(L) "Twilight" by Christine Bush Roman, (R) "Drawing" by Nancy Wyman Ray

North Charleston City Gallery to exhibit abstract works by Christine Bush Roman & Nancy Wyman Ray

The City of North Charleston’s Cultural Arts Department is pleased to present mixed media works by local artist Christine Bush Roman and works of ink on paper by Rock Hill, SC, artist, Nancy Wyman Ray, at the North Charleston City Gallery. The concurrent solo exhibitions will be on view from September 4-30, 2014, with a free public reception on Thursday, September 4, from 5:00-7:00pm.

Little Ones – Works by Christine Bush Roman
In Little Ones, Christine Bush Roman presents a collection of abstract works filled with personal symbols that serve to create a narrative about human behavior and our individual experiences of reality. Created through a variety of media, including acrylic, fabric, ink, pastel, paper, spray paint, and more, these works distort images of sky, ocean, and landscape to create gateways into a subconscious world. “Within this world I depict voyages into memories, dreams, and imagination,” Bush Roman explains. “Through the painting, layering, destroying, and recreating, I work through my feelings about the wavering quality of human behavior.” Feelings like guilt, confusion, anger, love and nostalgia resonate throughout the colorful, textured world represented in each piece, with recurring symbols playing an important role in the artist’s narrative.  These symbols appear as both icons and physical objects, such as fabrics. Used clothes, tablecloths, curtains, and even bath sponges are buried under media or stuck onto the surface. “These fabrics allow for a transfer of energy from their previous owner into my work and they are a link to an experience or place,” she says. “Even when the collaged materials are obscured, the energy still remains and affects my behavior as I approach the canvas.”

Christine Bush Roman received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Drawing and Painting from the University of Georgia in 2006 and returned to earn a Master of Fine Arts in the same concentration in 2013.  Her work explores themes relating to human behavior and is executed in a variety of media with an emphasis on bright color, texture, pattern, and symbolism. Christine began showing her work in 2002 and participates in solo and group exhibitions throughout the Southeastern United States and abroad.  Additionally, she is a member of the Charleston Artist Collective and is one of 18 artists chosen to participate in the inaugural year of Charleston Supported Art, a platform to connect emerging and established artists and collectors. She currently works out of her home studio in Johns Island, SC, and instructs art classes at Redux Contemporary Art Center in Downtown Charleston. To learn more about Christine Bush Roman, visit ChristineBushRoman.com.

Messages – Works by Nancy Wyman Ray
Nancy Wyman Ray’s exhibition, Messages, features ink drawings from her series Places. Her works are created using the blackest of ink and whitest of paper, with her pen affording her the control to explore the range of values and textures that can be produced with a simple line or dot. In general her work is abstract, but representational images do seem to develop through her use of high contrast designs and a variety of textures, depths, and values. These design elements often evolve into landscapes of fanciful places, or an inner vision of something in the world that the artist finds fascinating. “These images and landscapes feel more like ‘messengers’ than pure design, but I’m not always conscious of the ‘message’ while composing the picture,” Wyman Ray explains. “At the time, it just feels important to include a certain figure in a certain setting or composition. Later I am sometimes able to clarify my intentions.” Each piece combines stark contrast, intricate design, and thoughtful composition with direction from the artist’s muse to create an artful picture that is both dynamic and hypnotic.

Nancy Wyman Ray’s educational background is in both English and Library & Information Science. Her love of art and books led her to become a librarian by day and an artist by night. Now retired from the library, she devotes all of her time to being an artist and creating work from her home studio in Rock Hill, SC.  She has exhibited and received notable recognition in a variety of juried exhibitions across the United States, and has shown her work in a number of solo exhibitions in Washington, DC, and throughout South Carolina. For more information about Wyman Ray and her work, visit NancyWymanRay.com.

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 Arts & Culture section of the City’s website at www.northcharleston.org