New In Town – Artist Du Jour
There’s a new act in town. A new artist to join the contemporary ranks of Charleston. From Savannah to Africa, France, Rome and everywhere else in the world, this self-acclaimed “hard core New Yorker” arrives in the Holy City, marking her official entry with a premier exhibition on Tuesday.
Betty Thalheimer sits down and dishes with CHARLIE.
One look at Betty’s powerful, dark paintings and you can sum her up in one word: Expressionism. What she describes as creating “from the inside out.” What’s the subject thinking? What are they feeling? That’s what she wants us asking ourselves when looking at her paintings, which have been coined as “spaces seen at the moment.”
“People fascinate me. Particularly women,” she says while describing how she sketches people everywhere she goes. Airports, restaurants, the street – you name it. The next time you see a random woman drawing you, don’t be alarmed. You may just be Betty’s next muse.
So what does she bring to Charleston? Her extensive travels around the world will surely bring some different thinking and perspective. When she married her husband Foster (a real Woody Allen type…sans Soon-Yi) she told him, “I don’t want family. I don’t want furs. I want airline tickets.”
Through all of her travels, the high point of her career (so far) happened on 5th Avenue when Manhattan’s Saks Fifth Avenue commissioned 13 artworks to feature in its window displays. If this wasn’t cool enough, add in the fact that Saks loved Betty’s work so much that the Mecca flagship store, the fashion Gods themselves, dressed the mannequins in all white, with stark white backgrounds, to let the art take center stage. Umm…yeah. Not your average day.
She’s taking over Stello Photography’s old space at 125 King St. While it will be more of a workspace than a gallery, anyone is welcome to pop by, chat with Betty and check out the work. (*Tip: She has wine and is not afraid to pour it.)
Betty describes herself as kind of a loner and not a typical “people person” (none of which we’ve seen from the chatty, bubbly ball of energy she portrays), but she’s excited to get involved in all of the wonderful cultural aspects of our city.
Whether you’re a fan of her work or a fan of free champagne and hors d’oeuvres, get on the welcome wagon and come meet her at Oak Steakhouse Tuesday night from 6-9pm for the debut exhibit.
Start spreadiiiiing the neeewwws….
Story by: Caroline Nuttall
Ivie said,
Looking forward to seeing her work at Oak!
Cindy Roemer said,
Betty’s work is a prime example of Charleston celebrating progressive culture through art. I can’t wait to see her showing at Oak on Tuesday.
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