On the first Friday of every month, St. Augustine’s art galleries welcome visitors to browse the latest art exhibits and enjoy refreshments and live entertainment at more than 25 participating galleries. For lovers of local art and culture, the First Friday Artwalk is a great way to celebrate both the start of a new month and the end of a long week. Spend your time hopping from gallery to gallery in the downtown area or jump on a complimentary shuttle and check out the galleries on the beach. But wherever you decide to spend your time, here’s what’s new at the May 4, 2018 First Friday Artwalk.
Plein Art Paint Out at St. Augustine Art Association
The highly-anticipated plein air exhibition, “St. Augustine: Where Art Meets History,” opens Friday, May 4, at the St. Augustine Art Association. The juried exhibit features an array of stunning works by the 70 artists who participated in the recent 2nd Annual St. Augustine Plein Air Paint Out. From April 22 – 30, artists were scattered throughout St. Augustine, off the beaten path in gardens, courtyards, alleys, and public and private settings capturing the unique beauty of the nation’s oldest city. Over 140 works-in-progress were held in the “Wet Room” for the public to view during the event. “The exuberance of the artists comes through in all of the paintings,” said Sarah Bansemer, co-host of the PBS “Painting and Travel Series,” who lives in St. Augustine and visited the gallery.
The award-winning plein air artists will be announced at 7pm during the First Friday Art Walk Opening Reception, followed by a musical performance by First Coast Opera—“Opera Ole.” The event is free and open to the public.
In addition to the plein air display, a Tribute Exhibition for the late Jean Wagner Troemel will be showcased in the Marguerita Phillips Gallery. It includes pieces from local and regional art collectors, the St. Augustine Art Association permanent collection and the private collection of the artist. Troemel, who died in January, was an iconic artist, advocate, and philanthropist in the local community. She would have celebrated her 97th birthday on May 4, the opening of her exhibit.
www.staaa.org
Henry Von Genk III at Grand Bohemian Gallery
Jacksonville-based artist, Henry von Genk, has been an accomplished artist for twenty-five years. After a long and successful career executing murals for museums and clients around the world, Henry is focusing on his lifelong destiny of fine art. He is a self-taught artist who has mastered a realistic style of landscape painting. Working in oils, Henry uses a unique glazing and shadowing technique to bring richness and depth to his paintings.
His love for Florida’s waterways and salt marshes of the Southeast coastline is evident in all his paintings. They portray the play of sunlight on the State’s natural beauty, and are generally devoid of man-made intrusions. He portrays his home state, Florida, as it was, and as it should be. Henry’s paintings place you there, warm the heart and stimulate the feelings we all get when actually viewing these beautiful vistas.
www.grandbohemiangallery.com
Saltwater Images at High Tide Gallery
Saltwater Images is a St. Augustine-based photographic team of real-life couple Andrew Barkalow and Aimee K. Banion, focusing on Southeastern U.S. coastal towns, the sea, and its waterways. The collection “St. Augustine Through a Local’s Eyes” will be on display at High Tide Gallery for the Artwalk.
www.thehightidegallery.com
Lyne St. Amand at The Gallery Group
Artist Lyne St Amand displays her new work at the First Friday Artwalk. There will be great art, people, snacks, atmosphere, and of course, a fabulous artist. Don’t miss this art walk! The Gallery Group is only 1/2 a mile south of the Bridge of Lions, on Anastasia Blvd. Free parking is available and it’s an easy walk from downtown!
www.thegallery.group
Ryan Flannery at Sea Spirits Gallery
Sea Spirits Gallery will feature exciting new seascape paintings by Ryan Flannery at Sea Spirits Gallery & Gifts this coming First Friday Art Walk.
Ryan Flannery is an award-winning painter with a focus on oils and acrylics. If his art could have a collective theme, it would be memory. Flannery says that he looks for evidence of time in the places and objects that he paints. He wonders what these places have seen and what will happen to them in the future. The viewer will be aware that his seascapes unfold their own story in a unique way. Ryan Flannery graduated from Flagler College in 2011 and has been painting in St. Augustine, Florida since 2009. He currently exhibits at Sea Spirits Gallery and Aviles Gallery in St. Augustine.
www.seaspiritsgallery.com
For more information about First Friday Artwalks in St. Augustine, visit www.artgalleriesofstaugustine.com/first-friday-artwalk. Featured image by artist Ryan Flannery.
To find more events in St. Augustine, visit our online calendar of events!