New Exhibitions in March February 25 2017
New Smyrna Beach, FL — Arts on Douglas is excited to announce the opening of two new exhibitions for the month of March. In the feature gallery, a solo exhibition by Hope Barton titled The Best of 30 Years will be on view from March 4 - 25. In the alt_space gallery, we will be highlighting an installation titled The Language of Flowers by Central Florida interdisciplinary artist Jamieson Thomas. This exhibition will be on view from March 4 - April 15 with an Artists Talk on Friday, March 24 at 11am.
The opening reception for both exhibitions will take place on Saturday, March 4 from 4-7 pm. During the reception, the gallery will be featuring light refreshments and the smooth jazz stylings of John Pelligrino on the bass, Mark McKee on the piano and Tyler Rosenke on the drums. Live music is in conjunction with the Downtown Music Festival.
Beyond these two new exhibitions, Arts on Douglas has also recently refreshed its remaining gallery space with new work by its current roster of 40 Florida artists. This newly curated display offers something for all tastes, from functional ceramics to cutting-edge jewelry, painting, photography and mixed media fabrications.
In the feature gallery:
Hope Barton
The Best of 30 Years
Etchings, Etching Plates, Monotypes and Paintings
On View: March 4-25, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 4, 4-7pm
Hope Barton has experimented with a range of mediums throughout her 30-year career as an artist. In the beginning, she explored the etching process, progressing from one-color etchings to multi-color etchings that involved the use of up to three plates per image. In 1997, she became interested in printing monotypes, a one-of-a-kind image created by rolling lithography inks on Plexiglas, pulling out areas with mineral spirits and pressing onto paper. As Barton's style evolved, she began painting on these monotypes, eventually moving to painting directly on canvas with acrylic paint to create the rich and colorful Florida landscapes for which she is known for today.
For this exhibition, Barton wanted to show the evolution of her style, but commented, “it is very difficult to create a cohesive show with different media and a progression of style.” She concluded, however, that she has been relentless in the editing process to ensure she has selected her best work. In addition to her etchings, Hope is presenting some of her best etching plates for this exhibition-- displayed in such a way that they have become one-of-a-kind works of art in their own right.
Hope Barton received a BA in art education from Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL. She has participated in many juried art festivals such as Winter Park Art Festival, Winter Park, FL; Gasparilla, Festival of the Arts, Tampa, FL; Festival of the Masters, Orlando, FL; Ann Arbor Street Art Fair, Ann Arbor, Ml and Beaux Arts, Mt. Dora, FL. Barton's work has been exhibited in many fine art galleries and is included in permanent collections throughout the state of Florida. Currently, the artist is in the process of moving from St. Augustine, Florida, back to Lake County, where she previously lived and owned a gallery. About her current plans, she stated “I am still excited about painting and have no plans to stop. As we move back to Lake County, I’m sure my work will morph again.”
View Exhibition Here>>>
In the alt_space:
Jamieson Thomas
The Language of Flowers
On View: March 4 - April 15, 2017
Opening Reception: Saturday, March 4, 4-7pm
Artists Talk: Friday, March 24, 11am
This interdisciplinary installation by Central Florida artist Jamieson Thomas explores the flower as a metaphor for life, urging the viewer to ask questions not just about our relationship to flowers, but our relationship to the world around us. This is accomplished through the juxtaposition of her paintings, mixed media assemblages and sculptures that suggest a range of conversations or narratives on the subject.
On this series, Jamieson explains, “I consider the life cycle of the flower in comparison to human life and the beauty in all its stages. The ways in which we interpret the world around us are reflected on multiple canvases presenting divided views of the whole. Through these works, I explore not only the history of flowers in our culture, but the many layers of meaning found in both flowers and language, and the complex relationships they have in nature and our lives.”
Jamieson’s vivid and colorful installations also incorporate elements of text and are painted from different perspectives, to emphasize different observations and frames of reference from which one may see the world. Using the flower as a point of entry, the viewer is encouraged to stop and think about the underlying meaning of things, through examination of details, beauty, color and contradictions within our culture.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jamieson Thomas is a multidisciplinary visual artist based in Central Florida, working primarily in painting and sculpture. She is currently an MFA candidate at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. A lover of linguistics, she frequently incorporates text in her work in order to deepen her message. With a focus on nature and portraiture, she explores the relationship between the artificial and natural worlds. Her new work is unique and sometimes edgy, weaving a lifetime of captured photographs into new technologies and art practices. She researches her subject matter extensively as she explores the effects of humanity on our environment, and media and social pressures on individuals. She has exhibited extensively in Central/South Florida and New York.
View Exhibition Here>>>