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The 2023 Emerging Artist Exhibition in Creative Pinellas’ gallery space highlights work from the ten Pinellas County artists chosen by the organization for this year’s Emerging Artist Grant.

Above are sculptures by Amy Wolf. She has written several articles for the Creative Pinellas website which give some insight into her work and are worth a read.

According to artist Kimberly Engel, the paintings above “explore vibrant color interaction while inviting viewers to meditate on an illusive horizon line where sky meets water.”

From the Creative Pinellas website-

Kimberly Engel is a contemporary abstract painter who lives and works in Clearwater, Florida. Her distinct gestural style combines a love for color interaction with spontaneous mark making. Engel’s paintings explore levels of transparency, evoking depth and light. She is inspired by the constant presence and changing states of large bodies of water. She has lived on the shore of Lake Erie in Euclid, Ohio prior to moving to the Gulf Coast. Engel describes her process as an exploration of herself and ultimately the dissolving of herself mirrored in the process of making and deconstructing works. Her gestural marks have been described as both compulsive and somewhat calligraphic. They undulate and disappear under thin veils of color.

Also check out her Instagram.

Denis DeBon created the unique glass works seen above.

His biography from the gallery website-

Dennis DeBon is the creator of EnergyWebs, which are one-of-a-kind works of modern glass art. He is often been compared to artist Jackson Pollock. Like Pollack, Dennis uses simple artistic techniques and has combined reverse painting on glass with spin art and taken both to a whole new level. Each EnergyWeb is cut from a large sheet of plate glass, then free-style hand-cut into shape, scalloped, polished then spun. Dennis uses a multitude of application techniques and color combinations when creating each piece before firing and hand-signing them. Every EnergyWeb is a unique, one-of-a-kind work of modern glass art and he is the only artist in the world creating them. In addition to selling his artwork at fine art festivals across the country, Dennis was commissioned as the artist to create the Richard Dawkins Awards. In addition, his past creations have been presented to James “The Amazing” Randi, Carl Sagan’s widow, Ann Druyan, and the Zora Neale Hurston and the Koi Society of America award winners. Dennis was born and raised in Buffalo, New York and attended the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, where he studied photography and graphic design. He now lives in Saint Petersburg, Florida and when he isn’t creating art, you might find him writing screenplays or in the boxing ring . . . working as a professional boxing referee.

For Kate Cummins’ installation, gallery visitors can see different sections of her work by pulling the cords to the side- creating new combinations of the three large scrolls.

From the gallery website-

“I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t drawing, painting or fabricating something out of something else” says artist Kate Cummins of her work. “I come from a creative household where the arts had a natural hierarchy”. After completing an Honors Bachelor’s of Fine Art degree from the University of Western Ontario, Kate travelled extensively and now lives with her family in St. Petersburg, Florida. Kate works in the film industry and has a busy studio practice where her focus has been creating work that responds to social issues. She says of her artistic career, “I am grateful to have a creative and challenging work life and look forward to concentrating exclusively on my artwork”.

The need to connect with others is the purpose and motivation for my art making. In my large scale abstract paintings I call attention to recurrent symbols: icons, motifs and totems. This personal iconography has become my language. Through it I am able to process and communicate perspectives regarding the effects of important societal influences, primarily; climate crisis, social conflict, and women’s rights. I rely on form and color to distill an internal commentary I cannot put into words. I see the work conveying my sense of optimism and confidence on a vibrant, color filled surface yet there’s an insinuated disorder and disguised unease. I am whisper-yelling “do you feel that everything’s ok-not really?” The artwork is reciprocal, a gateway in which I strive for a connection with others, I’m reaching an outstretched hand through painting and trying to say I want to make things better.

Also check out her Instagram to keep up with her work.

Jenipher Chandley says of her paintings (pictured above)- “My art is a testament to the strength and resilience of the human spirit”.

From the gallery website-

Jenipher Chandley is a representational artist working in her hometown of St. Petersburg Fl. Where she has raised her 4 children and is a proud new grandmother. She has earned degrees in Interior, and Graphic Design, from IADT Tampa. Jenipher is currently lead curator for Bar@548, She also has co-curated and exhibited in 100’s of shows throughout the Tampa Bay Area.

The story of love is the overarching theme in her work—the journey to find it, revel, cherish and protect it, the pain of losing it. She finds common ground where we are all connected, through nature, the human condition, and the energy all around us that drives us forward. Her artwork is real, sometimes raw, and emotionally charged, expressed through symbolism and poetic gestures. Jenipher brings her emotions and the entirety of her subconscious to the work, and through complete vulnerability uncover the strength to forge healing. She returns often to the divine feminine, to rediscover the beauty of inner power and resilience that conquers all. The work is vast in concept and style, while always human and relatable because our art should be as complex and ever-changing as we are.

Check out her website and Instagram for more.

Above are Marie Cummings colorful multimedia paintings. Check out her website and Instagram for more.

Her bio from the gallery’s website-

Marie Cummings was born in Detroit, Michigan. There she studied psychology and business at Wayne State University. She moved to Clearwater, Florida with her three daughters, where she embarked on a career as a Realtor. When her last daughter entered college, Marie decided to seek a new direction in her life: she wanted to explore the world of visual art. While studying Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center (Dunedin, Florida), she also ventured into Creative Writing at St. Petersburg College (St. Petersburg, Florida). This dual experience served as a launching pad for a serious embrace of fine art from an outside-the-box viewpoint.

Since that time, Marie has focused on the creative potential of Watermedia. She finds deep, rich, bold hues intensely exciting. Marie thinks of her palette, brushes and paper as tools for play. Water and paint dance together in her studio, making forms that spark the imagination and speak to the heart. Her work is a form of meditation, an expression of her soul.

Marie recently taught Experimental Watermedia at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center—the same course that first inspired her to take the leap into the world of art. She also enjoys teaching beginning watercolor classes for adults who are beginning to dip their toes in the wellspring of their own creative resources. She takes a relaxed yet encouraging approach to instruction, giving her students the time, space and gentle guidance necessary to grow as artists.

Aimee Jones uses her background in feminist theory to create paintings that incorporate the human figure in domestic and botanical landscapes. Check out her website and Instagram for more.

Agueda Zabisky describes her abstract ceramic sculptures as “a reflection on who we are as human beings, how we deal with challenges, and our quest for rhythm and harmony at all times”.

From the gallery website-

I have been working with ceramic since 2005. It all starts with a block of clay that transforms until it takes shape. Understanding that each phase has its right time made me learn not only to model clay but also model my anxiety and opened new paths for me.

The continuous quest to understand who I am as an individual and the mystery of that internal strength that humans have, which makes them move forward, is what inspires me as an artist.

I seek to create visual narratives that can inspire and instigate the observer’s thinking.

My project: “Journey to Equilibrium” We are made of pieces (symbolized by geometric blocks) that we collect along the way. We are born with nothing and are given love, knowledge, intelligence, strength and courage. At the same time, we also acquire selfishness, fear, anger and much more. Sometimes, we manage to make connections and a few pieces find their way to complete themselves, generating states of euphoria and happiness. Other times, our blocks move away, we make mistakes, we feel lost, full of doubts and we think that nothing fits, and this causes us anguish, anxiety and sadness. Surprisingly, even confused, we may have fun but not joy. But deep down, there is something we can’t explain and that keeps us going. It is as if we knew that all our pieces need to come into harmony, and that’s our challenge. No one has the same blocks as each one of us, and no one can arrange them for us. Obstacles happen all the time, but they are nothing more than pieces that we have to organize and balance. We also learn it is not possible to do this all at once. There is a lot to be done and no instructions manual on how to do it. We are discovering along the way and building our life every moment. It is a continuous balance of everything we are adding to what we want to accomplish. Something enduring over time. And, if at any point of our journey, we manage to have many of our pieces organized and better connected, we will realize that we are getting wiser and more complete.

Also check out her Instagram.

This year the exhibition also included writer Troy Bernardo and creative multi-hyphenate Patrick Arthur Jackson who both created interactive pieces for the gallery.

For Bernardo’s piece (pictured above) he attached QR codes to several of the items seen above that bring you to his written work.

Jackson created a board for visitors to contribute post-it notes with five words describing their relationship with their fathers.

This exhibition will close this Sunday (7/16/23). This weekend is also Third Saturdays at Pinewood– a free event with activities at all three spaces- Creative Pinellas, Florida Botanical Gardens, and Heritage Village.

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