Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan at the City Gallery

The City Gallery at Waterfront Park will hold the opening reception of "Works by Charlie Bidwell and Samantha Magowan" 6-8 p.m. Saturday. Curated by Charleston native and Los Angeles resident Chris Davis and co-curated by Erin Glaze of the City Gallery, this show will make you give another thought to "stuff."

"Samantha Magowan transforms herself in installations that are saturated with bright colors, psychedelic patterns and angles that create optical illusions. Photographer Charlie Bidwell utilizes an unusual amount of negative space, providing the viewer with a different viewpoint of the monumental architecture and billboards which dominate the American landscape. In their work, both artists reflect the influence and side effects of living in an environment saturated with 'stuff' and how it affects the eyes and minds of artists living in L.A.," explains Barbara Vaughn, director of media relations.

London-born Magowan works in a range of mediums and materials, using photography, painting and installation to create colorful and strange worlds where nature and artifice playfully collide. Magowan has exhibited her work extensively throughout the United States and internationally and is included in the upcoming publication "Artnow: New Faces of American Art." She is represented by Annarumma 404 in Naples, Italy. Magowan lives and works in Los Angeles.

L.A.-based Bidwell is self-taught fine art photographer who focuses on iconic architectural structures around the world as well as some of the remaining Americana roadside attractions from the '50s and '60s. He incorporates a minimal, negative-space approach to the majority of his photographs, primarily in the black-and-white form. Color is used in a small portion of his work, primarily within his series of neon road signs.

The exhibit opens with a reception Saturday and will be on display until Aug. 29. Visit the gallery at 34 Prioleau St., or find out more info online at www.charlestonarts.sc.

Palette and Palate Stroll

As you read in last week's Charleston Scene, every summer the Charleston Fine Art Dealers' Association puts on its Palette and Palate Stroll. This is an evening for lovers of art and food (which consists of most of the people in Charleston), as this event is a collection of some of the city's most reputable galleries paired with equally outstanding restaurants, the best of the best of the visual and edible, if you will.

Be sure to check out "From the Mountains to the Sea: Landscapes and Interiors of the South by Julyan Davis" at Carolina Galleries. His hauntingly elegant works explore the Southern landscape: abandoned mansions, dilapidated barns, cityscapes, beach scenes and the like.

The 2010 CFADA gallery and restaurant pairings are Ann Long Fine Art and FIG, Carolina Galleries and Circa 1886, Charleston Renaissance Gallery and High Cotton, Corrigan Gallery and Cypress, Ella Walton Richardson Fine Art and Blu, Helena Fox Fine Art and Amen Street Fish and Raw Bar, Martin Gallery and 82 Queen, Robert Lange Studios and Social, Smith-Killian Fine Art and McCrady's, The Sylvan Gallery and Halls Chophouse, and Wells Gallery and Charleston Grill.

Tickets are $45. Visit their website at www.charlestonfineartdealersassociation.com to purchase tickets.