Take your time; art council show is sublime
Whatever the art form or medium, chances are you'll see it - and have a chance to buy it - at "Art Annual 2006.''
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN
Published July 16, 2006
Those who go see "Art Annual 2006" at the Pasco Arts Council's art center should allow themselves at least an hour or two to really savor the diversity of this particular exhibit.
Unlike most other center shows, which feature one or two artists, "Art Annual 2006" showcases art by 108 professional, amateur and student artists. Strolling through the exhibit is like strolling through a survey course in art, with examples of almost every art form, style, subject and medium.
With prices ranging from $70 to $5,000, the show is also a good destination for shoppers.
The show was open to anyone, but it attracted mostly adult artists, said Ann Larsen, the center's executive director. The show had only two student entries, and one of the students entered in the professional category, she said.
The entrants are from Pasco, Hernando, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.
The front gallery is devoted to work by professionals, while the rear gallery is dominated by amateur artists. The main room is a mix of professional and amateur, with a wide range of subject matter and mediums.
Among the show's exhibits are two stone carvings. An intricate, delicate Italian marble creation by C. Fulton of New Port Richey, Let Me Give You a Rose, depicts a feminine hand offering a rose ($1,700).
An abstract expressionist piece in steatite (soapstone) by Lynette Barfield of Holiday called Pathways suggests a winding path up the side of a mountain.
One of the most amusing - and well-executed - pieces is Ralph Butler's Hudson Beach Nocturne ($425), a sort of caricature of a corpulent, older couple sitting at a wooden picnic table smoking and drinking beer. His red, bulbous nose is a bright contrast to his beach print shirt; he wears one-strap sandals with brown dress socks pulled high on his skinny legs. The woman's wild red hair sets off her heavy jewelry, with her florid face peeking out from under a bright sun visor.More soothing are several ocean and gulf scenes in watercolor, oil and acrylic submitted by several artists.
Palm Harbor artist Theresa Villani's assembled wood sculpture, Soaring/Transcendence ($475), has been placed in a corner of the professional gallery so that viewers can walk around it and see the glass stones, tiny mirrors and various wood types used in its creation.
"She's really taken advantage of the end-grained wood," Larsen said.
An unusual piece nearby is Wesley Chapel artist Lloyd Johnson's SunTwist, which has a multicolored ring of melted glass centered on a sculptured metal background.
Plant City artist LouAnn Watson's The Rookery shows Florida birds flying across the canvas and spilling onto the paper matting.
"Notice how interesting all the frames are," Larsen said. Some are of distressed wood; others are smooth and cool. Some appear to have come from the wood of old buildings, while others are stately and heavy.
One of the most unusual entries is Erv Karar's Bear Lake County ($169), a three-dimensional oil painting in layers of glass held apart by a substance that suggests a rising mist. The final layer is a row of trees painted on the outside of the top glass.
A fascinating piece by Carol Wiggins is an intricately carved and painted ostrich egg, appropriately named Carved Ostrich Egg ($70). Tarpon Springs artist Eleni Tsicouris' pen and ink, Time Out Collage, shows seven postcard-sized drawings of stylized children in various states of thought.
Katy Jones' Swingin' Free has a bright chartreuse background with giant, grayish arcs formed by the ropes on children's swings as they soar into the air.
The show also has photography, fired terra cotta and digital prints.