Betsy Chaffin creates her abstract artwork, which she often refers to as "markings," from her studio on Spring Island. She has a synergistic relationship with the Lowcountry: she worked to ensure that Spring Island was developed smartly to preserve the pristine environment, and in turn the environment fills her canvases.

"The abstracted forms and markings are distilled from my natural surrounding— the river, the marsh, trees, the sky," Chaffin explains. "The work is an expression of a point of view, a state of mind. Is the work about reality, memory, energy or landscape? Maybe a measure of each, though there is not a specific recipe."           

A lack of clear directions has never been so wonderful. Her markings are vigorous, with just enough color, to bring the mysterious to the familiar.

Betsy Chaffin will exhibit her work at the Charles Street Gallery from November 16 – December 8. The public is invited to an opening reception on Friday, November 16 from 5:30-9pm. The Charles Street Gallery is an established source for Lowcountry and international art, presented within a carefully renovated house surrounded by a lush garden in the middle of Beaufort's historic district. 843-521-9054, http://www.thecharlesstreetgallery.com, 914 Charles Street 29902.