11 Broad Street
Charleston, SC 29401
FIGURES
OF TIMELESS BEAUTY
Bryce
Cameron Liston Solo Exhibition
On Display from October
7, 2011 – October 31, 2011
CHARLESTON,
SC (October 2011)- M Gallery of Fine
Art is pleased to present a solo exhibition featuring the work of Bryce Cameron
Liston. The show, entitled Figures of
Timeless Beauty, will hang from October 7th – October 31st.
The show will include at least ten of Liston’s
paintings and possibly some drawings. All of the paintings will depict the
female form and will include both interior and exterior scenes. The opening reception will be held on Friday,
October 7th, in tandem with the First Friday Art Walk. There will be
a Collectors’ Preview held the night before the event on Thursday October 6th.
The pieces that will comprise the show are intended to impart
timelessness and continuity— impressions that the artist hopes will stay with
the viewer long after they review his work. “I hate the thought of my artwork
being or becoming outdated,” Liston explains, “I want the viewer to be able to
say that painting is of someone right here, right now, or maybe of someone
fifty years ago. Sure, clothing and hairstyle change, but other aspects of
life, imagery, emotions, etc. do not and have not for hundreds of thousands of
years.”
Liston believes that a good figurative painting has to contain
four basic components including: correct anatomy; good composition; strong
artistic elements such as shape, value, and edge; and finally, emotion or
atmosphere. “I’ve spent my entire career as a painter trying to master these
essentials and I think this collection of work embodies these concepts,” he
says.
Liston has
three favorite pieces that will appear in Figures
of Timeless Beauty: Red, Blue, and Yellow. Each piece focuses
on the balance of color and the effects of light on color, they also balance
the literal and conceptual. They were painted in Liston’s studio using three of
his best models. If Liston had to choose his favorite piece in Figures of
Timeless Beauty, he would choose Red.
Although he studied art the University of Utah, Liston considers
himself a primarily self-taught artist. If he had to name a mentor, he would
choose renowned sculptor Edward Fraughton. “I worked for Ed in his foundry for
over 15 years. I learned an invaluable amount from him during that time,
particularly about human anatomy and gesture. It’s odd to say I learned how to
paint from a sculptor, but to a certain extent it’s true,” he confesses.
As for influences, he names the
great American illustrators such as Newell Convers Wyeth and Howard Pyle as his
earliest sources of inspiration. Later in life, however, Liston gravitated
towards the likes of John William Waterhouse and John Singer Sargent.
The human form heavily inspires Liston. “People are beautiful,
mysterious, ever- changing and completely individual. I never, ever tire of
drawing, painting and sculpting the human figure and I very strongly believe I
never will. I think Michelangelo said it best: And who is so barbarous as
not to understand that the foot of a man is nobler than his shoe.”
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