December Events

If you are looking for an unusual and affordable gift for someone on your list this coming holiday, be sure to visit the galleries at the Artists' Workshop of New Smyrna Beach (115 Canal St. - 386-424-9254) and the Art League of Daytona Beach (433 S. Palmetto St. - 386-258-3856) for their respective 'small works' shows. Every December, these non-profit organizations feature two- and three-dimensional art measuring no greater than 14" in any direction. All work is priced low, making it easy to find that unique present. Several of my works are featured in both galleries. Stripling, depicted here, is among these.

On December 17th, The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S. Magnolia St., Orlando - -407-803-6670 ) hosts its 5th Annual Artists Registry Juried Exhibition. This year, Badinage, has made the grade. This show runs through January 15th, 2010.

On December 18th, central Florida's best and newest success story, the Lake Eustis Museum of Art (200 B. East Orange Ave. - 352-483-2900) opens its first annual, juried Papers Works 4 Me show. This exhibition features selected works by entrants from Lake Eustis Museum of Art's national works on paper competition, in addition to three works by judge Ryan Burkhart, of South Carolina, arts editor for Southern Review Magazine and former director of UCF's Flying Horse Editions Fine Arts Press in Orlando. The opening reception is at 6 – 9 p.m. Dec. 18, Lake Eustis Museum of Art. And this show runs through Jan. 20th. Two of my mixed media works are included. One of these, Assemblage, is depicted here.To everyone, I wish you peace, health and happiness now and into 2010. I will be a wonderful year!

Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

Sidestepper has been accepted into Rise-Fall, a multi-city event marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. During the month of November, Sidestepper can be viewed at http://www.rise-fall.com/. The exhibition will be conducted in Miami, Boston, NYC, Los Angeles and Washington, DC. Try to visit one of the sites during this travelling show: NYC is the first stop.

Also, my acrylic mixed media piece, To Lure a Selkie, has taken First Place in the 2D category at a Women in the Visual Arts Exhibit at the Armory Art Center, 1700 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach. Another of my paintings, Ah-Ha Moment, was also juried into this event.I hope that you can see this work and more than 250 other artistic creations at this beautiful gallery before it comes down on October 30th. For more information about the story leading up to the creation of To Lure a Selkie, please read my other blog, http://a-crosstheuniverse.blogspot.com/, under the title "Water" (August 30, 2009).

Art of Enduring

In October for a period of 11 days, I participated in a 'paint-in' and exhibition at downtown Orlando's City Arts Factory, 29 S. Orange Ave. The event was sponsored and funded entirely by the Limner Society, a faith-based international organization that works through the visual arts to benefit worthy local and international cases. Generous donations of art supplies from Jerry's Art-A-Rama and local churches and synagogues furnished our tools and nourishment to sustain us over the ten-day period. The Marriott Hotel in Orlando served as our home during this time. Six resident Limner artists and six juried guest Limners (myself included), painted in a studio at the CAF and then curated an exhibition of our work, which opened on Oct. 15th. The streets were closed in front of the gallery, live entertainment drew folks, and the Limners conducted a silent auction of the work we produced during the paint in. Several of my works sold. A Latin jazz combo inside the gallery kept the throngs of patrons entertained.

The work produced by the artists involved were donated by them for purposes of the silent auction and ensuing exhibition. This show continues until the week of Nov. 15th. Although about a third of the 58 paintings juried into this show have already been sold at silent auction prices, all work is priced lower in order to sell to benefit worthy charities in Orange County, FL and relief efforts abroad. Please stop by the CAF Gallery or call 407.648.7060 for further information.

abstracted women

On September 19, 2009, my art will be featured in an exhibition, Abstracted Women, at the Rose Room Gallery of the Peabody Auditorium, 600 Auditorium Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL. There will be an opening reception on Sept. 24th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. The exhibition will run through December 16, 2009.




Everyone is also invited to participate in a panel discussion to be moderated by artist/architect/art historian Louise Lieber. This panel discussion and gallery talk will occur on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009, from 3-5 p.m. in the Rose Room Gallery. We will discuss our process and respond to questions presented by Ms. Lieber and the audience. The Irish Comedy Tour show begins at 8:00 p.m. at the Peabody, so why not make a day of it: art, refreshments, dinner at a nearby restaurant on the beach, and a show?

100% pure florida

This month, my painting, Storm Warning, is featured in 100% Pure Florida, a juried event at the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery in Melbourne, FL. This annual show includes the art of Florida artists from across the state. Only five award are presented. And Storm Warning took Third Place!

I was honored to have been one of the 43 artists selected from nearly 300 for this show, but winning this prize left me speechless. The exhibit opened on Sept. 4th and the gallery was packed with art lovers. The show runs through Sept. 30th. Fifth Avenue Art Gallery is located at 1470 Highland Ave. in the heart of Melbourne's Eau Gallie Arts District, across the street from the Brevard Art Museum.

Click on these links to read more about this exciting event: http://www.brevardartnews.com/2009/09/100-pure-florida-winners-annouced.html

http://www.myhometownnews.net/index.php?id=61814

directed individual study

I have just returned from a workshop, Directed Individual Study, at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. ACA is one of Florida's greatest secret treasures. It offers visual and performing artists a haven where they can explore and push their boundaries in a beautiful, natural setting. When in central Florida, please visit and support this unique arts center and the Pabst Gallery.

This past week, my art coach, Steve Aimone, gently pushed nine of us to fulfill our respective objectives. It was fun, frustrating, fascinating and productive. I completed some work that thrills me and one, in particular, that stemmed from a two-week long dream sequence. My dreams were haunted by an unknown toddler, about 15-18 months of age. I finally awoke midweek, sketched her out on a scrap of paper by the phone with a Sharpie, and dashed over to ACA's studio to paint her out. I have no idea whether I will let this piece survive my usual obliteration by painting, but for now, she will rest on canvas along with other elements from those lingering dreams.

The balance of my developing work incorporates language, musical elements, and stream-of-consciousness images that appear when I'm not analyzing. I don't know whether my paintings are completed. But I am certainly enjoying this process.

across the universe

I and fellow artists Fran Gardner (fiber and painting) and Cheryl Bogdanowitsch (sculptor), who are exhibiting together at the Harris Gallery of the Art League of Daytona Beach in March 2010, have started a blog, inviting public comments and critiques as our work progresses. Please follow it at: http://a-crosstheuniverse.blogspot.com/ and provide your input.