Endless Summer: A Group Exhibition

On Exhibit: August 3 – 31, 2019
Opening Reception: Saturday, August 3, 4 PM – 7 PM
ACA Downtown, Arts on Douglas, feature gallery
Gallery Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 AM – 5 PM, Saturday 10 AM – 4 PM
Learn more at artsondouglas.net

Join us for the opening of our annual themed group exhibition Endless Summer. Paying homage to the 1960’s cult classic film of the same name, this fun, upbeat exhibition is a visual exploration of the summer season and all that it entails. Now in its seventh year, this display, curated by Gallery Director, Meghan Martin, features 28 artists, each presenting their own unique interpretations of summer ideals, memories, experiences and sensations in unique and creative ways.

The 28 participants in this exhibition are made up of 15 artists represented by the gallery alongside a juried selection of 13 guest artists.  The work selected covers a range of mediums, from painting and photography to jewelry and ceramics. The subject matter also varies widely, from realistic landscapes to more conceptual expressions of the embodiment of summer.

This year’s participants include Marc Barrett, Bobbi Baugh, Donne Bitner, Victor Bokas, Stacey Fletcher, Rene Guerin, Nancy Hamlin-Vogler, Tim Jaeger, Allison Kline, BJ Lantz, Inverna Lockpez, Karlene McConnell, Peggi Nadeau, Maureen Nagler, Sharon Osterholt, Joseph Palmerio, Sarah Rigas, Juliana Romnes, Per Hans Romnes, Robert Ross, Helaine Schneider, Glenda Taylor, Rose Thome Casterline, Trish Thompson, Anna Tomczak, Catherine Van Lancker, Cynthia Vener, and Cindy Wilson

Examples include the work of Sarasota painter Tim Jaeger who captures the summer mood from a unique perspective.  In his mixed-media painting titled Siesta Beach No. 10 (above), he playfully depicts a birds-eye view along the shoreline with clusters of brightly colored beach umbrellas depicted as simplified geometric shapes and patterns, emulating the bright light and long shadows indicative of the season.

In contrast, Orlando based Plein-air painter Sharon Osterholt captures quieter summer moments. This can be seen in her piece titled Seahorses on the Beach (below) in which she paints a couple walking their dog along Flagler Avenue in New Smyrna Beach. The quality of light sets the mood in this relaxed, serene piece.  The tops of the palm trees still radiate in the sun’s warmth, but cooler tones take over in the shadows, allowing the viewer to almost feel relief from the heat of the day as the sun begins its descent towards the horizon.

Orlando sculptor Helaine Schneider approaches summertime in a playful, whimsical way. In this mixed-media piece titled Summer Has Sprung (below left), she presents a child’s head peering out of a red wagon, with colorful flowers sprouting from the child’s head. Next to the child sits a watering can.  This is a beautifully symbolic piece that touches on themes of growth and renewal in a fanciful and imaginative way.

Maureen Kiefer Nagler is another Orlando artist that is expressing this theme in a different way by exploring the ever-changing palette of the ocean. Her abstracted seascape Above the Reef (below right) is bursting with intense colors and expressive movement that invokes feelings of crashing waves and embodies the energy of a churning ocean.