The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to announce that photographs by Barbara Sammons and abstract paintings by Carol Beth Icard and Linda Page Hudgins will be on exhibit at the North Charleston City Gallery from November 1-30, 2013.

Dusty Roads by Barbara Sammons
In her latest collection of photographs, Dusty Roads, Barbara Sammons focuses her lens on the classic cars, junkyard jalopies and old trucks she encounters as she travels the back roads of the Carolinas, Tennessee and Kentucky. According to Sammons, the post-processing techniques she applies to her digital photographs work to enhance the soul or story behind the subject, as there is always a story to tell.   “I’m often asked, ‘Why do you want to take a picture of that rusty old car?’ I’ll say, ‘Tell me its story, and then I’ll tell you why,”” Sammons explains. In response, the photographer has heard a number of reminiscences about family summer road trips, tales of teenage backseat shenanigans, recollections of successful excursions through bad weather, memories of driving lessons with nervous parents, and more. As both a photographer and writer, it is the people and narratives behind these rusty, old automobiles that inspire Sammons. “I hear the joy and love in their voices,” she says. “And I love a good story.”

Barbara Sammons is an award-winning photographer and published writer with over 30 years of experience behind the camera.  Her photographs have been featured in numerous solo, group and juried/judged exhibitions throughout the Southeast. Barbara currently resides in Candler, North Carolina, and is a former professional chef, graphic designer, marketing professional and master gardener. She is a member of several photography organizations in North Carolina, the Photographic Society of America (PSA), the National Association of Photoshop Professionals (NAPP), CORSA, the Corvair Society of America and CORSA/NC, the Corvair Society of North Carolina.

Works by Carol Beth Icard and Linda Page Hudgins
In their joint exhibition, Carol Beth Icard and Linda Page Hudgins present a collection of nonobjective paintings that capture invisible energy with their own personal color vocabularies. Icard describes her painting style as introspective abstraction, incorporating intuition, emotion and contemplation via color, gesture, line and form.  Hudgins’ work may be described as abstract surrealism, with images of nature implied through spontaneous brushstrokes. The two artists live in the same community, six miles apart, divided by a state line. Although they maintain strongly individual approaches to painting, they have developed a compatibility that has become a part of their growth, both as artists and as friends.

Carol Beth Icard began her painting career mid-life, enrolling in the visual arts program at Berkshire Community College (Pittsfield, MA) in her mid-forties. Her focus for the many years since then has been on developing her voice as an abstract painter. Her works have been featured in many solo and group exhibitions along the East Coast and are included in several private and public collections, such as the Carol Grotnes Belk Library and Information Commons at Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) and Hospice of the Carolina Foothill (Columbus, NC). She lives and works in Landrum, SC, and is currently represented by Carolina Gallery in Spartanburg, SC, and The Design Gallery in Burnsville, NC.

A native of South Carolina, Linda Page Hudgins studied art at Converse College and later at the Rhode Island School of Design. A lifelong commitment to artistic exploration has taken her to such exotic places as Ghana, Botswana and China. She has exhibited frequently in regional venues throughout her career, including galleries in Chicago, New York City, Richmond, Virginia, as well as NC, SC and GA. In addition, her paintings are included in a number of private and public collections both in the states and abroad, including Wofford College (Spartanburg, SC) and Guangxi Normal University Art School (Guilin, PR China).

The North Charleston City Gallery is situated in the common areas of the Charleston Area Convention Center, located at 5001 Coliseum Drive in North Charleston. Parking and admission are free during regular Convention Center operating hours, 9:00am – 5:00pm daily.  The gallery is staffed on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday only.   Inquiries regarding the artists or purchase information may be directed to the North Charleston Cultural Arts Department at (843) 740-5854. For information on additional exhibits, programs, and events, visit the Cultural Arts section of the City’s website at http://bit.ly/culturalarts.