ART ENCOUNTER 2008 ART ENCOUNTER 2008 is a juried awards exhibition highlighting recent work in installation, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture and works on paper by artists from all regions of Florida. This annual exhibition will be installed throughout The von Liebig Art Center on the first and second floors. Brian Dursum, Director and Chief Curator of the Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami will serve as juror. Exhibition juror, Brian Dursum Brian Dursum is committed to the Lowe Museum of Art. Since 1992 he has served as the museum’s Director and Chief Curator. For the past 30 years he has been the Curator of Asian Art at the Lowe and has held various other positions including registrar and lecturer.     Opening in 1952, the Lowe Museum was the first art museum in South Florida. Its 16,000 object collection is one of the most important in the Southeast, with strengths in Renaissance and Baroque, American, Ancient and Native American, and Asian art. Dursum received a Master of Arts degree in Asian History and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from La Salle University in Philadelphia. Since 1992 Dursum has taught and lectured on Asian Art at the University of Miami. Juror’s Statement We encounter art on many levels—some of us professionally as artists, curators, critics, and collectors, and others as viewers—simply for the joy that art provides. Art is all around us in the natural world. We see it daily. It is the challenge of the artist to capture a moment in time, one that is meaningful to him or her and then transmit it in a medium and manner that allows us to relive the artist’s experience of that moment in our own way. I was asked to play the role of curator and critic to objectively review each work and make a determination as to which objects met the criteria outlined above. I was impressed to have been able to find such a wide range of media, style, and fine execution among the applicants. There was great strength and variation in photography, painting, sculpture, paper, and ceramic arts. I was moved by the emotion displayed by the artists, which ranged from views of the tranquil natural beauty of our Everglades to the decay and desolation of our urban cores. Some of the artists took us on flights of fancy to a neo-surrealist world; others created challenging sculptures in fiber, wood, and ceramic that were both sensuous and meaningful. Still other artists challenged us with scenes of pain and suffering, the challenges of old age and death. Yet through all this, the works remain poignant and hopeful. Each artist approached his or her work with true professionalism, which clearly manifests itself in the work. I wish you all well and thank you for the privilege of being part of the selection process for ART ENCOUNTER 2008. Brian A. Dursum Director and Chief Curator Lowe Art Museum, University of Miami Exhibition generously sponsored by: and Awards Generously Sponsored by: Physicians Regional Medical Center n media group Publix Super Markets Charities Aldecor Custom Framing Koenig Art Emporium TCA Graphics Artisan Framers Linda Barone (Naples) Hookah, 2008 oil 28 x 34 inches Ron Berry (Naples) Patriotic Sunny Palm Cottage, 2008 drawing pencil 25 x 32 inches James Briles (Punta Gorda) Gibson Man, 2008 oil on canvas 24 x 12 inches Daniel Calvert (Ft. Myers) Breaking Water, 2008 Photograph 16 x 14 inches Tom Cardamone (Naples) Low Tide, 2007 acrylic on canvas 24 x 30 inches Nicole Clare Campbell (Bonita Springs) Lovers Key, 2007 oil on Masonite 60 x 42 inches Jami Nix Ran (Weston) Race, 2006 marble 24 x 21 x 1 inches Jennifer Martin (Big Pine Key) Summer Heat, 2006 mixed media on canvas 48 x 48 inches Dixie A. Whatley (Naples) Three Sheets to the Wind, 2008 granite 10 x 15 x 4 inches

Offsite Exhibition Finding the Image Artists Exploring the Creative Process On view at Physicians Regional Medical Center from December 12 through May 28th, 2008    Pine Ridge This exhibition is made possible through a supportive partnership between Physicians Regional Medical Center and The von Liebig Art Center. The Physicians Regional Medical Center is located at 6101 Pine Ridge Road in Naples. Gallery hours are Monday - Friday, 6 am-8 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 9 am-8 pm.   The Finding the Image exhibition encourages viewers to consider the process artists follow when creating artwork. While the artists in this exhibition create works of art that may appear very different in subject matter and style, their work derives from a creative process whereby ideas and inspiration are combined with art making techniques. The creative process is as varied and individual as each artist. It may begin with an idea, observation or another type of inspiration such as a dream. For many artists motivation is found in the beauty and wonder of nature. Before and during the creation of their work, artists like Diane Bubb, Bill Gutzwiller, Loppy Lazar, Sonia Ortega and Tillie Smith take time to observe plants, animals, people and landscapes. The artists’ works are strongly influenced by their interaction and experience with nature. Seeing their paintings, pastels and sculpture may influence others to stop for a moment and observe nature anew.    Other artists start with a concept or idea. Ted de Clercq is motivated by science, history and interpersonal relations. In his painting Dance at the American Mall de Clercq considers the intricate patterns in a square dance and reveals a corresponding relationship between the dance and the dancers’ brightly patterned clothing. Artist Larry Zywica confronts issues such as homelessness and hunger with his paintings and mixed media work. Over the past seven years Zywica has painted Southwest Florida shorelines. By highlighting the passing of time and the fragile beauty of natural, Zywica hopes to motivate viewers to protect and preserve the environment. Russian artist Georgy Kurasov uses complex compositional structures to reveal intricate relationships in his work between color, plane and subject. Carl Cark’s creative process starts with memory. His paintings are based on his impressions of places and events he has experienced. Clark’s subjects are intensified through reduction and simplification.    A few artists like Grace Alexander often starts the creative process by jumping straight into art making. Alexander begins with several brushstrokes or a large thin wash of water-based paint and then builds upon the evolving patterns and shapes. The movement of the brush is part of her creative process and as a painting develops she discovers new inspirations and experiences a special “energy.” Creativity knows no boundaries. In 2007 at age 88, Marshall Feingold took-up painting with the same determination and gusto he had for practicing law as a young man. Feingold paints the things loves and in so doing shares his joy for life.   The paintings, pastels, prints and sculpture in the Finding the Image exhibition are located on the first and second floors of the hospital lobby and in the coffee shop. Legacy by Grace Alexander is installed on the first floor near the Cosmetic Surgery Center.

Grace Alexander Spring Winds, 2005 monoprint 41.5 x 32.5 inches
Diane Bubb Beagle Buddies, 2004 acrylic on canvas             18 x 15 inches
Carl T. Clark East of Etna, 2005 acrylic on canvas 24 x 20 inches
Ted de Clercq Dance in the American Mall oil on linen 50 x 56 inches
Marshall Feingold Beauty, 2007 acrylic on canvas 18 x 15 inches
Barbara Fink Tomboy oil 54 x 42 inches
Bill Gutzwiller Path to the Beach: Delnor-Wiggins Park, 2000 pastel on paper 17 x 23 inches
Loppy Lazar Florida Panther, 2007 terra cotta with patina 8 x 9 x 7 inches
Sonia Ortega Bromeliad, 2007 oil on canvas 25 x 21 inches
Tillie Smith Tropical Fish, 2005 Italian alabaster 7 x 10 x 3.5 inches
Larry Zywica Preserving Paradise…One Day at a Time, 2006 mixed media 16 x 64 inches