Art Charleston with the Gibbes Museum and Art I’ON
Art Display | Art Charleston, Gibbes Museum
Each time I return home to Charleston there is a thrumming heartbeat I can’t help but notice. The city carries its history the way the Lowcountry carries its light; openly, unhurried, with a certain humble confidence. Being invited to participate in Art Charleston alongside the Gibbes Museum of Art and Art I'ON this past weekend felt like a natural homecoming, and I left with a full heart.
I was given a prime position on the front steps of the Gibbes, the first artist visitors encountered when they arrived. That placement turned out to be one of the great gifts of the weekend. I was able to connect not only with collectors who had come specifically for the event, but with locals and tourists drifting down Meeting Street, drawn in by the work and the act of making it. I love the unexpected conversations that happen when someone stops unexpectedly in front of a canvas. They haven't braced themselves for art. They're just seeing it, and that openness is something I've come to treasure about painting in public.
Setting Up for Art Charleston
On Display at Art Charleston
I had a study on the easel, a small piece left deliberately in progress by the end of the day, which felt right. A finished painting declares itself. A work in progress invites the viewer in, lets them feel the painting's momentum. Several people lingered longer because of it, asking questions they might not have asked in front of a framed and finished piece.
Set of Three Fly Lures
I showed a range of work over the weekend, from portraits and sporting dogs, to wildlife and Lowcountry subjects, the full breadth of what I think of as Southern heritage painting. And debuting quietly among them, a small series of oval studies of fly fishing lures. They drew more attention than I anticipated, which in hindsight seems to make sense. A well-tied lure is itself a kind of painting, materials are chosen for color and movement, assembled with a craftsman's patience into something that is meant to be beautiful before it is meant to be useful. I wanted to honor that.
One exchange in particular has stayed with me. A collector stopped, looked closely at one of the sporting dog paintings, and mentioned that she had grown up around the corner in my own childhood neighborhood. Its a small world, as they say, though it always comes as a surpise when it happens. She remarked that the dog's eyes had drawn her into the piece, that there was a calm in them she hadn't expected. That is, frankly, the thing I work hardest for in these paintings. The eyes of a well-bred dog carry certain steadiness, loyalty, and ancient patience. When that comes through in oil, it tends to stop people.
23 Robert Mills Circle Display | Art I’ON
Art Charleston was a reminder of why I paint the subjects I paint and for whom. The collectors and enthusiasts who respond most deeply to this work share an understanding of Southern sporting culture, of the relationship between a person and their dog, of landscapes that ask to be looked at slowly. I am always glad to find them, and glad when they find me.
If you have been thinking about commissioning a portrait, of a beloved dog, a family member, or a piece of the Lowcountry that deserves to be remembered in paint, I would welcome the conversation. You can learn more about the commission process here, or reach out directly through the contact page.
– Hampton
