Category Archives: Art

Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, NC will present Coastal Blues, a multi-media group show, from March 22 through April 27. The exhibit will feature oil, pastel, acrylic, and watercolor paintings along with a range of pottery, wood, glass, and other 3D art pieces. Participating artists include Lee Mims (oil), Marcus McClanahan (acrylic), Nancy Hughes Miller (oil), Samantha Spalti (acrylic), Becky Steele (acrylic), William West (watercolor), Judi Moore (acrylic), Yuriy Petrov (acrylic), Connie Winters (oil), Donn McCrary (acrylic), Vicki Neilon (acrylic), Ardie Praeterious (clay), Joy Parks Coats (acrylic), Carol Iglesias (pastel), Ophelia Staton (acrylic), Joyce Parks Coats (acrylic), Roseann Bellinger (acrylic), Cathryn Jirlds (photography), Catherine Porter Brown (oil), Karen Tillman (oil), Diane Flanegan (stained glass), Ginny Lassiter (acrylic), Bob Moffett (wood), Joe DiGiulio (acrylic), Wes Wagner (wood), Betsy Sellers (clay), and Brian Evans (clay).

Artist: Lee Mims, Alone Time, oil, 16”x16″

Gallery director Samantha Spalti said, “This show is a great example of how traditional and contemporary art work together. And I love how these artists have used blue in their work – sometimes a major color block and others a well-placed accent. Blue can bring a sense of calm to the viewer, or it can be bold and energetic. It’s all in the hands of the artist. I’m excited for the community to come and enjoy our Coastal Blues show.”

About Sunset River Gallery

Located in coastal Brunswick County, NC, Sunset River Gallery caters to both area visitors and a growing local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring works by over 100 fine regional artists including Betty Anglin Smith, Marcus McClanahan, Janet Sessoms, and Richard Staat, among others, the gallery is well known in the area for its selection of oil paintings; watermedia; pastels; photography; hand-blown, stained, and fused glass; pottery and clay sculpture; turned and carved wood; unique home décor items; and artisan jewelry.

There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. The gallery also offers ongoing oil/acrylic and watercolor classes as well as workshops by nationally known instructors.

The gallery’s carefully curated selection of investment-grade 20^th century fine art is the largest in the Carolinas. Current inventory can be found in the gallery website’s 20^th Century Artists section. It includes works by Wolf Kahn (1927-2020), Ed Mell (1942), Raimonds Staprans (1926), Angell Botello (1913-1986), Vladimir Cora (1951), Hunt Slonam (1951), Ginny Crouch Stanford (1950), and two bronze sculptures by Millton Hebald (1930 – 2010).

Sunset River Gallery in Calabash, NC will host Hearts + Arts, the gallery’s first annual fundraiser, on June 2 from 5 – 7 p.m. This year’s beneficiary is Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, the area’s largest nonprofit provider of hospice, palliative, and grief care covering Brunswick, New Hanover, Columbus, Pender, Onslow, Robeson, Bladen, and Duplin Counties in North Carolina; and Horry, Georgetown, and Marion Counties in South Carolina.

Tickets are $20 per person. The evening will include entertainment by the AfterHours jazz ensemble, heavy hors d’oeuvres by local chef Philip Laura, complimentary wine bar and a fine art silent auction. One hundred percent of ticket and auction sales will go to Lower Cape Fear LifeCare.

Fine art pieces for the silent auction include works by some of the area’s most acclaimed artists. Marcus McClanahan’s “Two Boats” is an oil painting on board, which demonstrates McClanahan’s signature brushstrokes and broken color. Janet B. Sessoms, known for her mastery of light and shadow also donated an oil painting, “Toes in the Sand II.”  The gallery’s former owner Ginny Lassiter donated a pair of her seemingly spontaneous acrylic abstracts titled “Day at the Beach I and II.” Raleigh, NC artist Chantal Tomiello’s offering is “La Vie En Rose,” a large acrylic still life in which she has deconstructed her realistic subject into abstraction. Ruth Cox, who teaches both acrylic and oil at the gallery, has donated her acrylic painting “Peaceful Moment” for the event. Rich Flanegan’s, “Dusk on the Coast,” is oil on canvas and depicts a coastal scene resplendent with white capped waves and moving clouds. From stained glass artists Diane Flanegan comes a 20- x 20-inch brilliantly colored floral panel. Also up for auction is a generous $1,000 gift certificate for a photo session with Vann Fine Art Portraits of Elizabethtown, NC.

Pottery lovers will not be disappointed. The grouping includes a surface-carved 15-inch cobalt platter from Jeffcoat Pottery. This came from the collection of Tonda Jeffcoat, whose husband and pottery-making partner Joe passed away in 2020.  Wilmington, NC clay artist Brian Evans donated a tall (23-inch) faceted vessel for the auction. Betsy Sellers, whose father was served by Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, created her piece, “Remembering Daddy” in clay, especially for this event.

Tickets are available through the gallery, which is located at 10283 Beach Drive SW in Calabash, NC. Checks and cash are requested. For further information, call the gallery at 910.575.5999 or visit the website: sunsetrivergallery.com. Updates and images of the Fine Art Silent Auction pieces may be found on the gallery’s Facebook page.

The gallery wishes to thank the event’s generous sponsors: Gold: Victoria’s Ragpatch, Calabash Creamery; Silver: Studio 8, Mike & Deb Hutchinson, Ginny & Joe Lassiter, Roseann Cutrone & Larry Johnson; Bronze: Crissy & Trey Maynard, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage; Family: The Yardbird Emporium, Thomas Seashore Drugs

Sunset River Gallery announces that Diversity by Studio 8 will open Monday, May 22 and run through
Saturday, July 1. A reception to meet the artists is set for Friday, June 16 from 5 to 7 p.m.

Studio 8 is a group of artists who paint together weekly at Sunset River Gallery. It includes Judi Moore, Brenda Riggins, Vicki Neilon, Linda Karaskevicus, Donn McCrary, Rachel Sunnell, Barbara Kohn, and Linda Hester. Studio 8 formed early in 2020, evolving from another painting group at the gallery.

The show is a selection of new works in various styles and media. The pieces range from conceptual to
traditional to contemporary. Viewers will see vibrant acrylic landscapes by Sunnell. She also created a
conceptual piece for the show, which is titled “Who Do I Reflect?” It features a series of mirrors with
faces superimposed on them. Riggins, who is known for her portraiture in watercolor, has also created a
number of acrylic coastal scenes.

Judi Moore is working large for this show and will be showing a 36” by 36” hydrangea painting. Barbara
Kohn began painting with watercolor, then switched to oil, and now loves the immediacy of soft pastels.
Vicki Neilon works in both watercolor and acrylic, and currently enjoys combining abstract with
representational, resulting in her distinctive stylized images. Linda Hester also paints in both acrylic and
watercolor. She says, “I absolutely love the peace and calm that comes when I am working on a painting.
Painting has allowed me to see my environment in a totally new way. It’s a joy to see ideas come to life
on paper or canvas.” Linda Karaskevicus has recently found a passion for painting Carolina coastal
scenes. She says acrylics allow her to work more quickly, resulting in a spontaneous brush or painting
knife application. Her painting style is impressionistic realism.

Individually speaking, the talents of this group are impressive. Collectively, the artists pull from each
other’s energy, humor, and love for diverse art styles. Says McCrary, who is known for his use of vibrant
colors and simple designs and is the only male in the group, “These girls don’t hold back! Their critiques
are direct and helpful.”

A strong supporter of both the Sunset River Gallery and the community, Studio 8 recently stepped up as
a major sponsor for the Hearts + Arts fundraiser for Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, which will be held at the
gallery on June 2.

About Sunset River Marketplace
Located in coastal Brunswick County, Sunset River Gallery caters to both area visitors and a growing
local community of full-time residents seeking fine art for their homes and businesses. Featuring work
by over 100 fine North and South Carolina artists, the gallery is well known in the area for its collection
of oil paintings, watermedia, pastels, photography, hand-blown glass, fused glass, pottery, and clay
sculptures, turned and carved wood, unique home décor items and artisan jewelry.

A selection of 20th century art features investment-grade fine and modern art, primarily impressionist
and abstract. Artists represented include Wolf Kahn, Emile Gruppè, Angel Botello, Raimonds Staprans,
Ed Mell, Vladimir Cora, Moses Soyer, Raphael Soyer, Tadashi Asoma, Hunt Slonem, Ida Kohlmeyer, Rolph
Scarlett, Jean Xceron, folk artist Mose Tolliver, and sculptors Glenna Goodacre and Milton Hebald.
There are two onsite kilns and five wheels used by the gallery’s pottery students. Art classes and
workshops are currently being offered on a limited basis. Current class listings are on the gallery website, with frequent updates on the gallery Facebook page.

The gallery address is: 10283 Beach Drive SW, Calabash, NC 28467. Hours are Monday – Saturday, 11
a.m. – 5 p.m. For more information, call 910.575.5999 or visit the website at sunsetrivergallery.com.
Daily updates are available on the gallery’s Facebook and Instagram pages.
The FrameCenter, located within the gallery, is open Wednesday through Friday, 12 noon – 5 p.m. and
by appointment. Call master framer Louis Aliotta directly at 910.368.7351.