Tampa 01/06/2021
FLOWERS is a creative art project organized by Florida in Art. It started as a call to Floridian artists to create an art piece in times of Pandemia by examining their creativity and resilience as 2020 has been a unique year in human history. Beginning last year, this group of selected artists has been painting and preparing for the exhibition. Artists confronted the Pandemia connecting themselves to Nature in the Flowery peninsula, in Spanish FLORIDA.
The FLOWERS-themed Art Exhibition will take place at Carrollwood Cultural Center in Tampa during June and July 2021. Art Reception is June 11, 5:30pm to 7:30pm.Address: 4537 Lowell Road Tampa, FL 33618 Phone number: (813) 922-8167
“Calling this show during 2020 has been a place to go and reflect on the beautiful life we have in Florida. Art allows us to find that place where spiritual energy and the physical meet. We connect with our soul and with the Nature that surrounds us, and the peninsula of Florida is the perfect place to create Art and share with others…” states the art curator Alicia Campos.
The artists’ diversity and background are some of the main characteristics of the FLOWERS Art exhibition. Artists from Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Peru, Spain, France, the USA, Ireland share a natural living space, the beautiful peninsula of Florida.
Among professional artists, art teachers, and art therapists, the FLOWERS art exhibition has young art students as well: Santiago Mendoza, Penny Nanns, Melissa Paulino, and Claudia Costa. These young artists’ perspectives give us a new and fresh view of the theme.
“Florida and its nature move us all.” As Christine Samad, artist and art teacher, says: “Nature is a healing force. I have a very bold style because of my use of color and detail. I thought it would be inspiring to bring part of my personal story to this art show FLOWERS Florida in Art because I feel connected to Nature. Flowers have a dual nature in that they are delicate, yet their layers can survive and thrive in the elements, which I want to show in my work. I used acrylic paint and Posca paint pens in my art process. The wonderful thing about Art is that artists bring a unique perspective to life with visual imagery. There are many types of flowers, and they may have different meanings to different artists. When we all come together, it is a beautiful thing to behold.”
“We live all in a transformative time, and Nature is here to remind us.” Corinne Varón, the artist and retired Harvard Ph.D. in Education, states: “My purpose when I paint is to understand the force of Nature. I see myself immersed and silenced by what I see in Florida: Nature.”
Some artists approach the themed Flowers with various panoramas as a personal journey surrounded by the peninsula’s vegetation. ‘The Flower Maker’ by artist Alicia Campos Massó is a depiction of how even in isolation, the artist is still part of Nature, a whole living physical organism that emanates from the energy in humans and around humans. Other artists focus on different styles from abstract floral still life paintings such as Maria Swire’s “New Bloom” to large-scale self-portraits such as Heather Rippert’s “Me and the Vine”.
For more information about this art exhibition, FLOWERS 2021, text Alicia Campos 646.498.9260, and visit www.facebook.com/floridainart.
Participant artists:
Corinne Varón . Dacota Maphis . Nancie Norman . Tom Parker . Kimberly Smith . Lynn Rattray . Anita Wexler . Diane V. Radel . Claudia Nolasco Lara . Robin Dufresne . Belicia Adams . Christine Samad . Heather Rippert . Judy Bales . Barry Young . Nola Costa . Peny Nanns . Kriss Von Heinz . Cheryl Yellowhawk . Harriet Godbole . Jenipher Chandley . Sherry Ross . Alice Absolutely . Michael Fait . Michelle Korrie . Joanne Osborn . Sharon Appler . Chelsea Glade . Tammy Berk . Megan Russ . Glenn D Schuele . Leslie Shields . Marisa Griffin . Samantha Swann . Melissa Paulino . Fahan Sky McDonagh . Elizabeth A Johnson . M’ria Swire . Bibzie Priori . Alicia Campos Massó . Kelli LaPuma . Santiago Medoza . Julie Santelices . Jake Mecham