Kelly Bryant Brings Anthropomorphic Animal Whimsy to First Thursday at Sound Bites

Kelly Bryant’s work is the kind that immediately sparks smiles, urging patrons to come in for a closer look: saintly opossums praying, koalas applying lipstick, and lemurs licking lollipops. 

Bryant is a Connecticut-to-South-Carolina transplant who works full time as a legal worker and fills any spare time she has not wrangling her girls and two cats crafting her art. Fully self-taught, Bryant found painting in an attempt to keep her kids occupied during the COVID-19 lockdown when a Pinterest search for mom activities turned up finger painting.

This activity, however, soon became a passion as Bryant brought “animals doing human things or wearing human attire” to life through bright colors and finger strokes. These soon turned to brush strokes as, post-YouTube rabbit hole, experience and joy alike blossomed. Then, and now, Bryant holds to the lesson that “everyone should do more of what makes them happy.” 

As the hobby solidified into a part of Bryant’s everyday life, she joined the Crooked Creek Art League. Since then, she found oils, which have become her go-to, and she has begun officially showing her work. Bryant showed at this past South Carolina State Fair and at Crooked Creek’s Still Hopes Art Exhibition—where she won a Patron Award. 

It has been a whirlwind of a journey that Bryant feels ever grateful for. She is “finding [her] style and solidifying it throughout everything [she] creates,” and she is continuously grateful that she gets to “watch other people smile when they walk by and see [her] animals.” 

Bryant’s work for this show is an amalgamation of her time as an artist thus far: work from her early finger-painting adventures to oil pieces dry just in time for hanging. It is a collection of bright, whimsical, yet comforting creatures that are effortlessly her own. 

“My art is a reflection of my journey—ever-evolving and always having a bit of fun along the way,” Bryant emphasizes. 

To see Kelly Bryant’s work, join Jasper for her Opening Reception during First Thursday at Sound Bites Eatery on 1425 Sumter Street THIS Thursday, September 5th from 5:30pm—8:00pm.

Jasper Welcomes MICHAEL KRAJEWSKI to SOUND BITES EATERY GALLERY for First Thursday

A veteran of Jasper Galleries, we’re excited to bring artist Michael Krajewski to our gallery space at Sound Bites Eatery, which is one of our favorite places to admire and discuss art with so many of our Midlands area friends. The exhibition opens Thursday night, during First Thursday, at 6 pm. Sound Bites is located at 1425 Sumter Street, just a short block off Main

Jasper asked Krajewski for a little tease about what he is bringing to Sound Bites and he’s what he gave us:


Jasper: What have you been working on lately and what should we expect to see in this new show? Any surprises? 

Krajewski: I've been doing a bit of everything! Commissions, teaching private lessons, and ongoing mural work at the Black Rooster. Newest mix media project is a 72in trout sculpture for City of Columbia. For the new show at Sound Bites, folks can expect to see some familiar favorites and some new smaller pieces, as well as some older work. I do have a new larger piece that I'll be showing for the first time, but no spoilers there [puts on his best Matthew McConaughey impression] 'Wouldn't be a surprise if I told ya, now would it?"

 

Jasper: There seems to be a new and unique quality to your work -- have you noticed it? to what do you attribute this? 

Krajewski: I can't really say that I've noticed. That's really interesting though, and I'll take it as a compliment. I think my art evolves with me, so I'd like to think that it's just a sign my own evolution. 

 

Jasper:  Can you tell us about 2 or 3 of your favorite pieces that you will be offering at this show?  

Krajewski: This show is sprinkled through with notes on love and nostalgia... I'm hoping folks check out "Holding hands" (especially if you like otters in party hats) I just finished a mix media piece (paint on a record) Titled "Love Me for What I am" that I hope people respond to. 

Thanks Michael! We’ll see you all this Thursday night, February 1st, 2024 from 6 - 9 pm!

For more info on Jasper Galleries and to submit YOUR WORK for consideration, please check us out here!

Jasper Project presents Keith Tolen at Sound Bites for April's First Thursday

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2023 AT 6 PM – 9 PM

1425 Sumter Street in Columbia

You’re invited to help Jasper welcome Keith Tolen and his art to First Thursday this month at Sound Bites Eatery on Sumter Street.

Retired educator, protegee of Leo Twiggs, devoted husband, father, and full time artist, Keith Tolen is a man of surprises and his new show at Sound Bites, opening Thursday night as part of April’s First Thursday festivities, makes that clear.

According to Tolen, “My art experience has been both fulfilling and complex. I love the process of creating. In many ways I am more attracted to the process than the product that is produced. The artwork in this collection is an extension of my personal story of searching for meaning in the everyday activities that are around us. Music has always provided me with inspiration for new ideas. I am a big fan of live music, especially jazz. Jazz musicians have provided me with a wealth of subject content. Recently my art has taken on another turn as I explore the nature of the dot or point. The relation of the shape of the dot whether standing alone or clustered in groups has assisted me in finding a new language for my visual communication methods.”

The title of Tolen’s Sound Bites show is Mask-A-Raid III. The evening kicks off at 6 pm and we’re also welcoming instant-portrait artist Jamie Peterson back to help us save our memories of the night and the show.

Free and open to the public. Grab a soup, sandwich, or salad as well as a drink or two, and make yourself at home at Sound Bites, Columbia’s coolest arts cafe!

Colleen Critcher and the T.Rex as Consumer and Consumed

Colleen Critcher is a Florence, South Carolina based artist who finds inspiration in consumerism, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and all things kitschy and gauche. She describes herself as a “painter at heart,” her favorite being oil painting, though she’s worked with a variety of mediums. She also finds herself turning to printmaking often, a process that matches much of her work thematically in the way that it, according to Critcher, “mimics the industrial production model in a completely inefficient way.” 

Critcher has known she wanted to be an artist since she “learned that it could be a profession” in Kindergarten. She’s always felt called toward it, and always found herself admirably aware of its capabilities. “I’m also addicted to the basic alchemy aspect of art making,” she says. “Making something from nothing feels like magic to me.” 

And make something from nothing she does, over and over again. Critcher’s recent series, entitled Consumed, is a scathing commentary on the American consumerist obsession with excess and features a series of pieces in which the subjects literally consume multicolored plastic dinosaurs.

“I love the fact that decades after I collected them, the T.Rex remains a pop culture icon,” Critcher says. “People are still obsessed with this dinosaur who was once the “ultimate consumer. It’s a bizarre cultural phenomenon.”  

“Beyond the connection from childhood toys and popular culture, I’m also interested in the fact that Rex was once the apex predator. It’s a reminder that humans pretend their dominance is somehow guaranteed to be permanent. There is also a sad irony to the fact that the remnants of dinosaurs (as petroleum) are what we make plastic with, and plastic is slowly killing everything. Yikes.” 

There is something to be said for the deadly consumerist infatuation with plastic, especially considering Critcher’s idea that our induction into consumerism starts with childhood– “I think for most of us it starts with toys.” 

Relatedly, Consumed also includes several pieces with children as the subjects. What A Good Little Consumer and Pretty Please both feature the full body images of children, a girl and a boy respectively, with T.Rex masks on their heads, dressed in what appears to be play costumes. Something about the way the children stand, the way the little girl in What A Good Little Consumer cradles the T.Rex toy in her arms, feels eerie, more sinister perhaps. Is there something to be said here about consumerism eating us back? 

Critcher answers this question with more questions: “I’ve been making work about American consumer culture for a decade now and I’m constantly asking questions about our participation. Are we passively implicated in the process? Are we fully engaged with both feet in this complex system? Are we consuming the things or are they consuming us? What are the benefits and what are the negative effects of a culture built on the necessity to constantly buy more things? When I had children it made me recognize that they, we, become consumers almost immediately.” 

Another unique facet of Critcher’s work is its ability to be self-referential–she puts the literal image of herself into her paintings. Within Consumed, she can be seen chowing down on a purple dinosaur in Devouring Her T. Rex and a neon green one in Keeping Up With The Joneses (Suburban Mom). Perhaps this is a nod to her own participation in consumer culture, a reminder of its inescapable impact on all of our lives. It certainly adds to the uncanny aesthetic of the series.  

Critcher received her MFA in painting from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Since then, her work has been shown at numerous galleries, including The Southern, Redux Contemporary Art Center, Kai Lin Art, Gutstein Gallery, and 701 Center for Contemporary Art, and she has taught several arts foundations courses at Coker University, Coastal Carolina University, and Francis Marion University.  

Critcher is the featured artist in the Jasper Project’s First Thursday Series at Sound Bites Eatery at 1425 Sumter Street. Join us on Thursday, March 2nd as we celebrate the opening reception for her work which will hang throughout the month of March.

 

For more information about Critcher and her projects, and to check out her delightfully bizarre series Consumed, visit her website, colleencritcher.com.

Announcing the Jasper Project Lineup for our First Thursday Sound Bites Gallery and our Third Thursday Koger Center Gallery

Lucas Sams ~ Colleen Crichter ~ Charles Hite ~ Cait Maloney ~ Steven White ~ David Dohan ~ Jean Lomasto ~ Amy Kuenzie ~ Lila McCullough ~ Barbie Mathis ~ Thomas Crouch ~ Lindsay Radford ~ Quincy Pugh ~ Cedric Umoja ~ Lauren Chapman

Artist - Colleen Crichter - March 2023

Jasper is excited to announce the lineup for 2023’s featured artists at our First Thursday Sound Bites Eatery Gallery as well as at our newly inaugurated Jasper Gallery Space at Koger Center for the Arts.

Check back in as their shows approach for more information about the featured artists but, for now, please mark your calendars for the First and Third Thursdays of each month to welcome the following artists and possibly to welcome some of their art to your home.

 Jasper’s First Thursday Gallery at Sound Bites Eatery

February – Lucas Sams

Join us Thursday February 2nd to welcome Lucas Sams as a first time First Thursday Artist

March – Colleen Crichter

Opening March 3rd

April – Charles Hite

Opening April 6th

May – Cait Maloney

Opening May 4th

June – Steven White

Opening June 1st

July – David Dohan

Opening July 6th

August – Jean Lomasto

Opening August 3rd

September – Amy Kuenzie

Opening September 7th

October – Lila McCullough

Opening October 5th

November – Barbie Mathis

Opening November 2nd

December -  Holiday Art Show TBA

 

 

Jasper’s Third Thursday Gallery Space at the Koger Center

January – Thomas Crouch

Crouch’s work will be on view through January

February – Lindsay Radford

Opening February 16th

March – Quincy Pugh

Opening March 16th

— April – Koger curated —

May – Cedric Umoja

Opening May 18th

June – Lauren Chapman

Opening June 15th

Lauren Chapman - Koger Center, June 2023

Cait Maloney - Sound Bites Eatery, May 2023

Jasper Welcomes Ginny Merett to Sound Bites Eatery as July's First Thursday Artist in Residence

RECEPTION THURSDAY JULY 7TH AT 6 PM

SOUND BITES EATERY

1425 SUMTER STREET

Ginny Merett

Jasper welcomes Ginny Merett to Sound Bites Eatery as the First Thursday Artist in Residence for the month of July! Merett’s signature collage work has become her trading card over the past few years creating a one-of-a-kind aesthetic that has yet to be duplicated. Bright and whimsical, the work often offers a first impression that is lighthearted but, upon further inspection, proves to contain powerful messages and social commentary.

Ginny Merett has been an artist and art educator in the Columbia community for over three decades. Through those years she used various media to create art but for the last ten devoted her time to creating multimedia collage pieces. Inspired by stylish women and ordinary faces and images, she portrays unique characters using parts and pieces from current day and vintage media.


Ginny’s collage pieces have been shown at Stormwater Studio, ArtFields, Koger Center for the Arts, the Jasper Project, USC School of Visual Art and Design’s McMaster Gallery, SC State Library, and other local venues like Trustus Theater, She Festival, Cottontown Art Crawl and Melrose Art in the Yard. Her work is published in the Jasper Project’s Jasper Magazine, Spring 2019 edition and in Sheltered: SC Artists Respond During the 2020 Pandemic; and in Bullets and Band-Aids Volume 3. 

She gives back to the community by visiting and sharing her work with various area schools and donating art to local charities.


Ginny was born and raised in Denver and has lived in South Carolina since 1987. Art has sustained Ginny throughout her life and is the cause for her every success. She constantly sewed, created, and treasured drawing as a child and sought out every art opportunity in school. Because art was such a passion of Ginny’s youth, she studied art education where she explored a wide range of disciplines and mediums; and taught art in the public schools for 30 years.


Her influences include David Hockney’s joiners, Robert Rauschenberg’s combines, Hannah Hoch’s timeless collages, and the beautiful execution of John Singer Sargent’s portraits.


Ginny is a member of Figurativeartists.org and is an Artist Peer with the Jasper Guild. Look for her at ginnymerett.com and on all social platforms.

Merett’s exhibition will run from Sunday July 3 through the end of the month. The public is invited to a an opening celebration on First Thursday, July 7th at 6 pm at Sound Bites Eatery at 1425 Sumter Street.

Jasper Presents First Thursday at Sound Bites with Featured Artist Michael Shepard

We're so happy that Mai Turner & Terri MacLaughlin have invited Jasper in to host First Thursdays for them at Sound Bites Eatery -- And that they are letting us feature a new artist each month!

Join us at 6 pm on Thursday April 7th for dinner, drinks, art from Michael Shepard, and/or a comfy place to gather with your arts-loving friends!

Sound Bites is located at 1425 Sumter Street, one block off Main Street between Hampton and Washington.

About Artist Michael Shepard

Michael Shepard, a South Carolina native and long term resident of Columbia, SC, is an eclectic artist currently working in acrylics, soft pastels and mixed media. His styles, techniques and media change with each piece depending on the subject matter and the inspiration it ensues.

When asked what creating art means to him, Michael responded: “Well, I could say Art is an expression of the feelings and interpretations of my situation in the world around me. It’s a means to escape isolation and means to process emotions. It’s a salvation from adversity and destitution and it is also a celebration of well being and happiness…”

“But really, I’m just a guy painting pictures and hopefully creating works people will enjoy.”

Stay tuned for more about Michael Shepard as we approach First Thursday. Mark your calendars and we’ll see you on Sumter Street and Sound Bites Eatery!

Two & A Different Reality at Anastasia & Friends Thursday night

War House by Steven Coolidge

November’s opening at Anastasia & Friends will be a group exhibition called “Two” combined with a book signing reception for Columbia's beloved Dr. Fredric Mau’s latest book, “A Different Reality.” 

“Two” will feature a combination of painting, sculpture and mixed media created by artists who've never shown at Anastasia & Friends. Each artist will feature two selected works. We're excited to feature the works of Khris Coolidge, Dylan Fouste, Art Gomez, Stephanie Keel, Richard Lund, Lisa Puryear, Dave Robbins and Steven White will be featured in this special exhibition. Our opening reception will take place on Thursday, November 6th, from 6pm-9pm, as a part of the First Thursday on Main art crawl.

Dr. Fredric Mau will read some excerpts from his fascinating new book, “A Different Kind of Reality” and be on hand to autograph copies of his book, which will be available for sale.

Dr. Fredric Mau is a Columbia therapist with an international reputation. He was recognized by his peers with the HypnoScience award for research advancing the profession at the Internationala Hypnosaekongress in Zürich, Switzerland in 2013, and will return to speak there again this month. Mau is a frequent, engaging presenter at professional conferences in the U.S. and abroad. He brings a decade of successful clinical work and his own examples of life-changing conversations with clients to this book.“The book originates with the metaphors I use to help people change the way they experience stress at a core emotional level. Then I added some frank commentary on how they work to help people change. But the book takes on life and color through the examples of change conversations. There really is power in the stories we tell ourselves, and everyone can see it in this book.” Fredric Mau

The exhibition will run from November 6th through December 1st. Anastasia & Friends art gallery is located at 1534 Main Street, in the front of the Free Times’ building, just across the street from the Columbia Museum of Art and is open Monday – Friday, from 9am-5pm. For more information, contact Anastasia Chernoff at 803 665 6902 or anastasiachernoff@gmail.com. -- Anastasia Chernoff