Venice Art Center's fall members show is on view through Nov. 5. The exhibition consists of 97 works of art in oil, acrylics, watercolor, pencil, pen, charcoal, pastels, mixed media and photography to pottery, ceramics, clay, fused glass, mosaics, stoneware and papier mache.
There was no judge for this show. Instead, each participating artist was given a ballot on which to select their five favorite pieces in the show. The votes were then tabulated to determine the awards for first, second and third places, along with five merit awards.
The top vote getter was Dirce Kennedy’s mixed-media portrait, “Bloom.”
“As a portrait artist, I paint to honor a subject's true self so that now and for generations to come, viewers can know and genuinely experience the subject,” Dirce wrote in the artist statement on her website. Since 2011, Kennedy’s paintings have been included in 80 juried shows and 12 solo exhibitions, garnering more than 55 awards. She credits Warhol, John Singer Sargent, Alex Katz, Lucien Freud, Renoir and her father as influences. In addition to the Venice Art Center, she is a member of the National Pen Women, Women's Contemporary Artists, Sarasota Art Center, Visual Art Center Punta Gorda, and Manatee Art Center.
The artists participating in the fall members show chose Sylvia Hill’s pastel, “Obligation,” as the second-place winner and Sherie Zahn’s charcoal, “Medieval Maiden,” in third place.
Zahn used to make her living as a freelance medical illustrator and currently creates and sells copper and brass jewelry. She has published a book titled “Tony’s War,” currently being sold in The National WWII Museum Bookstore in New Orleans and at book signings. She has a Ph.D. in infectious disease epidemiology, a degree in tropical medicine and a master's in public health. She is currently retired and living in Nokomis.
Merit awards were given to “The Blues,” by Hodges Soileau; “Searching for Shark’s Teeth,” by Kathy Simon-McDonald; “Silent Wader of the Woods,” by Janice McCoy; “Pear,” by Heather McDonagle; and “Espina Dolsar,” by Jeanne Palmer.
Next up at Venice Art Center is “Funky Fresh,” running Nov. 13 to Dec. 3, with the opening reception taking place on Nov. 13 from 5 to 7 p.m.
Support for WGCU’s arts & culture reporting comes from the Estate of Myra Janco Daniels, the Charles M. and Joan R. Taylor Foundation, and Naomi Bloom in loving memory of her husband, Ron Wallace.
