Florida Contemporary 2010 visit, Pair Bond by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Pair Bond
acrylic on board, 6"x6"

Friends, lovers, family, or spouse, two by the water always works.

I've been wanting to see the Naples Museum of Art's exhibition Florida contemporary 2010 before the Museum closes June 26 for another installation, so when an artist friend called to get together, we decided to make the Museum our first stop. the mission of the Museum is to inspire creativity and awaken curiosity, and the exhibition met both of these requirements.

The exhibition included the work of both established and emerging photographers, painters and sculptors, and included a number of mixed media pieces. The artists had to currently be residing in Florida, but many of them, and their images, were of somewhere else. The exhibit was not meant just to be a local statement.

I recognized the wonderfully depthful work Joann Lizio, and the graceful stone form of sculptor Angelica Kade right away, since both are friends and I admire their work. There were a couple of other artists represented that I knew, but the majority were new to me.

It was fun to view the show with another artists. Early on we decided that we would each pick a choice for best in show, and one we'd like to put on our own walls. This little exercise made us look more closely and thoughtfully at each piece. Some we admired the skill or loved the technique or idea, but wouldn't want to love with , others we'd love to live with, but probably wouldn't give "best in show

One of the most intriguing pieces was "Hand" by Billie Grace Lynn. Hung with fishing line from steel rodes, the bright red interactive hand would move creepily into yours as your hand went to shake it. Its remarkably lifelike movements both chilled and intrigued.

Art Critic Donald Miller wrote a wonderful piece about how this show develops. in the end, I picked a simple but extremely well-balanced abstract to live with, and a wonderfully rendered "Saint" as Best in Show. Since the Museum doesn't allow photos, you'll have to go and see for yourself what your favorites are!