Lynn Brenner-Katz Clay Wood Metal Artist

 

Lynn Brenner-Katz's Art Space
Oviedo, FL 32765
407-963-6433

Lynn Brenner-Katz  Clay  Wood  Metal Artist

I am a life-long student of the arts in both two and three dimensional media and continue to enjoy learning about new materials and their uses as they relate to my work. I achieved a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago as well as studies along the way that took me to The Atlanta College of Art where I studied Graphics and Advertising.

The goal of my art work is to evoke thoughts based on a chosen subject matter, while still allowing the viewer a chance to make their own personal assessments and thematic interpretations. Works are often representational and physical movement either literally or

suggested is of particular interest to me. Ethnic and anthropological differences that can be seen amongst different cultures throughout the world and history, as well as the moods of  “extreme stillness” or “active mobility” are themes that often recur in my work.

I hope that viewers seeing my work are able to connect with it based on familiar universal themes, folklore, or historical events in their own lives.

Richlin Burnett Ryan Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Richlin Burnett Ryan  Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

My paintings are rich assemblages of layered forms, vibrant colors, expressive and gestures. Applied on canvas through dynamic interactions, a physical back and forth dialogue in which ground and figure continuously change until all the elements are balanced right, these colorful creations are my personal way of expressing myself. Through a series of spontaneous movements, directly inspired by the way canvas responds to layers of color tissue paper and black mark making. I compare my work to a dance routine with a familiar partner. And while impulsive and unconstrained in its core, the familiarity with materials is essential for the creative process that strongly depends on the ability to respond quickly and foresee the way the elements will work together. Layering color tissue with acrylics, accents the richness of my work by constructing a raw texture which directly captures the physical energy put into each piece. Serving as a channel to convey my thoughts, emotions, and visions, the artistic practice is my source of confidence and peace, while the finished work becomes a documentation of the process of achieving those feelings. 

My formal art education is in graphic design at Rochester Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts, my artistic practice is influenced by my Afro-Caribbean culture, and graphic design, as well as the philosophy and attitude of the colorist, the fauvist, and the expressionist artist. Varying from simple forms and patterns over familiar shapes and the infusion of some typographic elements, the canvas surface becomes the workspace through which I exercise my ways of expression. 

Judi Bradford - Acrylic, Illustration, Watercolor Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Judi Bradford - Acrylic, Illustration, Watercolor Daytona Beach Artist



A limited edition accordion fold book that features illustrations of the  beloved DeLand, FL icons -- Athens Theatre, the courthouse dome, the bubble bike as well as some illustrations taken from historic photos. If you know DeLand, you'll like this book. The folded book in its vellum sleeve is 3" x 4". It makes a nice hostess or housewarming gift.  Its 9 pages expand out and can stand up as an art object.  It is made of sturdy textured paper with gold leaf trim

Kelley Batson-Howard Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

Art League of Daytona Beach

433 South Palmetto Avenue

Daytona Beach, Florida 32114

Tel: 386-947-7103

Kelley Batson-Howard  Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

I have been an artist in my soul always. I kept hidden, secret dreams of living in Paris and being an artist. At 18 does anyone really know what that might mean? Life directed my path in a different direction, so, I spent the majority of my decades working in my family commercial greenhouse business instead. I picked up a paintbrush again in my 50s as a way to relieve the stresses of daily life and had those artist dreams once again flood my soul. After closing that business in 2017, a serendipitous opportunity appeared for me to join a local co-op of artists where I would have space to paint outside of my garage. I jumped at the opportunity and have never looked back. I began to focus my energies towards creating daily and started painting like someone who had been locked in a dungeon and

 was suddenly set free. I have been thrilled to finally pursue the dream of being an artist. To live your dream brings a peace that is indescribable. I highly recommend doing it!

 

The road to living a creator’s life was not a smooth one, but once I landed at what I'm certain is my soul’s purpose, doors have opened in unexpected ways. I have met so many wonderful people who have filled my life and opened doors to places I would never have imagined such a short time ago. My biggest struggle comes from wondering if I am doing it “right” since my education is not in any art-related field. I’m just beginning to realize, however, that as a creator how I do it IS right. That is MY voice and there will be an audience who enjoys that. Every artist’s struggle is to find the audience for their work and mine is no different.

My work is inspired by memories of times or places past or from memories of special people who have traveled through my life. I spent many years boating, so the landscapes are just an imprint on my brain that come to the canvas from time to time. The odd perspectives are because that's how I remember them. The more eclectic pieces tend to stem from the odd "auras' I get or have gotten over the years from migraine headaches. There are all kinds of psychedelic images that appear there. I've long held if I could paint those, I'd be a good artist. The struggle continues. 

 

But daily, I go to my studio where I get to create those pictures that have been living in my head for years just waiting to escape to reality. I see it as a great opportunity. I GET TO DO IT! I get to see how the paints react on the canvas; how they react with each other, and the textures and patterns they create by adding different mediums along the way. I get to stay with it until the picture in my head shows up on the canvas. With experimentation as my art teacher, I have the benefit of being free of the rules and experimenting until it feels right to me.  This whole journey has been one of self discovery. What have I discovered? I've discovered I love painting bold colors.  I've discovered I paint both calm and action with equal abandon. Both are important to me. I've discovered I like to paint impressions in time- glimpses of memory- flashes of light and patterns all using many layers of transparent paint and making marks into paint. I've discovered I paint from a place of emotion that I must share with the viewer. I want to evoke in them a flashback to a memory, a place, a time, a feeling they want to recreate if but for a moment. I've discovered even the more whimsical pieces have deeper meanings and ideas I want to share with the world. I've learned I want to leave the world a more beautiful place by sharing the peace and happiness I find in my soul while painting. There is so much darkness in the world, I do not want to add to that.  I’ve learned there are those in the world who enjoy my perspective and are inspired by my work. That is gratifying. Most importantly, I've learned the 18 year old girl is still in there if you will let her out to follow her dreams. It is never too late to start.

 

I am a member of Beaux Arts of Central Florida, Florida Women's' Art Association, Ocala Art Group, Marion Cultural Alliance, Art League of Daytona, Lake County Museum of Art & Leesburg Center for the Arts. I am currently an artist in residence at Leesburg Center for the Arts. I am focusing on creating with oils and cold wax medium to widen my horizons and to discover it's many applications.

Richlin Burnett Ryan Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Richlin Burnett Ryan Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

My paintings are rich assemblages of layered forms, vibrant colors, expressive and gestures. Applied on canvas through dynamic interactions, a physical back and forth dialogue in which ground and figure continuously change until all the elements are balanced right, these colorful creations are my personal way of expressing myself. Through a series of spontaneous movements, directly inspired by the way canvas responds to layers of color tissue paper and black mark making. I compare my work to a dance routine with a familiar partner. And while impulsive and unconstrained in its core, the familiarity with materials is essential for the creative process that strongly depends on the ability to respond quickly and foresee the way the elements will work together. Layering color tissue with acrylics, accents the richness of my work by constructing a raw texture which directly captures the physical energy put into each piece. Serving as a channel to convey my thoughts, emotions, and visions, the artistic practice is my source of confidence and peace, while the finished work becomes a documentation of the process of achieving those feelings. 

My formal art education is in graphic design at Rochester Institute of Technology and the School of Visual Arts, my artistic practice is influenced by my Afro-Caribbean culture, and graphic design, as well as the philosophy and attitude of the colorist, the fauvist, and the expressionist artist. Varying from simple forms and patterns over familiar shapes and the infusion of some typographic elements, the canvas surface becomes the workspace through which I exercise my ways of expression. 

Mary Wentzel Watercolor Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Mary Wentzel Watercolor Daytona Beach Artist

I have always loved creating things. Began painting rocks as a little girl, went on to art school and worked much of my career in the field of museum education.  I love to paint birds of all kind, especially Crazy, my Blue and Gold Macaw and Paco my Yellow-naped Amazon. Here in the Wonderful World of Wentzel there is always something to paint.

Event Only in Her Dreams Deborah Smith

 

Event Only in Her Dreams Deborah Smith

Thursday, June 1, 20239:30 AM
Friday, June 30, 202310:30 AM
The Casements
25 Riverside Drive Ormond Beach, FL, 32176

Reception: Friday, June 2nd 5 pm - 7 pm

It’s in the day or night, about a place. A person or a situation.  It can be scary, stressful, calming, and romantic in this world or an imaginary one.  Only in her dreams can she be so creative!

Robert Shirk Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Robert Shirk Daytona Beach Artist

My figurative paintings are created on multiple sheets of layered plexiglass. Each sheet of clear plexiglass contains thousands of tiny dots that create part of the final image. The effect creates a Neo-Pointillist 3 dimensional kinetic image that moves and changes as the viewer’s perspective changes.

I’ve been influenced by the 1960’s optical and kinetic art of Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. Also the French Pointillist painters of the 1880’s, American photorealist painter Chuck Close, and the dramatic lighting of Dutch master Rembrandt van Ryan.

My aesthetic focus is to create an image of drama, beauty and sensuality. Not just with the subject matter, but with the composition, materials and application of color. An image that is fun to view with unexpected surprises.

I love watching the dance and delight of the viewers eyes while discovering the movement, harmony and depth created by layer upon layer of images in my Neo-Pointillist paintings. I am constantly reinventing the way I create images. Always searching for a playful bridge between the 3 dimensions of sculpture, and the 2 dimensions of painting.

Biography

Robert Clayton Shirk was born in Tarrytown New York in 1952 and grew up in South Florida. The product of a broken marriage, Robert visited his artist father's Manhattan studio during holidays and summer vacations.

As a junior in college he needed a break from his business studies and took an elective course in design. Falling in love again with his first passion, he finished college in 1977 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. During college Robert won "Best in Show" awards in various student art shows and was selected into and received an ‘Honorable Mention’ award in the 1976 "Bicentennial American Painters In Paris" show in Paris, France. During this time, Robert’s paintings were created on both sides of clear plexiglass. He found it's transparent flat surface perfect for depicting his hard edge surrealistic landscapes.

For the next 10 years Robert was selling in South Florida galleries, and being commissioned for his paintings. He was also working part time as a graphic designer with various advertising agencies. Putting down his paintbrush in 1987, Robert got married and took a full time job as Art Director at a Coral Springs agency. Five years later in 1992 he started a successful marketing business that he ran with his wife for 23 years. In 2015, a couple of years after moving to North East Florida, Robert sold his business and was free to go back to his roots and paint.

Since coming back to painting, Robert’s artwork has become more figurative and uses multiple sheets of layered plexiglass. Each sheet of clear plexiglass contains thousands of tiny dots that create part of the final image. The effect creates a Neo-Pointillist 3 dimensional kinetic image that moves and changes as the viewer’s perspective changes.

Jean Banas Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

Jean Banas  Acrylic Daytona Beach Artist

Banas is a well-established Florida artist living and working in the community of New Smyrna Beach.

Jean, at age 92,  is still expanding her repertoire as an exuberant and energetic abstract expressionist painter. She has participated in many independent study workshops with Steve Aimone at the Atlantic Center for the Arts; has participated in other independent residencies at that campus,; and has also been sponsoring yearly painting retreats at the Atlantic Center for the Arts.nJean was honored with a 90th year celebratory, collaborative exhibit, at the  Art Leagueb of Daytona  Beach, in Daytona Beach, Florida, and Jean's paintings can be seen in art group exhibits at the Ormond Museum and Gardens, in Ormond Beach;, Florida;  at the Museum of Arts and Sciences in Daytona Beach, Florida., and at the Artists Workshop  Art Shows in New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Jean Banas' paintings have been accepted  into national  juries exhibitions in Museum and

University galleries in: Los Angeles , California, Washington, D.C.,  Fayetteville, North Carolina, Tyler, Texas, Ellen, Texas, and in Valdosta, Georgia.     

  Her work is in the permanent  collections of the Lake Eustis Museum of Art, Eustis, FL, and

  the Art and History Museum, in  Maitland, Florida.

PUBLICATIONS:

              Aimone, Steve. Live and Learn: Expressive Drawing. Lark Crafts: NYC

Beatrice Athanas Daytona Beach Artist

 

17429 Davenport Rd
Winter Garden FL
407-808-0787

Beatrice Athanas Daytona Beach Artist

Beatrice Athanas, born in Germany, studied art from an early age in Hamburg.

She furthered her art education by attending seminars and workshops . Mostly self-taught, 

she embarked on a career as professional representational painter. For the past 25 years 

she has been bringing her art to the community; her discipline and dedication have earned

her numerous awards and honors at juried venues all over Florida including the prestigious 

Winter Park Spring and Fall Art Shows, ARTIGRAS in Palm Beach, Images in New Smyrna,

Mount Dora and many more. At Disney's Masters she won two purchase awards.

Married  to her Greek-born husband, her many international travels provided  inspiration for

her distinctive colorful landscapes and shoreline vistas in oils and acrylics. She devides her time

in Winter Park, Florida and in Sounio, Greece.

Selective Exhibitions:

2022 Solo Exhibit "Hellenic Impressions", Hub on the Canal, Founders Gallery, New Smyrna

 2020 Solo Exhibit "Adventurous Journey" Seminole Community College, Orlando

2020, 2021  Women Artists Group Exhibit, Casselberry Arthouse

2019 Featured Artist - SOBO Fine Art Gallery, Winter Garden

2017 Award of Recognition- Art League of Daytona Beach, juried members exhibit

2016 Award of Commendation-Art League Of Daytona Beach, juried members exhibit

2013 3rd Place -Women in the Arts - Orlando Public Library

Best in Show and Award of Excellence - National League of American Pen Women 

Award of Excellence - Up, Up and Away Aviation Exhibit, Ridge Art League, Winter Haven

 Her paintings can be found in many private collections around the country 

Walt Disney World, Port Authority (MCO),the DEPOT MUSEUM , Lake Wales and the

Copelouzos Family Art Museum, Athens, Greece.

Beatrice was featured cover artist of SUNSHINE ARTIST MAGAZINE and has been published

in "Fine Art Connoisseur" and for the past 8 years she has been juried into the American Art

Collector catalog.

She is a member of Oil Painters of America (OPA), American Aviation Artists, National League

of American Pen Women (NLAPW), Orange County Art League, Art League of Daytona Beach

and others.

​Lisa Argentieri Daytona Beach Artist

 

Art League of Daytona Beach
433 South Palmetto Avenue
Daytona Beach, Florida 32114
Tel: 386-947-7103

​Lisa Argentieri Daytona Beach Artist

Inspired from the Master Impressionists, especially Henri Matisse and Vincent van Gogh and from contemporary painters such as Gerhard Richter and Wolf Kahn. Lisa's signature style is free-flowing, organic and fearless with bold, lively color. Amost always painted from life and in one session, without the use of preliminary drawings or studies.

Lisa's paintings have been selected into numerous juried shows including: The Salmagundi Art Club, The Brooklyn Waterfront Arts Coalition, (recently her painting "Waiting" was selected from nearly 1400 entries for the Wide Open 6 National Open Call Exhibit, May 2015), The Allied Artists of America Inc.,

The Catherine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club, Audubon Artists. Inc., Art League of Long Island's 54th & 56th Long Island Artists' Open Exhibitions and twice into The Long Island Museum at Stony Brook.

In 2018 Lisa was a featured artist in the new American Artist Network online watercolor Newsletter

https://americanwatercolor.net/awaken-your-creative-spirit-with-a-mandala/ 

Daniel Smith Art Materials has featured Lisa Argentieri on their website with three demo articles. 

This web site has featured such famous watercolorist as Alvaro Castagnet and Frank Eber.

Her greatest honor is being selected by the world's finest art brush manufacturer, Escoda (Spain) to be a featured artist on their website, amongst the world's most renowned contemporary watercolorists, and one of her watercolors is in their private collection.

Lisa's paintings have been published in Watercolor Artist Magazine, Dan's Papers, Newsday, Times Beacon Newspapers, The Village Connection & ACES magazines along with featured articles.

Among many awards, Lisa was honored to win the 2014 Daniel Smith Art Supply Company's 12th

Annual Customer Art Contest and in 2014 she was voted Best Artist of Nassau County, N.Y. 

David Berger Ormond Beach Artist

Frame of Mind
 (386) 673-0577
23 W. Granada Blvd.,
Ormond Beach, FL 32174
art@frameofmindart.com

David Berger - Ormond Beach Artist

David Berger’s art is a blend of the conscious, unconscious, mental, emotional, and spiritual essences of our being mashed together in the finite space of canvas.

Artist Quote:

Is there anything more surreal than life? Probably not! And, this is the reason why I have chosen the surrealist perspective to express myself, like the infamous Dali and others that are less known such as Bruvel, Schimmel, as well as the humorous perspective of Roller Wilson and the mathematical perfection of MC Escher.

My paintings are an unique attempt at the blending of the conscious, unconscious, mental, emotional, and spiritual essences of our being, the juxtaposition of images familiar, random or otherwise of the infinite universe mashed together in the finite space of canvas.

Life is all about feelings and perspectives; the depth of pain and the heights of elation and the myriad that lies between, be it in the real muck and mire of earth or the chaos which inhabits the untrained mind.

For me, life is all about growing, healing, and recapturing the awe that was lost in childhood, and my hope is that my images will reignite some of that awe within the viewer.

David Berger

Artists Bio:

David was born in Hoboken, NJ in 1954. Raised by a mother that fought her own demons, which visited themselves upon her three boys on a regular basis, and was disciplined by a heavy handed father, life was colorful to say the least! The family moved extensively in his formative years, and finally resettled in NJ in 1969. Being the smallest in his junior and high school years he understood that escaping into the world of art helped relieve some the pressures doled out to him from home and school.

David spent the mid seventies in Santa Cruz California, and enjoyed that decade with great vim and vigor as did most of that consciousness. After eliminating all those substances from his regular diet, he crashed into a deep and severe depression that couldn’t be “labeled” which lasted almost twenty years. During this time he finished a small body of statement paintings dealing with the endangered species and the planet.

His painting got set on the back burner for the most part, but the creative juice found its way back in through various art classes and eventually segued into writing. Those writings are about his own observations, struggles and triumphs over depression and all of the patterns and behaviors that people go through with their personal emotions, and how they affect and infect all relationships. He became a healing facilitator and assisted those struggling as he did through the nineties to the present.

Now in 2022, the brushes are once again in hand. Leaving AZ for last 20 years he has landed in Florida with his wife Lisa.

…when you start to notice the mystical, the mystical will start to notice you.

Dacha Avelin

G Zarek Daytona Beach Artist

 Etrusca
146 S Beach Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: (386) 235-6676
Email: etruscagallery@gmail.com

G Zarek Daytona Beach Artist

"My life is rooted in the number seven. Born on 3/21/51 started my connection to that number, plus I Daddy’s seventh child. The year I turned seven, that did become my lucky number. My folks sold the Midwestern farm and moved our family to sunny Florida. That first year I was exposed to what grew into the two passions of my life: palm trees, sea oats, sand and bare feet at the ocean. From the bridge on 92, my start of my romance with the ocean was Daytona Beach. I whispered to myself, “I want to live here”. Fifty years later that dream came true. The second was my first glimpse of the Last Supper mosaic at the Great Masterpiece in Lake Wales. All those tiny pieces of color and how they fit together to create art brought an explosion of desire: “I want to learn to do this.” I bought my first stained glass and began creating with it when I was in my late forties. This is the year I turned seventy – ten sevens- a big year! You are looking at the artistic result of my persistently lucky life."

Goinright in Resin by Chad Doyle

 Etrusca
146 S Beach Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: (386) 235-6676
Email: etruscagallery@gmail.com

Goinright in Resin
by  Chad Doyle

The love for foam, fiberglass, and resin began at a young age with the passion of surfing and repairing surfboards. Through the years that passion for surfing and knowledge if materials led to building surfboards. From those years carving foam and slinging resin came an appreciation for the craft, and an understanding, and love for the materials was solidified.

A surfboard lives to give. A 'dead' or 'trash' surfboard earns that title. A surfboard provides so much positive energy over its lifetime. It's sad to see the life of something that loved and gave so much end in the trash. I believe that board still passes all that positive energy, Feelings those vibrations led to the interest in working with something familiar. With the hope to rekindle and pass some of that energy into a second life where it can keep on giving and being appreciated.

From that background and set of ideals comes this body of work. Naturally the subject matter is inspired and hopes to acknowledge the love and respect for the ocean and its inhabitants. Which is what has fulfilled, blessed, and sculpted my life into who I am today.

I hope you enjoy, and I hope you feel a piece of these good vibrations I hoped to harness and pass.

Inquire for commissions

Angela Doyle Etrusca Art Gallery

 

Etrusca
146 S Beach Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: (386) 235-6676
Email: etruscagallery@gmail.com

Angela Doyle

 Angela was born in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil but has called Florida her home since she was 6 years old. From a young age, she has loved to travel and explore different cultures. She finds much of her inspiration by breaking routine, getting out of her box and taking in the world from different perspectives. Painting has allowed her to connect with her innermost feelings, thoughts, and emotions. She uses expressionistic movement and color to manifest what is sometimes dwelling in the subconscious. She explains that when working on a painting, there is an on-going relationship between herself and the painting. This relationship or “dance” can take many shapes before finally arriving to its' final form. Indication of a sometimes-intricate relationship with her paintings are the many layers present in a particular piece. Angela primarily utilizes a mix of mediums such as, acrylic, colored pencils, pastels, and resin.

Artist Eva Capulli

Etrusca
146 S Beach Street
Daytona Beach, FL 32114
Phone: (386) 235-6676
Email: etruscagallery@gmail.com

Artist Eva Capulli

“Carioca” is the nickname for people who were born in the

“Marvelous City of Rio de Janeiro”. Eva Capulli is proud of this heritage, having lived there in the 1970s and 80s. The daughter of Italian immigrants, Eva received her degree in Marine Biology from University, St. Ursula. Her father was a scientist and inventor, passing along to his daughter such traits as curiosity and creativity, which show in everything she does. This explorer spirit compelled her to seek her Etruscan origins in Italy.

In the late 1980s she lived in the ancient and beautiful Italian city of Tarquinia, once a powerful Etruscan State City, today known as Tuscany. Her relatives, some archeologists and sculptors still live there to this day.

Eva created a space in Downtown Daytona Beach known as Etrusca Gallery. Here she exhibits her arts and clothing focused on renowned artists. Poet-composer and abstract art painter, Eva considers her work to be a reflection of a moment in her soul, often very colorful. She explains,

“Abstract art is not to be analyzed, but rather felt! What do you feel when you look at this work of art?”

Her art is always in mutation, like the phases of life. She paints to exchange energy with the Universe and for those who appreciate her art. The rest is just consequence…

Artist Spotlight: Marc Barrett

 

Arts on Douglas
Gallery hours: T-F 10-5 and Sat 10-4
123 Douglas Street,
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168

Artist Spotlight: Marc Barrett

Orlando based painter Marc Barrett has been represented by Arts on Douglas since 2002 and is known for his work depicting representational scenes of Florida. He has been living in Florida since 1969 and his paintings reflect the colors, patterns, and quality of light that is definitive of this state. In lieu of palm trees and expansive natural vistas, Barrett captures the charm and energy of the buildings, bridges, and man-made structures that dot the landscape, from the sharp angles of towering skyscrapers to the subtle textures and old-Florida charm of weathered fish camps and other timeless relics.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Marc Barrett holds a BFA from the John Herron School of Art in Indianapolis, Indiana and an MFA from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Once he completed his studies, he moved back to Central Florida to pursue a career in aerospace illustration.  After 20 years in this field, he returned to his roots as a fine artist. Barrett is an Adjunct Professor of Fine Art at Valencia College and has regularly participated in the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival.  In 2017, his work was featured in the exhibition Solaris at Valencia College, in 2021 his work was featured in the Valencia College Faculty Exhibition and in 2022, he participated in the Gallery CERO Group Exhibition at Wekiva Island.

What artists have influenced your style or art practice and why?

In college, I created non-objective paintings and was influenced by Franz Kline, Robert Motherwell, and other abstract expressionist and color field painters of the1950s. 

 

My newer inspiration comes from the photorealism movement. I feel a connection to the California painter Robert Bechtle’s scenes from his everyday life.

Where do you find inspiration when you begin a new piece?

 

I am inspired by the unique places I come across in Central Florida. My camera is my sketchbook. I begin by shuffling through photos until something jumps out and says, ‘paint me!’ I then decide on the composition and vantage point that will represent my subject in all its ‘glory’.  

How has living in Florida influenced your work?

Artist Susan Bach

Arts on Douglas | alt_space gallery
Gallery hours: T-F 10-5 and Sat 10-4
123 Douglas Street,
New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
386-428-1133

Susan Bach

Susan Bach works with a traditional craftsman’s material, clay, in a nontraditional way, Bach creates highly patterned, decorative lamps, vases, and functional ware.  Each piece is fashioned from white earthenware and finished with lustrous glazes. All of her work is hand-painted original and one-of-a-kind. 

She was educated at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY, and Penland School of Crafts, NC. Bach has been a full-time studio artist since 1981.  She has exhibited in galleries, museums, and art exhibitions throughout the country.  Her work is in many private and corporate collections as well as the permanent collections of the City of Orlando, Valencia Community College, and the Maitland Art Center.

In fifth-grade art class, we got to make something out of clay so I made a little, black glazed cat. It was something I never forgot. Then on the last day of my senior year of high school, one of the teachers pulled a potter’s wheel out of the corner of the classroom, sat down, and threw a pot. Magic! I was hooked.

My father was an illustrator and wildlife artist (Tom Beecham) so I've always drawn or sculpted on pots. In the seventies I primarily worked in Raku, incising shapes and imagery and glazing in color. I had some instructors in college that helped me find the best glazes and color palette for my work. The stress and liabilities involved in working with the raku process led me to switch to terra cotta, but I continued to work with surface design, primarily hand building. With a background in drawing and painting, I liked working on square/rectangular forms as it was similar to working on canvas. Eventually Disney World contacted me about doing some work for one of their shops in what was then Disney Village. They wanted ceramics with bright colors, so I switched to white earthenware. I continued making slab-built forms up to 30" tall until the recession in 2008. At that time, it became difficult to sell large format pottery. I also discovered underglaze and slip trailing bottles with tips small enough to draw fine details. Since I have always been a doodler, I started doodling on small pots and plates.  This eventually led to the black and white patterned work I create today.

Artist Stephen Bach - Arts on Douglas

 

Arts on Douglas
Gallery hours: T-F 10-5 and Sat 10-4
123 Douglas Street, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168
386-428-1133
Artist Stephen Bach

Central Florida oil painter Stephen Bach is known for his atmospheric sky paintings and tonal landscapes. Stephen Bach was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and raised in Orlando, Florida. He majored in painting and illustration at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY.  He spent 8 years as an illustrator before working as a designer and mural painter with General Mills/Darden Restaurants.  In his 15 years with Darden, he helped design restaurant interior paint themes  and completed 1500 wall murals in more than 500 Olive Garden Restaurants nationwide.  

Since 2000, Bach has been working as a fine art landscape painter. He is known for his realistic paintings that capture the serenity of the landscape while pushing the effects of color and light. His works have been shown at leading art festivals throughout the US including the Original Ann Arbor Street Fair, MI; the St. Louis Art Fair, MO; the Cherry Creek Arts Festival in Denver, CO; the Old Town Art Fair in Chicago, IL;  and the Sausalito Festival of the Arts in California. He currently works from McRae Art Studios in Orlando, along with his wife Susan, a ceramic artist.