Tidesong

Approach painter Brian Rutenberg’s 13-foot-wide Pavilion and feel like you’re stepping through a shadowy curtain of marsh grass. “I hope my mural-scaled pieces will remind viewers that a painting is a complex physical experience as much as a visual one,” says the artist. More than a dozen of the South Carolina native’s new abstracts make up “Tidesong,” an eye-catching exhibit opening this month at the Gibbes. While viewers may not immediately recognize his scenes as the marshes, beaches, and waters of the Lowcountry, these visions are behind many of the strong, expressive strokes and vivid colors that land on paper and canvas.

Rutenberg’s paintings have been exhibited across the U.S. and taken him as far as Ireland. He now lives in New York, but the College of Charleston alum returns for an artist talk and book signing on October 21. The show also marks the release of Brian Rutenberg: The Sensation of Place, the first major monograph on his work.

Gibbes Museum of Art, 135 Meeting St. October 23-January 10, Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, 1-5 p.m. $9; $7 senior/student/military; $5 ages six-12; free for member/child under six. (843) 722-2706, www.gibbesmuseum.org