Custom House summer and Black, White and ReAd

 

By C.S. GILBERT

KONK LIFE STAFF WRITER

 

I have been remiss . . . very remiss. In the bare beginning of summer, the Key West Art and Historical Society opened a remarkable duet of shows at the Custom House and on August 1 a show with the best title of the year was presented by the Florida Keys Council of the Arts at the Gato Building. They richly deserved timely mention, while I have been distracted by the symphony, Summer Stage,TSKW’s One Night Stand and women’s history. Worst of all, they are all coming down at the end of September; please run, don’t saunter, to see them over a lunch break or on the way to happy hour.

The ordinarily uncustomary, continuous awesomeness of the Custom House cadre of young staff just grows and grows. They are so damned clever. The current, major shows feature sculptor and painter Will Fernanzed — and (drum roll, please) tourism!

I’m familiar with the work of Fernandez, primarily the chubby figurative ceramics and similar, slimmer critters (he has an amazing way with cats) shown at Stone Soup on White St. Somewhere in my dim monkey brain I remembered paintings as well, tropical landscapes and streetscapes, I thought, colorful and interesting but not all that notable.

Busted.

The current show closing at The Custom House is an exhibition of both depth and breadth. Yes, there are chubby people. And, in KWAHS’s largest gallery, the walls are filled with bright, acrylic paintings—but not just the tropical fare I remembered. Fernandez made New York City his subject for a time and the buzz, life, quality of his depictions of that iconic urban scene is delightful. But there is so much more. There are critters rendered in majestic scale as well as unexpectedly delicate Raku. It’s a multi-media extravaganza; just go see it. And while you’re at it, don’t miss the tourism show; it’s a hoot.

Closing Sept. 30 at the Gato is an interesting show the title of which is rather more intriguing than the product. When the Call to Artists went out for Black, White and ReAd All Over (variously rendered BLACK, WHITE and ReaD ALL OVER), I was interested; as a poet, I started thinking of ways I could introduce color, in design or in description, in a work wedding some varietry of fine art and the literary form. Unfortunately, life got in the way and I never created an entry. It was with great interest, however, that I went to see the show.

I was confused.

Getting artists to follow rules, even thematic “rules” as vague as the show’s title, is apparently even harder than hearding cats.

A minority of the work very cleverly cleves to the theme. Somewhere I have detailed and superbly perceptive notes about those, and other, works in the show. Unfortunately the beast of clutter has apparently eaten them. One piece I recall is Susann D’Antonio’s, because I had to talk myself out of buying it — when I first saw it in the previous member’s exhibit. It fits the theme perfectly, but the council really needs to avoid such repeats, especially from the very last show. Alcohol has killed its share of brain cells down here in party paradise, but good art is memorable. Several in this show were mixed media using torn paper, and the theme was perfect for Maureen Tracy Venti with her paired poem and photograph. Work by Lucy Paige and Kate Peachey (a ceramic) also rings dim bells of memory.

There is a secondary show at the Gato, too—in the stairwell, and it’s epic: Saga of the People is subtitled “100 year panorama of the 20th century” and consists of six detailed, pen and ink drawings drawn to 1/3 scale of the completed work and a seventh “welcome from the 20th century” described as a”1/2 scale study in oils. Parts of this have been displayed before but the exhibit is considerably expanded. It’s almost unbelievable.

Trust me; these shows are must-sees. Have I ever lied to you?

That’s all for now. Gotta fly!

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