Rock, Paper, Scissors
TJC Gallery, Spartanburg, South Carolina
April 18, 2013 – May 6, 2013
A son of the South, William Melton Halsey broke away from the conventions of most local painters to become a pioneer of modern art in the region. After study in the Northeast and abroad, Halsey settled permanently in Charleston in 1945, convinced he “could be vastly more useful in [his] native state than any place else.” Although Halsey departed from “the prevailing influence of the Old Charleston picturesque,” he credited his hometown as a source of inspiration: the decaying stucco buildings literally showed up in his work. Built up with gesso, sand, marble dust, found objects, and fabric, the abstract expressionist paintings, collages, and sculptures featured in this presentation reveal Halsey's singular genius.