Arts for ACT Gallery in downtown Fort Myers will host an opening reception on Friday, Jan. 3 from 6 to 10 p.m. for the exhibit for Shah Hadjebi in the main gallery and in the White Gallery, a group exhibit with Pam Jones, Dedo and Sara Morsey.
Shah is a full-time watercolor artist residing on Sanibel Island. He graduated from Syracuse University in the late 1980s and comes from a family of artists: fine artists, architects, interior designers, industrial designers and furniture designers.
Although he has been painting for the past 20 years, he started off as a musician but discovered that painting is his most natural outlet and passion. His subjects range from animals to still life and realism. Living on Sanibel has supplied him with an endless array of subjects; Wading birds on the beach and at Ding Darling wildlife refuge, classic automobiles at car shows on Periwinkle Place and popular landmarks around the island. Shah’s main goal is to bring some presence and mindfulness into this hectic world and to live a life where inner and outer purposes are aligned.
Pamela Jones grew up in St. Louis and now resides in Punta Gorda. Her work consists of carefully detailed assemblages made with found objects, thrift store treasures and random stuff.
When she was married to an artist, Jones wondered what kind of art she would create, given the opportunity. She always was attracted to religious, ethnic and folkloric imagery, roadside memorials, home altars, New Mexican cemeteries and shrines. Finding a trove of vintage rubber clown heads inspired Jones to create the Bad Clowns series, reflecting many people’s fear and loathing of clowns.
Dedo was born in the winter of his 45th year in Tampa, becoming a full-time artist. Sculpting using paper pulp he set out to create unique figurative abstracts in a pop-deco style. He is considered foremost a sculptor and in a previous life a faux finisher. Along his journey he created art for couture runway shows and performing artists. The art comes alive when it is moving, burning or exploding. To that end, he learned body and face casting and became a member of the Assoc. of Lifecasters International (ALI). Many works are created from dreams. He paints with epoxies and explores shapes and colors in a very graphic manner. Most of his art is a mixture of paint and collage.
Sara Morsey is a professional regional theatre actor in the U.S. She is also an Outsider Artist and narrates audiobooks from her home studio. Sara has been making art her entire life. Her visual art has homes all over the United States and in England, Bulgaria, Germany, New Zealand and Canada. She is also a mail artist and a member of the International Union of Mail Artists.
This exhibit continues to Monday, Feb. 3. Arts for ACT Gallery is located at 2265 First St. in Fort Myers,
For more details, call 239-337-5050.
