Brush to canvas: News from the art community

Making its debut Saturday at Soft Water Gallery is Midas Moments, an exhibit of new paintings by St. Pete artist Carrie Jadus. The title refers to the “golden hour,” at sunrise and at sunset, when the light illuminates the sky, and the environment, in soft and warm tones.

The golden hour is well-known to photographers, who’ve been utilizing it, to their advantage, since the camera was invented.

“Now that we have these iPhones on us all the time, that have these great cameras, whenever I’m walking on the waterfront, or walking on the beach, or walking somewhere beautiful in nature with my friends, I can grab my camera any time and shoot these moments,” Jadus reports. “And they’re so fleeting.”

Carrie Jadus. File photo.

Fast-forward to her studio, in the Warehouse Arts District.

“I’ve been saving these beautiful scenes, and thinking ‘Oh, this is really inspirational. Maybe I’ll paint this.’ But you know how sometimes something can be almost too pretty? Where it’s, like cheesy? Those great sunsets and sunrises can look like something on a calendar – not something that would necessarily make a great painting.”

That’s where the interpretive eye of the artist came in. Jadus started with a handful of small canvases, then took the ones she liked best and created large paintings from them. “But I wanted to preserve the looseness of the small study, which is a huge challenge as a painter. Because when you start working big, you really want to do all these details. I felt like it would make a really great challenge.”

The large paintings, she says, “are a little bit different from my usual style. They’re very loose. I used a really big brush on a stick for a lot of them, so that I could mimic that looseness that I get in the small studies.”

Jadus will attend Saturday’s 4 to 6 p.m. reception at the gallery. “It’s the first landscape show that I’ve had in over 10 years,” she beams. “Maybe even longer.”

Walking the walk

Saturday brings the September edition of the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance’s Second Saturday ArtWalk, 6 to 9 p.m. Here’s this month’s map and self-guided tour guide.

Running on the half-hour between 6 and 10 p.m., the free Warehouse Arts District Association (WADA) trolley loops around the city with stops at WADA, the Morean Center for Clay, FloridaRAMA, Duncan McClellan Gallery, Five Deuces, the Clay Co-Op. Park at the ArtsXchange, and the Deuces Corner Park. Find route details on this map. 

Creative Pinellas

The Pinellas County Commission voted Sept. 4 vote in favor of de-funding the arts support organization Creative Pinellas (there will be another vote Sept. 18 to approve the final fiscal year budget). More than 50 speakers pleaded with commissioners to spare the group, giving testament to not only its importance to artists but the economic impact of the arts – driven, in part, by Creative Pinellas’ activities. But it was in vain, as the vote, after over two hours of speakers, was 5-2 in favor of spending county money elsewhere.

This week, Creative Pinellas’ CEO Margaret Murray issued a statement that read, in part:

“We are:

Assessing the immediate and longer-term impacts to Creative Pinellas, our galleries, and our programs. We will communicate decisions as quickly and transparently as possible.

We will shortly be in direct contact with affected grantees and partners.

We are exploring possible paths forward and will keep you as informed as possible.

No single vote (or 5 votes) can erase the creativity, resilience, and care this community shows every day. Your support has strengthened our resolve to remain part of an arts ecosystem that is collaborative, accessible, and worthy of Pinellas County.

From all of us at Creative Pinellas – thank you for standing with us. Thank you for supporting us. And thank you for your role in creating an arts community we are all lucky to be a part of.”

Mahaffey surrealism

Work by Louis Markoya.

Fractal Dreams: Surreal Visions of Louis Markoya opens Sept. 18 in the second-level gallery of the Mahaffey Theater. It’s an exhibition of works by the surrealist painter, multi-media artist and “technologist,” a one-time protégé of Salvador Dali. Markoya famously fuses traditional techniques with cutting-edge technologies, such as fractals and lenticular lenses.

The artist will be there for a public reception on the 18^th, from 5 to 7 p.m., and the exhibition will be on view, by appointment, Wednesdays through Sundays and on nights when there’s a performance in the theater.

And more art events 

Art by Felix Burgos.

Cool Vibes Only, an exhibition by New York-based artist Felix Burgos, opens with a reception 5-8 p.m. Friday at D-Gallerie. A former advertising art director, Burgos is a modernist; the gallery describes his work as “hard-edge painting and minimalist abstraction, reimagining everyday moments through sharp angles, vivid hues, and tropical compositions. Palm trees, pastel walls, and still pools form the dreamlike environments that define his signature style.”

The Morean Center for Clay highlights the art of Lily Denhoff, Dani Lewis and Kayla Noble in the Fresh A.I.R. exhibition, unveiling with a 5-9 p.m. reception Saturday (during the Second Saturday ArtWalk). They are Artists in Residence, which is why the show is called Fresh A.I.R., and the plan is for them to spend the upcoming year teaching classes and using the studio space to create new works. The exhibit will be up through Nov. 1.

The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art will begin the remodel of its Earth and Humanity Foundation Wildlife Gallery Sunday, incorporating new art and new interpretive features, including family-friendly activities, new label content and audio elements. In a prepared statement, Chief Curator Emily Kapes explained the “reinstallation” (that’s the word she used) “deepens our commitment to connecting art, nature and community. It’s a space where families, school groups and art lovers can experience the wonder of wildlife and gain insight to conservation efforts.” It’ll all be unveiled Saturday, Sept. 20, which happens to be Free Museum Day in St. Petersburg. More on that shortly.

Speaking of Dali, as we were a few paragraphs back, tickets are on sale now for a one-night-only performance of the play I Am a Mistery in the Dali Museum theater Oct. 7. It’s the story of long-ago androgynous disco star, model and artist muse Amanda Lear, who was closely associated with Salvador Dali in the final decade of his life. Bob Devin Jones directs from a script by Margo Hammond; the cast includes Eugenie Bondurant, Jim Sorensen, Michael Gregory and Mary Rachel Quinn. Find tickets for the 6-7:30 p.m. performance here.

And speaking of conservation efforts: Located inside The Factory St. Pete, Wild Space Gallery is opening 125 Years of Audubon in Florida with an ArtWalk-timed reception (5-8 p.m.) Saturday. A presentation, panel conversation and audience Q&A (6-7 p.m.) will include Julie Wraithmell, Vice President and Executive Director of Audubon Florida; Jason Lauritsen, Chief Conservation Officer of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation; Noel Smith, Curator of Wild Space Gallery; and moderator Mallory Dimmitt, Chief Executive Officer of the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation. On Sept. 17, author Clay Henderson will speak (at 5 p.m.) on his latest book Audubon’s Birds of Florida. 

Artists and galleries: Please add the Catalyst to your email lists: bi**@************st.com. Thanks!