Monthly Archives: February 2011

SEWE Gala for Post & Courier

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http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2011/feb/18/sewe-kickoff-gala-features-wildlife-themed-works-a/

SEWE kickoff: Gala features wildlife-themed works from array of artists

BY DENISE K. JAMES
Special to The Post and Courier
Friday, February 18, 2011

There’s something about seeing a painting of an exotic animal that makes the world seem much larger and more amazing. Now imagine sharing a cocktail with the talented artist who managed to capture the beast on a canvas.

Thursday evening’s preview gala for the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, held in the Charleston Place ballroom, was packed with amazing artwork, food and laughter.

Southeastern Wildlife Gala

Sue Adair, a native of New York, is here for her third year of the festival, and paints only animals she has seen in person.

‘Those are my sheepdogs in that painting,’ she said, affectionately pointing at the art display. ‘We brought one of them down here with us for the event, but the other one doesn’t like to travel as much.’

Even the impressive elephant and zebra paintings are part of Adair’s actual experiences.

‘I’ve traveled to Tanzania and I took photos there, and later painted these,’ she said. ‘I’m mainly into birds, as you can tell from my body of work, but I try to keep things interesting.’

This year’s featured artist, Eldridge Hardie, said he is excited and honored to participate in SEWE for his first time. ‘I could not be happier,’ he said. ‘I’ve actually been painting for about 42 years, and yet this marks my first year at SEWE. I was actually invited to be the feature.’

Hardie, from Denver, enjoys the hospitality of SEWE, and said that he visits Charleston on a regular basis for the ‘wonderful food, history, and friendly folks.’

The artists who have been featured at SEWE in years past insisted that, although this year’s pleasant weather is certainly an improvement, last year’s snowstorm didn’t deter the magic of the event.

‘This is my third year being in the show,’ said painter Jon Ren. ‘I’ve been painting wildlife for about 10 years. I had a great experience in 2010, even though it was quite a bit colder.’

Local artist and gallery owner Karen Hewitt Hagan also had work showing Thursday evening. ‘It’s such an amazing event to be a part of,’ she said. ‘Working outside in nature is my first love. Most of my work is based on smaller images that I witness in real life and then I turn them into larger works. I believe that nature truly has the answers to everything we need to know.’

Gov. Nikki Haley arrived at the gala dressed in a stunning, mint-green gown, to be greeted by a throng of enthusiastic fans.

‘The energy in this room and at this event is what South Carolina is all about,’ Haley said. ‘I have always loved Charleston and I’m thrilled that this is my first time experiencing SEWE. We need to bring people to our state, and celebrate the goodness that South Carolina has to offer.’

Visit the Charleston Place hotel throughout SEWE to view the featured painting, sculpting and carving, plus prints.

 

Local Chocolatiers for the Charleston Scene

Posted in The Post & Courier by

Local chocolatiers melt hearts

BY DENISE K. JAMES

Special to The Post and Courier

Thursday, February 10, 2011
As a kid in elementary school, those nasty, cheap candies were first-rate Valentine’s Day treats. And if you got a piece of cheap chocolate with the rice crackles inside, you were golden.

Now that we’re adults, it’s time for something a little more decadent. Why not show your sweetie that you have good taste and you support local businesses? Right here in the Holy City, we have locally made candies that make perfect gifts for Valentine’s Day. Whether you crave a classic sea-salt caramel or something a bit more unexpected, you can find it right down the street.

photo

Dreamland Images

John Battles

Sweeteeth

Eric “Johnny” Battles started his chocolate business about four years ago, making his candies for EVO in Park Circle. At the time, he had no idea how much his sweets would catch on.

“Sometimes I feel like a phony because I wasn’t really trained in making sweets,” he laughs. “I finally took a class, after starting things up at EVO and then I started making chocolates at home. I find it to be challenging and fun.”

Battles puts an emphasis on everything about Sweeteeth being derived from Charleston.

“I use local everything,” he says. “The artists who design our boxes and our packaging are all local — even the printers. My friend, John Pundt, is currently designing for me, as well as two artists out of Greenville.”

The Sweeteeth team has enjoyed a new level of success in the past year by expanding the chocolates outside the state. Sweeteeth is now featured in about five states and about eight shops around the country.

For Valentine’s Day, Battles came up with a new flavor along with some packaging tailored especially for the holiday.

“I want products that are accessible to everyone, but are definitely high quality,” he says. “I try to keep my candies simple with flavors that taste good and remind me of the flavors I would eat as a child.”

While Battles wouldn’t share too much about his secret Valentine recipe, he assured me that it would be holiday appropriate. Now, you can order the limited-edition treat, the “Call of the Wild” bar, online and in stores. It’s a mixture of port wine and caramel, and the wrapper features different pairs of animals, er, celebrating Valentine’s Day.

“Charleston has given me the ability to make a living by creating candy,” says Battles. “The least I can do is give something fun back to the city.”

Check out all the fun creations at sweeteethchocolate.com. You also can buy the sweets at EVO and other stores around the area, such as Sugar, Caviar & Bananas and Robot Candy.

Christophe Paume

Christophe Paume is a third-generation chocolate maker who brings his sweets to Charleston all the way from France. He learned the craft from his father in Europe. Now, he and his wife, Carly Paume, sell the chocolates in Mount Pleasant and on King Street.

“We really need to expand again,” says Paume. “We’ve grown more than we anticipated when we got this space.”

The Paumes use a type of Swiss chocolate for their sweets and concentrate on all-natural flavors, using real fruits and even real mint leaves for their chocolates.

“We also do a lot of sculpting,” says Paume. “In other parts of the world, chocolate is more of an art form.”

Indeed, if you venture into their shop in the I’On neighborhood of Mount Pleasant, you’ll see everything from shoes to turtles — all made from chocolate!

The Paumes claim they were not aware of how “big” Valentine’s Day would be for Charleston, but this year, they are more than prepared for the rush.

“We have heart-shaped boxes and heart-shaped chocolates,” says Paume. “We have a few new flavors for the holiday, like passionfruit and champagne. We are also very willing to take custom orders.”

You can find Christophe chocolates at 357 N. Shelmore Blvd., Unit 1B, in the I’On Village or 363 1/2 King St. downtown. You also can order them online at christophechocolatier.com.