By Donald Dusinberre
One of the best things about Bogda Gallery is that they operate on an easy to remember schedule- each month brings a new batch of paintings, sculptures, drawings, and crafts. Just when you think you’ve seen all the latest exhibitions in town, Bogda has faithfully renewed their wall decorations. So last week, I visited Bogda for the opening of their January exhibition.
As it turns out, I used to know one of the artists on display this month, but apparently not as well as I thought. I thought his greatest talent was his enthusiasm for drinking, but he seems to be a pretty good painter, too. It just goes to show that you rarely do any good to assume you know someone.
Although I was very late for the party, I knew that the crowd would be nowhere near ready to wrap it up, so I headed down to the gallery for a beer and a gander.
As they usually do, Bogda had a large selection of works on display by multiple artists, twelve by my count: Amie Murray, Chad Roberts, Kelly Eason, Shane Douberly, Martin Moore, Nick D’Agostine, Jason Wright, Jessica Noel West, Steven Tony Miller, Megan Cosby, Brendan O’Rourke, and Shaun Thurston.
I’ve seen plenty of work from some of the artists, but there were quite a few whose work was new to me. Overall, the show was one of the best I’ve seen there, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much of it I personally enjoyed. The gallery is full of color and catchy images that are likely to tickle most anyone’s fancy, and they all could look real cool in any hipster’s living room. Here’s a brief description of a few of my favorites:
Steven Tony Miller’s paintings mimic the imagery of old horror film posters, but with a painterly touch. He demonstrates his drawing skills using a simplified palette of black and one other color.
Jason Wright is fairly well known in Jacksonville for his brand of pop culture paintings. Similar in subject to the aforementioned art of Steven Tony Miller, Wright’s paintings are highly detailed and vibrantly colored with an unrestricted palette.
Amie Murray shows off her painting skills with chalky pastel colors and an affinity for birds. Her work suggests layer upon layer of paint, some translucent and others opaque, adding a depth that is pleasing to the eye.
Shane Douberly, the expert drinker, was the surprise of the evening. As I said before, I have no recollection of him being an artist, so seeing his work was a unique experience. Not only was it new to my eyes, it was also very well done, demonstrating a strong knowledge of many important aspects of art. He uses a strong sense of light and perspective to promote higher drama within a simple subject. He also expertly mixes his colors to create a wide range of subtle variances that create interesting events within each image.
Start off the new year with an entertaining and maybe even inspiring art show. Bogda Gallery is located at 1253 McDuff Avenue South. Call (904) 387-0852 for more information. The January show will, predictably, run through January 31.
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