Anne Abgott
Born in Canada, I am now a full time resident of Florida and North Carolina. I teach workshops across the country and at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts. I first see my art through the lens of my camera and seek the challenge of capturing light, shadow and luminosity. To create a work of art is my joy. l am attracted to color and dramatic compositions, as well as the expression of life. My work was published in the summer 2004 Watercolor magazine and the November 2004 Artists magazine. My talent has been recognized by being a recent finalist in International Artist magazine and also featured In Watercolor Magic and Northlight magazines. I've been the recipient of numerous awards In Florida as well as the American Watercolor Show in New York City. Anne Abgott maintains studios in Cortez, Florida and Linville, North Carolina. She is the author of the #1 best selling book, Daring Color, published by North Light Books.
Anne is the past President of the Florida Watercolor Society and the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and is a long time member of the Board of Directors of Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Florida and chairs their Education Department. Anne teaches workshops all over the United States and Canada. Her workshop and class schedule can be found on her web site. She competes in local and national exhibits, winning many awards along the way. She is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society, Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society as well as the Philadelphia Watercolor Society. www.anneabgott.com.
Frank Bibbins
As a fine art photographer, I try to create photographs that go beyond being pictorial or realistic. A fine art photograph is made up of three parts: the object captured, the psyche of the photographer, and metaphor. Every photographer stamps his psyche on his work. This can be as simple as how he frames the photograph, or as complex as how he chooses to post-process and present the image. I believe a photograph must transcend the initial capture. A fine art photograph should show the viewer something about the object captured that is new. Even more importantly, a fine art photographer must stimulate emotion in the viewer. Some of my photographs are entirely about emotion and have little to do with a physical object. Photographic metaphor means that certain elements in the photograph stand for or suggest something else. For example, the black skies in many of my monochrome photographs are a metaphor for mystery or non-reality. A fine art photographer strives to show all of these truths combined into a whole. When successful, something greater is achieved, something the viewer may not have before seen or felt.
I studied photography at Purdue University under Steve Rose. Afterwards, I became an advertising photographer and had my own fine art gallery in Indianapolis, Indiana. I’ve always gravitated to fine art photography, my early influences were photographers like Adams, Weston, Cartier-Bresson and Eugene Smith. I love the big dark landscapes created by Adams and the intimate journalism of Cartier-Bresson. Later I became aware of Jerry Ulsemann and his wonderful multiple image photographs. By combining elements from more than one capture into a single image, or collage, Ulsemann is able to generate his own reality, and in so doing, shows us something more of ourselves.
My own style evolved from these influences, and then was fused with the vibrant colors of advertising photography. Whether in black and white or color, I love strong saturation, geometric spaces and simplicity of expression. I see no need to reproduce reality. My work often utilizes multiple unrelated elements combined into subtle new images. I use extensive post-processing to expand on the color pallet and produce entirely new special effects. I recently spent time in France photographing areas frequented by the Impressionist painters of the nineteenth century. Here one senses a continuity of thought moving from the past into the present. The techniques of impressionists such as Van Gogh, and synthesists such as Paul Gauguin, can be incorporated into our digital age. I believe the past always influences the present.
Photography is a journey, through place and time and thought. I hope you enjoy the ride. www.frankbibbins.com
Deborah Brestel
Brestel has exhibited for years in galleries, group exhibitions, juried art shows, and several one-woman shows. Locations include St. Maarten’s, Englewood and Sarasota, FL, and Rutherfordton and Cliffside, NC. Primarily a self-taught artist, Deborah Brestel was first introduced to painting at the Art Institute of Boston. She continued to develop her unique, stylistic realism with classes at the Ringling School of Art & Design, and with private instructors, most notably Marisse London of Sarasota.
A Maine native, Ms. Brestel has lived in some of the most dramatic and striking settings in the world, including the Windward Islands in the sparkling Caribbean. There, her innate passion for color was further enhanced by her lovely surroundings. The spectacular volcanic island of St. Maarten inspired her daily to capture its capricious moods. In the foothills of North Carolina, she expressed the beauty and majesty of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains on canvas. South Florida is currently inspiring her to convey its beauty in her own stylized, expressionistic manner.
Each leg of her life’s journey has impacted her brightly colored canvases in a different way. With each change of scenery and climate, the palette colors and subjects shift. Each move means a different way of life and a different approach to art. The environment, local colors, climate, and mood profoundly affect the palette and the finished work.
Said Deborah, “I love the spontaneity and freedom of acrylic paints and frequently switch between the brush and palette knife. Currently I am exploring the use of negative space and texture to further enhance the work. I like to create dreamlike spaces and places in which to retreat from a stressful world."
Dana Clark
Dana Clark started carving wood at Milburn High School, New Jersey. He sold his first piece to the Paper Mill Play House in 1970. Dana studied art at USF, MCC, Ringling School of Art in 1983, and understudied with many individual artists. He works with clay, stone, wood, steel, and aluminum.
Dana worked with clay and wood for many years and graduated to alabaster and marble at Ringling School of Art. Dana’s major focus has always been the surreal and abstract. He started exploring erotic surrealism with clay in the late 70s and has returned to this side of himself recently. His most recent evolution is mastering welding, which he has used to express his whimsical self using steel and aluminum.
Jacquie Clark
Jacqueline Clark FWS, PWS, NWS, is an artist always in pursuit of the essence. After a thorough grounding in sculpture and years of concentration on oil painting, she discovered the joyful spontaneity of watercolor and has focused her efforts in that medium ever since. Her early recognition and awards came for her oils and sculpture. Without the understanding of structure learned there, mastery of watercolor would still be beyond her. Now, as her watercolor technique matures through practice, experimentation, and instruction, her fascination with the medium and control of the finished product becomes ever more sure.
She has studied with many of this country's prominent watercolorists in workshops and symposia in the states, as well as abroad, to renew and recharge her commitment to a demanding medium. Jacquie taught watercolor and all media painting at Sarasota and Manatee Adult & Community Education for many years. She now teaches privately in her studio, Personal Statement.
Jacquie explains, "I started using watercolor for the ease; no mess, no smell, so I could just add water and it dried so quickly. I have always been attracted to flowers and feel that watercolor captures the fragility of the flower's essence. This medium can be the most relaxing, fun and spiritually satisfying. When I paint there is no time or space, only a feeling of pure joy. I never tire of it. I have visited many museums all over the world and felt the excitement art can bring. I want each of my works to bring that same feeling to the viewer."
Boots Culbertson
After formal training in art and biology, culminating in a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan, Boots Culbertson has produced medical and botanical illustrations for many scientific publications. But, fascinated with three-dimensional work, she turned to clay while apprenticing with potter Frank Colson at his studio in Sarasota, Florida. She later studied with Byron Temple at Penland School of Crafts and Karen Kames at the Memphis Academy of Art, and has participated in many workshops, including those of Marquerite Wildehain, Paul Soldner, Ruth Duckworth, Jale Ylmabasar, Hal Riegger, Jay Brophy and others. Boots has taught wheel throwing at the Colson School of Art and at her own studio for over twenty five years, while producing award winning work of her own. She has also taught at New College and Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, and has led many workshops at art leagues and schools, in both clay work and scientific illustration. With skills developed during her apprenticeship, Boots has built her own pottery wheels and kilns, and she mixes all her own glazes. Her unique work, ranging from smaller functional and decorative work to larger fountains, sinks, and garden pieces, is shown in many galleries and collections in the U.S. and abroad. She creates elegant funeral urns on commission. Boots is also well know for her evolving series of playful 'Whimsicats'.
Boots feels, "In our technological society, I think the responsibility of the artist/craftsman is to capture in her work some of the energy of having met the natural world. She translates that which she encounters into meaningful forms which affect the sensibilities of other people, thereby changing their environment. For me it is exciting to feel that I am working this way; that I have responded to my environment, catching some of its energy in the forms I create, and then see that energy returned, full circle, to our environment. It is a way of life, and it is very exciting! "
Shirley Rush Dean
My work is a response to the world I see and enjoy. My wish is to share with others the sense of place of the landscapes and things I love. I work with a variety of media including watercolor, acrylic, oil and etching. Since moving to Florida and experiencing the vivid colors of the landscape I have turned mainly to watercolor and acrylic to capture those images. The extreme contrasts of colors and shapes in this environment challenge me to create compositions that reflect that beauty.
Shirley holds Master’s degree in Fine Art from American Univ. in Washington, D.C. and a B. A. in Art Education from the Univ. of Maryland where she taught Design, Drawing and Color Theory for 20 years and lectured in Design at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D. C. Teaching at Bethesda Chevy Chase H. S. gave her a broad background in many media including photography, printmaking, ceramics and painting. As a ceramicist she created a two story mural on a public building in Bethesda, MD.
The artist has received numerous awards and her work is in hundreds of collections across the country. Her work is shown at Art Uptown in Sarasota, FL., Island Gallery West on Anna Maria Island, Artists Gallery Royale and in St. Petersburg, FL. http://www.srushdean.com/
Barrington DeMers
Barrington DeMers has been living and working in Bradenton Florida since 1983. Miro, Dali and Van Gogh are some of the artists that have inspired the contemporary style in his artwork. He is especially interested in the interaction of color and form in his abstract expressionist style. He is known by his friends as the the 'pixel pusher' because he paints digitally by moving pixels of color on the computer screen with his digital paint brushes. Bary relayed, "I grew up living close to NYC and the MoMA and was exposed to many modern art styles. I would look at Miro's artwork with a child's eye and see very playful marks as open, expansive, and indeterminate. I also look to Van Gogh for whom color was his chief symbol of expression. I like to think that my digital modernistic style is like that of Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and emotion, to help the viewer experience the spiritual essence of man and nature in dark times."
Bary's digital works of art are giclée prints on canvas or paper and are created and printed using state of the art digital technology. He has done many exhibitions in the South West Florida area and has won numerous awards and honors including Honorable Mention in the 2D 3D exhibition 2003 at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, the Digital Age Art Exhibition 2000 at Venice Art Center and best of show for Digital Fine Artists Association 2000 show at Selby Gallery, Ringling School of Art and Design.
Nancy Faris
My love of texture is endless, whether it be in fabric, textile fibers, nature....it’s all around us. When pattern and color are woven, they meld together becoming one again and I’m inspired by their depth and beauty. I’m most happy when creating new designs and most excited when I see something totally unrelated and I’m able to transform that object or idea into my art.
Growing up in an artistic family, I learned to see beyond two dimensions and a life of fantasy and creativity surrounded me. I believe we all have a capacity to connect with our inner selves and find that wrinkle, that obscure place where nothing can stop us! My interest in textiles and design began at an early age. It seemed only natural that I should pursue an art degree and I chose Interior Design. During that time, I learned many art forms and weaving but textiles became my favorite. After receiving a B.A. from Russell Sage College in New York and owning my own interiors business for several years, I realized I was missing that creative time alone. So now I’m back to doing what I love most. Whether you’re looking for a dramatic, formal look or fun and funky, I have it!
Another passion of mine is rescuing retired racing greyhounds. When purchasing a pillow, purse or wall art, you will also be helping a much exploited breed find a better life. A portion of my profits go directly to finding greyhounds loving homes. Living in beautiful Sarasota, Florida is very inspiring - an artist’s paradise. I reside here with my husband and two wonderful greyhounds. www.nancyfarisdesigns.com
Lisa Flam Corin
Lisa began her journey into the world of jewelry with a passion for beading and then expanded her work to include wirework, chain maille and metalsmithing. Her inspiration comes from two of her lifelong loves, art and nature. Lisa’s jewelry line, HummingBeads, emulates the magical and striking color combinations that are displayed by the hummingbird and its flowers and habitats. In her metal work, Lisa explores the fascinating versatility of metal and its ability to demonstrate the organic and fluid qualities that are found in nature. Through these inspirations, Lisa creates one of a kind artistic treasures that are whimsical, ethnic, a little funky, elegant and unusual. Her collections are composed of sterling silver wire and plate, unique beads from around the world, semiprecious and natural stones and found objects.
Lisa has been making jewelry for the last five years. She has participated in many local and home shows and worked with several nonprofit organizations to help raise funds for her special causes through the sale of her jewelry. She continues her education in metalsmithing at Art Center Manatee and takes advantage of local and national jewelry workshops whenever possible. Lisa is thrilled to be pursuing her second career as a jewelry artist and to be an artist member of Art Uptown.
Jamie Friedli
A professional artist since 1964, I attended Harris Institute of Art in Nashville and later went on to study at the Atlanta College of Art. I have studied under such renowned artists as Joseph Perrin (Atlanta, Georgia) and Wolf Kahn (Sebasco, Maine), and have been teaching various art forms to other artists and students since 1970. I have held many leadership positions in the art community such as the Vice President, local chapter of the National Women’s Caucus for the Arts: President, Petticoat Painters; President, Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society; and Area Chairman, Florida Artist Group, Inc. and won numerous awards for my art, including the prestigious Fonchen Lord Memorial Award, Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, juried by David Levy, Director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
My teaching experience includes teaching pottery, book making, mono types, and painting (watercolors and acrylics), having taught such groups as teachers, other professional artists, and the general public. Some of my teaching experience includes teaching continuing education classes at Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia); teaching recertification classes at Holy Innocence Episcopal School (Atlanta, Georgia); and teaching at a retreat for the Women’s Contemporary Artists (Ellenton, Florida). I have also juried numerous art exhibits throughout Florida.
My paintings are exhibited in corporate and private collections in Georgia, Florida, New York, Hawaii, Maine, Switzerland, and Venezuela. I currently exhibit in my Main Street Studio located in the heart of the art district in Sarasota, Florida.
Wolf Kahn, artist - “Jamie is talented above all else.”
Mark Ormond, art critic - “Jamie Friedli delights the viewer with her loose, spontaneous oils.”
Jo-Ann Golenia
As an avid textile and watercolor artist, Jo-Ann Golenia has worked with the arts all her life. She currently exhibits in international venues, including the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana, and the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, New York, as well as locally in the Art Uptown Gallery, Sarasota Orchestra Harmony Gallery, Art Center Sarasota, and the Venice Art Center. Jo-Ann earned her BS and MS, teaching for sixteen years before devoting herself full time to her art.
The world around me is my constantly changing source of inspiration. My abstracted work is based on this natural environment. The everyday surroundings present us with incredible, what I call, hidden beauty. By looking very closely or by changing the colors of what we see, a whole new vista is formed. The three-dimensional shapes of objects, when seen closely, carefully, are sturdy, curving, familiar yet new and strange.
The intent for my work is to show the subtleties, splendor, and conflict of the world around us. Every object has remarkable aspects to it. If I can show just some of them, let just some small part of them proffer a sense of previously unnoticed recognition, I have reached my goal. www.Jo-AnnGolenia.com
Janine Hoffman
Born and raised in New York, Bradenton artist Janine Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Long Island University at C.W. Post. Her training was as a painter, but her first love has always been drawing. Janine explained, "Colored pencil is a medium I never formally studied, but I instinctively grew to love. It suits my illustrative tendencies and helps me capture the essence of what I see. I can build, almost sculpturally, the faces and muscles in a way that painting can't achieve. I was very inspired by the work of Michelangelo; his paintings were very much like that and the legacy of classical Greek art; finding beauty in the human form of the athlete. It is what I hope my art is; strength, beauty and grace."
With the prodding of a fellow artist, Janine decided to take on the world of digital painting. The pieces are created on a computer with an electronic pen. Said Janine,"The style is an intentional move away from the almost baroque detail in my pencil work to a very minimal amount of detail, which was a challenge for me! I was trying to capture the essence of a person with three main elements; eyes, mouth and hair." Her new digital work is inspired by her work as a comic book illustrator, which she began after graduation. She is also influenced by her love of Manga, which represents an ode to Warhol and Lichtenstein. The pieces are meant to be fun and inviting, with images of women who are recognizable to all and who encompass a certain wit as well as beauty.
Janine's work has been exhibited and sold widely in the US, and can be viewed at the Tom James/Raymond James Financial art collection in Clearwater Florida. Her drawings have appeared in various publications, including Beckett monthly and independent comics, as well as her self-published, Steele Destinies. She is an adjunct instructor at Ringling College of Art as well as a long-time member of Art Uptown, where her work can be seen year-round.
Esther K Jensen
Esther K Jensen was born on the west coast of Denmark close to the North Sea. After moving to the US, she spent most of her life in Atlanta, Georgia, and moved to Florida in 1998. She has always had a keen interest in glass, and in 1995, while in Denmark, was introduced to Else Willumsen, a renowned Danish glass artist. That year and for 4 consecutive years, she attended glass fusing courses and finally set up her own glass studio in Boca Grande, Florida. There she is still a member of the Boca Grande Art Alliance, where she participates in several exhibits every year. In particular, she is one of the founding members of the "Five Women Show," which takes place every year in February.
Jensen's work is very inspired by her proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, using colors and shapes kindled by the beaches and fauna of the west coast of Florida. Jensen is an exhibiting member of the Boca Grande Art Alliance, and a member of the Sun Coast Glass Guild.
Jill Krasner
I have been designing, illustrating, painting and writing most of my life; bringing bits and pieces, fragments of my thoughts, observations, fears, hopes and dreams into each piece of my art. My work is an expression of my travels along life's path. It is a path sometimes complicated and frequently a challenging journey of love.
Being able to share my work with people from all over the country and the world brings me immense joy. I am so lucky to wake up each morning and spend my day doing what I love!
Maro Lorimer
Maro grew up in Bellport, a beautiful waterfront village on eastern Long Island. As a child she enjoyed exploring the woods and sailing her small boat across the bay to a natural barrier island. Her appreciation of wild places grew throughout her life and has always been evident in her paintings. After graduating from Brown University, she lived many years in the Colorado Rockies. She showed and sold her work in state-wide exhibitions, which led to membership in the Colorado Watercolor Society. Since moving to Florida in 1999, her favorite mediums have been collage and acrylic.
One of the first things to captivate her about Florida's west coast was the wildness of the many natural beach access paths, which inspired a collage series. From there, the theme of her paintings emerged from the paths, to the beach, and then beyond, out onto the water. Sometimes, as she paints, her imagination and memories take her back to shore, into the woods or the mountains. Many of her abstract acrylics can be seen and felt in more than one way, but, always, there is the sense of awe she feels for the natural world. www.marolorimer.com
Eleanor Merritt
My Paintings are reflections of my life… memories of places and events as well as the affirmation of my strength as a woman and as a mother. My images emerge from my concious/subconcious mind and just explode on the working surface through the combined use of acrylics, inks, fabrics and collage. I continuously use figures as a symbolic reference to my point of view; my vision has become endless - my exploration a journey of discovery and excitement. My subject matter continues to emerge as very personal revelations of inner spiritual messages; not always obvious to the viewer, but hopefully providing visual interaction until further investigation reveals the concept. www.eleanormerritt.com
Cecile Moran
My work speaks to the power of nature, providing the means to life. The influence of the elements of air, wind and fire are presented in the images of the exhibition. Their life-giving forces are symbolized in the trees and plant life that give us the air that we breathe.
Cecile Moran has been a teaching artist for many years, including 2 years in Spain. Her painting is allegorical in nature and relies strongly on the interaction of brightly colored images to project the story. These images are based on personal experiences. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University College of Fine Art and a Master of Arts in Art Education from California State University at Long Beach. Additional study was provided by scholarship to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Wildacres Workshop in North Carolina through the Ringling School of Art and Design. Her work is found in numerous private collections and has been exhibited in Massachusetts, California, New York and Florida.
My paintings have a unique appearance due to the layering technique used in the process. Layers of color are placed one over the other and then removed in some areas to reveal new color relationships. I have been impressed with the layering of color in the Molas of the San Blas Indians. The process used in my work indicates this influence.
Christina Paluszek-McClure
Creating jewelry with lots of texture and detail is my passion, and I aim to entice the wearer to investigate the intricate, detailed work involved, and discover each design's texture, personality and beauty. I am a self-taught metalsmith who fell in love with the properties of shaping, texturing, fusing and coloring various precious and non-precious metals, and meeting fire with metal makes me a very happy girl! My jewelry is all hand fabricated using both traditional, and sometimes untraditional metalsmithing techniques, and although I tend to favor sterling silver, I do occasionally incorporate gold, bronze, copper and brass. My design process begins by forming sheet metal and wire into various shapes and then adding intricate details, semiprecious gemstones or found objects into the design. In many instances, I like my designs to look a bit timeworn, much like the antique look of vintage jewelry, and I create this by using various patinas to create a darkening effect on metal, or gilders paste to add color and more depth to the design.
Each of my designs is a unique, handcrafted tapestry of precious metals, gemstones, pearls, crystals and found objects - all created with a touch of whimsy! Much of my inspiration is drawn from nature, fantasy, myth and folklore. To me, the greatest compliment is when someone incorporates one of my jewelry designs into their own unique style. To know that the piece is being worn, and that it puts a smile on someone's face whenever they wear it, makes me truly happy. www.kryziakreations.com
Rita Rust
Watercolor is Rita's passion - for it's translucence, spontaneity and proclivity to create unintended results. Her subject may be anything interestingly illuminated, because it's all about the quality of light. She captures the beauty that surrounds us, but is so often overlooked in our fast-paced lives.
Rita grew up in Kettering, Ohio and Wyckoff, NJ. She attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and graduated from Georgetown University, spending 11 years working in New York in graphic art, primarily in publishing.
Rita is a signature member and past president of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society, past president (twice) of Art Uptown Gallery, and has exhibited and won numerous awards throughout Florida. Her work is widely held in corporate and private collections.
Karen J Schunk
Karen J Schunk, artist and botanist, creates bold, expressive botanical
paintings reflecting her intense interest in both art and botanical
conservation. She holds an MA in Botany from Miami University in Oxford,
Ohio and attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Ohio. A Signature Member of both the Ohio Watercolor Society and Cincinnati Art Club, her work can be found in corporate and private collections.
Schunk's recent botanical images are inspired by her work with the plant
collections at Sarasota's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Since moving to
Sarasota in 2000, Karen has assisted with herbarium projects at Selby,
as a staff member and longtime volunteer.
As Oscar Wilde once said, "There is no better way of loving nature than
through art."
Patricia Sorg
Born in Guatemala, Central America, Patricia Sorg is a painter who has mastered various media and created a style all her own, emphasizing the deep and vibrant colors of her native country. Her avid, painterly approach has won her many awards along the way. She has been painting for 35 years and has held numerous expositions at galleries and museums including the Guatemalan Museum of Contemporary Art, Museo Ixchel, and art galleries in St. Lucia, Guatemala City and Sarasota, Florida. www.patriciasorg.com
Richard Stewart
Richard Stewart has worked as a journalist and photographer for more than 30 years. An early project was a travel book on Istanbul that he wrote and illustrated with his photographs. More recently he has focused on fine art photography. His work can be found in an increasing number of private collections.
“To me, a fine art photograph starts with a compelling image that captures the viewer’s attention and imagination and evokes some feeling or emotion. Creating it involves controlling light and tonal values and eliminating elements that distract.
I’ve embraced digital photography because of the wide range of creative options it offers. I use computer tools in much the same way I once used darkroom tools to achieve similar results. With a digital pen and digitizing tablet and an array of software programs, filters and digital techniques, I work to create images that viewers can appreciate.
Occasionally, I take digital technology a step further, using the digital tools to create painterly, impressionistic effects to enhance my photographs. I soften the lines, mute the colors and alter tonal values to impart the look and feel of watercolor paintings while maintaining photographic realism.”
Sharon Stewart
Sharon Stewart is an award winning, nationally collected artist working abstractly with mixed media on canvas and three dimensional collage. She was raised in Michigan and currently resides full time in Sarasota, Florida. A great deal of the art she creates is done on a commission basis. A request from a client will result in a home consultation, custom design and individual color choices.
Room enhancement is always her priority. All pieces are uniquely original and never exactly the same. Exotic papers, found objects and various water media are blended together, resulting in works that reflect her quest for serenity, tranquility, peace and beauty. "I love to create something that catches the eye as you enter a room and makes you stop, look, then move closer to experience the richness of the composition."
Karen Taddeo
I have spent ten years as a photographer specializing in hand painted black & white photos and other alternative forms of photography. I have won numerous awards and my work is in both private and public collections throughout the United States. Although I found photography rewarding, I wanted something more. When attending art shows or viewing art work at galleries, I found myself drawn to abstract art. I have often felt a strong emotional connection when viewing abstract art. I decided it was time to put the camera down and pick up a paint brush.
I am a self taught artist. Numerous books, DVD workshops and much experimentation brought me to where I am today. I primarily work with acrylics. My emphasis is on texture and rich color. I achieve texture by using a variety of materials such as paste, gels, sand and various papers. Many of my paintings consist of multiple glazes of paint. I will often deconstruct my images by removing some of the layers of paint to get to the beauty that lies beneath. I paint as often as I can. When not painting, I am thinking about it and literally dreaming about it. I am always striving to learn new techniques and improve with each piece.
I am particularly inspired by weathered and distressed objects. Some of my paintings are derived from memories of my childhood spent in the Bronx, NY. I often have the words "urban decay" in the back of my mind when painting. I believe beauty can be found in decaying and rusted objects, oxidized metals and old buildings. There is no right or wrong message in abstract art. My hope is that my work will speak to the viewer and each individual will take something different away from it. I found my way into the artistic world through the realism of photography and ended up finding my true self through abstract painting. www.karentaddeoart.com
Amy Webber
Amy Webber has been a Sarasota Florida resident since 1980. She was originally from Illinois. After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in commercial art, she moved out west spending many years as a freelance artist. She spent time experiencing Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming countrysides, studying nature and the incredible views. Many times she could be found at a lake with a mountain view or in the desert hills painting or drawing. The west has had a large influence in her artwork. She loves the western landscape. Having a restless nature, she moved around the west until in 1980 when she came to Sarasota, Florida for a two week vacation and decided to stay.
She began to study architecture and has spent over a decade in the design field. One day while looking for an experience to share with her small son, she signed up for a ceramics class. That was like giving water to a flower for her! She had found a missing link within herself; finding an endless creative expression through clay. It did not stop there with ceramics though. As a result of the clay pieces needing to be photographed, another creative outlet opened up. Her love of nature inspired her to photograph it and what she sees through the camera lens comes through. Clay allows her to combine her love of photography and painting. Amy continues to pursue her passion for creative expression through the arts. Being so versatile allows her to explore the endless possibilities of using different mediums. She is always looking for new ways to experiment with her ideas with the potential of varied mediums.
Jacqueline Woolf
I have been an artist for all of my adult life. After earning a degree in art education, I continued taking painting classes at art speciality schools in Michigan, where I was in galleries and shows for many years and later volunteered as a docent at the Detroit Institute of Art for sixteen years. After moving to Florida, I painted actively and started to show my work when I joined Art Uptown.
I am an experimental artist, always looking to expand the use of art materials. I consider myself to be an abstract expressionist; I plan as I am working. My work is spontaneous, and new ideas are in my mind all the time. Collage and the mixing of media are my main interest. My latest work is three-dimensional with an acrylic canvas as the support of a free-form watercolor work made of heavy paper loops that wrap around the canvas. For me, creating art is a way of moving on all the time. It is a constant search to discover a new view based on my changing experience as an artist. I am influenced by all the work I have studied and every new work I see. I show my work at the Art Center Manatee shows, but consider Art Uptown my home base.
Ernie Berger
Ernie Berger, "Memoe," is a digital artist and animator. Graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA, he went on to complete his MA in filmmaking and studied under Academy Award winning Director of Photography, Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. While directing many TV commercials, training and promotional films and videos, and award winning animated shorts, he was teaching video production, filmmaking, animation and photography as a tenured professor for 35 years at Anne Arundel CC near Annapolis, MD.
After teaching, he has continued to do animation work and create digital artworks. Coming to Sarasota in 2010 with his wife and soulmate, Ann, he thoroughly enjoys the southern climate and fervent art community. Ernie signs his artwork "Memoe." Most friends call him Ernie. www.memoe.biz
Susan Rhodes
Primarily an acrylic painter, Susan’s design background includes stained glass, soft pastels and interior design where she studied at The Rhode Island School of Design.
Having recently moved to Florida from Boston, Susan is excited to capture the beauty of Florida with her painterly style. She loves photographing an area and painting one-of-a-kind, original acrylics on canvas in her studio. A large part of her creative process stems from her love and excitement of discovering new places. While mostly focusing on landscapes, waterways and street scenes of an area, interesting pattern shapes, vibrant colors and simple composition depict her work. SusanRhodes.net
Douglas Teller
Watercolor is the method of visual communication that I find most stimulating. It is responsive to my mood and allows me to relate the wonderment that I experience when I regard my surroundings. In particular, when I see the results of the encroachment of man into the natural environment. Both the havoc he creates and his efforts to merge with his surroundings fascinate me and become fodder for my brush. Architecture, particularly vernacular architecture, is always exciting for me to paint. I have also, for many years, enjoyed teaching students the pleasures of watercolor painting. The thrill of seeing students develop into successful painters is one of the great rewards that comes from sharing any expertise that I might have.
Art Uptown Gallery
Anne Abgott
Born in Canada, I am now a full time resident of Florida and North Carolina. I teach workshops across the country and at the Longboat Key Center for the Arts. I first see my art through the lens of my camera and seek the challenge of capturing light, shadow and luminosity. To create a work of art is my joy. l am attracted to color and dramatic compositions, as well as the expression of life. My work was published in the summer 2004 Watercolor magazine and the November 2004 Artists magazine. My talent has been recognized by being a recent finalist in International Artist magazine and also featured In Watercolor Magic and Northlight magazines. I've been the recipient of numerous awards In Florida as well as the American Watercolor Show in New York City. Anne Abgott maintains studios in Cortez, Florida and Linville, North Carolina. She is the author of the #1 best selling book, Daring Color, published by North Light Books.
Anne is the past President of the Florida Watercolor Society and the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society and is a long time member of the Board of Directors of Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Florida and chairs their Education Department. Anne teaches workshops all over the United States and Canada. Her workshop and class schedule can be found on her web site. She competes in local and national exhibits, winning many awards along the way. She is a signature member of the Florida Watercolor Society, Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society as well as the Philadelphia Watercolor Society. www.anneabgott.com.
Frank Bibbins
As a fine art photographer, I try to create photographs that go beyond being pictorial or realistic. A fine art photograph is made up of three parts: the object captured, the psyche of the photographer, and metaphor. Every photographer stamps his psyche on his work. This can be as simple as how he frames the photograph, or as complex as how he chooses to post-process and present the image. I believe a photograph must transcend the initial capture. A fine art photograph should show the viewer something about the object captured that is new. Even more importantly, a fine art photographer must stimulate emotion in the viewer. Some of my photographs are entirely about emotion and have little to do with a physical object. Photographic metaphor means that certain elements in the photograph stand for or suggest something else. For example, the black skies in many of my monochrome photographs are a metaphor for mystery or non-reality. A fine art photographer strives to show all of these truths combined into a whole. When successful, something greater is achieved, something the viewer may not have before seen or felt.
I studied photography at Purdue University under Steve Rose. Afterwards, I became an advertising photographer and had my own fine art gallery in Indianapolis, Indiana. I’ve always gravitated to fine art photography, my early influences were photographers like Adams, Weston, Cartier-Bresson and Eugene Smith. I love the big dark landscapes created by Adams and the intimate journalism of Cartier-Bresson. Later I became aware of Jerry Ulsemann and his wonderful multiple image photographs. By combining elements from more than one capture into a single image, or collage, Ulsemann is able to generate his own reality, and in so doing, shows us something more of ourselves.
My own style evolved from these influences, and then was fused with the vibrant colors of advertising photography. Whether in black and white or color, I love strong saturation, geometric spaces and simplicity of expression. I see no need to reproduce reality. My work often utilizes multiple unrelated elements combined into subtle new images. I use extensive post-processing to expand on the color pallet and produce entirely new special effects. I recently spent time in France photographing areas frequented by the Impressionist painters of the nineteenth century. Here one senses a continuity of thought moving from the past into the present. The techniques of impressionists such as Van Gogh, and synthesists such as Paul Gauguin, can be incorporated into our digital age. I believe the past always influences the present.
Photography is a journey, through place and time and thought. I hope you enjoy the ride. www.frankbibbins.com
Deborah Brestel
Brestel has exhibited for years in galleries, group exhibitions, juried art shows, and several one-woman shows. Locations include St. Maarten’s, Englewood and Sarasota, FL, and Rutherfordton and Cliffside, NC. Primarily a self-taught artist, Deborah Brestel was first introduced to painting at the Art Institute of Boston. She continued to develop her unique, stylistic realism with classes at the Ringling School of Art & Design, and with private instructors, most notably Marisse London of Sarasota.
A Maine native, Ms. Brestel has lived in some of the most dramatic and striking settings in the world, including the Windward Islands in the sparkling Caribbean. There, her innate passion for color was further enhanced by her lovely surroundings. The spectacular volcanic island of St. Maarten inspired her daily to capture its capricious moods. In the foothills of North Carolina, she expressed the beauty and majesty of the Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains on canvas. South Florida is currently inspiring her to convey its beauty in her own stylized, expressionistic manner.
Each leg of her life’s journey has impacted her brightly colored canvases in a different way. With each change of scenery and climate, the palette colors and subjects shift. Each move means a different way of life and a different approach to art. The environment, local colors, climate, and mood profoundly affect the palette and the finished work.
Said Deborah, “I love the spontaneity and freedom of acrylic paints and frequently switch between the brush and palette knife. Currently I am exploring the use of negative space and texture to further enhance the work. I like to create dreamlike spaces and places in which to retreat from a stressful world."
Dana Clark
Dana Clark started carving wood at Milburn High School, New Jersey. He sold his first piece to the Paper Mill Play House in 1970. Dana studied art at USF, MCC, Ringling School of Art in 1983, and understudied with many individual artists. He works with clay, stone, wood, steel, and aluminum.
Dana worked with clay and wood for many years and graduated to alabaster and marble at Ringling School of Art. Dana’s major focus has always been the surreal and abstract. He started exploring erotic surrealism with clay in the late 70s and has returned to this side of himself recently. His most recent evolution is mastering welding, which he has used to express his whimsical self using steel and aluminum.
Jacquie Clark
Jacqueline Clark FWS, PWS, NWS, is an artist always in pursuit of the essence. After a thorough grounding in sculpture and years of concentration on oil painting, she discovered the joyful spontaneity of watercolor and has focused her efforts in that medium ever since. Her early recognition and awards came for her oils and sculpture. Without the understanding of structure learned there, mastery of watercolor would still be beyond her. Now, as her watercolor technique matures through practice, experimentation, and instruction, her fascination with the medium and control of the finished product becomes ever more sure.
She has studied with many of this country's prominent watercolorists in workshops and symposia in the states, as well as abroad, to renew and recharge her commitment to a demanding medium. Jacquie taught watercolor and all media painting at Sarasota and Manatee Adult & Community Education for many years. She now teaches privately in her studio, Personal Statement.
Jacquie explains, "I started using watercolor for the ease; no mess, no smell, so I could just add water and it dried so quickly. I have always been attracted to flowers and feel that watercolor captures the fragility of the flower's essence. This medium can be the most relaxing, fun and spiritually satisfying. When I paint there is no time or space, only a feeling of pure joy. I never tire of it. I have visited many museums all over the world and felt the excitement art can bring. I want each of my works to bring that same feeling to the viewer."
Boots Culbertson
After formal training in art and biology, culminating in a bachelors degree from the University of Michigan, Boots Culbertson has produced medical and botanical illustrations for many scientific publications. But, fascinated with three-dimensional work, she turned to clay while apprenticing with potter Frank Colson at his studio in Sarasota, Florida. She later studied with Byron Temple at Penland School of Crafts and Karen Kames at the Memphis Academy of Art, and has participated in many workshops, including those of Marquerite Wildehain, Paul Soldner, Ruth Duckworth, Jale Ylmabasar, Hal Riegger, Jay Brophy and others. Boots has taught wheel throwing at the Colson School of Art and at her own studio for over twenty five years, while producing award winning work of her own. She has also taught at New College and Selby Botanical Gardens in Sarasota, and has led many workshops at art leagues and schools, in both clay work and scientific illustration. With skills developed during her apprenticeship, Boots has built her own pottery wheels and kilns, and she mixes all her own glazes. Her unique work, ranging from smaller functional and decorative work to larger fountains, sinks, and garden pieces, is shown in many galleries and collections in the U.S. and abroad. She creates elegant funeral urns on commission. Boots is also well know for her evolving series of playful 'Whimsicats'.
Boots feels, "In our technological society, I think the responsibility of the artist/craftsman is to capture in her work some of the energy of having met the natural world. She translates that which she encounters into meaningful forms which affect the sensibilities of other people, thereby changing their environment. For me it is exciting to feel that I am working this way; that I have responded to my environment, catching some of its energy in the forms I create, and then see that energy returned, full circle, to our environment. It is a way of life, and it is very exciting! "
Shirley Rush Dean
My work is a response to the world I see and enjoy. My wish is to share with others the sense of place of the landscapes and things I love. I work with a variety of media including watercolor, acrylic, oil and etching. Since moving to Florida and experiencing the vivid colors of the landscape I have turned mainly to watercolor and acrylic to capture those images. The extreme contrasts of colors and shapes in this environment challenge me to create compositions that reflect that beauty.
Shirley holds Master’s degree in Fine Art from American Univ. in Washington, D.C. and a B. A. in Art Education from the Univ. of Maryland where she taught Design, Drawing and Color Theory for 20 years and lectured in Design at the Corcoran School of Art in Washington, D. C. Teaching at Bethesda Chevy Chase H. S. gave her a broad background in many media including photography, printmaking, ceramics and painting. As a ceramicist she created a two story mural on a public building in Bethesda, MD.
The artist has received numerous awards and her work is in hundreds of collections across the country. Her work is shown at Art Uptown in Sarasota, FL., Island Gallery West on Anna Maria Island, Artists Gallery Royale and in St. Petersburg, FL. http://www.srushdean.com/
Barrington DeMers
Barrington DeMers has been living and working in Bradenton Florida since 1983. Miro, Dali and Van Gogh are some of the artists that have inspired the contemporary style in his artwork. He is especially interested in the interaction of color and form in his abstract expressionist style. He is known by his friends as the the 'pixel pusher' because he paints digitally by moving pixels of color on the computer screen with his digital paint brushes. Bary relayed, "I grew up living close to NYC and the MoMA and was exposed to many modern art styles. I would look at Miro's artwork with a child's eye and see very playful marks as open, expansive, and indeterminate. I also look to Van Gogh for whom color was his chief symbol of expression. I like to think that my digital modernistic style is like that of Van Gogh's inimitable fusion of form and emotion, to help the viewer experience the spiritual essence of man and nature in dark times."
Bary's digital works of art are giclée prints on canvas or paper and are created and printed using state of the art digital technology. He has done many exhibitions in the South West Florida area and has won numerous awards and honors including Honorable Mention in the 2D 3D exhibition 2003 at the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers, the Digital Age Art Exhibition 2000 at Venice Art Center and best of show for Digital Fine Artists Association 2000 show at Selby Gallery, Ringling School of Art and Design.
Nancy Faris
My love of texture is endless, whether it be in fabric, textile fibers, nature....it’s all around us. When pattern and color are woven, they meld together becoming one again and I’m inspired by their depth and beauty. I’m most happy when creating new designs and most excited when I see something totally unrelated and I’m able to transform that object or idea into my art.
Growing up in an artistic family, I learned to see beyond two dimensions and a life of fantasy and creativity surrounded me. I believe we all have a capacity to connect with our inner selves and find that wrinkle, that obscure place where nothing can stop us! My interest in textiles and design began at an early age. It seemed only natural that I should pursue an art degree and I chose Interior Design. During that time, I learned many art forms and weaving but textiles became my favorite. After receiving a B.A. from Russell Sage College in New York and owning my own interiors business for several years, I realized I was missing that creative time alone. So now I’m back to doing what I love most. Whether you’re looking for a dramatic, formal look or fun and funky, I have it!
Another passion of mine is rescuing retired racing greyhounds. When purchasing a pillow, purse or wall art, you will also be helping a much exploited breed find a better life. A portion of my profits go directly to finding greyhounds loving homes. Living in beautiful Sarasota, Florida is very inspiring - an artist’s paradise. I reside here with my husband and two wonderful greyhounds. www.nancyfarisdesigns.com
Lisa Flam Corin
Lisa began her journey into the world of jewelry with a passion for beading and then expanded her work to include wirework, chain maille and metalsmithing. Her inspiration comes from two of her lifelong loves, art and nature. Lisa’s jewelry line, HummingBeads, emulates the magical and striking color combinations that are displayed by the hummingbird and its flowers and habitats. In her metal work, Lisa explores the fascinating versatility of metal and its ability to demonstrate the organic and fluid qualities that are found in nature. Through these inspirations, Lisa creates one of a kind artistic treasures that are whimsical, ethnic, a little funky, elegant and unusual. Her collections are composed of sterling silver wire and plate, unique beads from around the world, semiprecious and natural stones and found objects.
Lisa has been making jewelry for the last five years. She has participated in many local and home shows and worked with several nonprofit organizations to help raise funds for her special causes through the sale of her jewelry. She continues her education in metalsmithing at Art Center Manatee and takes advantage of local and national jewelry workshops whenever possible. Lisa is thrilled to be pursuing her second career as a jewelry artist and to be an artist member of Art Uptown.
Jamie Friedli
A professional artist since 1964, I attended Harris Institute of Art in Nashville and later went on to study at the Atlanta College of Art. I have studied under such renowned artists as Joseph Perrin (Atlanta, Georgia) and Wolf Kahn (Sebasco, Maine), and have been teaching various art forms to other artists and students since 1970. I have held many leadership positions in the art community such as the Vice President, local chapter of the National Women’s Caucus for the Arts: President, Petticoat Painters; President, Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society; and Area Chairman, Florida Artist Group, Inc. and won numerous awards for my art, including the prestigious Fonchen Lord Memorial Award, Jacksonville Museum of Contemporary Art, juried by David Levy, Director of the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
My teaching experience includes teaching pottery, book making, mono types, and painting (watercolors and acrylics), having taught such groups as teachers, other professional artists, and the general public. Some of my teaching experience includes teaching continuing education classes at Oglethorpe University (Atlanta, Georgia); teaching recertification classes at Holy Innocence Episcopal School (Atlanta, Georgia); and teaching at a retreat for the Women’s Contemporary Artists (Ellenton, Florida). I have also juried numerous art exhibits throughout Florida.
My paintings are exhibited in corporate and private collections in Georgia, Florida, New York, Hawaii, Maine, Switzerland, and Venezuela. I currently exhibit in my Main Street Studio located in the heart of the art district in Sarasota, Florida.
Wolf Kahn, artist - “Jamie is talented above all else.”
Mark Ormond, art critic - “Jamie Friedli delights the viewer with her loose, spontaneous oils.”
Jo-Ann Golenia
As an avid textile and watercolor artist, Jo-Ann Golenia has worked with the arts all her life. She currently exhibits in international venues, including the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, the Carnegie Center for Art and History in New Albany, Indiana, and the Schweinfurth Memorial Art Center, Auburn, New York, as well as locally in the Art Uptown Gallery, Sarasota Orchestra Harmony Gallery, Art Center Sarasota, and the Venice Art Center. Jo-Ann earned her BS and MS, teaching for sixteen years before devoting herself full time to her art.
The world around me is my constantly changing source of inspiration. My abstracted work is based on this natural environment. The everyday surroundings present us with incredible, what I call, hidden beauty. By looking very closely or by changing the colors of what we see, a whole new vista is formed. The three-dimensional shapes of objects, when seen closely, carefully, are sturdy, curving, familiar yet new and strange.
The intent for my work is to show the subtleties, splendor, and conflict of the world around us. Every object has remarkable aspects to it. If I can show just some of them, let just some small part of them proffer a sense of previously unnoticed recognition, I have reached my goal. www.Jo-AnnGolenia.com
Janine Hoffman
Born and raised in New York, Bradenton artist Janine Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Long Island University at C.W. Post. Her training was as a painter, but her first love has always been drawing. Janine explained, "Colored pencil is a medium I never formally studied, but I instinctively grew to love. It suits my illustrative tendencies and helps me capture the essence of what I see. I can build, almost sculpturally, the faces and muscles in a way that painting can't achieve. I was very inspired by the work of Michelangelo; his paintings were very much like that and the legacy of classical Greek art; finding beauty in the human form of the athlete. It is what I hope my art is; strength, beauty and grace."
With the prodding of a fellow artist, Janine decided to take on the world of digital painting. The pieces are created on a computer with an electronic pen. Said Janine,"The style is an intentional move away from the almost baroque detail in my pencil work to a very minimal amount of detail, which was a challenge for me! I was trying to capture the essence of a person with three main elements; eyes, mouth and hair." Her new digital work is inspired by her work as a comic book illustrator, which she began after graduation. She is also influenced by her love of Manga, which represents an ode to Warhol and Lichtenstein. The pieces are meant to be fun and inviting, with images of women who are recognizable to all and who encompass a certain wit as well as beauty.
Janine's work has been exhibited and sold widely in the US, and can be viewed at the Tom James/Raymond James Financial art collection in Clearwater Florida. Her drawings have appeared in various publications, including Beckett monthly and independent comics, as well as her self-published, Steele Destinies. She is an adjunct instructor at Ringling College of Art as well as a long-time member of Art Uptown, where her work can be seen year-round.
Esther K Jensen
Jensen's work is very inspired by her proximity to the Gulf of Mexico, using colors and shapes kindled by the beaches and fauna of the west coast of Florida. Jensen is an exhibiting member of the Boca Grande Art Alliance, and a member of the Sun Coast Glass Guild.
Jill Krasner
I have been designing, illustrating, painting and writing most of my life; bringing bits and pieces, fragments of my thoughts, observations, fears, hopes and dreams into each piece of my art. My work is an expression of my travels along life's path. It is a path sometimes complicated and frequently a challenging journey of love. Being able to share my work with people from all over the country and the world brings me immense joy. I am so lucky to wake up each morning and spend my day doing what I love!
Maro Lorimer
Maro grew up in Bellport, a beautiful waterfront village on eastern Long Island. As a child she enjoyed exploring the woods and sailing her small boat across the bay to a natural barrier island. Her appreciation of wild places grew throughout her life and has always been evident in her paintings. After graduating from Brown University, she lived many years in the Colorado Rockies. She showed and sold her work in state-wide exhibitions, which led to membership in the Colorado Watercolor Society. Since moving to Florida in 1999, her favorite mediums have been collage and acrylic.
One of the first things to captivate her about Florida's west coast was the wildness of the many natural beach access paths, which inspired a collage series. From there, the theme of her paintings emerged from the paths, to the beach, and then beyond, out onto the water. Sometimes, as she paints, her imagination and memories take her back to shore, into the woods or the mountains. Many of her abstract acrylics can be seen and felt in more than one way, but, always, there is the sense of awe she feels for the natural world. www.marolorimer.com
Eleanor Merritt
My Paintings are reflections of my life… memories of places and events as well as the affirmation of my strength as a woman and as a mother. My images emerge from my concious/subconcious mind and just explode on the working surface through the combined use of acrylics, inks, fabrics and collage. I continuously use figures as a symbolic reference to my point of view; my vision has become endless - my exploration a journey of discovery and excitement. My subject matter continues to emerge as very personal revelations of inner spiritual messages; not always obvious to the viewer, but hopefully providing visual interaction until further investigation reveals the concept. www.eleanormerritt.com
Cecile Moran
My work speaks to the power of nature, providing the means to life. The influence of the elements of air, wind and fire are presented in the images of the exhibition. Their life-giving forces are symbolized in the trees and plant life that give us the air that we breathe.
Cecile Moran has been a teaching artist for many years, including 2 years in Spain. Her painting is allegorical in nature and relies strongly on the interaction of brightly colored images to project the story. These images are based on personal experiences. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Boston University College of Fine Art and a Master of Arts in Art Education from California State University at Long Beach. Additional study was provided by scholarship to the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Wildacres Workshop in North Carolina through the Ringling School of Art and Design. Her work is found in numerous private collections and has been exhibited in Massachusetts, California, New York and Florida.
My paintings have a unique appearance due to the layering technique used in the process. Layers of color are placed one over the other and then removed in some areas to reveal new color relationships. I have been impressed with the layering of color in the Molas of the San Blas Indians. The process used in my work indicates this influence.
Christina Paluszek-McClure
Creating jewelry with lots of texture and detail is my passion, and I aim to entice the wearer to investigate the intricate, detailed work involved, and discover each design's texture, personality and beauty. I am a self-taught metalsmith who fell in love with the properties of shaping, texturing, fusing and coloring various precious and non-precious metals, and meeting fire with metal makes me a very happy girl! My jewelry is all hand fabricated using both traditional, and sometimes untraditional metalsmithing techniques, and although I tend to favor sterling silver, I do occasionally incorporate gold, bronze, copper and brass. My design process begins by forming sheet metal and wire into various shapes and then adding intricate details, semiprecious gemstones or found objects into the design. In many instances, I like my designs to look a bit timeworn, much like the antique look of vintage jewelry, and I create this by using various patinas to create a darkening effect on metal, or gilders paste to add color and more depth to the design.
Each of my designs is a unique, handcrafted tapestry of precious metals, gemstones, pearls, crystals and found objects - all created with a touch of whimsy! Much of my inspiration is drawn from nature, fantasy, myth and folklore. To me, the greatest compliment is when someone incorporates one of my jewelry designs into their own unique style. To know that the piece is being worn, and that it puts a smile on someone's face whenever they wear it, makes me truly happy. www.kryziakreations.com
Rita Rust
Watercolor is Rita's passion - for it's translucence, spontaneity and proclivity to create unintended results. Her subject may be anything interestingly illuminated, because it's all about the quality of light. She captures the beauty that surrounds us, but is so often overlooked in our fast-paced lives.
Rita grew up in Kettering, Ohio and Wyckoff, NJ. She attended Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, PA and graduated from Georgetown University, spending 11 years working in New York in graphic art, primarily in publishing.
Rita is a signature member and past president of the Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society, past president (twice) of Art Uptown Gallery, and has exhibited and won numerous awards throughout Florida. Her work is widely held in corporate and private collections.
Karen J Schunk
Karen J Schunk, artist and botanist, creates bold, expressive botanical paintings reflecting her intense interest in both art and botanical conservation. She holds an MA in Botany from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio and attended the Art Academy of Cincinnati in Ohio. A Signature Member of both the Ohio Watercolor Society and Cincinnati Art Club, her work can be found in corporate and private collections.
Schunk's recent botanical images are inspired by her work with the plant collections at Sarasota's Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. Since moving to Sarasota in 2000, Karen has assisted with herbarium projects at Selby, as a staff member and longtime volunteer.
As Oscar Wilde once said, "There is no better way of loving nature than through art."
Patricia Sorg
Born in Guatemala, Central America, Patricia Sorg is a painter who has mastered various media and created a style all her own, emphasizing the deep and vibrant colors of her native country. Her avid, painterly approach has won her many awards along the way. She has been painting for 35 years and has held numerous expositions at galleries and museums including the Guatemalan Museum of Contemporary Art, Museo Ixchel, and art galleries in St. Lucia, Guatemala City and Sarasota, Florida. www.patriciasorg.com
Richard Stewart
Richard Stewart has worked as a journalist and photographer for more than 30 years. An early project was a travel book on Istanbul that he wrote and illustrated with his photographs. More recently he has focused on fine art photography. His work can be found in an increasing number of private collections.
“To me, a fine art photograph starts with a compelling image that captures the viewer’s attention and imagination and evokes some feeling or emotion. Creating it involves controlling light and tonal values and eliminating elements that distract.
I’ve embraced digital photography because of the wide range of creative options it offers. I use computer tools in much the same way I once used darkroom tools to achieve similar results. With a digital pen and digitizing tablet and an array of software programs, filters and digital techniques, I work to create images that viewers can appreciate.
Occasionally, I take digital technology a step further, using the digital tools to create painterly, impressionistic effects to enhance my photographs. I soften the lines, mute the colors and alter tonal values to impart the look and feel of watercolor paintings while maintaining photographic realism.”
Sharon Stewart
Sharon Stewart is an award winning, nationally collected artist working abstractly with mixed media on canvas and three dimensional collage. She was raised in Michigan and currently resides full time in Sarasota, Florida. A great deal of the art she creates is done on a commission basis. A request from a client will result in a home consultation, custom design and individual color choices.
Room enhancement is always her priority. All pieces are uniquely original and never exactly the same. Exotic papers, found objects and various water media are blended together, resulting in works that reflect her quest for serenity, tranquility, peace and beauty. "I love to create something that catches the eye as you enter a room and makes you stop, look, then move closer to experience the richness of the composition."
Karen Taddeo
I have spent ten years as a photographer specializing in hand painted black & white photos and other alternative forms of photography. I have won numerous awards and my work is in both private and public collections throughout the United States. Although I found photography rewarding, I wanted something more. When attending art shows or viewing art work at galleries, I found myself drawn to abstract art. I have often felt a strong emotional connection when viewing abstract art. I decided it was time to put the camera down and pick up a paint brush.
I am a self taught artist. Numerous books, DVD workshops and much experimentation brought me to where I am today. I primarily work with acrylics. My emphasis is on texture and rich color. I achieve texture by using a variety of materials such as paste, gels, sand and various papers. Many of my paintings consist of multiple glazes of paint. I will often deconstruct my images by removing some of the layers of paint to get to the beauty that lies beneath. I paint as often as I can. When not painting, I am thinking about it and literally dreaming about it. I am always striving to learn new techniques and improve with each piece.
I am particularly inspired by weathered and distressed objects. Some of my paintings are derived from memories of my childhood spent in the Bronx, NY. I often have the words "urban decay" in the back of my mind when painting. I believe beauty can be found in decaying and rusted objects, oxidized metals and old buildings. There is no right or wrong message in abstract art. My hope is that my work will speak to the viewer and each individual will take something different away from it. I found my way into the artistic world through the realism of photography and ended up finding my true self through abstract painting. www.karentaddeoart.com
Amy Webber
Amy Webber has been a Sarasota Florida resident since 1980. She was originally from Illinois. After graduating from Illinois State University with a degree in commercial art, she moved out west spending many years as a freelance artist. She spent time experiencing Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming countrysides, studying nature and the incredible views. Many times she could be found at a lake with a mountain view or in the desert hills painting or drawing. The west has had a large influence in her artwork. She loves the western landscape. Having a restless nature, she moved around the west until in 1980 when she came to Sarasota, Florida for a two week vacation and decided to stay.
She began to study architecture and has spent over a decade in the design field. One day while looking for an experience to share with her small son, she signed up for a ceramics class. That was like giving water to a flower for her! She had found a missing link within herself; finding an endless creative expression through clay. It did not stop there with ceramics though. As a result of the clay pieces needing to be photographed, another creative outlet opened up. Her love of nature inspired her to photograph it and what she sees through the camera lens comes through. Clay allows her to combine her love of photography and painting. Amy continues to pursue her passion for creative expression through the arts. Being so versatile allows her to explore the endless possibilities of using different mediums. She is always looking for new ways to experiment with her ideas with the potential of varied mediums.
Jacqueline Woolf
I have been an artist for all of my adult life. After earning a degree in art education, I continued taking painting classes at art speciality schools in Michigan, where I was in galleries and shows for many years and later volunteered as a docent at the Detroit Institute of Art for sixteen years. After moving to Florida, I painted actively and started to show my work when I joined Art Uptown.
I am an experimental artist, always looking to expand the use of art materials. I consider myself to be an abstract expressionist; I plan as I am working. My work is spontaneous, and new ideas are in my mind all the time. Collage and the mixing of media are my main interest. My latest work is three-dimensional with an acrylic canvas as the support of a free-form watercolor work made of heavy paper loops that wrap around the canvas. For me, creating art is a way of moving on all the time. It is a constant search to discover a new view based on my changing experience as an artist. I am influenced by all the work I have studied and every new work I see. I show my work at the Art Center Manatee shows, but consider Art Uptown my home base.
Ernie Berger
Ernie Berger, "Memoe," is a digital artist and animator. Graduating from the University of Maryland with a BA, he went on to complete his MA in filmmaking and studied under Academy Award winning Director of Photography, Vilmos Zsigmond, ASC. While directing many TV commercials, training and promotional films and videos, and award winning animated shorts, he was teaching video production, filmmaking, animation and photography as a tenured professor for 35 years at Anne Arundel CC near Annapolis, MD.
After teaching, he has continued to do animation work and create digital artworks. Coming to Sarasota in 2010 with his wife and soulmate, Ann, he thoroughly enjoys the southern climate and fervent art community. Ernie signs his artwork "Memoe." Most friends call him Ernie. www.memoe.biz
Susan Rhodes
Primarily an acrylic painter, Susan’s design background includes stained glass, soft pastels and interior design where she studied at The Rhode Island School of Design.
Having recently moved to Florida from Boston, Susan is excited to capture the beauty of Florida with her painterly style. She loves photographing an area and painting one-of-a-kind, original acrylics on canvas in her studio. A large part of her creative process stems from her love and excitement of discovering new places. While mostly focusing on landscapes, waterways and street scenes of an area, interesting pattern shapes, vibrant colors and simple composition depict her work. SusanRhodes.net
Douglas TellerWatercolor is the method of visual communication that I find most stimulating. It is responsive to my mood and allows me to relate the wonderment that I experience when I regard my surroundings. In particular, when I see the results of the encroachment of man into the natural environment. Both the havoc he creates and his efforts to merge with his surroundings fascinate me and become fodder for my brush. Architecture, particularly vernacular architecture, is always exciting for me to paint. I have also, for many years, enjoyed teaching students the pleasures of watercolor painting. The thrill of seeing students develop into successful painters is one of the great rewards that comes from sharing any expertise that I might have.
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