by donald dusinberre
Until recently, articles within the pages of Entertaining U vanished into thin air in just a week. Although everything you read in print is also indefinitely archived on our website (eujacksonville.com), any effort to highlight one of our city’s artists had an unfortunate short street life.
But now that we’ve got an even larger paper out on the streets for an entire month, we can take advantage of the opportunity to profile Jacksonville-based artists, knowing that longer exposure will have a lasting impression on the people who enjoy art and visit galleries.
Our first artist is Tony Rodrigues, whose recent work will be on display at my favorite gallery in St. Augustine, the Gallery at Screen Arts. The exhibition, entitled Gurus, Boatsmen and Beasts, is an intimate look at Rodrigues’ exploration of stock images, old photographs, and pictures from vintage magazines, guides and instruction manuals. The exhibition begins on Friday, April 4th and runs through May 30th, 2008.
Rodrigues is a painter, but his work is inextricably tied to photography, which was the first medium he took serious interest in. “I’m drawn to the pictures and images in old catalogs, manuals and stuff like that,” he says. “Painting from a found image and placing it in a new context is a really fascinating process for me. Most of the images weren’t supposed to be seen as artistic, which…makes you have to rethink what they suggest.”
Rodrigues’ work and personality has influenced and inspired viewers and artists alike. Having heard about his impact on other artists in Jacksonville over the years, one of the first things I wanted to know was if Rodrigues was a native of Jacksonville. I was obviously delighted to hear that he is, especially since his work is so highly regarded. Mark George spoke fondly and deliberately:
“Tony has definitely been an influence on me in painting. I really like the era he represents- mid-century photography with sepia tones- it stands out. I’ve known him since ’91, and he fathered me into the whole painting thing. I was working more with assemblages and installations, but he brought me to his studio in Brooklyn and thought it would be interesting to try working together. He had recently picked up a copy of Art in America that had an article about Basquiat and Warhol in it, describing their work together and their different approaches to it. My first painting was a collaboration with Tony, and it is still hanging in my living room. It has a lot of meaning to me.”
Many others could easily cite Rodrigues as an influence. He has undoubtedly made an indelible mark on the present and future of Jacksonville’s art scene, most recently while working as an art instructor to troubled juveniles at the Duval County Jail and as an adjunct instructor at Jacksonville University,
In fact, one might say that his influence is more from the relationships he develops than from the art he shows, mainly because he doesn’t overexpose his work here in Jacksonville. His shows are infrequent, which probably keeps folks thirsty for his work. When he left town to attend college and earn his BFA at the Atlanta College of Art, he learned that an artist can best succeed when he or she is willing to branch out.
“If you really want to be an artist who can live off selling your art, you’ve got to get out there and show your work in other cities,” He says. “It’s fine to show your work in town, but you’ve got to work hard at getting it shown in as many places as you can.”
Though he does put in the effort to get his work in galleries all over the country, it seems he more enjoys the process of making his art than the tedious job of selling and showing it. “I sometimes have a hard time balancing the time I spend working on my art with the time I need to spend getting it out there. I’m not naturally inclined toward marketing myself, and it’s hard to switch my attention back and forth.”
Nevertheless, Rodrigues was sure to point out that he would probably show his work in Jacksonville more often if there were more places to do it. “I’d like to see more galleries open up around town so that artists have more places to show their stuff.” He said that not all spaces are appropriate for all artwork, which is an important element to viewing art effectively. We talked at length about how art is presented and how one’s surroundings alter the experience of viewing art. Rodrigues hopes that when people see his work, they’re left with a piece of it stuck in their head for days. Although there is a benefit to putting art in all kinds of places like restaurants, stores and bars, I admit that it’s hard to get the full effect when there’s a family of four eating their dinner under the painting you’re trying to look at.
And there’s one place he’s not completely sold on: downtown during the popular monthly Art Walk, though he certainly believes it is a benefit to the community and the artists within it. “Art Walk is a great time, and it’s good that people are exposed to so much artwork all at once, but most people hardly take the time to look at the art because there is so much other stuff going on. I mean, I’m glad the city puts it on, but we’ve got to have more dedicated spaces for people to visit and really look at the artwork.”
Although Tony Rodrigues’ influence on Jacksonville’s art scene might not always be glaringly obvious, I believe it will become more apparent as our local artists grow in number and talent. “There are a lot of really good new artists here in Jacksonville,” he says. Many of them have him to thank.
Take the uncommon opportunity to check out Tony Rodrigues’ Gurus, Boatsmen and Beasts art exhibition at the Gallery at Screen Arts in St. Augustine. It will be on display from April 4 to May 30, 2008, and there will be an opening party (with food) on April 4th from 6 pm to midnight.
Article Published in the April 2008 Issue of EU Jacksonville
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