Valentina Messina’s miniature gallery is no small addition to West Ashley’s art scene
It’s tiny, and we didn’t have an official ribbon-cutting, but it features original work by artist Valentina Messina and is open for viewing during your personal Art Walk at 1369 Pooshee Dr. It’s already receiving rave reviews from the neighborhood.
Born and raised in Italy, Messina had visited Charleston as a tourist and been struck by its vibrant and active artistic community, but never dreamed she could be part of it.
To her surprise, her family won the Green Card Lottery 12 years ago and they accepted the adventure. Moving to Charleston sparked a new chapter in her creative life and she left behind a conventional career to paint full time. Settling in Charleston, she initially took art classes with Joyce Hall and now paints with Laurie Meyer.
Messina has always loved tiny things, and whimsical wee critters appear in her full-size paintings, peeking out of painted openings in vintage manuscripts. And Christmas! She loves all things Christmas.
Last spring, friend and fellow artist, Mary Morris, asked for help with the creation of one of the Fairy Tale villages that were part of the Fairies & Flowers exhibition at Magnolia Plantation. Messina enjoyed creating the tiny scenes so much that she asked her patient and collaborative husband Marco to help build a miniature art gallery. He built the structure and she painted the small works. The featured artworks are mostly replicas of larger paintings she has created in the past.
Messina exhibits larger versions of her paintings at The Charleston Artist Guild Gallery on East Bay Street and participates in the annual Piccolo Spoleto outdoor art exhibition.
I had such a fun visit to her studio and came home with my own piece of art. Mine features a Gold Bug painted on pages from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Gold Bug.
A significant part of Valentia’s work is finding the perfect sheet of paper to become part of the finished piece, rather than something painted over. She spends endless hours in bookshops, antique stores, and European Flea Markets pouring through old manuscripts and sheet music. The staff at Terrace Oaks Antique Store keep her in mind when suitable goods arrive.
We can all help – keep Messina in mind if you have vintage books, manuscripts, ledger forms, or vintage postcards that might be suitable backgrounds for a painting. To see more examples of how she matches art to manuscripts, visit www.charlestonartistguildgallery.com/collections/175754
Stay healthy my friends and wave at me as I wander. Send ideas to: westashleywanderer@gmail.com.
