by donald dusinberre imartsyfartsy@gmail.com
I went out to the beach this past Saturday and, although I didn’t get wet, I nearly drowned in a sea of artwork by 88 of Jacksonville’s finest artists. Located right on the beach and hosted by the Ocean Club and the Atlantic, the On the Rocks Art & Music Showcase turned out to be an efficient way to get an overview of Jacksonville’s fertile artscape. The sheer volume of artwork kept me enraptured for quite some time, and in addition to the artwork, there were live performances by local musicians throughout the day. Their auditory accompaniment added another layer of creative spirit to the entire affair, making for a pleasant evening.
As far as presentation goes, both clubs were littered with art. Most pieces were hung or propped up wherever there was a large enough spot to put them, and that made the whole atmosphere quite fun and interesting. Everywhere I looked was another artist’s work. I didn’t go into the bathroom, but I wouldn’t have been surprised to see some more art in there. [Insert crappy art joke here.]
The field of artists represented most artistic styles, but by and large, most were expressionistic paintings, black and white photography, and graphic arts. Although there were a few examples, straight-up realism doesn’t seem to be a huge favorite with our city’s artists. There were virtually no traditional landscapes, sculptures, pottery, or painted portraits, but heck, there were only 88 artists.
Out of those 88, at least half of the participants displayed one or more pieces that I considered well done, and that was quite a nice surprise. Of course, there were a few duds out there, but I assumed that with so many artists in one place, there was going to be a ton of sub par artwork. Maybe I was just in a generous mood, but that’s very unlikely. I am excited to say that there were a few artists whose every work at the showcase was excellent. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them for showing their excellent work. I urge our readers to keep an eye out for their work and take a look for yourselves.
Michael Bell
Christina Morris
Stephen Floyd
Jerry Lambert
Sean Slater
Zac Freeman
Eskee
Galen Burrow
Rachel Kemper
Frank Donato
Derek Desislets
Kristi Howell
|
