On Wednesday, Aug. 2, Arts Bonita announced the award-winning artists in the new exhibition Views: Land, Sea, and Mind. A crowded gallery of art lovers and the general public applauded the artists for their talent during an opening reception held for the exhibition. Geoffrey Hamel who is an Adjunct Art Professor from Florida Gulf Coast University served as the juror and selected the five artists for awards based on demonstration of intent, the energy of execution, utilization of art media, the flow of counterbalances within the composition, and ultimately on how well each artist unified all elements into a completed work of art.

Five Award-Winning Artists:

• Ruth Epstein, Princeton Palette, oil on canvas (Best of Show)

• Jennifer Unwin, The Space Inside Ourselves, acrylic (First Place)

• Sara Spartin, Sarasota Beach, oil with palette knife (Second Place)

• Dot Lingren, America–Pull Yourself Together, mixed media: ceramic with iron nails (Third Place)

• Ruthe Sholler, Above from Below, soft pastels (Honorable Mention)

The Views: Land, Sea, and Mind exhibition features 50 original artworks both representational and abstract. Landscapes and seascapes are popular examples of Views, but they were not the only types of views eligible for entry. Artists who find their inspiration in ideas, thoughts, and feelings were encouraged to participate. Depictions of a person’s thoughts and feelings may be abstract, but not all inner views are abstract. Take surrealism as an example–artists provide a view of their innermost thoughts and emotions in a mostly realistic manner. Artists had endless possibilities for the depiction of Views, be they geography in the world around us or very personal Views found only in the mind.

Exhibition Juror: Geoffrey Hamel is an award-winning artist and Adjunct Art Faculty Member at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers where he has taught drawing and painting since 2006. He also teaches at Florida Southwestern State College and from 2008 to 2013 he taught art appreciation at Barry University in Miami. Hamel earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in Drawing and Painting from Ohio University in Athens. He also completed his undergraduate studies at Ohio University with concentrations in Studio Art and Psychology. Hamel enjoys working in a variety of media such as colored pencil, oil paint, and pastel. His work has been exhibited throughout Florida and he has received considerable award recognition including Best of Show awards from the Boca Raton Museum of Art during their 2012 All-Juried Competition and Exhibition and from the Arts Council of Southwest Florida during their biennial Winners Circle Show in 2021.

Also, on View through Aug. 24: On Safari with Jacke McCurdy

Jacke McCurdy has made seven trips to the African continent, where she enjoys the natural beauty and people of Batswana, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe. Jacke has macular degeneration and was recently declared legally blind. Last year, while on safari, she could not see, and she fully expected her sister Arden McCurdy would have to take the photographs, and that she would simply enjoy the atmosphere and people. Much to her surprise, Jacke discovered she still has the ability to take beautiful and compelling photographs. “I gazed toward the savannah and couldn’t see a thing,” Jacke said, “Then I picked up my camera and it was like a miracle–everything was clear through the digital viewfinder. I could hardly believe it. I could see the animals again.” This exhibition features a selection of Jacke McCurdy’s 2022 safari photographs.

In addition to being a world traveler and philanthropist, Jacke McCurdy was the first woman admitted to the Baltimore County Bar Association, the first female Assistant State Attorney for Baltimore County, she served as one of the first female delegates in the Maryland House of Delegates and was the first female Vice President of Joseph E. Seagram and Sons.

Both exhibitions are on view through Aug. 24, at the Visual Arts Center, 26100 Old 41 Road, in Bonita Springs. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free.

ABOUT ARTS BONITA

Arts Bonita is committed to enriching our community by providing artistic expression, education, and appreciation opportunities. With two locations dedicated to the visual and performing arts (26100 Old 41 Road and 10150 Bonita Beach Road), visitors can enjoy year-round programming, which includes live concerts, theater, comedy, film, lectures, and classes for artists of all ages and levels. Arts Bonita offers three Art Festivals in Downtown Bonita Springs each year in January, February, and March.