On July 18th, I went to the opening of “Florida Overtures, Undertones and Sub Plots” at Gallery at Avalon Island ( 39 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando FL). The opening featured live
music from Chris Aycrigg’s group , all nestled inside an
Orlando architectural gem, the Rogers Building.
The show was a
multimedia collection that examined the state’s intricacies and
idiosyncrasies through the eyes of 13 artists.The artists included, Gary Monroe, Carmon Colangelo, Therman Statom, Matt Roberts, Brian Phillips, Tamara Cedre, Phillip Estlund, and Jay Flynn. I was intrigued by the black and white photos of Gary Monroe of hasidic Jews in Miami beach. In the front window Jay Flynn had large sheets of plastic or glass had prints on them and the sheets were bent or melting giving a warped surreal effect.
As I sketched the musicians, one of their wives entered with her daughter. Her daughter was intrigued. She stood beside me watching as I splashed color onto the sketch of her dad. Once the sketch was done, I treated myself to some nuts which were on the table. As I left, Carl Knickerbocker was just arriving. He told me that one of the artists inside, Gary Monroe, wrote “Extraordinary Interpretations: Florida’s Self Taught Artists”, published in 2003. Of course this book showcased, Carl’s Suburban Primitive work.
I also went over to City Arts Factory which was insanely crowed. The Re Define Gallery had toy Marquette’s which were decorated by different artists. I’m pretty sure I recognized a toy by Woolfrich. Toni Taylor had several of her magnificent futuristic oil paintings on display. I told her that I wished I could take the time to create more refined pieces like hers. She said I should just keep doing what I’m doing. I didn’t explore any other galleries. I decided I needed to get home.