Jul 142023
 

For Kate Cummins’ installation, gallery visitors can see different sections of her work by pulling the cords to the side- creating new combinations of the three large scrolls.

From the gallery website-

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing, painting or fabricating something out of something else” says artist Kate Cummins of her work. “I come from a creative household where the arts had a natural hierarchy”. After completing an Honors Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree from the University of Western Ontario, Kate travelled extensively and now lives with her family in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kate works in the film industry and has a busy studio practice where her focus has been creating work that responds to social issues. She says of her artistic career, “I am grateful to have a creative and challenging work life and look forward to concentrating exclusively on my artwork”.

The need to connect with others is the purpose and motivation for my art making. In my large scale abstract paintings I call attention to recurrent symbols: icons, motifs and totems. This personal iconography has become my language. Through it I am able to process and communicate perspectives regarding the effects of important societal influences, primarily; climate crisis, social conflict, and women’s rights. I rely on form and color to distill an internal commentary I cannot put into words. I see the work conveying my sense of optimism and confidence on a vibrant, color filled surface yet there’s an insinuated disorder and disguised unease. I am whisper-yelling “do you feel that everything’s ok-not really?” The artwork is reciprocal, a gateway in which I strive for a connection with others, I’m reaching an outstretched hand through painting and trying to say I want to make things better.

Also check out her Instagram to keep up with her work.

Jenipher Chandley says of her paintings (pictured above)- “My art is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit”.

From the gallery website-

Jenipher Chandley is a representational artist working in her hometown of St. Petersburg Fl. Where she has raised her 4 children and is a proud new grandmother. She has earned degrees in Interior, and Graphic Design, from IADT Tampa. Jenipher is currently lead curator for Bar@548, She also has co-curated and exhibited in 100’s of shows throughout the Tampa Bay Area.

The story of love is the overarching theme in her work—the journey to find it, revel, cherish and protect it, the pain of losing it. She finds common ground where we are all connected, through nature, the human condition, and the energy all around us that drives us forward. Her artwork is real, sometimes raw, and emotionally charged, expressed through symbolism and poetic gestures. Jenipher brings her emotions and the entirety of her subconscious to the work, and through complete vulnerability uncover the strength to forge healing. She returns often to the divine feminine, to rediscover the beauty of inner power and resilience that conquers all. The work is vast in concept and style, while always human and relatable because our art should be as complex and ever-changing as we are.

Check out her website and Instagram for more.

Above are Marie Cummings colorful multimedia paintings. Check out her website and Instagram for more.

Her bio from the gallery’s website-

Marie Cummings was born in Detroit, Michigan. There she studied psychology and business at Wayne State University. She moved to Clearwater, Florida with her three daughters, where she embarked on a career as a Realtor. When her last daughter entered college, Marie decided to seek a new direction in her life: she wanted to explore the world of visual art. While studying Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center (Dunedin, Florida), she also ventured into Creative Writing at St. Petersburg College (St. Petersburg, Florida). This dual experience served as a launching pad for a serious embrace of fine art from an outside-the-box viewpoint.

Since that time, Marie has focused on the creative potential of Watermedia. She finds deep, rich, bold hues intensely exciting. Marie thinks of her palette, brushes and paper as tools for play. Water and paint dance together in her studio, making forms that spark the imagination and speak to the heart. Her work is a form of meditation, an expression of her soul.

Marie recently taught Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center—the same course that first inspired her to take the leap into the world of art. She also enjoys teaching beginning watercolor classes for adults who are beginning to dip their toes in the wellspring of their own creative resources. She takes a relaxed yet encouraging approach to instruction, giving her students the time, space and gentle guidance necessary to grow as artists.