New Shows

On April 22, 2010, my art will be featured at the Armory Arts Center, 1700 Parker Avenue, West Palm Beach, FL, in an exhibit that will run through May 14th. This show, entitled simply Armory Watch for Excellence, features the art of 12 artists selected by the Armory's Director and Curator for a mentoring program that will continue for two years. During this time, selected artists are followed in their studios and encouraged to produce a new body of work for exhibition at the Armory. I am one of those. For more information about this incredible, historic arts center, please visit its website: http://armoryart.org/.

On May 7th, 2010, my art will be featured in Dialography, a solo exhibition at the beautiful iGallery, located within the Campus Crusade, 100 Lake Hart Drive, Orlando, FL. There will be an opening reception that day from 2-3 p.m. The exhibit will continue through June 30th, A 'lunch with the artist' reception will also be held in June. More information will be forthcoming.

You're Invited!

You are warmly invited to attend the opening of Across the Universe at the Art League of Daytona Beach on March 7, 2010. On March 27, 2010, artist/sculptor/art historian, Louise Lieber, will moderate a gallery talk and panel discussion with the three artists. The events are free and open to all. Light refreshments will be served.

Also, on Monday, March 29th and Tuesday, March 30th, Fran and I will be painting and creating at the studios of the ALDB. Anyone is welcome to stop in between 10 a.m.-12noon and 1:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. those days to see what we're creating and for a private tour of the exhibit with the artists.

An Incredible Workshop

I and several of my friends, including my dear colleague Fran Gardner, attended a week long workshop with our gifted art coach, Steve Aimone, at the Atlantic Center for the Arts this past week. It concluded yesterday afternoon. All of us experienced a productive week and explored the parameters of our art-making. In this nurturing, honest and intense workshop, we produced some incredible art.

I decided to try out automatic drawing as a springboard for non-objective abstracting and as a tool for trouble-shooting work in progress. The results were quite rewarding for me. Steve shared other, useful tools for starting and completing abstract work.

After my first good night's sleep in a week, I'm ready for another coaching session!

RSVP-Members Only

The Maitland Art Center, located at 231 W. Packwood Avenue in Maitland, FL is an amazing art compound. Founded and designed in 1937 by Jules Andre Smith, its architecture and spirit echo Smith's original plan for this serene and inspiring artists' refuge. Read more about MAC on its website, www.maitlandartcenter.org, or here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maitland_Art_Center.

On January 22, 2010, the RSVP-Members Only exhibition opens there. My work has been juried into this event. Both the gallery and its annex (Germane Marvel Center) will be open to members on the 22nd and to the public on Jan. 23rd. The show comes down on March 14m 2010.

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.