Aiken artist Al Beyer to open Landscape Exhibition in the Bassett Gallery

March 30, 2016

CAMDEN, SC – The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County (FAC) announced a new exhibition opening on Thursday, April 7 in the Basset Gallery in conjunction with Springer Theatricals touring production of A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline. Large, realistic landscapes in oils by Aiken artist, Al Beyer will be on display. The exhibition will open with a catered reception from 6:00-7:30 p.m. in the Bassett Gallery at the FAC and will run through May 4. Catering for the reception will be provided by Ashley’s of McCaskill’s Farms.

• About the artist
Al Beyer is currently a full time professor at USC/Aiken. His landscapes are traditional, but also somewhat out of the norm in that they are large (up to seven feet.) He chooses ordinary slices of nature rather than scenic overlooks. The leaves and grasses are often next to the viewer with the goal of putting the viewer within the scene. You are engulfed in a world of smaller units or individual leaves instead of large trees or vistas. Textures become much more important and the compositions do not have the usual hierarchy of information. Within the passages are rhythms and fluctuations of edges and color. Beyer’s work is nearly as realistic as photography and quite beautiful.

Beyer had been painting landscapes for a decade when, following a heart attack, he found himself needing to walk on a daily basis. The daily walks precipitated the large paintings. Artistically, they show disparate influences that range from Dutch Baroque to Jackson Pollock.

For more information call 803-425-7676, extension 300 or visit the FAC website at www.fineartscenter.org. The Fine Arts Center of Kershaw County is located at 810 Lyttleton Street in Camden. Office hours are Monday through Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. and Thursday 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.

The Fine Arts Center is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that is funded in part by the Frederick S. Upton Foundation and the South Carolina Arts Commission, which receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional funding provided by the City of Camden, Kershaw County, and BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina along with donations from businesses and individuals.