Dreams of HER | Work by Meredith Steele Curated by Connor Lock

Those moments when you are by yourself looking out into the dark sky, hoping to feel something real as your chest tightens. Our imagination can cast our heart on to a ship in a deep sea of futures. We all have dreams of what we wish we could have or be. Especially when we are growing up.

Some of us will see a star flickering in the distance, whispering for us to make a wish. Others will look at the materials around us to start building these dreams into our reality.

DREAMS OF HER is a look into a young woman’s imagination of bringing inanimate objects together to create someone or thing real. Pulling from her dreams of being a fashion designer, this exhibit showcases the journey through a dream, through a process, of catching these women in the act of becoming real. There is an underlining message of searching for HER. Who is HER? Is HER a piece of all our imaginations? Looking into these scenes allows you to place your own thoughts on how you’d bring these women’s personas into this world. Follow the journey, reach out and touch for yourself. You may feel something pulse in your own heart if you do.

Meredith Steele is a Charleston based visual artist who thrives on exploring new methods and experimenting with unusual materials. Steele studied oil painting at The College of Charleston and continued to pursue a career as an oil painter in the following years. Years later she began to incorporate all sorts of found, collected, and repurposed materials into her work like pencil, pen, paint, fabric, buttons, metal, wire, paintbrushes, rubber, and more. Patterns, textures, and varied mediums create an individual personality for every piece.  Boldly feminine, the subjects of her work are dynamic and will leave the viewer noticing new details every time he/she looks at it. Steele’s artistic experience ranges from large installation work and murals to commission paintings and original series. Regardless of the project, her biggest hope professionally is to continue on a path of exploration.

Connor Lock moved to Charleston in 2007 after spending his formative years traveling through Europe. In 2015, Lock started S E V E N, a visual branding company named after his lucky number. As a creative problem solver with a multitude of skills, S E V E N is more than a graphic design company. Large-scale murals, quirky illustrations, brand identity and unique design solutions are just a few of the services Lock offers at S E V E N. Some of his clients include Holy City Brewing, Baker & Brewer, J. STARK, Charleston Moves, Chubby Fish, The CODFather, Freehouse Brewery, and Kwei Fei.