Painting in the Park, Through the Kaleidoscope, and an oyster roast for the Dee Norton Childrens Center
Last Saturday, I strolled through Washington Park as a dozen artists, all members of Charleston Fine Art Dealers’ Association, painted en plein air. For almost a decade, this group has worked to establish Charleston as a vibrant market for fine art, and I’ve watched the popularity of their annual fall event grow over the past pew years. On this chilly morning, I first encountered West Fraser who had a sidewalk spot facing Hibernian Hall. A U-Haul trunk obscured his view of the perennial wedding reception location, but that did not deter Fraser from producing a spot-on interpretation of the building. Inside the park, Rhett Thurman captured the essence of a model holding a pink parasol, while Shannon Runquist painted a bushel of oysters that she brought to the park.
Just before noon, Ann Long announced the winners of the high school art competition with first place going to Hannah Trussler for her incredibly mature technique on the whimsical portrait of a girl blowing a bubble.
A record number of people attended this year’s Painting in the Park to watch flash-fast masterpieces spring to life. The canvases were auctioned that night at an event held at the Harbour Club. I missed the auction because I was across the peninsula at the Francis Marion Hotel for an event benefitting the the MUSC Hollings Cancer Center, but Ann Long reported great success at the auction when I caught up with her later that night at Oak.
The second annual Through the Kaleidoscope gala, an event designed to raise awareness of all forms of cancer, took place in several of the hotel’s ballrooms. The silent auction and food stations spilled out of three rooms and into hallway, while the live auction portion of the event unfolded in a fourth ballroom. Last year’s event was not black tie, and there was not an attire distinction on the website, which raised the ire of my escort who arrived in a suit only to discover a sea of tuxedos. Mea culpa!
Although Senator and Mrs. Hollings were unable to attend the event for his eponymous cancer center, I encountered a number of other familiar faces including Doug and Jennifer McElveen, Lee Berlinsky, and Christy Loftin.
Last night, I made my way over to the Motley Rice building at the foot of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge (on the Mt. Pleasant side) for an oyster roast benefitting the Dee Norton Lowcountry Children’s Center. Fie on the end of daylight savings time— we missed seeing a spectacular sunset from a prime location because it was nightfall by the time the party got started at 6 p.m., but the venue—the space formerly occupied by Zinc restaurant— is a great place to host an event. With the bridge illuminated in the background and freighters slipping in and out of port, it is one of the closest-to-the-harbor spots one can get for a party, and it is magical.
Mobile heaters offered sweet relief to the rapidly dropping temperature, while freshly steamed oysters gave the hungry crowd a fragrant bivalve facial. Triple Lindy played several sets of popular songs, and quite a few people made their way to the dance floor. Although the party was slated to end at 9 p.m., many attendees clearly wanted to congregate longer. The first cold weather oyster roast of the season always reminds me how much I love our Lowcountry traditions, and I believe quite a few people shared that sentiment last night.
Caritas.
Ida
