A Tribute to Artists - July 2022
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At the start of summer, GALLERY500 unveiled the Curator’s Choice exhibition. Displaying a range of contemporary artworks, from aquatic metal sculptures by Dillon Powell, to loose and gestural paintings by performance artist Laura Ashley, this exhibition highlighted favorite works and artists that curator Amber O’Neal sought to share with viewers.
Out of Curator’s Choice emerged new to GALLERY500 artist Brandon Santiago, a 22-year-old Florida painter who expresses his style with emotionally charge palettes, deconstructed shapes, and intuitive brush strokes. His acrylic paintings add to Gallery500’s expanding diverse collection, presenting new and immersive perspectives to our local community, Gallery500 collectors and guests.
Gallery500 celebrated its newest emerging artist with an Artist Reception, held Thursday, June 16, 2022. Supporting community members and encouraging artists attended this intimate gathering as Brandon Santiago shared with us the influences of his artworks.
Brandon Santiago’s original artworks from the exhibition, will remain on display until July 3. View his available works on our website. As our exhibitions rotate, so will Brandon’s latest artworks in the gallery.
Upcoming Exhibition
Art In Harmony
In Gallery500, we represent traditional and non-traditional contemporary artists who reflect various styles and perspectives of art. Our upcoming exhibition, Art in Harmony will feature 12 artists, and display more than thirty-five new paintings, sculptures, and photographs. The exhibition is structured to create uniformity by harmonizing various similarities in works of art into a grouped collection. The Opening Reception will occur Friday, July 8th at the gallery. Join us from 6pm to 8pm, for an intimate gathering with featured artists, wine, hors d’oeuvres, enjoyable conversations, and memorable experiences.
If you’re interested in attending the Opening Reception for Art in Harmony, RSVP by emailing info@gallery500.art. The exhibition will remain on display until August 28th, 2022. Learn more about the exhibition on our events page.
A Tribute to Artists
What makes a person choose to be an artist? Is there a specific reference point or are there other factors such as life experiences, influences, or inspirations, that lead to this decision? Is becoming an artist even a decision or is it a natural part of a person’s life?
Perhaps a commonality among artists is the passion, desire, and need to create. Creating with some form of ourselves, whether speaking in poetry, holding a paintbrush, handling nose pliers to contort metal, or squinting an eye in the viewfinder of a camera, allows us to create new and memorable experiences for others. Do their expressions and reactions to art contribute or take away the value of our works? Is the success of our art measured by others or ourselves?
One of our artists, William Lurcott, shares his perspective with us:
When I can look at my painting and it evokes a feeling that I first had, that inspired me to paint that, then I’m successful. I successfully interpreted it the way I felt about it.
William Lurcott is an experienced oil and pastel artist, writer and commercial pilot, who lives in Florida. Art in Harmony will feature several oil paintings and pastel artworks by Lurcott.
I think we’re all here to create and, it doesn’t mean we all create the same thing.
Another Gallery500 artist, Deborah Berry, creates unduplicated high-speed photographs with liquid. Her artistic space looks more like a science lab, as she has various tools that help her capture the purest collisions of these liquid drops.
Berry uses trial and error throughout her creative process. As artists, we use this technique to refine our works or enhance them.
Creating exists beyond a physical surface, and extends into our families, community, and beyond. Let’s all continue to discover ways to create in our everyday lives. Because in this way, we can remain artists.
- Diamond Johnson, Gallery Assistant