DAAS Co-Op Gallery features the art of Ian Summers

In the month of July, DAAS Co-Op Art Gallery & Gifts is showcasing the artwork of award-winning artist Ian Summers.
The opening reception is scheduled for Friday, July 2 from 6 to 9:30 p.m. in conjunction with the monthly Fort Myers Art Walk. The exhibition will be on display through July 31.
Ian Summers was born in Patterson, N.J. He studied at the University Bridgeport, Conn., where he completed a degree in art education, later becoming an art teacher in Wayne, N.J.
His desire to create and expand his artistic career took him to Europe in the mid-1960s. He lived in Paris for a short time, when an unexpected opportunity took him to London, where he taught art the American School. He exhibited in London and conducted speeches at art clubs and centers, like the Unites States Information Center.
In 1967, Summers moved to New York where his first daughter was born. After the birth of his second daughter, he started working in advertising as a creative director, working with some of the most important authors in the world. Amongst these, Isaac Asimov, whose book cover landed Summers a place in the science fiction community. As a member of the Society of Illustrator of New York, he received an award for best paperback cover, for several years. After years working for Random House publishing, he became a career consultant to people in the creative field, using a problem solving technique he called “Heart-storming.” In 2021, he joined the Union Artist Studios in Fort Myers.
In an article published in 2015 in The Elucidator, when explaining his art, Summer says, “I am for an art of memories that are chipped and fragmented, but not nostalgic. Faces conjure forming associations with people, with persons who may never have lived anywhere, but in my mind. Faces haunt me in my sleep and when I am awake.”
Summers’ main subject is faces, which he does not consider portraits, but conjured. He works primarily in acrylics on large scale canvases and other surfaces, such as tar paper and board. Currently, the artist lives in Southwest Florida with his wife, Wendy.
The gallery invites art collectors, supporters and enthusiasts to join them for the opening reception on July 2. DAAS Co-Op is located at 1815 Fowler St. in the Butterfly Estates complex in Fort Myers. The gallery’s temporary business hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
More information about the venue and how to become a member can be found at www.daascoop.com or by calling 239-590-8645.