CULTURE VULTURE

 

‘Small Works’ make sweet splash at Lemonade Stand

BY C.S. GILBERT

KONK LIFE STAFF

Just before the Culture Vulture flew off on June 26 to a June 28 memorial service in New York City, Lemonade Stand Gallery owner Letty Nowak gave Konk Life an advance peek at many of the pieces to be presented in their third annual International Small Works Juried Show, opening today, Friday, June 27. Wow.

The only restriction on the artist is that the work has to be original art that is under 10 inches in any direction. That said, judges Rick Worth, Dianne Zolotow and Andrea Comstock have put together a wildly varied and remarkably interesting, almost all top quality, 50-plus piece show.

Many works selected are by familiar names in the Lower Keys art community: In fact the three Judges Choice awards and Perfect Score Award happen to be Key Westers: Respectively, Ashley Kamen, Elizabeth Chamberlin, Rebecca Bennett and Helen Harrison. Those I saw, by the first two artists, were outstanding; their quality was immediately apparent, even when I confess I didn’t remember from the press release that they had won. Kamen’s pair of encaustics was the first to catch my eye, Chamberlin’s bright, very impressionistic (almost abstract) rooster was the second. (I wished aloud, however, that she had signed the work with a finer-tipped instrument.)

Helen Harrison, gallery owner who creates the most amazing miracles with wood, paint and often calabashes, is a known quantity: One of a handful of full-time local pros whose work is uniformly excellent. Is there a superlative of excellent? That would be Helen Harrison. Her Mimosa, created of calabash, sweet acacia, oil paint and Plexiglas, does not depart from the high standard.

So much for winning locals. In my book, cheers for twin nudes by Sandy Mezinis of Marathon and photographic magic by Jodell Roberts of KW and Lynne Bentley-Kemp of Cudjoe. There are at least two dozen additional local (= Key West and the Lower Keys) talents, known and unknown, as well as pieces from Texas, California, Virginia, Tennessee, New Jersey and the United Kingdom.

I look forward to seeing the whole show on my return.

According to the gallery’s press release, the public is invited to attend the Artist Reception today from 6 till 9 p.m. and its signature Champagne Reception on Saturday, June 28, from 12 noon till 3 p.m. The Lemonade Stand Gallery is located at 318 Petronia St. and is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. till 4 p.m. or by appointment. Email [email protected]for more information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[livemarket market_name="KONK Life LiveMarket" limit=3 category=“” show_signup=0 show_more=0]