  Forms, color, line, and words emerge, recede, and coalesce in layers of imagery and the various materials he uses and manipulates with skill and energy.  his creative process fosters the enigmatic juxtapositions of fragmentation of imagery, including figures, portraits, body parts, and animals.  Hussey's work challenges us to look at the things we see each day in a new and different manner.  As he describes it:

            "I'm definitely letting coordinated moments of chaos start to talk to each other.  I create a dialogue that seems to tell a story, but you're not sure what.  I feel the connection, but it's not a direct narrative, it's deeper than that.  It's more a starting point for people to examine, why is this against this?  Because to me, that's what makes the art larger, more important- when it can mean so many things to different people."

On Thursday, December 16, 2010, from 5:30-8:30pm, there will be an opening reception at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park.

On Saturday, January 8, 2011 at 2pm, there will an an artist lecture at the City Gallery at Waterfront Park.

EXHIBITION IS ACCOMPANIED WITH A 20 PG. COLOR CATALOGUE:  ESSAY BY ROBERTA SOKOLITZ AND INTERVIEW BY SHEPARD FAIREY

Hussey explores various media through interrelated realms of illustration, figure painting, and pure abstraction.  The act of painting is as critical for him as the finished product.  The artist works with house paint, oil sticks, pen, colored pencil, vintage posters, and words to build layers of meaning and unexpected variations in composition.  Clashing forms and lines, as well as vibrant colors, contrasts, and texture combine in his art to express intense emotions, psychological struggles, human spirit, and tenderness.

After graduating from Rhode Island School of Design in 1992 with a concentration in photography and illustration, Hussey settled in New York City.  His first job at MTV involved painting images on sets during live broadcasts.  His early career as an illustrator and art director evolved through design roles at Rolling Stone, New York Times, Esquire, GQ, and Outside Magazine, to name a few.  He was regularly published in Print, Communication Arts, and American Illustration, the magazines dedicated to professional achievement in the field.  He received a "Top 20" design award for American Illustration in 2000.

Hussey's photographs and paintings have been exhibited nationally in key group and solo exhibitions such as his recent show at Shepard Fairey's Subliminal Projects Gallery in Los Angeles, and Art Basil in Miami.  His art appeared in publications like Architectural Digest and NYARTS magazine, among others.   Hussey currently resides in downtown Charleston, SC, where he continues to push his personal limits through various media and approaches to art. 

The City Gallery at Waterfront Park is owned by the City of Charleston and operated by the City of Charleston Office of Cultural Affairs.  The gallery is dedicated to showcasing fine contemporary art by local, regional, and national artists in a spectacular, 4,000 square-foot space overlooking the park and Charleston Harbor.

The City Waterfront Gallery is located at 34 Prioleau Street in downtown Charleston, SC 29401.  Gallery Hours of Operation:  Tues.-Fri. 10am-6pm; Sat.-Sun. 12pm-5pm; Closed Mondays

MORE IMAGES UPON REQUEST. 

Rebekah Jacob Gallery 169 King St Charleston, SC 29401 Read the VerticalResponse marketing policy.