Palm Avenue Fine Art features local and international artistic talent in 2013 season

Since opening its doors at the corner of downtown Sarasota’s “Gallery Row” in November of last year, Palm Avenue Fine Art has quickly established itself as a cornerstone of fine arts on Florida’s Gulf Coast and is highly lauded for its extensive collection of work from both established and emerging artists.

Without breaking the stride of its successful first year in business, the gallery delivers an ambitious start to 2013 with the announcement of a new season---the arrival of which is heralded by Palm Avenue Fine Art’s first show, Four Artists, Four Styles.

The exhibition features a diverse group of four of Sarasota’s most prestigious artists: Dominic Avant, Viktorija Bulava, Jack Dowd and Charles Miano, each of whose work embodies a very distinct style.

“For our first show, we think it’s very important to showcase local talent. We basically planned our schedule around that goal,” said gallery manager Crystal Wagner. “The artists we’re bringing in for this exhibition are the four best of their kind in Sarasota. They’re all well-recognized for the work they do,” she added.The work of Avant infuses realism with impressionism in evocative portraits and scenes illustrated with fluid brush strokes in a marriage of vibrant and light and color. The distinctly “Florida-esque” style of Avant’s work has gained national recognition: The artist has received numerous awards from the Portrait Society of America, The Artist’s Magazine, Arts for the Parks, Raymar Fine Art Competition and Best in Show at Eastern Regional Oil Painters of America.

Bulava, who grew up in Latvia where she was recognized as an artistic child prodigy during the Soviet era, relocated to Sarasota after garnering international recognition for her work. Bulava’s paintings combine stylistic elements of the Art Noveau with post-World War II Soviet realism and the classical training she received at the Rozentals School of Art in Riga and the Art Academy of Latvia. The female figures represented in her paintings possess a sensual elegance comparable to classical Greek statuary, but are infused with brilliant color and rhythmic motion that distinguishes the work of Bulava.

Dowd’s life-sized sculptures rank him amongst the preeminent living American sculptors. His work---namely his colorful and iconic sculptures of Pop Art great Andy Warhol---is collected by private, public and corporate patrons throughout the world, and has been featured in museums and other public installations throughout the country. In addition to his sculptures, Four Artists, Four Styles will also showcase a selection of paintings from Dowd’s 27 series, featuring portraits of music greats who passed away at 27, the cursed age for rock ‘n’ roll and pop stars.

Miano, the fourth and final artist represented in Four Artists, Four Styles, is hailed for his traditional, representational work that follows the disciplined style of the Old Masters. As Director of the Southern Atelier Program of Drawing and Painting, Miano is widely recognized both locally and throughout the world for his style that turns its gaze to antiquity.

Four Artists, Four Styles runs from Jan. 3 - 18, with a reception taking place on opening night from 6 to 9 p.m., at which each artist will be in attendance to discuss the featured work and answer any questions. The Jan. 3 opening reception will feature wine and hors d’oeuvres and is free to the public, but the gallery requests that attendees RSVP by calling 941-388-7526.Although the primary concern of Palm Avenue Fine Art’s inaugural show is to highlight the work of Sarasota’s preeminent local talent, the gallery shifts its gaze to include contemporary art titans from both the national and international spheres in upcoming exhibitions.

Following the close of Four Artists, Four Styles, the gallery opens its second exhibition, International Marine Masters 2013. The exhibition runs from Jan. 31 - Feb. 15. The group invitational exhibition will feature the work of some of the world’s most highly-acclaimed marine art masters from the Royal Society of Marine Artists as well as the American Society of Marine Artists.

“These painters are really the crème de la crème of marine artists in the world,” Wagner said. “I mean, [John] Stobart is kind of like the living godfather of marine art---even his smaller works sell for upwards of six figures---so it’s very exciting to see his work in our galleries.”

The following exhibition, From Plein-Air to the Studio, part of the Light Chasers’ "Paint the Town" program, runs in the Palm Avenue Fine Art Gallery from March 1 – 11. Each of the seven artists involved in the exhibition will choose two studies created during Paint the Town to exhibit alongside a completed studio piece, illustrating the creative process that occurs between producing a study and a creative work.

The American Masters Group Exhibition, featuring 20 well-known American representational artists, kicks off on March 22 and runs through April 5 and, according to Wagner, features “impressionism to hyper-realism and everything in between.” The artists featured in the exhibition are in competition for a $5,000 People’s Choice Award.

“We put this right in the middle of our season because we expect it to be a really spectacular show,” Wagner said. “These are some of America’s best artists, and they’re all submitting their best work for a cash prize, so we anticipate a very good show.”Palm Avenue Fine Art will round out the first half of 2013 with its last show of the spring season, a solo exhibition featuring the work of popular Classic Realist oil painter Ted Polomis. Polomis, who is known for his hyper-realistic depictions of children’s toys such as tugboats, trains and cars, will showcase the latest of his nostalgic and whimsical still lifes in a show that runs from April 4 – 19.

Palm Avenue Fine Art is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. The gallery is open by appointment only on Sunday and Monday. Opening receptions for each exhibition will take place during extended gallery hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on opening nights.

For more information about Palm Avenue Fine Art or upcoming exhibitions, email the gallery or call 941-388-7526.