New Artist: Bix Mannion

NIK WALLENDA

oil on canvas

30″ H x 24″ W

Art Uptown Would like to welcome Bix Mannion as a new resident artist to the gallery!

Artist Bio:

Bix is a contemporary impressionist painter who focuses on the portrait, the figure and its relationship to its environment.

His first patron was his grandmother who with her husband, Jack Dorrance, had one of the finest

impressionist art collections in the world. Having carefully observed Bix’s interest and talent in art, she arranged for his first private lesson at the age of ten from Madame Magat one of the premier french painting instructors in the Philadelphia area at the time.

Bix went on to focus on his art at The Hotchkiss School and Middlebury College. Hearing the turmoils of the starving artist, Bix opted for a career in finance where he spent twenty five years of his life. All through his career as a mortgage banker Bix found time to feed his passion which is painting. Bix, now a full artist, has studied privately and academically in the United States and abroad. He has received instruction and guidance from likes of Everette Raymond Kinstler, Peter Van Dyck, Peter Paone, Ellen Cooper, Gene Costanza and Charles Miano.

SIESTA
oil on canvas
22″ H x 26″ W

His work can be found in many personal and corporate collections throughout the United States. He was awarded 1st Place in Art Uptown Gallery’s “Dog Days of Summer” juried art show in Sarasota Florida.

He is a member of The Portrait Society of America and served as a Board of Director for Main Line Art Center in Haverford PA.

Bix and his wife, Gretchen, live with their eleven year old daughter, Grace, in Sarasota Florida while their adult children live in the Philadelphia area where they all grew up.

Stop by the gallery on Main Street, in Downtown Sarasota, and experience the work of Bix Mannion and our other talented resident artists!

New Artist: Judy Saltzman

What’s Cooking
Watercolour,Framed 38″x 28″

 

Art Uptown would like to announce their new resident artist; Watercolorist, Judy Saltzman to the gallery!

 

Judy’s Artist Bio:

Style and technique are two important components to an artist.  An artist’s style can be as unique as her signature which is true of Judy Saltzman watercolor paintings. 

Cherokee Wind
Watercolor,Framed 54″x42″

 “All of my life, making art has been my passion.  As I have experienced life, the forms that my work has taken have evolved and deepened.  I want my art to inspire the viewer to look closely at what stands before them”.  There is a function of shapes with meticulous attention to detail.  Judy uses these elements to tease the eye.  

 Judy’s adventurous spirit gives her freedom in choice of vibrant color, variety of subject matter and movement as seen in her paintings.  As an avid sailor many of the paintings are created when cruising on her sailboat.  

Hungry Koi
Watercolor,Framed, 54.5″x42.5″

 Judy is a member of the Florida Watercolor Society, Art Center of Sarasota, Art Center Manatee, Venice Art Center and a Signature Member of Florida Suncoast Watercolor Society.  Her painting “Hungry Koi” has received an award in the 2014 Florida Watercolor Society Annual Exhibition.  Currently she lives in Sarasota which provides a constant source of inspiration for the artist.

 

 

Stop by the gallery to see all of the works featured here as well as more of Judy’s work on the Art Uptown Gallery website www.artuptown.com!

New Artist: Kasia Bruniany

 

Cherry Blossoms
Oil on Canvas ,Framed , 16″x20″

Art Uptown would like to announce Oil Painter Kasia Bruniany  as a new resident artist to Art Uptown !

Kasia’s Artist Bio:

Pear-tini
Oil on Canvas, Framed, 14″x11″

“My artistic passion is in oil paintings and drawings. Although I am influenced by many styles, I strive to master the technique of combining realism and impressionism to capture the external world in my own way. Most of my choices are instinctive, inspired by my surroundings—the people I encounter, the music that I hear, and the places I have seen. I remain constantly open to new possibilities and innovation. I believe art is about our connection to each other as human beings and to nature. I hope to create an intimate conversation between the work and the viewer so that the viewer becomes sensitized to seeing more, appreciating more, connecting more and loving more in everyday life.

I have been a versatile artist since my youth, eager to explore a range of media, from painting, photography to structural design. As a student, I was fascinated with graphic processes and became proficient in the difficult techniques of etching. I received a Master of Fine Arts in Art and Design and a minor in Interior Design from the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow, Poland. After my formal education, I gained a wide range of experience working in graphic design, television set design, interior design, and as an art director. My travels throughout Europe, Asia, South America and North America gave me the opportunity to study art of both the past and present and expand my knowledge of diverse styles and cultures. In the middle of my career, I moved from Poland to the United States (Pittsburgh, PA) where I continued to work successfully as graphic artist, art director and fine artist.
In 2012 my husband and I came to Sarasota for vacation and didn’t want to leave – so we moved here. We live in Lakewood Ranch were I work full time as a fine artist”

Wine and Cheese Soiree
Oil on Canvas, Framed 20″x16″

 

Stop By the gallery and enjoy some great artwork by the rest of our local resident artists! We change the gallery around once a month so there is always new work to see!

 

 

New Artist: James Gabbert

“Into The Wind 2”

“Sunniva”

Art Uptown would like to announce Bronze Sculptor James Gabbert  as a new member of our gallery Co-op ! James Gabbert was born in Minneapolis Minnesota and now lives most of the year in Anna Maria Florida. He is a sculptor and has had a passion for three dimensions all his life. James graduated from Colorado College in Colorado Springs, Colorado with a Degree in Fine Arts. However, throughout most of his adult life his creativity was channeled into a career as a retail entrepreneur. Late in 2008, with the sale of his businesses and he and his wife, Barb, becoming empty nesters, he took the opportunity to return to his passion. James’ works have won awards in Minnesota, Florida and New York.

“I create art to lift and enlighten the spirit, to touch the heart, to awaken the intellect; to be provocative, that is, to provoke the mind, heart or spirit to experience something new or rekindle

something forgotten. I believe art should be beautiful. Its proportion, balance, and aesthetics should draw the heart and spirit into it and leave with something more. I strive for my art to be a unique contribution to our collective understanding of humankind.”-James Gabbert

You can find more information about James at www.artuptown.com !

New Artist: Susan Klein

Art Uptown is pleased to welcome Susan Klein as new member. Susan Klein was born in Dayton, Ohio, and now lives in Sarasota, Florida.  She has been painting and exhibiting for over forty years, consistently winning awards and recognition.  After receiving a Masters of Fine Arts from Kent State University, she taught classes at Youngstown State University and the University of Akron while continuing her painting career.   During this time she also owned and directed The Steel Street Experimental Gallery in Youngstown, Ohio. Moving to Florida, in 1990, she rejoiced in her adopted state and devoted herself to painting and discovered the wonders of the Florida landscape in the imagery at Myakka River State Park and the beaches of the “Suncoast.”  Trips to Europe and the American Southwest, along with National Park artist-in-residencies, have enriched and expanded her oeuvre.  Her painting, “Clay Gully Creek,” was selected to be exhibited at the American Embassy in Rome, Italy, during 2001-2004; and the painting, “Resurrection Fern” was displayed in Sofia, Bulgaria (2008-2010), both as part of the United States Department of State Art-in-Embassies program.  Other fine paintings are included in prestigious public and private collections, nationally and internationally.

Susan is also a member of The Petticoat Painters.The Petticoat Painters are one of the oldest all women artist groups in the country and are an exclusive group of only 20 members. Art Uptown is now showing 5 Petticoat Painters work year- round; Susan Klein, Eleanor Merritt, Jamie Friedli, Jacqueline Clark, and Janet Mishner.

Resurrection Fern by Susan Klein

Stop by the gallery on Main Street, in Downtown Sarasota, and experience the work of Susan Klein and our other very talented artists!

New Artist: Clara Ricker

Art Uptown would like to welcome their new member: jewelry artist Clara Ricker to the gallery!

Clara Ricker‘s jewelry career began to blossom in 2007 after she retired from a 36-year career in the construction/ engineering industry. Believing that education is a lifelong process, Ricker has taken many jewelry workshops, classes and courses over the last 15 years. Her most influential master to date is silversmith, John Cogswell. Although she has learned many metal forming and stone setting techniques from Cogswell, most importantly, he taught her to give back by teaching.

Ricker currently teaches jewelry making at Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Florida. She has also taught at the Morean Art Center and as an artist in residence for the Youth Arts Program in St Petersburg, Florida.  She has served on the Board of Directors of the West Coast Chapter of the Florida Society of Goldsmiths since 2007and served as its President from January 2010 until January 2013.

Ricker is frequently commissioned for her nature inspired, one of a kind artisan jewelry. Birds, turtles, butterflies and flowers come alive in her studio as she forms silver and gold by hand and hammer sometimes adding precious stones or patina to the metal. Ricker firmly believes she leaves a part of herself in each of the unique pieces of art jewelry that she creates. She sells her workat craft shows and galleries in the US and especially enjoys her commission work.

Clara Ricker lives and works on Florida’s Gulf Coast in Bradenton, Florida with her husband Mike. Born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada she became a US citizen in 2001.

“Photography as Art?” Opening Reception

On Friday November 8th we held our opening for Richard Stewart‘s Exhibit “Photography as Art?” at Art Uptown in Downtown Sarasota. The exhibit of the award winning photographer, brought many patrons and friends into the gallery for the festive reception.  It was a great opportunity to meet the artist and to be welcomed by the members of Art Uptown Gallery.

Photographer Richard Stewart

Art Uptown Gallery visitors enjoying Richard Stewart’s Photos ” Young Toro” and “Trattoria al Ponte”

Art Uptown Gallery visitors enjoying Richard Stewart’s Photo ” Workboat on Monet’s Lily Pond- Giverny”

Art Uptown Artists from left: Maro Lorimer, Nancy Faris

Art Uptown artist Esther Jensen greeting guests

 

Richard Stewart’s photography in the Art Uptown Window Dislplay

Art Uptown artists and gallery visitors

 

Artist Jacquie Clark Greets Gallery Visitors

 

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“Photography as Art” Exhibit

NEFERTITI IN CACTUS

As the month of October comes to a close, we will be showcasing works by one of Art Uptown‘s artists, Tampa Photographer, Richard Stewart.

The  Exhibit will feature his newest Photographs from Mexico, Costa Rica, and Italy.

We will also be featuring his other works dating back to 1968 from his travels throughout Europe.

The show opens this Saturday October 26th and continues through November 30th.

Come Experience this event and meet the Richard at the opening reception that will be held at Art Uptown in Downtown Sarasota on Friday November 8th from 6-9pm!

Hope to see you there!

Click here to see Richard Stewart’s full artist bio and previous works.