Longboat exhibition to showcase multimedia artists

It's no secret that Longboat Key and neighboring communities are home to a plethora of talented artists working in all manner of media. For the next two months, art appreciators can get a snapshot of that wide-ranging talent at an art exhibition organized by the local chapter of the National League of American Pen Women, Inc.

This year's show includes more than 30 artists specializing in oil painting, pastels, photography, glasswork, sculpture, creative writing, illustrating and more. 

Plymouth Harbor residents, including Joslyn Kirkegaard, supported the Sept. 9 exhibition debut. She purchased a painting by Barbara Jendrysik depicting the Sarasota skyline from the perspective of Plymouth Harbor.

"I love it," Kirkegaard said as she admired the azure waves flowing beneath Ringling Bridge. "The bright colors really stand out against a white wall, and this is going to fit perfectly. I have just the spot for it at home."

Almost all the pieces on display are available for purchase, and visitors can get the featured books from online vendors.

Among this year's featured artists is Miriam Cassell. Originally hailing from New York, she has lived in the Lido Key area for almost 30 years and operates her studio off Center Place.

She layers collages and paint to craft pieces with a message advocating for inclusion and hope. Some of her most notable works include the "Screamers," close-up images of people mid-heart-rending shout.

One of the prints she brought to the show featured calmer figures. 

"We Are All One" originally stands tall as a 6-foot-by-4-foot pastel painting, which she made in 1987. The smaller print hangs in a quiet corner, inviting viewers to join in the silent contemplation of the two central people.

Cassell said she modeled the man hunched over an American flag after her son and the woman in the foreground after a friend.

"It's very relevant today," she said. "We're all the same, whether we're old, young, male, female, white, Black, able-bodied, disabled — it's all about diversity and equality."

Sarasota artist Jo Jo Fusco shared her large-scale oil painting capturing a scene in an opera house as three patrons find their places before the show. 

"I was inspired by Edward Hopper to do a full life painting," she said. "I like to go big, and I figured it would fun to do something life-sized, although it was very challenging."

She laid her hands on every stage of the creation process, even hand-stretching the canvas over the 30-inch by 60-inch frame — an effort that caused her to topple over while she was wielding her staple gun.

Fusco said the scale of an opera house lent itself well to the project. She used highly textured brushstrokes to enliven the richly scarlet and lavender curtains.

"Because an opera house is huge, it gives you a feeling of being there," she said.

Nature scenes also featured prominently at the Pen Women exhibition.

Longboat Key-based artist Medge Jaspan debuted a new piece focused on the full moon. She frequently incorporates bold colors into her mostly abstract works, but for this piece, she worked in black and white. 

She titled the piece 'Dec. 21,' alluding to a date when the moon would be particularly close to Earth.

"People also reflect a lot at that time, because it is the end of the year," she explained.

The date is tied to emotional moments in her own life, including the death of her grandmother and her first official date with her now husband, Michael. Jaspan said she appreciated turning a date enmeshed in tragedy into something filled with hope.

"It was as if she were there with us, telling me it was good," she said.

Carol Doenecke, co-chair of the art committee, said the group was glad to feature many local creative writers and illustrators this year as well.

Co-chair Marcella Schuyler added, "We're open to artists throughout the whole Sarasota area. They ask if they can show their pieces, and we decide if they meet our criteria. We don't take a commission. It's all about promoting the local artists."

Their considerations include who they've featured in previous years, what pieces may generate the most interest for viewers and the artist's enthusiasm.

"I hope they enjoy the variety this year and the good quality work," Doenecke said.

The showcase is housed on the Mezzanine floor of Plymouth Harbor. Visitors can check in at the front desk to see the exhibit, and slightly larger groups can reach out to Doenecke at 941-361-7282 to coordinate.