Thursday, April 24, Pasco-Hernando State College Spring Hill Campus hosted another beautiful and varied art display for their annual spring art show. The different media and styles presented were just as varied as the artists themselves, representing at least three generations of experience and creativity.
Originally from Massachusetts and Rhode Island, Annie Millard’s background as a stage, TV, and Hollywood lighting director and gaffer has informed her use of light in her compositions, from her mixed media piece, “Leaving Wampanoag,” to her painting “Still Life with Robot.”
She says, “I studied theatre lighting at the U.R.I. (University of Rhode Island) and got a significant psychological boost by making light happen whenever and wherever I chose. This led to ancient creaky theatres in Connecticut and New York—still old and cold but changeable with color and light…”
Annie also has a passion for creating 1:6 scale furniture; she created a mini coffee table for the bottom story of “Leaving Wampanoag.”
Hudson native Katelyn Victorino has been creating art since she could pick up a pencil. Her digital art is inspired by her Portuguese heritage, filled with symbols honoring her heritage and family, as well as plenty of hidden details within her work.
“Creation,” the first of her four-piece “Faeries Series,” is framed by a Portuguese handkerchief pattern, and the border enclosing “The Lovers” is reminiscent of Portuguese dinnerware. “I wanted to add these significant details for this painting, since the patterns remind me of the plates my grandmother used to have. This ties me to the artwork as I remember the loving memories I had with my family around the dinner table.”
Mixed media artist Tunisha Padro started creating art when her grown children left home. While pursuing her degree, she enrolled in PHSC Professor Julie Lovero-Fox’s Painting 1 and “fell in love with art,” sparking her interest in experimenting and creating art from a variety of materials such as resin, paint, printed media, artificial plants, etc.
Out of these efforts have come unique pieces like the tree man “Bo Bonzai,” “Butterfly Phone Holder,” fashioned from resin, and “Octopus,” created dot-by-dot, incorporating resin within the painting. Reflecting on her work, she says, “As a mixed media artist, my work is inspired by a strong desire to connect people with nature. Each piece I create invites them to take a moment to pause, breathe, and find a sense of calm in our busy lives…”
This art show was a chance to once again delight in the creativity and hard work of the artists among us. Every season is full of surprises and novelties.
