PAVA Artists Bring Art Back Into Spotlight During Members' Show

DUNEDIN, FL — After being hidden away in studios during the coronavirus pandemic, artwork is back in the public eye, and Tampa Bay artists are eager to show off what they've been up to during the forced hiatus.

Among them are members of the Professional Association of Visual Artists.

PAVA's 2021 Annual Members’ Awards Exhibit is on display through July 2 at PAVA's home base, The Cool Art Shop, 1240 County Road 1, Dunedin.

This annual exhibit showcases the artwork of more than 60 of PAVA’s award-winning professional artists in various mediums, and all artwork is available for sale during the shop’s normal operating hours, Wednesday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Judged by Mark Ormond, former curator for the Ringling Museum of Art, artists will be awarded $3,600 in cash as well as Best of Show awards at the end of June. Patrons are invited to stop by The Cool Art Shop and vote for their favorite artist during separate exhibits in May and June as artists compete for the Patrons’ Choice Award.

Artwork from all award winners will remain in The Cool Art Shop during the month of July and early August as an encore presentation of the work, said Christina Paluszek-McClure, vice president of PAVA.

PAVA is a nonprofit organization run by volunteer artists to serve local artisans and support the arts community in the Tampa Bay Area. It provides exhibition, education and grant opportunities for its members, as well as offering its members’ artwork for sale at its shop, The Cool Art Shop.

Additionally, PAVA supports local art centers and is a local sponsor of the Pinellas County Regional National Scholastic Art Awards where scholarships are provided to students for art instruction.

Winners for May include a first-place award for Melissa Miller Nece for her colored pencil work, "Pubescence."

"This work on paper drew my attention immediately. The composition, palette, execution and mastery of materials of pencil and pastel all come together to affect a sense of a group of young people enjoying the water. There is no horizon line or evident source of light and yet the image focuses the viewer on the water, the sunshine and a sense of place," Ormond said.

Lourdes Rosas-Rasdall received second place for a kiln-formed glass work titled "Caribbean Blues."

"This work demonstrates an understanding and mastery of the use of glass to make a perfectly scaled disk of the correct depth and diameter to provide a pleasing visual experience," Ormond said. "The armature allows light to filter through the glass and animate the individual elements of the composition. The eye moves successfully around the circumference of the work, across the diameter and through the density of the colored glass to be satisfied with a balanced arrangement."

Earning third place was Ron Pehmoeller's acrylic on canvas titled "In Out."

"This work presents a conundrum for the viewer with its composition that draws your attention to think about it. It is constructed of an interesting arrangement of forms and colors and upon further inspection rewards the viewer with elements of a pattern that slowly reveals itself," Ormond said. "The fact that the artist’s hand is evident in the creation of the contours make it that more intriguing."

Honorable mentions went to Joel Ott for his ceramic, "Lady in Red," and Dolores Kaufman for her photographic transmutation, "Eye to Eye."

"This object seduces the viewer on many levels," Ormond said of "Lady in Red. "The form and the colors are pleasing and satisfying. The ceramic is well conceived and crafted and continues the tradition of making vessels that can be both decorative and functional."

Of "Eye to Eye," Ormond said, "This image belies a direct reference to anything with which we are familiar and yet there is something familiar about the original image that has been manipulated to what we see printed on the canvas/paper. This work raises questions about the role of the phone/camera and the computer in the making of imagery."