Arts for Act

Meet Hooper, Rothaker and Freidus at ACT Gallery on Friday, March 2 from 6 to 9 pm

2012-02-22T10:50:00.000-08:00

Mary-Louise Biasotti Hooper calls herself a slightly expressionistic international artist, due to the influence of Pissarro and Cezanne. Her process of under-painting in opposite colors and using knife techniques for the final layer while scrumbling is unique and offers the viewer true, clear colors, which add to the intrinsic value of each piece. Hooper, a prize-winning artist paints seascapes, landscapes, cityscapes and still life. Her purpose is to bring viewers a moment of respite and beauty by taking them to the place she portrays. She paints calming nature scenes with an ability to convert deep feelings to her canvas. Her works have been seen in Florence, Italy, Michigan, California, North Carolina, Kansas, Washington D.C., Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Florida. Born in Greenwich Village, New York City, to an immigrant family, the art shows in Washington Square Park inspired her desire to paint. Since art was not encouraged as a way to make a living, Hooper earned three degrees in the field of Education. Art was a self-taught hobby until she earned two art degrees. Today, she produces markets and sells art, as well as teaches, giving demonstrations and delivers art presentations and speeches. Hooper lives in Venice, Florida and is presently a member of the International Fulbright Arts Task Force, the Venice Art Center and the Oil Painters of America.

"Sunset on the Sea" by Mary-Louise Biasotti Hooper

Michelle Rothaker was fortunate to have the opportunity to make a living as a ceramic’s artist, after graduating with a BFA from Middle Tennessee State University. Then her journey led her to graphic design and papermaking. Along the way, she took a yearlong trip on a sailboat and landed in Fort Myers, Florida in 2002. Her ideas for her art come from watching her surroundings. Living in Nashville, Tennessee influenced floral and plant designs. Bright, bold colors began to appear after sailing to Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Jamaica and settling in Fort Myers. Rothaker is currently fascinated with the many birds and animals living in Florida. Her artwork is created using a multi-step process. First, she makes the paper that is the background, with paper fibers, tea, feathers and coffee to allow for a variety of textures. Her hand-painted images, cut paper and natural elements are carefully composed to complete the artwork piece. The hand-made materials are carefully coordinated in a way that brings all the design elements into harmony. Once this process is finished, each completed design is mounted on a background specifically chosen to compliment the arrangement in color, texture and mood of the piece.

"Soaring Eagle" By Michelle Rothaker

Lisa Freidus, is the creator of Whimsical Mixed Media Collages, Monotypes and Impressionistic Watercolor and Acrylics from Cape Coral, Florida. Her art reminds people of the inner joy and hope to achieve this through her love of color, choice of subject matter, and the light in her paintings. Freidus creates landscapes, seascapes and architectural edifices from her own photographs and whimsical places from her imagination. She sets out to create a painting long before paint and brush touch canvas. Ideas come from many places and at all hours of the night. Her greatest satisfaction comes when one of her pieces reaches out to another in a positive way. Their reaction stimulates her creativity. Freidus’ houses, sailboats, trees and beach umbrellas are slightly off-balance and often extend beyond the confines of the canvas creating the whimsy in her pieces. Her work is unique in an edgy, creative sort of way. Lisa is a “multi-mediaist” whose collages are comprised of wood, canvas, paper and acrylic. Her husband cuts the wood with a router or skill saw after Lisa draws the pattern, and the paper sometimes comes from Thailand or Japan, sometimes is papyrus, and occasionally is just plain old wallpaper in the manner of Matisse. Interiors are an important component for Freidus, giving her the opportunity for more detail in these works.

"Summer Vacation" by Lisa Freidus

These exhibits continue through Monday, April 2, 2012.

"MOJO Hands" opening February 3rd at Art Walk Fort Myers

2012-01-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

Photograph by George Mitchell

The painting by Lennie Jones

Arts for ACT Gallery is pleased to present "MOJO HANDS' Opening Friday, February 3rd, from 6 to 10pm. This visionary celebration of America's musical heritage featuring paintings by primitive folk artist, Lennie Jones and the photography of pioneering Blues Historian, George Mitchell. Jones has painted his rendition of several of Mitchell's blues photographs.

Lennie Jones is an outsider artist, a primitive self-taught painter of the holistic Blues experience as he envisions and experienced it. As a young boy, his South Louisiana father instilled in me a deep love of Blues music, drawing pictures, and endless swampy wilderness. His mother was also a talented artistic influence. These positive connections luckily cradled him through a very troubled youth, and have remained yet the most powerful motivations in his adulthood. After his father left, the bulk of his youthful years were heavily influenced by a wonderful vibrant one-eyed Southern African-American woman aptly named “Tex.” She was a substitute for his mother, who was constantly away pursuing other ventures. Tex has a boisterous an’ soulful love of Blues, God, booze and fishin’... all of which became very important to him as well.

As a traveling blues musician, gigging in New York City in March, 1968, he met and heard the incredible Albert King. His unique combination of incomparable power, heartfelt pain, passionate subtlety and compelling musicianship moved Lennie's soul like no music ever had before or since...Opening for the original Canned Heat,shakin’ hands with Muddy Waters, Bill Monroe, Bill Graham, seein’ the immortal Jimmy Reed and giggin’ for Zappa further solidified his love of playing, hearing and living the Blues.

Unfortunately, years of continued professional playing resulted in a habitual wrestling match with his alcohol demons, and repeated brushes with the law. As often lamented by blues men, “when you let the Devil ride, he wanna drive.” This struggle culminated with his final arrest following a late night gig in a rural Southern enclave in March, 1980. Police roughed me up, which I fully deserved. Thrown into a tiny dark jail, I was chained to an unfortunate black convict who had murdered his wife that very night with a knife. Early the next morning, the Lennie and the other convict were paraded barefoot through several blocks of a small town and presented to a hard-time judge. This was his very own Crossroads, and he never drank alcohol again. Possibly the best night and finest morning of his entire life.

Only a few years later, miraculously overlooking my “shady” past and welcoming my unique wilderness skills, I was hired by the Federal government as a Ranger in the remote Florida Everglades. There I wandered for over twenty years, working alone and chasing poachers, renegade ‘gators, smugglers and other wonderful characters. For many years, I have thrived in the mysterious and primitive wilderness, happy, healthy and blessed with a timeless source of spiritual inspiration to my art and soul...An’ the music never left him!

After retiring from the federal government, Lennie picked up a paint brush and started painting his passion. Painting his beloved Blues musicians and instruments. He works primarily with acrylic paint on linen canvas, as well as occasional works on driftwood that he has discovered deep in the Everglades. Lennie’s subjects generally revolve around Southern blues & roots music themes, and his creations are colorful, soulful & singularly unique. Lennie’s completed works have included Festival & Event Posters, CD Covers, Magazine & Media, Prints & Portraits and he has received a wide variety of appreciative testimonials & accolades.

GeorgeMitchell has been making serious photographs since his senior year in highschool, when he began photographing traditional blues artists he located orvisited with a Kodak Instamatic camera. He began making more professionalphotographs in 1967, when the University of Minnesota School of MassCommunication and Journalism lent him a camera, and his wife and he went toMississippi for the summer to record, photograph, and interview traditionalblues musicians. This trip resulted in amaster of arts paper and also his first book, Blow My Blues Away,published by Louisiana State University Press. For several years in the late 1960's and early 1970's, he was a reporterin Columbus, Georgia. Under the tutelageof the photographers at the Columbus Ledger, he took the photographs whichappeared with his stories. At theColumbus Times, he was a reporter, a photographer, and later executiveeditor. During that period, he producedhis second book of photographs and text, I'm Somebody Important. He thendecided to become a photography teacher, and returned to the University ofMinnesota where he studied photography teaching in both the journalism and artdepartments. He taught photography inAtlanta at four high schools for a total of 25 years. He also authored five more books ofphotographs and interviews.

There havebeen several solo exhibitions of his photographs over the years, includingthree in Atlanta; one in Columbus, Georgia (a number of his photographs are inthe permanent collection of the Columbus Museum of Art); Sacramento,California; Utrecht, Holland; and Fort Myers.

Mitchell,who spent his first two years in Fort Myers, before moving to Atlanta, hasreturned to Fort Myers, where he continues to photograph for exhibition andpublication.

BOOKS BY GEORGE MITCHELL

(All are books ofphotographs, most with text as well, both by Mitchell)

BLOW MY BLUES AWAY (Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UniversityPress, 1971; New York: DaCapo Press, 1984)

I'M SOMEBODY IMPORTANT (Urbana: University of Illinois Press,1973)

YESSIR, I'VE BEEN HERE A LONG TIME (New York: E.P. Dutton,1975)

IN CELEBRATION OF A LEGACY (Columbus: Columbus Museum of Art,1981; re-published 1999, distributed by University of Georgia Press)

SOUTHERN PORTRAITS (Bear Creek, AL: Bear Creek Books, 1981)

This collaboration of Jones and Mitchell is not to be missed. Jones will have all new works and many of Mitchell's photographs have never been seen in this area.

Rent the Gallery!

2011-04-06T06:24:00.000-07:00

Why not host your next private event or party at the Arts for Act Gallery? Rent our contemporary gallery with over 2000 sq. feet for your personal or professional events and parties. The space is available throughout the week and most weekends.

Please call the gallery at (239) 337-5050 or Administration at (239) 939-2553 for more information.

Put a little Art in the Party!

Artful Evenings

2011-04-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Opening receptions are on the first Friday of each month from 7p.m. until 10p.m. Come meet the artists, enjoy good food, drink, and stimulating GREAT ART.

Check for Closing Art Receptions...

Remember when you buy art from ACT Gallery you help survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault that are in shelter in Fort Myers and Cape Coral.

ACT on ART...ART SAVES LIVES...buy from ACT Gallery!!!

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