Exhibition Dates: May 14 – June 26, 2021
Virtual Opening Reception: May 14, 6 p.m.
Beautiful Bountiful Bowls is a juried exhibition of handmade bowls by outstanding contemporary fine craft artists. From around the state, 33 artists created 100 pieces in ceramics, fiber, glass, metal and wood. Community programming (virtual and in person) includes a singing bowl sound healing and demonstrations about creating bowls in clay and wood. Glass artist and gallery owner Duncan McClellan will present an in-depth look at glass blowing bowls.
At the virtual opening and awards reception on Friday, May 14 at 6 p.m., people will have the opportunity to virtually meet the artists and the show’s judge Catherine Bergmann (curator of Dunedin Fine Art Center).
John Mascoll’s eye-catching bowl was created using woodturning structural GlueLam wood. He enhanced it with an East Indian Rosewood foot and finished the surface with a high-quality catalyzed lacquer.
Artist Rebecca Zweibel says of her abstract ceramic bowls, “My pieces serve as canvasses for my use of line and color, and their various forms allow me to express different ideas of volume and function. The use of dark clay beneath the applied color layers enables me to use sgraffito to outline and scratch and scribble, which expresses my feelings of freedom and abandon. I work instinctively and thoughtfully, with no preplanned design in mind.”
Dan Alexander’s blue and green glass bowl features graceful, waving lines. He says, “My bowls are an exploration of the beauty found beneath the surface. Many objects in the natural world have hidden treasures if one looks deeper than the outer layer.”
Several members of the Tampa Bay Surface Design Guild fashioned bowls from fiber. Elizabeth Neily’s bowl, “Florida Hogfish,” is made from hand-dyed fabric and adorned with beads and raw-edge applique.
Eric Folsom hand-forges and brazes his bronze and copper bowls. He says, “These bronze and copper bowls contain ideas and stories. Within each of these bowls, I have tried to place stories about things that I have learned, seen and experienced. Each hand-wrought piece is a word or a phrase that is a part of a sentence that tells the story. The bowls are also containers for objects which will continue to add to the story as time moves on.”
“As engaging the community is part of Florida CraftArt’s mission, the public is invited to attend the exhibition and programming free of charge,” said Florida CraftArt’s Board President Tyler Jones. “For instance, on May 25, woodworking artist Nick Reale and I will present “Throwing and Turning” where people can learn about the art of throwing clay on a wheel and woodturning bowls.
The show runs through June 26 when the People’s Choice Award will be presented. People can vote for their favorite work of art in the Florida CraftArt Exhibition Gallery and on Facebook. The exhibition’s sponsor is Tyler Jones of Premier Sotheby’s International Real Estate, along with support from Perry and Lisa Everett, the City of St. Petersburg, and Florida’s Division of Cultural Affairs.
Florida CraftArt is located at 501 Central Avenue in St. Petersburg. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m. For more information, visitwww.FloridaCraftArt.org or call (727) 821-7391. Fine craft art is presented in its 2,500-square-foot retail gallery and curated exhibitions are featured in its adjacent exhibition gallery. Florida CraftArt is a nonprofit organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in St. Petersburg. Its mission is to grow the statewide creative economy by engaging the community and advancing Florida’s fine craft artists and their work. Florida CraftArt is the only statewide organization offering artists a platform to show and sell their work.
MARK YOUR CALENDAR:
Friday, May 14, 6 p.m. Virtual opening with artists and judge Catherine Bergmann, Curator of Dunedin Fine Art Center
Tuesday, May 25, 6 p.m. “Throwing and Turning” Learn about throwing clay on the wheel with Tyler Jones and woodturning with Nick Reale at this virtual event.
Tuesday, June 8, 6 p.m. Singing Bowls sound healing with Master Gopali, virtual and in person (space is limited to 10, reservations are required.)
Saturday, June 12, 5:30-9 p.m. Second Saturday ArtWalk – Visit ArtLofts on our second floor!
Tuesday, June 22, 6 p.m. Renowned glass artist and gallery owner Duncan McClellan talks virtually about creating bowls in glass.
ARTISTS IN THE FLORIDA CRAFTART EPICUREAN DELIGHTS EXHIBITION
Dan Alexander, St. Petersburg
Danyell Bauer, St. Petersburg
Joanne Taylor Brown, Holmes Beach
Joan Clear, St. Petersburg
Kimberli Cummings, Tampa
Renee Davis, Palmetto
Katie Deits, St. Petersburg
Kathryn Erickson, Punta Gorda
Renee Farr, Cape Coral
Eric Folsom, Gulfport
Susan Gott, Tampa
Nancy Gray Griffin. Cape Coral
Kayla Harbeitner. St. Petersburg
Berit Hines, Largo
Tyler Jones, St. Petersburg
Patricia Knapp, Sun City Center
Leeann Kroetsch, Tampa
Sue Kutno, Sarasota
Betsy Lester, St. Petersburg
Susan Lumsden, Brooksville
John Mascoll, Safety Harbor
Wolfgang Mueller, The Villages
Elizabeth Neily, Gulfport
Victoria Nikkel, Pinellas Park
Suzy Pease, Gulfport
Emilie Pritchard, Panama City
Nick Reale, St. Petersburg
Jan Richardson, St. Petersburg
Rebecca Skelton, St. Petersburg
Barbara Ellen Williams, Ruskin
Catherine Wineland, Lakeland
Mary Ann Zeigler, Largo
Rebecca Zweibel, St. Petersburg