Using witty, scathing sarcasm, Quashie’s art faces off against hard issues of culture, politics and race with a self-conscious awareness that often offends (or disturbs) black, white and other; he discriminates with equality and equanimity. Quashie is equal to the hard questions he raises, but often the issues are camouflaged in pop-culture imagery that confounds as well as derides the spectator. Quashie uses media-based methods to dissect and deconstruct stereotypical views of cultural relationships. This is precisely what makes his work so challenging not only to the average viewer, but to many art insiders as well.

Through the use of ‘positive’ social anger, Quashie uses his art to scrutinize the power bases of our social system, forcing us to examine our collective political perceptions. His point of view makes its mark by challenging us to be more thoughtful, expressive and more aware. With a fearless and blatant disregard for compromise, he confronts our favorite beliefs, and forces us to think about the roles we occupy in society. Recurrently controversial, his art, “…is as current as yesterday’s headlines, bold and brash like rap music…the equivalent of a three second sound byte; quick, easy and to the point.” (Dr. Leo Twiggs)

A.K.A. Peculiarly Ashley

“I'm a Graphic Artist who moonlights as a fine arts painter. I really only sell my artwork to support my expensive painting habit.

I went to art school in Minneapolis. My collection of hand-made items has overwhelmed my living space and it's time I cleared some of it out so I can keep creating.”

www. peculiarlyashley.com

www.tiktok.com/peculiarlyashley

“My art is typically focused on our complicated relationship with technology in this new digital era and the effects it is having on society as a whole. But for this auction I created a very special piece celebrating my neighbor Mark. He is a Powerlifter who competed in last year's Special Olympics in Orlando Florida. He took home 4 Gold Medals—sweeping the event! He is still competing and still spreading joy wherever he goes. He has the strength of a lion and a heart of gold and I am proud to call him my friend. “

www.instagram.com/BruiseWayneArt

www.Bruisewayne.com

Twitter: BruiseWayneArt.

Jessica Pinto is a 31 year old artist and TikTok Creator with Cerebral Palsy who uses inventive tools to create complex textures and patterns in her artwork. Her pieces have an exuberance to match her online presence. We especially love her signature sign-off for each video she presents,⁠

"Thank you for the privilege of your time."⁠

www.TikTok.com/Jessica667⁠

www.Instagram.com/jessicapintocrafts

“I am obsessed with drawing, the beach, surfing, my dog, and Lana Del Rey. My favourite TV show is Broad City and my favourite beer is Modelo.

I strive to draw something every day. Most of these daily drawings are not scenes that I go and seek out, but rather diary entries from a moment in my day where I have time to stop and look. Studying these everyday scenes, I am able to bring a curiosity and sense of excitement through bold contour lines and patterns to define each shape. Each time I put the pen to paper it is an exciting moment because I’m saying to myself, “Okay. Let’s take this ordinary situation but in another dimension.” Through my choice of only working in black and white and adding in patterns to the negative space it's like magic- I have transported myself to another world.”

www.houseofcara.net/

www.instagram.com/house.of.cara

Kate Ritchie is a mixed media artist who is constantly exploring new ways to create. For her collages and abstract paintings, she usually starts with a predetermined color palette but the rest of the composition organically forms along the way. Ritchie views creating art as a form of meditation and will often work on several pieces at once until each artwork comes together. She likes to think about the abstract forms in her paintings as existing in a 3 dimensional space and will often incorporate shadows, highlights, and layering shapes to convey this idea. Ritchie draws inspiration from nature and sacred geometry which is rendered through her use of vibrant color, pattern, and texture.

She received a BA in Studio Art and Arts Management at the College of Charleston in 2014 and still resides in Charleston where she works out of her studio at Redux Contemporary Art Center.

www.kateritchiestudio.com/

https://www.instagram.com/kateritchiestudio/

Living in Charleston, SC, Taylor Faulkner works in many different mediums to create whimsical pieces zeroing in on human form and movement.

“When I draw, that’s where I feel most natural and uninhibited by anything. I’ve been able to use art as a tool to get out what’s in my head, and hopefully create something beautiful but also a little strange.”

www.instagram.com/t.faulkner_art

www.Tfaulknerart.com

Hi, I’m Alex.

I started Topo-Foto in 2019 as a way to combine my love of maps, nature photography, and travel — and as a means to support a visual album five years in the making, featuring all 63 of our National Parks.

I live in Asheville, North Carolina.

In my journey to visit all the US National Parks, and on countless road trips along the way, I come across a lot of beautiful natural scenery, and I do a lot of navigating. So, Topo-Foto is my ode to the landscape and the intricate work USGS cartographers have done to capture it.

www.topofoto.com

IG: @topo_foto_

Rebecca Dew is an abstract expressionist artist residing in Charleston, South Carolina creating high-vibe colorful, free-flowing pieces for the home and commercial settings. As a self-taught artist, she primarily paints using acrylics, but also enjoys mixed mediums such as oil pastels, gouache, charcoal and watercolor. Her creative process is inspired by energy gathered from her love for Mother Nature, intuition and wilderness exploration.

www.Instagram.com/rebeccadewstudio

Ever since I can remember I have been creating art and loving doing so. Growing up on Long Island, NY and going to school at the College of Charleston, SC I was constantly on the water. I found that it inspired my art tremendously. It wasn’t until after I graduated college in a pandemic and kept asking myself “what now?” that I realized creating art is my passion in life. That being said, I moved back home to NY and started experimenting with epoxy resin as a "quarantine project" I took over my parents' basement as they transformed it into an art studio for me! As soon as I found out the Charleston City Market was accepting new vendor applications I applied, got in, moved back to CHS, and am loving every second of it!

IG: @indulgeinart

www.indulgeinart.org

“I'm a self-taught watercolor artist who happens to be crazy about animals and nature! I live in Atlanta with my husband and two sons and our rescue dog, Maeby, who is perhaps the most uncertain dog ever born. Our family owns and operates soda pop and candy shops, but when you spend most of your time all hopped up on sugar, you need an outlet, and that's where my love of painting comes in.

Over the years, I've had many jobs...freelance writer, stay-at-home mom, special education teacher, and business owner, and I like to think that my art is a reflection of all of those things. When I paint, I'm thinking about the story of that animal and I can usually hear what their voice would sound like if I were reading a story about them to one of my kids (which would be weird because they're grown ups now) or a class full of preschoolers. I like to give my animal friends lives beyond the art room, which is why they all have names. I just want to make art that makes people as happy as it makes me!”

@Andrea.Nelson.Art

www.ADreamOrADayArt.com

Sally’s art is a form of journaling through her life, conveying moments of internal growth and aspiration through color, movement, and music, as well as her beloved interactions with nature. Her signature style can be found in the boldness and vibrancy of her palettes in combination with a whimsical approach to her subjects. Ultimately, each work seeks to show the world through Sally’s sensitive, yet playful eye allowing a balance of peace and chaos to coincide boundlessly.

When Sally doesn’t have her paint brush in hand, she is keeping up with her two young sons. She has become a strong advocate for the special abilities community since receiving her son’s prenatal Down syndrome diagnosis. Sally wrote a bill for the state of South Carolina that prevents those with intellectual or physical disabilities from being discriminated against when an organ transplant is needed/available. Named after her oldest son, James’ Law passed unanimously in 2022 and has now been signed into law.

www.instagram.com/sally_b_art

www.sallybunting.com

"I am an observer. I break things down and look from different points of view. My sculpture and tableware share that perspective. When I design a collection for a restaurant or a patron, I interview them. The art is connecting ideas to clay.

Clay remembers how it was shaped before the fire. Memories have dimensions, place, and play. After the fire, a plate is just a plate until it is used. It is play that allows it to continue to change.

Play has many definitions, most of which involve a physical motion. For me, play is also the movement and direction of thought. It gives me the freedom and curiosity to see the world in a different way.

Be happy with choices by understanding why they were made."

www.instagram.com/cbfbtablescapes

www.instagram.com/cbfbfiorenzo

https://www.fiorenzoberardozzi.com/

Mills Brown is an Oxford-based artist. She recently presented Welcome with Celeste Caldwell at Redux Contemporary Art Center, Charleston, SC.

instagram: @mills_brown_

website: www.millsbrownart.com

Blakely is inspired daily by the low country sky, winding waterways, and colorful marshland of Charleston, South Carolina. Her artwork is a way to express the joy she gets from spending time on the coast. Blakely likes to paint the way she sees the world: full of color in unlikely places.

@blakelymade

www.blakelymade.com

Susan is a Charleston-based artist who specializes in pet portraits and custom art commissions.

IG: @susandishfineart

Breeden is HEART’s new Visual Arts Mentor, leading us in our artist endeavors since July.

Some snippets about Breeden:

2016 BFA in Studio Art from the College of Charleston

2016 Volunteered creating art workshops for organizations in need in Chiang Mai, Thailand through Art Relief International

2017-2018 traveled throughout Southeast Asia teaching English

2019 Traveled around Latin America teaching English and creating art along the way

2020 Featured in Vip Magazine

2021 work selected for the Metamorphosis Exhibit at Alchemy C3 Lab

www.instagram.com/breedenduboseart

www.breedenduboseart.com/

Upon graduating from the University of South Carolina, Nick moved to Charleston where he currently works at the Charleston City Market and for the Charleston Pedicab company. As of recent, he has become a studio artist at @reduxartcenter where he creates humorous illustrations and tongue-in-cheek installations. Art has always been a part of his life, thanks to his parents and dynamic community. He hopes his work can make you laugh out loud or at the very least put a smile on your face.

www.instagram.com/nickatnightmarket

“I make nature-inspired mixed media art with reclaimed and recycled materials.

I live in Charleston, SC with my husband, two young daughters, and a mischievous cat, Mister Kitty. You can often find my various "studio assistants" keeping me company as I create.

As a kid, I loved arts and crafts, but identified as a creative writer rather than an artist. In my 30s, I took a few calligraphy courses that turned into passionate love affairs with all kinds of art: watercolors, gelli-printing, stamp-carving, collage, resin pour, fiber arts, and more. I began to realize the impact that intentionally cultivating creativity has on my mental health and well-being. Making art brings me joy, challenges my perfectionism, and connects me to other creative people.

In my work, you'll notice lots of inspiration from nature and recycled materials. Whether weaving or collaging or painting, I experiment with a variety of colors, textures, and patterns. Come follow along with my artsy adventures on Instagram @languid_letters so we can keep in touch!”

IG: @languid_letters

www.melissameverden.com

I studied fashion at Parsons School of Design in New York, focusing on sustainability in a world burdened by ecologically harmful fast fashion practices. I channel my knowledge of sustainable fashion into art, by making sewn textile collages from naturally dyed fabric scraps and locally grown flowers, plants, and organic produce.

@thatdenimchick

www.micaelarish.com

Katherine is beauty’s biggest fan. She collects it on family travels and in thrift shops, curates it for friends’ homes and for birthday cakes, finds it in the chaos of life and her own backyard, and magnifies it on canvas. Katherine feels grateful to live in Charleston, South Carolina with her husband and four children; a combination that fosters endless inspiration. Creating art began as a therapeutic hobby that happened to put pretty things on her favorite people’s walls and has evolved into a passion for painting pieces that spark joy across the country. Whether it’s a table setting, a flower arrangement, or her own paintings, Katherine enjoys the art of creating to make life, and its memories, more beautiful.

@katherinecooneycreatesart

www.Katherinecooney.com

Mimi is the beloved and long-serving volunteer artist who leads HEART each morning in “Daily Draw” activities.

“Compulsively creative, I began my journey with art at age 10, in an oil painting class at the local rec. I have sewed and painted my way through life, inexplicably driven to always be making something. (Except dinner.) I’ve had formal training abroad, in Florence, Italy, and at the College of Charleston.

I paint what speaks to me. I paint canvas, furniture, murals; anything that will allow me to slather it with color. My style ranges from whimsical illustration to loosely realistic paintings of nature: animals, land and water scapes, and florals.

Through painting I’ve learned to face (some of) my fears. I’ve learned to listen to my instincts, and trust myself. I feel compelled to paint, and do so with the hope that it will bring as much joy to the viewer as it does to me in creating it. “

Mimiwoodcreative.com

“Painting is speaking without words. Drawing from visceral environments, dreamscapes and moments that search to recall as well as locate the imaged, my paintings are built on the relationship between seeing and feeling.

Working in oil on canvas and wood I use large-scale works to fully immerse myself and the viewer in my paintings.

I am interested in the moment when mark making takes on meaning—when form and gesture become body. My “material” is organic. In these forms and shapes creatures emerge and possibilities present themselves as fauna and flora come to life. I anthropomorphize the “inanimate” in attempt to merge my relationship with the physical and psychological. I see the paintings a visual poetry. They make physical a longing to see with new eyes and create lightness.

A paradise sings

The swan dances

A wave crest overtake the body.”

www.instagram.com/katherinegagnonstudio

www.katherinegagnon.com

"Capturing the vivid colors in the gorgeous sunsets, this piece draws the viewer in and helps you remember the prettiest sunsets you’ve ever seen!"

www.harpersart.us

www.instagram.com/harper.s_art

"booty is in the eye of the beholder"

Brandon Underwood is a digital artist and General Manager of the acclaimed Spanish tapas restaurant Estadio.

"vermouth. sherry. anchovies. pintxos. wine. beer. butts."

https://spookynachos.com/

https://www.instagram.com/buttsbybrando

Jessie Reyna is a New Hampshire native currently living outside of Charleston, South Carolina. In July of 2022, Jessie had her first exhibition called “The Susie Complex” at Julia Deckman Studio located on James Island. The exhibition reflected on objects and memories of the women in her family through the decades, starting with her great-grandmother and her beloved stuffed rabbit named Susie. She has participated in exhibitions around Charleston with Gap Gallery at Hed Hi Studio, as well as the 20th Anniversary Art Auction at Redux Contemporary Art Center. She has been featured in Canvas Rebel, South Carolina Voyager Magazine, House & Garden UK, and Spry Lit. You can find her work at The Station Park Circle in North Charleston, The Paper Canopy, Two Cumberland, Brew Hanahan and Local Love CHS.

“As long as I can remember, I've loved collecting + using markers, colored pencils, pens, paints, stamps, decorative paper, journals, books + magazines - all the things that bring artful inspiration. It took years for me to allow myself the indulgence of chasing my love of those things. I had no idea how deeply all of that resonated inside of me + how much happiness + peacefulness it would bring.

A recent spiritual revelation brought forth a whole new direction to my life; it awakened the parts of me that had been lulled to sleep since my childhood. This has ignited a fire in me that is involuntarily expressed through my writing, my artistic work, spiritual mentoring + The Lovely Crux community. The Lord put new purpose, passion + meaning in my life that I simply can't help but respond in gratitude + awe. Any lovely thing that comes from me is only because of His great grace + creativeness!

My hope is that my work may somehow bring a smile, soothe a heart, evoke emotion + reveal the loveliness around us all, if we just squint our eyes a tiny bit.”

www.Michelleowenby.com

IG: michelleowenbydesign

Carolina Antique Maps & Prints is the self proclaimed "Oldest Gallery in Charleston". Owner Laura Vardell is an Antiquarian Map and Print Dealer working in this field since 1985. World Traveler, True Charlestonian, and A creative.

www.instagram.com/carolinaantiqueprints

http://www.carolinaantiqueprints.com/

Charleston resident and artist Margaret (Midge) Peery initially planned a career focused on objective numerals and factual data rather than such subjective elements as color and atmosphere.

Peery was born in 1941 and grew up in Jackson, North Carolina. She moved to Charlestonwhere she attended Ashley Hall. She attended from Hollins College and earned her master of arts in mathematics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She worked as an actuary then began watercolor painting in 1981. Peery is largely self-taught and has studied with several artists including workshops with West Fraser.

Using her mathematical skills, Peery constructs a detailed grid before drawing the landscape. She then layers watercolor washes on top of the drawing. In her latest works, Peery explored the atypical and less picturesque urban landscapes of Charleston and documents the rapidly developing and changing city. She is now working on a series of Greenville, South Carolina cityscapes.

Her work is included in the collections of the Greenville County Museum of Art and the Gibbes Museum of Art.

Creating vibrantly colorful and highly detailed paintings of subjects inspired by his experiences, travels, and surroundings, Gordon Wheeler has worked in oils and watercolors, with acrylics his current medium of choice. Early in his professional career he painted a series of commissions for the state of South Carolina. It was the encouragement to have some of his paintings reproduced as limited-edition prints and the success with those prints that proved to Wheeler that art was his future.

An avid golfer, Wheeler combined his love of painting with his love of golf. His clear talent for painting golf courses resulted in being selected to paint the official prints and posters for the PGA at the Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, for the 1991 Ryder Cup. This led to painting numerous PGA Golf Tournaments across the country for several years and his golf art is highly sought after and collected worldwide.

As a Charleston resident since 1990, Wheeler is inspired by the beauty of its famous historical sites and the beautiful Lowcountry coastline. Early in his career, Wheeler’s success allowed him and his wife, Paula, to establish their own gallery on East Bay Street in the Charleston’s Historic District. In addition of his success in golf art, his paintings and reproductions are part of many private and commercial collections.

www.gordonwheelergallery.com

Charleston native Lese Corrigan's work is representational but more expressionistic than realistic. The paintings are full of color and the joyful playfulness of life; surfaces imbued with light – color and texture being the defining structure. Corrigan fully immersed herself in the visual arts in the late 1980s, working her way through the different opportunities in the art community. An oil painter, whose portraits and landscapes pull together in a vibrant expressionistic manner the play of light and the resulting changes in hue and shade that delight the eye in the course of the day, Corrigan also works in other media - linocuts, photography and clay and marble sculpture.

Coca Cola commissioned a painting that was presented to Barbara Bush in 1995. She was poster artist for the Charleston Cup Steeplechase 2003 and featured in the Fall 2003 issue of the international Orient Express Magazine. Corrigan and her painting debuted on Turner South Network’s 3 Day Weekend Charleston’s episode that premiered in 2005 and she was the Gibbes Museum Poets' and Painters’ program artist in residence for 2005. She painted the image for the poster for the Queen City Classic Horse Show in Charlotte, North Carolina for 2006. Corrigan's paintings are in collections in the United States, France, Great Britain and Japan. In 2006 Ros Smith created a five minute film documentary entitled "Curlesque" on Corrigan's painting process. A solo show in 2006 utilized the Fibonnacci and golden rectangle relations and in 2008 explored her Charleston surroundings with Mid-River. Her 2010 show presented a different viewpoint of her home with a group of paintings that work as one while her 2012 series tackles the sky. 2014's series of paintings focus on interiors of all sorts and the light within them. The 2016 series was paintings and woodcuts of Charleston churches - an ongoing series. Corrigan was the recipient of the 2014 Griffith-Reyburn Lowcountry Artist Award for her series of woodcuts depicting Charleston single houses. She presented at Pecha Kucha 27 in Charleston in 2017. Corrigan also went to Greece to study marble carving in 2017 expanding her horizons immeasurably. Her 2018 show centered on the mythology of persimmons and pomegranates with her monk image and and interpretation of the Venus of Willendorf. Her work was included in the first five years of the Artfields' competition.

Corrigan's work was selected for the Medical University of South Carolina's contemporary collection for the Ashley River Tower. She was the president for 2009 of the CFADA - Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association and remains active in the promotion of Charleston as the fine arts' destination it has been for centuries. She also serves on the Mayor of Charleston's Commission for the Arts and on South Carolina Art Foundation board.

www.corrigangallery.com/lese-corrigan/

“These days, my artistic endeavors are solely focused on HEART and amplifying the work created by our HEARTists. On occasion, I do still create for myself or as gifts for loved ones.

When I was born, my grandmother noticed my hands and how I looked at them. She said that I was going to be an artist. What a prophesy!

In college I explored the relationship between humanity and nature and how we are one, which led to a continued series combining flowers and hands. This is an ongoing series that I still explore.”

Nicolás is a prolific artist. He knows the arrangement of constellations in the night sky on any given day, past or present, by heart. He has an extreme love for cars-specifically wheels and rims-and draws them from memory. He constantly creates custom rim designs with precision. Nico’s preferred medium is acrylic paint, though he often draws with graphite and ink. His life motto is “Build Your Ride".

www.heartsc.org/nicolas-lyfordpike

From the Sophia Institute: "McLean Sheperd is an artist and physician living and working in Charleston, SC. She was born in 1969. She is self-taught as an artist and began painting at the same time she began her studies in medicine and dermatology in 1997. The intersection of art and medicine is a major theme of her art and she believes that in her role as artist, she assumes a mission to heal that is complementary to the work she performs as physician. Her work can be found in a myriad of private art collections throughout the United States, and has been seen in numerous exhibitions throughout the Charleston community and beyond."

From Dr. McLean Sheperd's Website: "Dr. Sheperd is also an accomplished professional artist whose paintings make the office a place of beauty. Her artistic perspective contributes to her skill with cosmetic treatments. She has a unique gift for uncovering beauty and bringing it out into the world."

https://mcleansheperdmd.com/

"Hi everyone. My name is Sabrina…I’m continually inspired and intimidated by the talent of Warhammer community as well as the scale model community in general. It is a wonderful community. We may have different amounts of body parts, knowledge, time, and money but we all started the same way: with a box or metal or plastic, some paint, a brush, and talent and an interest in art, a subject which knows no gender, disability, age, faith….

V 2.0.1 Painting, making terrain, dioramas, and printing minis while listening to music. Things fall apart, it’s scientific"

www.facebook.com/sabrina.berardozzi

www.instagram.com/Uthwulfsminis

"Always saving scraps of interesting papers has been a habit of mine,

and during the Pandemic I found it fun to create collages using

whatever I had!"

"Tiffany is a writer, poet, and bereavement doula living in the mountains of North Carolina, on Cherokee ancestral land. She writes what she call poetic narrative, allowing the everyday flow of life to fuse with symbology, ritual, folklore, and deep spiritual reverence in nature. The dreamlike prose that emerges holds yearnings of the spirit and prayers that capture the delicate details of this living, interweaving them into self and our shared collective journey."

www.instagram.com/tiffanynarronwrites

“As a painter, wellness enthusiast, and creator, I want to ask questions, simplify my life and share my discoveries with the world. For me, being an artist is a divine calling - one that I cannot escape no matter how many other paths I try to take. My paintings are expressions, visually processed emotions, questions, and moments or people striped away from anything but what is essential.“

https://www.simplysavanna.com

www.instagram.com/simplysavanna.co

Artist Statement: "LuvMor"

www.instagram.com/sanel_art_ad_pictorem/

www.sanelart.com/

Gerardo Leccese’s mixed media paintings incorporate bold colors, textures and depth, and each capture a moment in time featuring places we’ve been---or places we hope to one day visit. These multi-dimensional pieces beautifully combine interiors and architecture with his personal photography.

Each original is meticulously handcrafted by Gerardo. Gerardo was born in the Basilicata region of Italy and has called the Charleston area his home for over 20 years.

www.gerardoleccesephotography.com/

www.instagram.com/gerardoleccese

https://www.westport-news.com/news/article/Art-works-shine-on-dazzling-days-in-downtown-3726150.php

"Late Afternoon On The Wando", is a painting made of the view from my kayak during a late winter afternoon along the banks of Little Cat Island looking northwest towards the Francis Marion National Forest after a control burn.

I start sketches, make color studies, and take photo of scenes from my kayak so the paintings can be completed in my studio."

https://www.linkedin.com/in/debra-esposito/

"Some of the greatest heroes in history are also the biggest misfits."

John Black is a digital artist, graphic designer, and actor in Charleston. His work is inspired by the stories and characters of comic books, movies, television, pop culture icons, and more. He is frequently featured on comic book news sites, comic conventions, and has even garnered the attention of some of the celebrity subjects he's drawn. As an actor, he's been nominated twice and won once the title of Best Actor in Charleston by the Charleston City Paper.

https://www.instagram.com/john.black