In the spirit of supporting the arts in Northeast Florida and exposing our community to artists they may not be familiar with, Butterfield presents its Second Invitational Exhibition.

The member artists in Butterfield  have invited artists they admire to exhibit work alongside them during the month of October. Many of these artists will be at the gallery during First Friday Artwalk between 5-7 PM. This is a great opportunity to discover new talent, ask questions, and learn more about their work. Stop in to see this exciting new display that features a diverse mix of seasoned and emerging artists!

ABOUT THE GUEST ARTISTS

Juliana Romnes has been an admirer of Stacey Fletcher’s mixed-media paintings for quite some time and felt that her work would be a good compliment to her photography. Stacey Fletcher’s mixed-media paintings emphasize abstracted lines, bold forms, and expressive movement to convey emotional qualities. About her work, Fletcher elaborates, “Largely inspired by abstract expressionism, naive mark-making, intuitive gestures, and driven by symbolism, my work is layered with metaphors of myself and others. These paintings often incorporate a sense of childhood imagery disguised among the colorful layers that contrast with a chaotic approach to energetic mark-making.” Stacey Fletcher is a Professor of 2D Studio Arts at Daytona State College. Her work is widely collected and she has received many awards and recognitions over the years.

Stephanie Futch evolved as an artist from a young child to a daring and innovative young woman. Norma Cherry explains, “Her exploration of the arts is broad and has awarded her recognition in the fashion arts. Stephanie’s talent has no boundaries as she continues to expand upon her artistic abilities.” Over time, her work has evolved into an edgy, eclectic, elegant, and diverse palette of art, jewelry, and accessories. She encourages upcycling and recycling, and sustainability is at the core of everything she creates.

Tina Henle has always held a deep admiration for the work of her late sister Marie Henle and chose to honor her mastery of the etching process and her advocacy for nature by featuring her work in this year’s Invitational. Marie Henle was both a painter and a printmaker. She is known for her layered multiple imagery trademark style, adding intricacy and depth to her subject matter. Etching is a laborious process of working with solvents, acids, and inks on zinc plates to produce complex pieces, often taking a month of consistent work to complete. Her etchings have been exhibited in solo and group shows across the US and internationally and are in numerous private and corporate collections.

Emma Greenhill recently met Julissa Marie and invited Julissa to show work in this Invitational so that her work can be seen by new audiences. Emma states, “Julissa has some great ideas. I love her use of color and the boldness of her work.” Julissa Marie was raised in Jacksonville, Florida and has been making art since she was a child. She explains, “I found myself drawing faces using mostly lines and, over time, this developed into my own, abstracted style.” Julissa works in many mediums, including acrylic and spray paint and, from time to time, creates graphic designs.

Jan Miller, the founder of Butterfield Garage, has invited her daughter, Kirsten Miller, to exhibit in her space for this year’s invitational exhibition. “Kirsten comes from a family of professional artists and has been immersed in art her entire life. Over the years, Kirsten developed her own distinctive and vibrant style. She is excited to be exhibiting a series of colorful, abstracted mixed-media designs in ink, pastel, and acrylic pencils. Kirsten explains, “My art has always mimicked my mood and place in life. My current style was developed during the quarantine, and I have to say it’s never been more colorful! As everyday life slowed down, this is what flowed. I am never working without my music playing and I think of these as lyrical abstractions. I am very happy to share the joy I had in creating them.”

Butterfield artist Per Hans Romnes is showcasing artwork by the late painter and printmaker Katherine E. Parker. Katherine lived and worked in St. Augustine for thirty years. She was a long-term member of the St. Augustine Art Association, won over a hundred awards in juried competitions, and exhibited in fine art shows such as Coconut Grove Art Show in Miami and Disney’s Festival of the Masters in Orlando. Katherine developed a joyful style that celebrates nature and the female experience.  She was influenced by her love for illustration and enjoyment of life on the Florida coast. After succumbing to a difficult battle with cancer, Katherine’s remaining artwork was gifted to the Center for Spiritual Living to be sold to help raise funds for local charities. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of her work will go to local charities in her honor.

Martha Ferguson met Kim Porter at a gallery where they both exhibited. She states, “I’ve always admired her art and have enjoyed watching her style develop over time. Kim’s mosaics are flawless in execution. She has a strong sense of design and I love her use of colors and how they harmonize.” About her process, Porter explains, “I am currently focusing on the creation of fine art mosaics. I do some sketching and planning at the beginning of a project, but I prefer to work spontaneously. Driven by the endless possibilities of working with a broad range of materials, my greatest joy in the mosaic process is often found in searching for and selecting the materials that often inspire the design of a piece. The work then becomes a captivating exploration with sometimes surprising results. I am witnessing the evolution of a mosaic as I am creating it.”

Ron Vellucci has long been amazed by Jo Sinclair’s work, “Whatever media Jo chooses to explore, she creates powerful artwork that truly exposes her gifts as a major talent.” During COVID, Jo added another medium to the mix when she turned her focus to photography, and Ron felt that this display would be an excellent opportunity for her to present some new work from this series titled Tales of Tides and Skies. About this new series of photographs, Sinclair explains, “I have recently fallen in love with the art of photography to communicate the fathomless inspirations of the symphonic seas, the shifting sands, the ever-moving tides and the open theatrical skies that have profoundly affected me. And of new feathered friends that have given wings to my creativity.”

Jan Tomlinson Master is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in St. Augustine and Welaka, Florida. Her work has been shown and collected nationally and in Aviles, Spain, representing St. Augustine as a 450th Compassionate Obelisk artist. Her collaborations on public art can be seen throughout Northeast Florida. Her large sculptural installations contrast man-made material with those from nature serve as a response to the concerns of the present, be it environmental, societal, or personal. Lately, several factors led her to explore artmaking on a smaller scale. Using paint, plaster, and paper clay on wood to form abstract botanical wall pieces, she reflects on the symbolism of flowers to promote healing of the body and mind. Nancy Hamlin-Vogler has known and worked with Jan for a long time and is inspired by her intriguing handling of materials. Her work gives viewers a chance to pause for thought and contemplation.

Cindy Wilson has known Teri Tompkins for over fifty years and has long admired her willingness to follow her own instincts and create from her unique, personal viewpoint. For this display, Tompkins is presenting a collection of paintings from a continuing body of work inspired by the natural world and a longing to preserve it. These works are created using gold leaf, acrylics, and other materials on birch panels, built to be as archivally sound as possible. Tompkins elaborates, “As I often paint more classical portraits and figures in oils, these more illustrative pieces wind up being “portraits” of favorite creatures and botanicals, and a bit fantastical at times. For me, the environmental works become the perfect way to weave a life-long obsession with the Italian Renaissance together with my Southern upbringing and prayers for the world we live in.”

Kathryn Carlyle felt an intrinsic connection to Enzo Torcoletti’s sculptures the first time she saw them. Enzo Torcoletti was born in Italy and attended art school there before he moved to Canada where he received a B.A. in English Literature and a B.F.A. in Sculpture and Printmaking from the University of Windsor.  For the last 45 years, he has been focused on creating work that sculpturally and graphically explores the historical, mythological, and symbolic implications of the human figure with an emphasis on the female form. Enzo states “ I delight in all forms of figurative sculpture and borrow freely from past and current influences. Primitive fetishes, Cycladic idols, Greek deities, Renaissance Madonnas, contemporary movie stars, fashion models, and matrons are equally involved in my compositions. I think of my work as a mixture of magical reincarnations of images from the past, rendered in a new fashion with new technology and contemporary design concepts.” He completed his M.F.A. in Sculpture at Florida State University before moving to St. Augustine, where he still resides. He is an Emeritus Professor of Art at Flagler College where he taught Sculpture, Drawing, and Art History since 1971.