Invitational Exhibition introduces artists to public

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In the spirit of supporting the arts in Northeast Florida and exposing the community to artists with whom they may not be familiar, Butterfield Garage Gallery is presenting its Second Invitational Exhibition during the month of October. The featured artists were invited by member artists.

Here’s a look at the featured artists:

Stacey Fletcher, selected by Juliana Romnes

Juliana Romnes has been an admirer of Stacey Fletcher’s mixed-media paintings for quite some time and felt that her work would complement her photography. Both artists emphasize abstracted lines, bold forms and expressive movement to convey emotional qualities.

“Largely inspired by abstract expressionism, naive mark making, intuitive gestures and driven by symbolism, my work is layered with metaphors of myself and others,” said Fletcher. “These paintings often incorporate a sense of childhood imagery disguised among the colorful layers that contrast with a chaotic approach to energetic mark making.” 

Fletcher is a professor of 2D studio arts at Daytona State College. She received a master of fine arts degree in painting and drawing from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, in 2003, and a bachelor of fine arts in painting and drawing from Valdosta State University, Georgia, in 2000.

Her work is widely collected, and she has received many awards and recognitions over the years.

Stephanie Futch, selected by Norma Cherry

Norma Cherry has watched Stephanie Futch evolve as an artist from a young child to a daring, innovative young woman.

“Her exploration of the arts is broad and has awarded her recognition in the fashion arts,” said Cherry. “Stephanie’s talent has no boundaries as she continues to expand upon her artistic abilities.”

Over time, Futch’s 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.

Marie Henle, selected by Tina Henle

Tina Henle has always held a deep admiration for the work of her late sister Marie 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 was known for her layered multiple imagery trademark style, giving added intricacy and depth to her subject matter.

Etching is a laborious process of working with solvents, acids and inks on zinc plates to produce these complex pieces, often taking a month of consistent work to complete.

Henle’s etchings have been exhibited in solo and group shows across the United States and internationally and are in numerous private and corporate collections. 

Julissa Marie, selected by Emma Greenhill

Emma Greenhill recently met Julissa Marie. They got to chatting, and Marie shared some of her work on Instagram with Greenhill and mentioned that she was exploring avenues to promote her work but was going through a difficult time.

This led to Greenhill inviting Marie to show work in the invitational so that her work can be seen by new audiences.

“Julissa has some great ideas,” Greenhill said. “I love her use of color and the boldness of her work.”

 Marie was raised in Jacksonville and has been making art since she was a child as a means of expressing her feelings.

“I found myself drawing faces using mostly lines and, over time, this developed into my own, abstracted style,” she said.

She works in many mediums, including acrylic and spray paint and, from time to time, creates graphic designs. For the past three years, she has been using social media platforms to share her art.

“I’ve made art through the struggle of being a full-time artist and will continue on using this form of expression as my own therapy,” she said.

Kirsten Miller, selected by Jan Miller

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,” Jan Miller said. “She was regularly exposed to art exhibitions at galleries and museums and has been involved in regular conversations about art. Over the years, Kirsten developed her own distinctive and vibrant style. Kirsten is excited to be exhibiting a series of colorful, abstracted mixed-media designs in ink, pastel and acrylic pencils.”

“My art has always mimicked my mood and place in life,” Kirsten Miller said. “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.” 

Katherine E. Parker, selected by Per Hans Romnes

Butterfield artist Per Hans Romnes is showcasing artwork by the late painter and printmaker Katherine E. Parker. Parker lived and worked in St. Augustine for 30 years.

She was a long-term member of the St. Augustine Art Association, won more than 100 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.

She studied at the Art Institute of Boston, Penland in North Carolina and Haystack in Maine. She 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.

Per Hans Romnes became familiar with Parker’s work as a fellow member of the Center for Spiritual Living in St. Augustine. After succumbing to a difficult battle with cancer, Parker’s remaining artwork was gifted to the center so that it could be sold to help raise funds for local charities.

Romnes has chosen to showcase her immense talent in this display, and 100% of the proceeds from the sale of her work will go to local charities in her honor.

Kim Porter, selected by Martha Ferguson

Martha Ferguson met Kim Porter at a gallery where they both exhibited.

“I’ve always admired her art and have enjoyed watching her style develop over time,” said Ferguson. “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.”

 A native New Yorker, Porter has exhibited and sold her work since 1999. Her work can be found in private collections throughout the United States, Canada and the UK.

“I am currently focusing on the creation of fine art mosaics,” she said. “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.”

Jo Sinclair, selected by Ron Vellucci

Ron Vellucci has been amazed by Jo Sinclair’s work since discovering it when he moved to St. Augustine in 2004.

“Whatever media Jo chooses to explore, she creates powerful artwork that truly exposes her gifts as a major talent,” Vellucci said.

During COVID, Sinclair added another medium to the mix when she turned her focus to photography, and Vellucci 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.”

“As a professional artist who has explored multiple mediums in the studio practice of over 43 years, 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,” Sinclair said. “And of new feathered friends that have given wings to my creativity. From the ocean depths of my soul and the ethereal flights of my spirit, I wish to share with others the magical, spiritual and healing experiences provided by Mother Nature during ritual morning walks at dawn and sometimes dusk along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean.”

Jan Tomlinson Master, elected by Nancy Hamlin-Vogler

Jan Tomlinson Master is an interdisciplinary artist and educator based in St. Augustine and Welaka. 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 in Jacksonville, Ponte Vedra and St. Augustine. Master was a founding member of Butterfield Garage and is now represented by Arts on Douglas in New Smyrna Beach.

Known for her large sculptural installations that contrast manmade material with those from nature, Master’s mixed-media works are a response to the concerns of the present, be it environmental, societal or personal.

Lately, several factors have 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 Master for a long time and is inspired by her intriguing handling of materials in both large installations and her poetry mirrors. Her work gives viewers a chance to pause for thought and contemplation.

Teri Tompkins, selected by Cindy Wilson

Cindy Wilson has known Teri Tompkins for more than 50 years. Though Tompkins’ medium and style has changed over time, Wilson has always 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.

“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,” Tompkins said. “For me, the environmental works become the perfect way to weave a lifelong obsession with the Italian Renaissance together with my Southern upbringing and prayers for the world we live in.” 

Enzo Torcoletti, selected by Kathryn Carlyle 

Kathryn Carlyle felt an intrinsic connection to Enzo Torcoletti’s sculptures the first time she saw them.

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. 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. 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.

“I delight in all forms of figurative sculpture and borrow freely from past and current influences,” he said. “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.”

Butterfield Garage Gallery is located at 137 King St., St. Augustine.