Renewal and Synthesis: Lucas Sams’ Frame of Mind Series

Sams by Jasper intern Ami Pulaski

Originality is the specter chasing down artists of all disciplines, and new work can often lead them down previously unimagined paths. Even the newest of beginnings, though, there’s often a twinge of the familiar lurking beneath the new surfaces.

This Thursday, September 3rd, at 6 p.m., Columbia artist Lucas Sams will be kicking off a new series at Frame of Mind eyewear boutique and art gallery in West Columbia that showcases fresh work from a familiar face. It's called, fittingly, "[Artist name's] Frame of Mind." For Sams, that means a bit of old mixed with a bit of new.

“The pieces are basically the first images I made after many months of not working on any new original work,” explains Sams. “[These paintings] are both a return to how I was working a few years ago and a new synthesis of modes of expression and forms of representation entirely.” He calls this collection "New Mythologies."

The show promises to build on the shoulders of Sams’ already established style. One of the works is a reimagining of an older piece, and ideas aren’t the only things being recycled at this show—Sams also painted over one of his older paintings for this series as well.

What better way to spend a Thursday night than perusing new work from a young and very talented local artist?  The show begins at 6:00 p.m. and runs until 8:00 p.m. at Frame of Mind’s art gallery on 140 State St. in West Columbia. Check out the Facebook event for more information.

TONIGHT! FOM features Alicia Leeke and Darlene Fuhst blog by Jasper Intern Caitlyn McGuire

FOM lost During tonight’s monthly celebration of the arts, First Thursdays, one exhibition is bringing a new meaning to “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”- metaphorically speaking. Artists Darlene Fuhst and Alicia Leeke have created “Lost and Found,” and exhibition that not only turns junk, random parts, and antiques into interesting works of arts, but also a visual tool for guests to learn a little something about wastefulness.  The duo says they have gathered these parts as a metaphor for just how much consumer goods are cycled through our lives, encouraging viewers to follow the three “R”s-reduce, reuse, recycle.

 

The artists are hoping that guests stop and take a closer look, not only at the art compiled of figurines, oil paintings of neon signs, and nostalgic antique items, but take a closer look in their everyday lives and use even a pile of trash as a reminder of the impact of a consumer society.

 

“Lost and Found” will be on display at Frame of Mind, an appropriate place to look at things a little differently. Frame of Mind is the home of Mark Plessinger, one of the kick-starters of First Thursdays. Mark anticipates tonight’s festivities will be a huge success especially since the growth and popularity of the art celebration has increased dramatically over the past few months. He added that more surprises, street vendors, and blocks of artistic expression, will result in a large amount of movement from one end of Main Street to the other.

 

So as you wander through the blocks of Main Street, through musicians and street vendors, stop into Frame of Mind to take a closer look of the everyday consumer life.

 

Lost and Found will be open for viewing tonight at Frame of Mind located at 1520 Main Street, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., and will be on display until September 29.

-- Caitlyn McGuire

FOM Series presents Happy Holidays, Mother Earth! Featuring Kirkland Smith and Chris Carney for Mingle & Jingle

FOM has never been SO green! Get ready to enjoy this two-month FOM Series focused on how an artist has turned consumer waste into fine art! These items destined for landfills have found new life in 3-D paintings. And, we’ve never been SO blue. What lies beneath will fill our gallery for your viewing pleasure. Water…everywhere!
Inside:  Columbia artist, Kirkland Smith, will present a two-part exhibition of work created almost entirely from post-consumer materials collected from friends and family.
During the December FOM Series, she is asking the community to participate in an assemblage she will create by donating eyewear that they no longer need. She plans to unveil the new work as a part of the January FOM Series during First Thursdays on Main.
Kirkland Smith, a classical painter, began creating contemporary Assemblages from post-consumer materials when she entered an environmental art contest in 2008. Using discarded objects as her “paint,” she found an evocative way to deliver the message of the importance of reducing, reusing, and recycling.
Her work offers an entertainment value, but also reveals the impact consumerism is creating on our environment. “Each Assemblage is a little piece of our history. It is the story of us today. What we throw away says a lot about who we are, but what we choose to cherish and protect says even more in the end.”
Without this determination to cherish and protect our community, our state, our nation, our planet by reducing, reusing, and recycling, we won’t be able to enjoy the waters which refresh and sustain us. So, as a fitting complement to Kirkland’s recycled art, Frame of Mind is proud to introduce you to the work of one of Columbia’s favorite alternative performers and renowned local grower of coral, Chris Carney. He describes his plans for this two-part FOM Series this way, “There is another world beneath the skin of the ocean. A place that covers more than half of our planet still remains a mystery. This is what I strive to capture. Vignettes of a place many will never see with their own eyes and few will be able to describe. These are not glass boxes; these are snapshots to a world I love, a place I’d like you to know. Dive in, explore.”
A graduate of the University of South Carolina’s Marine Sciences program, Chris owns A Fish Store, a full-service fish and aquarium shop specializing in saltwater fish/aquariums, freshwater fish/aquariums, corals, ponds, design/fabrication/installation/maintenance services. He is also an assistant SCUBA instructor with Wateree Dive Center. For the FOM Series installations and exhibits, he plans to showcase mostly tank-raised livestock/corals. His work will be available for purchase, but custom options are available as well.
Outside:  For our outdoor entertainment, we’re so proud to feature Columbia’s own DJ Deft Key of Entropy Studios, Raymond Howard. Deft Key’s shows are full of the energy and sounds of global beats and dubstep, and this month, we get to hear some holiday themed tunes, as well! For a sampling, check out his music onhttp://soundcloud.com/deftkey
. His CD is available for purchase at our December event. Entropy studios is a recording/production studio that was founded in the fall of 2011 by Raymond Howard, Timothy Miller, and Jeramie Conrad. A unique type of studio with services ranging from simple recording/tracking to full production including song creation, adding audio to film, voice overs and foley, their mission is to provide a fully operational studio capable of facilitating any and all audio needs for musicians, film producers, theatrical directors, and voice actors both regionally and internationally. Their menu of services include: recording, tracking, mixing, mastering, voice-overs, composition, songwriting, foley, DJ services, live sound/lighting, post-production audio for film and video, album art, logo design, photography services, merchandise design, band photos, business cards, and flier design. Please visit Deft Key on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/deft.key.3?fref=ts or Entropy Studios on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheEntropyStudios?fref=ts .
blog post courtesy of FOM