ABOUT THE GALLERY

On June 15, 2006 Bernie Horton Gallery opened in  historic Pawleys Island, South Carolina in conjunction with Calk Havens Gallery.  The two new galleries are located under one roof at the Village Shops on Highway 17, just south of the Hammock Shops.

The new Bernie Horton Gallery is housed in a beach style bungalow with an expansive porch, nestled under a giant live oak tree.  The inviting white walls and honey colored pine floors are a perfect backdrop for Bernie’s lowcountry art. 

We welcome you to visit the gallery to see the lowcountry marsh scenes and the figure paintings featuring the shrimpers, clammers, oysterers as they seek the bounty of the tidal marsh, creeks and pluff mud. You may also visit our website.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

A native of rural North Carolina, Bernie attended the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida.  In 1989, he moved to Pawleys Island, SC, leaving a successful 28 year career in advertising.  Bernie bought a business in the Hammock Shops which would be his first venture into the business of fine art, selling prints and framing.  Bernie eventually started to create prints of his own, mainly antique golf images. The golf prints were so successful, they drew the attention of the largest print producer in America, Bruce McGaw Graphics, who has successfully marketed them worldwide.  Now, anywhere you find golf, you find Bernie’s signature images. 

Living at the edge of the marsh, Bernie began to paint fine art originals of the beauty of his surroundings.  His marshscapes are instilled with playfulness of light and the spirit of his surroundings. 

Bernie later operated another small gallery in Pawleys, The Bernie Horton Studio Gallery, selling his popular golf prints as well as original paintings.  After 3 years he opened the Bernie Horton Gallery in Charleston on scenic church St., where his work was received enthusiastically.  Soon Bernie’s art ended up in more than 40 states and countless foreign countries. 

After 8 years, Bernie conveyed the gallery to his brother, Mark Kelvin Horton, also an artist. Bernie is no longer associated with the Charleston gallery, which now goes by the name Horton Hayes Fine Art.  

Bernie has reopened in Pawleys Island, in conjunction with Calk Havens Gallery, which features the work of Jim Calk and Betsy Havens of Georgetown, SC. The gallery is located in the Village Shops on Hwy. 17, Pawleys Island, SC.  The two galleries share the same building, but operate separately, yet support each other in promotions and sales, sharing the day to day operation of the fine art gallery. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST’S WORK

Bernie has studied and been successful with many different art mediums. From charcoal drawing, watercolor, egg tempera, acrylic. His primary medium is now is oil.

His subject matter has been as varied as rustic items and houses, nudes, antique golf and sports paraphernalia, portraits, still lifes and even abstracts. Bernie finds the abstract process to be one of the most exhilarating and relaxing processes.

Bernie is most recognized for his light-filled marsh landscapes. Bernie strives to showcase the beauty of the lowcountry marshes, beaches and people. He strives to capture in his paintings the various moods, emotions, weather conditions and the different seasons and times of day. He is intrigued by the pluff mud, the marsh grasses, the egrets, herons and other visiting waterfowl that frequent the lowcountry marsh. Bernie approaches each painting from an impressionistic standpoint, but to most of the viewers and collectors, they seem to be realistic due to the concentration of perspective, proportion and attention to detail.