PLEASE, Touch the ART
Syd Entel Galleries &
Susan Benjamin Glass, etc.
Invite you to reach out and,
Please, Touch the Art!
It’s no secret that in the art gallery world we are often expected to view with our eyes only. Susan Benjamin invites you to take your hands out of your pockets and Touch the Art. This show is curated with the intention to engage your tactile curiosity. We invite you to get engaged with your surroundings and feel the art and beauty in the space. “Please, Touch the Art” features a collection of artists in all mediums:
ART, GLASS & JEWELRY.
Join us for a special MEET THE ARTIST event with Lonni Hopkins.
Friday, October 4th, 4pm-7pm
Our featured jewelry artist, Lonni Hopkins is familiar with the importance of texture. Her beautiful handcrafted jewelry in Sterling silver is meticulously constructed.Each piece is a unique, one-of-a-kind artwork to be treasured.
Lonni has lived a life of art: from lithography and photography in college, to quilting while raising her children, watercolor, sculpture, and many mediums in between.Her endeavor into Metals started circa 1996. Jewelry seemed a natural progression, pulling from past experiences and artistic expressions, culminating with the acute skill and careful craftsmanship that Metalsmithing demands. Her skills were honed with a variety of master teachers including, John Cogswell, Ronda Coryell, Fabrizio Acquafresca, Andy Cooperman, Betty Helen Longhi, Tom McCarthy. Lonni recently retired from teaching Metalsmithing and Jewelry at H.W. Blake High School for the Arts in Tampa. The majority of her work is Sterling silver, sometimes including 18K Gold, and sometimes a body of work in Argentium silver. The newest body of work is called the “Abstract Rhythm Series” the works are sculptural and textural, using a process of fusing small components of metal that look like abstract paintings by Kandinsky. You’ll see in the new work hollow forms, and shell forms and domed pieces. Expect to see lots of new stones, layers, and coordinating pieces.
“How light dances across the surface of the metal is an important consideration in the designs. Stones provide a sense of color and contrast.” – Lonni Hopkins
Maya Eventov
Maya Eventov offers paintings that seem more like sculptures on canvas. Her use of the pallet knife allows her to build, shape and carve her subjects to life. She was born in 1964 in Leningrad, now known as St. Petersburg, under the former Soviet Union. At a very young age her parents introduced her to the great artistic treasures of the city. She spent countless hours at the magnificent Hermitage Museum studying the works of great masters. The works of the Post-impressionists, and those of the Russian Avant-Garde especially fascinated Maya. The palette of Matisse, Gauguin and Renoir affected her interpretation of color, while Rodchenko, Lissitzki and Malevich influenced her sense of balance and composition.
After excelling in art as a child Maya was accepted at the prestigious High School #109 affiliated with the St. Petersburg State Academy of Industrial and Applied Art. She graduated in 1987 with a Masters degree in graphic art and began illustrating children’s books. She took parting creating murals for concert halls in Moscow, Leningrad, Erevan, and Komsomolsk-na-Amure.
Maya immigrated to Canada in 1990 where she now resides with her husband and two children. Her style has evolved during her life in Canada. She loves the rich, bold and bright colors of the Mediterranean and often portrays scenes from her travels in her paintings. Maya developed her unique technique of etching on oil after being inspired by Faberge Eggs that fascinated her as a child when she saw them in the museum.
Andrew Mavin of Axiom Glass lends his strong and experienced aesthetic as our featured glass artists. His series of thorn vessels and bowls are breathtakingly solid with a delicate curvature, pushing the modern edge. The show also features his mixed media sculpture of glass and stone, which is engaging with its contrast of texture.
Born in 1977 near Detroit, Michigan, Andrew grew up curious with the freedom to explore the outdoors quickly becoming interested in the natural world around him. He displayed a passion for creativity and a clear talent to build. These innate skills developed in his high school metals and jewelry classes, earning him work at a custom jeweler. Soon earning him gold and silver scholastic awards on a national level for his art and designs.
This energy in combination with a scholarship propelled his schooling to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Here Andrew abandon the delicate format of jewelry for the larger scale study of sculpture. However, once exposed to the medium of glass there was no doubt it was the beginning of a life long relationship. “The material holds an excitement I can feel. I see endless possibilities in form, technique, and physical attraction waiting to be discovered.” The fire and soul of hot glass seduced Andrew at once.
Currently, Andrew is producing all of his original glass works to the highest quality and craftsmanship. His limited edition fine craft and fine art sculpture continue to evolve as his techniques flourish and his ideas expand. Installation and custom commission work are available and collected on a national and international level.
Additional artists will include:
Rolland Poska, PT Tiersky, Fay Miller, Patty Roberts, So Young Park, Susan Gott and more.
Opening Reception
Meet the Artist: Lonni Hopkins
Friday, October 4th
4pm-7pm
RSVP to Meet the Artist Oct 4th
Show continues through October 26th.
Andrew Mavin of Axiom Glass lends his strong and experienced aesthetic as our featured glass artists. His series of thorn vessels and bowls are breathtakingly solid with a delicate curvature, pushing the modern edge. The show also features his mixed media sculpture of glass and stone, which is engaging with its contrast of texture.
Born in 1977 near Detroit, Michigan, Andrew grew up curious with the freedom to explore the outdoors quickly becoming interested in the natural world around him. He displayed a passion for creativity and a clear talent to build. These innate skills developed in his high school metals and jewelry classes, earning him work at a custom jeweler. Soon earning him gold and silver scholastic awards on a national level for his art and designs.
This energy in combination with a scholarship propelled his schooling to the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. Here Andrew abandon the delicate format of jewelry for the larger scale study of sculpture. However, once exposed to the medium of glass there was no doubt it was the beginning of a life long relationship. “The material holds an excitement I can feel. I see endless possibilities in form, technique, and physical attraction waiting to be discovered.” The fire and soul of hot glass seduced Andrew at once.
Currently, Andrew is producing all of his original glass works to the highest quality and craftsmanship. His limited edition fine craft and fine art sculpture continue to evolve as his techniques flourish and his ideas expand. Installation and custom commission work are available and collected on a national and international level.
