March 13th and 14th Gallery Showing

On March 13th and 14th Charleston's Art Community will be pleased to see the creative works of local artists, Dave Thomas and Ian Bode. Their work will be featured in Chet Lowther's Studio, located at 223 1/2 Hale Street Charleston West Virginia, 25301 from 6-9pm.

Ian Bode, a Charleston Native, has been fine tuning his own style of artistic expression his entire life. His cartoon and music inspired work has been displayed in several galleries and private collections within the Charleston area. Currently, he is also working on creating the illustrations for a children's book. Dan Tompkins, local foodie and art collector has been quoted as saying, "Bode's apparently simple cartoon sketches convey an amazing depth of emotion without beating viewers over the head with anything."

His latest work is inspired by some of the world's best song writers and their lyrics. He is currently taking requests or suggestions as to new music, song writers, and lyrics as to continue on with this new form of music inspired pieces. Be sure to check out his sketch pad full of ideas and lyrical pictures that will be on hand at the Studio.

Dave Thomas, a native of Oak Hill, WV and current Charleston resident, has been creating art for as long as he can remember. Elizabeth Kavitz, a West Virginia lawyer and collector of art, finds that Dave Thomas' peices are "cartoon-like visions that reflect the proportions we feel rather than the ones we see." He refers to himself as "the washboard guy that makes crazy art."

Dave Thomas also plays percussion instruments for several bands around town. You can see him rythmically beating on a percussion instrument of some sorts in Charleston's own Taste Like Chicken, Bon Scottscok, and sitting in as a guest with most any other band that takes the stage at Sam's Uptown Cafe. Along with Bode, Thomas has presented his work in many galleries around Charleston and is represented in personal collections around the United States.

On a personal note, I refer to both Dave and Ian as friend. I'm looking forward to the near future when I can invest in a piece of Ian's work. I have several pieces that Dave has created that are hanging in my apartment and in my classroom. I have asked Dave to create a new piece for me and he will be unveiling it on the 13th at the show. I have yet to see it, or even the design. I gave him a concept 6 months ago, and asked him to run with it. For the whole story of how this peice came to be, be sure to check it out here. It's a pretty great dream come true.

Make it a point to drop into Chet Lowther's Studio on March 13th or 14th to see the fantastic work created by two of Charleston's finest artisans. Support your local artists and artistic community!