Here Comes the Sun at Art Center Sarasota

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27 Aug, 2021

"Do You Think It's Okay to Fly Now?"
by Alice Sundstrom 
First, a caveat. While the most recent exhibit at Art Center Sarasota was called "Here Comes the Sun," the exhibit was not overflowing with images of sun and fun on the beach. The titles of shows at the Art Center are for marketing purposes rather than to establish a theme. With the show running in August, "Here Comes the Sun" was as good a choice as any. Now that that's out of the way, on to some art created by area artists. 

Alice Sundstrom describes her art as being at "the intersection of Salvador Dali and Dr. Seuss." She invites viewers to exercise their imaginations as they enter her unique and wildly creative world. I've seen her work before, and I'm always taken by both the whimsy of her paintings and the meticulous way each component is created. Sundstrom begins each work by sketching shapes until a relationship among them begins to emerge. Then she's off to the races as her imagination takes hold. 

I assume the title of this work is a reference to our lives in what seems a never-ending time of COVID. While the glass ball loosely tethers the objects to the ground, each piece is clearly ready to head off into new territory. Isn't that how we all feel?  Perhaps this resonance was one reason "Do You Think It's Okay to Fly Now?" was awarded first place in the exhibit. 

"Redemption" by Ron Gallo
My vote for the People's Choice Award went to "The Path to Redemption" by Ron Gallo. It just struck a chord with me. Gallo's skill is impressive, and I wanted to know more about the people portrayed. The woman, dressed in her Sunday finest, sings from a hymnal. My personal guess is that the song is "Amazing Grace;" its lyrics about having been set free from the chains that bind seem apt since the young men appear to be convicts. The halos over their heads lend an otherworldliness to the image. What's the story here? 

As it turns out, I know Ron from his participation in exhibits at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, my home away from home when I lived there. And so I reached out to him to find out what inspired him to paint "The Path to Redemption." 

"The inspiration...was Colson Whitehead's book The Nickel Boys," he wrote. "It's a heartbreaking novel of the mistreatment, torture and often murder of young boys sent to a segregated Florida reform school. This was all done under the guise of 'redemption' and was for the most part hidden from the public and tragically sanctioned by the school administration. Ironically, the boys were not rehabilitated; they approached martyrdom (in my view)." Having read the book, I wholeheartedly concur with his analysis. Knowing this background makes me appreciate the work all the more. 

"Love Bugs" by Ron Gallo
I was also struck by the tone of "The Path to Redemption," which is different from Ron's other work with which I am familiar. He often portrays characters in a slightly humorous manner that reflects their humanity. (Think less than toned beachgoers or old men playing cards in the park.)  In fact, his "Love Bugs" depicts a crowd of people at a tennis match and was given a special award in the exhibit. I love that he can switch it up this way. Click here to visit Ron's website.    

"Becoming" by Mary GrandPre



Mary GrandPre's "Becoming" didn't win a prize in the show, but it did have a red sticker on the wall card. I can see why the purchaser was drawn to this image of a woman emerging from a misty background. You can almost feel her strength growing as she becomes the person she wants to be. (It doesn't hurt that the title calls to mind Michelle Obama's memoir of the same name.) For me, "Becoming" is an example of abstraction at its finest. 

Chances are you're familiar with GrandPre's work even if the name doesn't ring any bells. She began her career as an illustrator, and her work can be found on the covers and in the pages of the American versions of the Harry Potter books. Her resume also includes a collaboration with children's author Barb Rosenstock on books about Monet, van Gogh, Kandinsky and Chagall. I'm a sucker for fun ways of introducing kids to art. Click here to see some of GrandPre's illustrations (compliments of Amazon -- you know what to do.)  To see more of GrandPre's paintings, click here. 

"Tin Man" by Melanie Cartwright
I'll leave you with a sculpture by Melanie Carlstein, an artist whose mixed media work always gets my attention. Her assemblages often feature a painted face that's a wee bit creepy. Somehow, that's part of the attraction. But not here. Instead, "Tin Man" calls to (my) mind the ever-popular Mr. Potato Head with his funny hat and protruding ears. All he's missing is his corn cob pipe. (As a total aside, Hasbro has changed the brand name of the toy by dropping the "Mr." in order to be more inclusive. The actual toys, however, are still designated by their gender.)  

Carlstein's ability to take cast-off items and create art shows an admirable amount of creativity. Never in my wildest dreams would I look at an old drawer handle and think, "That would be the perfect mouth for an assembled figure." My right brain is sadly underdeveloped. To Carlstein, though, this way of looking at the world is natural.  "I have always seen beauty in things that are old or discarded and I can often picture them as something more," she has said. More power to her. For more of Carlstein's art, click here.

"Here Comes the Sun" was a great reminder that we have many talented artists in our midst. How lucky I am to live in such a creative community.  For more information about Art Center Sarasota and upcoming exhibits, click here.  
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