V.J. Hagenbuckle, “On Mars”, 2020, Oil on canvas
Paintings by V.J. Hagenbuckle
There are many incredible artists living and working in the Tampa Bay area and quite a few of them also teach. Leepa-Rattner Museum of Art in Tarpon Springs is currently showing work by faculty from the Visual Arts department at St. Petersburg College. In addition to a statement about their work, each faculty member also contributed their teaching philosophy.
Artists included in the exhibition- Jonathan Barnes, Nathan Beard, Ragan Brown, Mason Gehring, Barton Gilmore, Kevin Grass, Marjorie Greene Graff, Jennifer Guest, Jim Hagenbuckle, Elizabeth Indianos, Kim Kirchman, Michaela Oberlaender, Krishna Sadasivam, and McKenzie Smith.
Tonight, 12/7, Jim Hagenbuckle will be giving a talk at the museum at 6pm.
This exhibition is on view until 12/17/23.
Michaela Oberleander, “Bleed Out”, 2010, Acrylic on canvas
Kim Kirchman, “Cultivating What Might Be Lost”, 2022, Terra cotta with slip transfer
Work from Nathan Beard’s “LIFE LINES”
The Memory Map works on view here are my very newest attempt at understanding the role that fallible memory plays in the shaping of culture and self. These small watercolor studies are Phase II of LIFE LINES, a grand 3-part project in which I am examining my family’s memory of themselves and making artwork that tells their story. I plan to collect all of these studies into a singular book that can be handed down through the generations, or perhaps even preserved in a museum for everyone to see.
To create Memory Maps, I have created a survey for each family member. I ask them some general genealogy questions, since this survey will also function as a historical record, including their three favorite colors. I then ask them to try to remember each year of their life, from birth til now, and assign a rank between 0 and 5 for a) how clear their memory of the year is; b) how important that year was for them; c) how “good” or “bad” the year was. I add these columns together to get an “Accumulative” data set that I use to create a skeleton composed of alternating pentagons and hexagons that rotate as they expand. This part is important since it incorporates movement through time and space as we grow outward. Using the fact that our life’s journey always wavers, I then connect the points and end up with a “map” that resembles the cross-section of a tree, and contains all the metaphors associated with tree rings and natural growth cycles.
The most important visual development presented itself with Cate Clark, where I allowed myself the freedom to incorporate representational imagery. I asked my wife about her favorite place ever, and she surprised me with the family trip we took to Letchworth State Park in upstate NY. I found a picture from that trip with our daughter Vera standing at the edge of wood, and proceeded to paint that memory in resemblance of an antique plate. I also allowed myself the freedom to stray away from the tree ring aspect, while still using the data skeleton to place the bursts of color.
For more information, his artist talk is available here.
Work by Jonathan Barnes
Sculpture by Jonathan Barnes
Sculpture by Jonathan Barnes
Soda/Salt Fired stoneware by McKenzie Smith
Acrylic on canvas paintings by Mason C. Gehring
Relief and silkscreen by Marjorie Greene Graff
Artists continue on page 2.
Work by Jenny Granberry (top) and Victoria Block (bottom)
Journals by Eva Avenue (top left) and Laura Waller (bottom left) and photography by Andrew Sovjani
On the second floor of the Dunedin Fine Art Center are photographs by Andrew Sovjani and a collection of sketchbooks from a variety of artists, many of which you can look through- with gloves of course. It’s easy to spend lots of time with all the inspiring books these artists have created.
The exhibition closes 8/13/23.
About Andrew Sovjani, from the gallery-
Andrew Sovjani is a visual artist recognized for blurring the boundaries between photography, printmaking and painting. Raised in a family of working studio artists, art making is in his blood. Andrew has drawn from his life experiences in the scientific world and living in Asia to create transcendent bodies of work that are often extremely peaceful. His award-winning photographs have been shown in exhibitions throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan and are held in many public and private collections. He has won awards of distinction at many of the top fine arts festivals in the nation and was a finalist for the Critical Mass book awards in 2008 and 2016.
Some of the artists whose books are included in the exhibition are- Jenny Granberry, Victoria Block, Eva Avenue, Laura Waller, Dion Dior, Daniel Mrgan, Julia Collver, Coralette Damme, Joan Duff Bohrer, Marjorie Greene Graff, Lukas Mosimann, Luis Colan, Kathy Pollak, Jennifer Kosharek, and Katy Deits.
Work by Eva Avenue
Work by Dion Dior
Work by Daniel Mrgan (top) and Julia Collver
Work by Coralette Damme
Work by Joan Duff Bohrer
Work by Marjorie Geene Graff
Work by Lukas Mosimann
Work by Luis Colan (left) and Lukas Mosimann
Journals by Kathy Pollak
Work by Jennifer Kosharek
Work by Katy Deits
Polly E. Perkins, “Woodstork Portrait”, 2022 from Ferman Center for the Arts
24 Hands is a printmaking collective of Florida Gulf Coast printmakers founded by Marjorie Greene Graff. The group has regular exhibitions throughout the year at various locations in the area.
Recently a group of their artists were showing work at The Ferman Center for the Arts, on the University of Tampa’s campus. Below are a few selections from that exhibition.
For more information on Polly E. Perkins, whose work is in the first image, check out her Instagram.
Linda Dee Guy, “Botanical Shroud”, 2021, acrylic, Inkjet print, Goldleaf on canvas
Linda Dee Guy, “Nucleus”, 2021
Linda Dee Guy, “Seascape”, 2021
For more work by Linda Dee Guy, check out her website and Instagram.
Serhat Tanyolacar, “Untitled”, 2020, Laser engraved relief print
Serhat Tanyolacar, “Untitled”, 2020, Laser engraved relief print
For more work by Serhat Tanyolacar, check out his website.
Ry McCullough, “Meditations in Orange”, 2021, Pochoir, serigraphy, gouache, watercolor, vinyl, gaffers tape on okawara
For more of Ry McCullough’s work, check out his website and Instagram.
Currently at Brooker Creek Preserve’s Education Center in Tarpon Springs is Nature Inspired, another exhibition of work by the 24 Hands collective.
From the exhibition-
For “Nature Inspired”, the artists visited Brooker Creek Preserve in March 2022 and March 2023 to strategize the exhibit and hike around the Preserve. Their love for Brooker Creek and nature has been inspiring and their work represents a variety of approaches from comical to realist to aesthetic abstraction. The exhibition includes prints by: Holly Bird, Saumitra Chandratreya, Tyrus Clutter, Elizabeth Coachman, Marjorie Greene Graff, Mary-Helen Horne, Stephen Littlefield, Ry McCullough, Polly E. Perkins, Christine Renc-Carter, and Rachel Stewart.
Below is work from the exhibition by Mary-Helen Horne. You can also find her work on Instagram.
Mary-Helen Horne, “Floating on Air”, 2023, Monoprint with drypoint, relief and pochoir
Nature Inspired has been extended until 8/13/23. It’s a great show and a chance to check out the natural surroundings that helped create the work.