Photographers

Gary Stewart is a Charleston area painter and photographer.  Together, he and his partner Chad Miller are In Your Space Studio.  They collaborate on many projects, but sometimes work alone, as well.

Early Life
Gary Stewart, born in Charleston on October 25, 1962, is a unique artist that likes to create many different types of art. Receiving his artistic training both formally and informally, he spent 24 years in the West Virginia Air National Guard traveling and seeing a lot of the world and being exposed to many different cultures. These world travels and other personal interactions with the people he has met have influenced his art work greatly. Another influence Gary attributes to his artwork is religion, particularly Christianity. In short, much of his inspiration for art comes from the appreciation and sheer enjoyment from all aspects of life. “If you take a little time each day to just sit back and observe, there is beauty and inspiration all around you.”

One thing Gary liked to do in his spare time when he was younger was to sketch. His friends liked to ask Gary to draw pictures and scenes around Halloween that incorporated themes from that holiday such as witches and black cats. “Flip art” and “paint-by-number” sets are some of his favorite pastimes. He said that “paint-by-number” sets taught him how to blend colors to achieve realism.  He got his formal training through elementary, junior high, and high school along with two ceramics courses in college and, in his early 20’s, began to try other forms of art such as clay, pastels, and acrylics. His college art instructor, Bob Simile, has even kept some of his own works as an example for other future art students.

Inspiration/Admiration
Gary’s earliest source of inspiration comes from religious art work. He still uses this today and is especially inspired by the works of “the masters” such as Van Gogh. His family also encouraged him artistically when he was younger, especially his father, who liked to support Gary by bringing home sketch pads, paints, and even creating wire puzzles from his own memory for Gary to figure out. Other sources of inspiration include the places he has visited around the world such as Thailand, Korea, Japan, and Hawaii.

Current and Future Work
Gary is currently working on many projects including preparation for CAMC Foundation Gala Art Auction and FestivALL 2009. He is also participating in a major live, multi-media art performance in conjunction with the WV Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences. His main goal is to simply enjoy his position in the Art world. He enjoys producing work for other people to appreciate and hopes to be a positive role model while making a contribution to society.  Gary and his partner, Chad Miller are In Your Space Studio, and collaborate on many projects.  They operate the website inyourspacestudio.com and sell a lot of their work through Eggplant, Art Emporium, the Clay Center’s gift shop, and through their “window gallery” at 817 Quarrier Street, Charleston.  They are also creating a line of greeting cards, called “Not-So-Everyday Greeting Cards” that they are marketing to local retailers, as well as some chain retailers.

Stewart’s biggest motivation to create art is the enjoyment that others get from looking at his work.  During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Stewart would pass long hours by sketching on the porch of his tent.  People would stop to admire his work and often request pieces for him to make.  Looking at Stewart’s art, it is easy to understand why — his jazzy, colorful artwork is easy to enjoy, and thought-provoking enough to make you come back for a closer look.

Mark Wolfe is a local West Virginia artist.  He specializes in graphic design, but also works in photography, paints, and pastels.   His works include many different elements and primarily focuses on the contrasts of light and the dark in the world.

Early Life
Mark Wolfe made his entrance into this world one dark and stormy night in Charleston, West Virginia in 1966.   Later that very same year, infant Wolfe was moved to Indianapolis, Indiana.  Four years later, Mark discovered art by drawing cartoons from the local newspaper.  In  his middle school years, he drew cartoons for his school news paper.   His family, being supportive of his gift, sent him off to West Virginia State College to work on photography and painting.   Wolfe had a great educational background, but trained even further through experimentation with various artistic media on his own.

Inspirations/Admirations
Mark draws the most inspiration from creative atmospheres, and often uses art as a way to channel frustration or relieve stress.   He draws upon his love of religious art often in his work, sometimes juxtaposing these images unexpected characters or landscapes.  He enjoys listening to music while working in his studio. 

He began his career as graphic designer and illustrator at West Virginia State College’s Graphic Design Resource Center, worked successively, 1987-94, for Charleston’s Perry Productions Advertising and Charles Ryan Associates. He was Art Director and Illustrator for Willard & Associates until shortly before its dissolution in late summer, 1995.

From that time to the present, he has supported himself, his cats and his hobbies as a graphic designer/photographer/ illustrator, offering his skills and experience in design, display, multimedia advertising and publication through Mark Wolfe Design, his home-based studio and office.

His clients have included The Grand Ole Opry of Nashville, Tennessee and the K-Mart chain, as well as a variety of local and statewide businesses and organizations.

In 1999 Mark jumped into the fine arts field with his one-man show titled, “Graven Images”. These works were the artist’s first foray into the fine arts since his student days, and the one-man show was his first public exhibition outside the graphic arts field. “Graven Images” was comprised of a selection of pastel drawings and black-and-white photographs, some hand-tinted. -All of his photographs, which include landscapes as well as still life and macro studies, were taken in natural light and are not digitally retouched or manipulated in any way.

Current and Future Work
His current works are the “Stations of the Cross”, random scratchboard pieces and, some other works for his new exhibit “Dog Days of Summer”.   Wolfe is also working on a piece for the Stations of the Cross exhibit at Christ Church United Methodist, an installation for FestivALL, and an interactive photography exhibit that will be part of a touring musical performance by the rock band Cordis.  Mark and his girlfriend, Amy Williams have also launched a line of cloth dolls called “Kreeture Comforts,” which can be bought at the Annex Gallery at Taylor Books.

photo by Sarah R. Lavigne

Dane Klingaman is twenty-four year old abstract painter and mixed media artist who loves taking digital pictures.  All of his digital work consists of bold, layering designs that are similar to comic books.  The mixed media art is very bold and consists of everyday items. 

Early Life
He was born on September 3, 1985 in San Francisco, California.  His father is a musician and his mother used to work for Macintosh Publication.  His first art experience came when he was five years old.  He was being babysat by an artist named, Missy Hamilton.  She owned a studio and had several paints and canvases laid out for him and his sister, Lenne, to draw on.  Dane and his sister had tons of caffeine that day and drew very creative art that is still hanging in his dad’s music studio.  He has always gotten training from looking at art.  Everything is in front of us, from nature to our imaginations.

Inspiration/Admiration
When Klingaman got to college he was able to realize how creative the atmosphere was that he grew up in.  Dane received training from two fabulous high school teachers, Jodi Hanson and Cecily Spano at the International Baccalaureate program in Minneapolis.  These teachers kept Klingaman focused on art.  When he came to school at the University of Charleston he was able to receive training from Mark Tobin Moore and P. Joseph Mullins.  Both gentlemen are local artists in the Charleston area.

Dane is inspired by people who are authentic and create rules for themselves as well as the people that do not allow society to repress their individualities.  He is inspired by the artists who make art regardless of comfort or money.

Current/Future Work
Right now he is working on creating a body of his finest work as well as applying to graduate school in the fall.  He also wants to get a program going with friends called Urban Trees.  This is a tree-drive to revamp the ratty-looking part of the East End of Charleston.  His goals are to continue to find time to work hard and think right about his paintings, whether in school, a gallery, or in his own studio with his cats.

In the past his art has been exhibited at the Clay Center, Cultural Center, Annex Gallery, Callen McJunkin Gallery, and the Frankenberger Gallery at the University of Charleston, and his own living and working spaces.  All of these galleries are in Charleston.  Dane is hoping to soon find a new, inventive space to show his new paintings. 

Dane’s favorite piece of his own art is something that he did not even intend to do.  His studio table is filled with notes, drawings, phones numbers, and collages scattered throughout the table top.  Is favorite work of someone else’s is Paul Klee’s watercolor studies he did from when he was in Tunisia. 

Dane Klingaman’s studio is a large room inside of his house that he gutted and turned into an artists’ studio.  He has even said that his work area is “too official”. Pieces of art are strewn everywhere, some pieces are not even his.  There is also a bookcase with old magazines, art and cooking books, and speakers inside.  Then, he has a desk with his computer and track lighting next a table.   

In order for other people to understand Klingaman and to better appreciate his work is not a lot of effort.  He thinks it is impossible to make art that is not a little bit autobiographical.  But, art should be objective and vague so that people can easily relate to them, even if they cannot relate to the artist as a person.  He also thinks that his art goes great with rap music which can attract different people.

Rebecca Recco Burch is a mixed media artist in the Charleston Valley.   She is also an Art teacher at Charleston Catholic High School.   She recognized her artistic ability at a young age and has continued her artwork throughout her life.   Ever since she was little she has had a strong passion for art and what it has to offer.   She views art as a universal language, something everyone can understand.   Anyone can create or understand art, and it is for this reason she feels so connected to it.   Rebecca Burch is a life-inspired artist.

Early Life
Rebecca Burch was born in Charleston, West Virginia.   Since she was a little girl she has always loved art.   Her mother took her to plays, museums, concerts, and other cultural events, which inspired her to enjoy all kinds of art. From then on she knew she wanted to be an artist.   Although her family was a little worried that she would not be able to support herself with only an art degree, they supported her and encouraged her to do what she loves.   She then became more involved with art in high school, where she had an amazing teacher named Mrs. Mary Helen Moynahan.   A few years later, she attended Marshall University, where she studied under Stan Sporny, Peter Massing, Mary Grassell, Earlene Allen, and Michael Cornfeld.   She learned a lot from all of them and has continued her artistic career since her graduation.

Inspiration/Admiration
Rebecca Burch gets a lot of inspiration from other artists, but her biggest inspiration comes from the world itself.   A sun shining on a building in a summer day or the sound of traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon, she enjoys creating works that celebrate life.  Really random things make her start thinking, and sometimes they lead to a big-time project.  She also loves viewing art from other artists.  As a child, she enjoyed visiting exhibits of works by Charles Jupiter Hamiton, a well-known local artist. Charles’s colorful, wild works have had a positive effect on her art.   Although she is a fan of many local artists, she can not pick a favorite, but she will admit that her favorite art is the variety of art she finds in Charleston.  She enjoys attending art exhibits whenever she can, even making quick detours through local galleries during her lunch break.

Current and Future Work
Rebecca Burch is currently working on a few projects.  She is participating in the Stations of the Cross exhibit at Christ Church United Methodist, which she is very excited about.  This is a very unusual exhibit in which different artists take on each of the 14 Stations of the Cross, and the exhibit is displayed at Easter time. She also has a few more exhibits coming up,  a large street installation during FestivALL, and is participating in the East End Banner Project.  She also has a few artistic goals for the future, but since she has young children it has been a challenge to find time to work on her art.   As her children grew older she plans to spend more time in her studio creating more unified body of work, rather than a lot of unrelated pieces created at different times.  

Her present studio, which was a gift from her husband, is a room in her basement.   It is a good size room and a perfect place to get away and to focus on only art.   She also tries to keep a project going in her classroom at Charleston Catholic High school, so her students can watch her progress.

Rebecca Burch is a very talented artist with many accomplishments and many future goals.   She  has inspired many people with her work in the classroom and in her studio.

Chad Miller, born on January 31, 1969, in Huntington, West Virginia, is one of Charleston’s local artists. Miller is skilled in making photography as an art. He also uses mediums such as acrylic paints on canvas. Miller has always been in love with photography and continues to display digital artwork.

Early Life
Miller’s earliest artistic experience came about in his early childhood. He would keep himself continuously busy by drawing, sketching, and painting at a very early age. Miller’s mother saw this and provided him with the tools and time to express his artistic side, with tools like, crayons, magic markers, pen & ink, chalk, watercolors, and paint-by-numbers). Miller received artistic training formally through his primary education while attending elementary, junior high, and high school. Miller also took a basic art instruction class during college. Along with education, Miller informally received artistic training through television broadcasts, reference books, and pop culture. During this time of his life, he was given special art projects by his teachers and instructors who took an interest in his ability.

While in Milton High School, Miller’s art instructor set him and a few other students aside from the rest of the class to work with whatever medium they felt like. This is where he fell in love with photography. Miller fell in love with its immediacy and potency in its nature. From there, he received training in the “dark room” photo development process, which is now a thing of the past.

Inspirations/Admirations
Miller’s family encouraged him artistically throughout his childhood and adolescent years into his early adulthood. Mostly, he is inspired by dramatic emotion, which includes extreme images and depictions. Miller says he is “inspired by people I’ve encountered, places I’ve been and experiences I’ve witnessed.” He also says he is inspired by every day things that we as humans take for granted, and make them all less ordinary to make a sense of mystery and awe around the subject matter. “I want the beholder to stop and consider the impossible, to make it possible, to see things from a new perspective.”

Current/Future Work 
Currently, Miller and his partner, Gary Stewart make up Inyourspace Studios.  Together, they are working on multiple projects, together, and individually.  Miller is  including preparation for the CAMC Foundation Gala Art Auction, where he will be displaying Blue Iris- a digital photo.  Also, Inyourspace Studios is preparing for FestivALL 2009, and continuing Art Walk participation and promotions.  They are also preparing for a major live, multi-media art performance with the WV Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences.

Miller’s personal artistic goals for the future are to enjoy a position of notoriety in the art world, and have his artwork appreciated. Also, to enjoy a livelihood as a successful, artist and photographer that is worthwhile. His wish for those who view his work is “to be moved to action or emotion in a positive direction, to affect positive change in their environment.”

Naomi Bays is a Charleston photographer, sculptor and mixed-media artist.  She is also very active in the city’s art scene, working in the Annex Gallery at Taylor Books and also with the city’s FestivALL commission.

Early Life

Naomi Bays comes from a long line of artistic background. She claims, “Everyone in my family is creative in some form.” Her birthplace is Nurnberg, Germany, which is directly related to her art because her earliest artistic experience was making crazy Polish style Easter eggs. Naomi attended the University of Charleston and West Virginia State to get her artistic training. She loves Charleston and sees many opportunities here having to do with her artwork by portraying people from rural areas perceive feminist issues.

Inspiration/Admirations

            Naomi finds inspiration everywhere, but she finds inspiration more from women’s issues.   She admires artists Cindy Sherman, Diane Arbus, and Cy Twombly.  

            Naomi has a very unique work area. She describes is as, “A disaster!” Regardless she loves her work are and confesses, “It’s why I bought the house!” Adding her own personal touch to her workplace, Naomi paints silhouettes of her girls on the wall each year.

            To fully understand Naomi’s artwork, she advises the viewer to simply infer his or her own thoughts or opinions. She doesn’t believe the viewer needs to know exactly why or what she is saying in her artwork but to instead appreciate the gist of it. She further explains, “I don’t expect people to know I am referring to a particular chapter in a book or some pop issue.”

Future Work/Goals

            Some of her many goals include bringing the fine arts together in a cohesive group for this area.  She believes an Artistic Resource center is needed for Charleston and is an advocate for an arts council.

            Naomi’s art is being shown at Taylor Books, Capital Market, Frankenburger Gallery, Della Brown Gallery, Cultural Center and Huntington Museum of Art. She is also published in the 2005 College Photographers book sponsored by Nikon. However, her favorite piece of artwork is Renewal (2004), presented in the 2005 WV Juried Exhibition. If you’d like to see Naomi’s remarkable work then you can visit the galleries listed above or view her current work, which is an E for a FestivALL project.

Ever Reaching, installation