IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts

New Smyrna Beach, Florida is known as an exceptional “Art Town,” and is listed in John Villani’s book, “The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America.” The town’s premier outdoor art festival is the annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts, presented by Atlantic Center for the Arts, and held in picturesque Riverside Park along the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway January 30 & 31, 2010.

Thousands attend IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts each year

The 34th annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is an outstanding weekend featuring more than 240 talented artists, a delicious festival menu in the food court, children’s art projects, and free top-notch entertainment both days. It is sponsored by the City of New Smyrna Beach, County of Volusia, New Smyrna Beach Visitor’s Center, Bright House Networks, Riverside Bank, and the New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. Mark your calendars and plan to attend this fun weekend in support of the arts!

“Outdoor art festivals are a comfortable and easy way to access the visual arts,” says Ann Brady, Executive Director of Atlantic Center for the Arts.  “You have the opportunity to talk to the artist; there is a wide variety of price ranges available in work that ranges from jewelry to ceramics to hand carved furniture to metal sculpture to painting.  And your purchases support artists, many of whom are from Florida. It’s a mutually beneficial exchange – you get artwork you love and the artist is provided an income.”

Women love great jewelry and flocked to the Carlson booth at last year's IMAGES

This prestigious juried art festival traces its roots back to the late ‘70s.  IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts was first held in February 1977, as a fundraiser for Atlantic Center for the Arts, an international artists-in-residence community, located on 67 acres in north New Smyrna Beach.

Envisioned and founded by environmentalist, painter and sculptor Doris Leeper in 1977, the artists-in-residence facility brings talented artists from different disciplines together to work with distinguished masters in the fields of visual, literary, performing and musical arts.

An IMAGES visitor admires art work at Fred Wiesner's booth at last yea's IMAGES.

The Pabst Visitor Center & Gallery includes three interconnecting galleries, a Founder’s Room meeting room, and a Gift Shop. Other features include music, sculpture, painting and dance studios, a theater, library, and nature trails. In downtown New Smyrna Beach, Atlantic Center for the Art’s Community Arts Center at Harris House provides community art and educational programs and houses a gallery featuring contemporary work by Florida artists.

IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is one of the largest community programs for Atlantic Center for the Arts. Offering more than $100,000 in prize money and Patron’s Choice Awards, the juried festival attracts some of the most talented artists in the country. IMAGES offers a tradition of quality and artistic growth, with fine artists showcasing their best work in painting, graphics, photography, jewelry, sculpture, glass, wood, leather, paper, clay, fiber, and fine crafts. There are thousands of pieces of art for purchase, whether you’re looking for that special sculpture, painting, photograph, glass vase, unique piece of jewelry, or handcrafted table.

Rylie Thomas participates in a community art project at last year's festival.

In the popular Creative Education tent, sponsored by the Atlantic Center Volunteer League and the New Smyrna Beach Community Redevelopment Agency, children have the opportunity to participate in hands-on “create and go” art projects. The Creative Education tent allows the Festival to nurture the creative gifts of what could be the next decade’s participating artists!

Lilli Morrison's proud of the hat she created

The Patron’s Choice Awards, totaling $60,000 in 2009, demonstrates community support for the Festival, enhancing its reputation and increasing its prestige. Images patrons pledge a minimum of $350, with $250 of that pledge going toward artwork of their choice. Patrons choose the piece (or pieces) directly from the artist involved in the show and their $100 contribution to IMAGES helps to underwrite festival costs.

Renee Decator has been selected as the IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts poster artist for 2010 and her painting “Surface” was selected as the poster and T-shirt image for festival. “Surface” depicts two sea turtles swimming up through small orange fish and beams of light that penetrate the water.

New Smyrna Beach pulls out all the stops in welcoming IMAGES artists and patrons to town January 30 and 31. Hours will be 9 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. So, bring a friend, bring your wallet, and plan to enjoy an outstanding weekend of the arts. For more information about the festival, or to become a patron, phone the IMAGES office at (386) 423-4733, or visit www.imagesartfestival.org.

All photos by Sandi Carroll

Renee Decator selected as IMAGES poster artist

Atlantic Center for the Arts announced that Renee Decator has been selected as the poster artist for IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts, which will be held in downtown New Smyrna Beach Jan. 30 & 31, 2010.

Renee grew up in Daytona Beach and says,  “drawing was a favorite pastime for me when I was a child. I drew caricatures of all my classmates in school and filled sketchbook after sketchbook. I was a tomboy who loved the ocean, the springs and deep-sea fishing with my dad.” As an adult, she attended the Artquest School of Art & Design, squeezing in classes between working and raising a family.

"Surface", acrylic on canvas, by Renee Decator has been selected as the IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts poster and T-shirt image for 2010.

Renee and her family moved to the Melbourne area in 1996 where she continued taking art classes and workshops.

“My art is all about the wonders of life, as I see them,” Renee said. “ I love color and texture and I am fascinated with small things; the way a leaf curls to catch the rain, or the silhouette of a blackbird in the sky above me. My exploration into art was literally ‘eye-opening’. It quickly became a passion and forever became the best description of who I am. My goal is to always be true to my passions in life. To explore and discover, to see my world with childlike wonder, and share my vision of those wonders through my artwork.”

Renee’s painting “Surface” was selected as the poster and T-shirt image for the 34^th annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts. “Surface” depicts two sea turtles swimming up through small orange fish and beams of light that penetrates the water.

“I spent many weekends fishing in the ocean off Daytona with my dad,” Renee said, “and I love the ocean and the creatures that inhabit it. I describe myself as a ‘Southern Expressionist.’ Growing up in the South has definitely influenced my art, both in my bold palette and subject matter.”

Renee said that most of her paintings evolve through an intuitive process. She starts with texture and color, covering the canvas, and as she starts to play with the color, shape and line she develops a feeling of which direction the piece might go.

“I like challenges when I paint and welcome the unexpected and exciting surprises this method allows,” Renee said. “Painting intuitively is liberating … a blank canvas is never an obstacle, just an opportunity to do what I love ‑ paint.”

One of Renee’s favorite projects was a solo exhibition in 2008, titled “Roadtrip, Impressions of a Memory” that was prompted by a very special trip she took with her father and teenage son back to the West Virginia and Kentucky mountains of her father’s childhood. The exhibition included 29 artworks, a book with the stories that inspired the art, and a video about the trip.

Renee paints and teaches at her studio, Artescape and is represented by the Fifth Avenue Art Gallery in the Eau Gallie Arts District, both in Melbourne. Her work is in private collections throughout Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Mississippi and New York.

“I hope my art encourages viewers to explore the world around them and appreciate the wonder of it,” Renee said. She welcomes comments about her work on her blog “Wonder and Whimsy” at http://www.reneedecator.com.

The 34th Annual IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts is presented by Atlantic Center for the Artswill be held Jan. 30 & 31, 2010 in picturesque Riverside Park along the beautiful Intracoastal Waterway in New Smyrna Beach. It will be an outstanding weekend featuring more than 240 talented artists, a delicious festival menu in the food court, free children’s art projects, and top-notch entertainment both days. Hours will be 9 a.m-5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. For more information, phone 386-423-4733, or visit the Web site at www.imagesartfestival.org.

Christmas Art Walk on Flagler is Saturday

Ho! Ho! Ho! This Saturday’s “Christmas Celebration” Art Walk on Flagler Avenue will be the perfect place to take a relaxing stroll and do some last minute holiday shopping from 10 a.m.-5 p.m., while avoiding the traffic and the crowds at the malls.

There is nothing better than taking a stroll along Flagler Avenue, the delightful five-block area between the Indian River and the ocean that has so many quaint, quirky, and charming shops to visit. The popular monthly event showcases painting, jewelry, ceramics, decorative art, glassblowing demonstrations, sculpture, fabric arts, pottery demonstrations and more.

Visitors can watch glass "sea-creature" ornaments being created at Galleria di Vetro during this Saturday's (Dec. 19) Art Walk.

Presented by the Gallery Group of Flagler Avenue, there will also be entertainment and a special prize drawing. There will be something for everyone, including several visiting artists who will be set up under canopies along the avenue; such as photographers Buddy Hatcher and Alan Craddock, painters and mixed media artists Robert Spellman, Panther’s Gallery, and Robert and Kathleen Brown, silversmith Barbara Sorenson, jewelry maker Renee Carsto, and creative tile artist Scott Luedke.

Remember to pick up an Art Walk program wherever you see the blue and black flags with the white “gg” logo and be sure to get it punched at each of the sponsoring galleries for a chance to win this month’s free prize drawing, a Gorham Cake Service by Treasures, donated by Ta Da Gallery, 113 Flagler Ave., which will also offer wine and cheese from 3-5 p.m.

Other sponsoring galleries are Jewelry of Joy, 301 Flagler; Galleria di Vetro, 310 Flagler; and Palms Up Pottery, 413 Flagler.

DJ Dennis will be playing everyone’s favorite holiday music at the gazebo at Flagler and Pine, and making announcements throughout the day.

There will be live glassworking and flameworking demonstrations presented at Galleria di Vetro. Visitors can watch glass artists Kyle Carni and Jason Lott create unique jellyfish and seahorse ornaments, and Nicole Carni will be introducing her new line of hostess glassware.

Visiting artists will set up at several locations on Flagler Avenue for Art Walk

Jazz Musician Richard Young will entertain at Galleria from 12-4 p.m. and his music will be available for purchase. Galleria will be offering “Door-buster” prizes ever hour starting at noon and will also offer cookies and punch for the kids and wine and cheese for the adults from 3-5 p.m.

Art Walk is great way to get in the holiday spirit, and the charming beachside street is the perfect place to find unique last-minute Christmas gifts. The street also boasts a variety of dining options to suit every taste and budget.

For more information about Art Walk, call 386-428-1770, 386-576-3746, or visit www.flaglergallerygroup.com.

An Art & Wine Walk is scheduled for Jan. 23, a “Red Hatters” Art Walk will be held Feb. 27, and a Culinary Art Walk is scheduled for March 27. Be sure and mark them down on your calendars.

And don’t forget that the NSB Water Taxi now stops at the west end of Flagler Avenue, at the Grill at Riverview every two hours starting at 12:30 p.m. The taxi also makes stops at Riverside Park and the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach, as well as two locations in Ponce Inlet. For details, call 386-428-4828 or visit www.nsbtaxi.com.