The automotive-focused works of three exceptional artists will take center stage when Tribby Arts Center presents “Styled Steel: The Art of Automotive Design” now through Saturday, April 29.
This exhibition in the Tribby’s Shell Point Gallery presents works by three Southwest Florida artists. The works include striking photographs by Don Adams, stunningly realistic watercolors by Shah Hadjebi, and captivating miniatures depicting bygone roadside culture by Alberto Chailosky.
Don Adams
A retired executive of The Henry Ford Museum and a skilled photographer, Don Adams will display 32 photos of automobile details. His images highlight iconic automotive design elements as seen on a wide variety of classic cars, from those of yesterday to modern day. For this exhibition, Adams also developed a video presentation that presents automotive designs from 1940 to 2020.
Shah Hadjebi
Shah Hadjebi is a highly accomplished watercolorist who is especially known for his vibrant, realistic images of Florida’s flora and fauna. However, painting realistic images of classic and antique cars is one of his passions, and for “Styled Steel” he is displaying 18 watercolors showing classic automobiles, from Model T (1908–1927) and Model A (1927–1931) vehicles to acknowledged stunners of more recent years, including Corvette, Alfa Romeo, Porsche, and Lotus. Hadjebi painted a number of these works specifically for “Styled Steel,” and they are being displayed for the first time in this exhibition.
Alberto Chailosky
Alberto Chailosky is one of the nation’s leading miniaturists, now working full-time at this craft after serving for eleven successful years as a set designer in New York City for various Broadway shows and Saturday Night Live. For “Styled Steel,” Chailosky created three miniatures portraying, in exacting detail, gas-station culture of a past era. These include “Texaco Gas Pumps,” “Mohawk Gas Station,” and “Sinclair Gas Station,” all depicted as rusted versions of what they once were. The miniatures testify to the artist’s ability to see and present the beauty in decay and neglect.
Tribby curator Marge Lee emphasizes that, although “Styled Steel” will undoubtedly interest those who appreciate the beauty of automotive design, the exhibition also will appeal to anyone who admires exacting skills in the arts of watercolor, photography, and miniatures.
In addition, on display concurrently with “Styled Steel,” the second floor galleries of the Tribby display paintings of Anita Putnam, nature photography by Sallie Rich, and Nantucket baskets by Carolyn Wood, all of Fort Myers.
After viewing the exhibitions on display and Artful Auto show, visitors also can visit Serendipity, the Shop in Tribby Arts Center that offers a wide variety of artist-made gift items and jewelry.
Tribby Arts Center, which opened in 2021 on the campus of the Shell Point Retirement Community, is located at 17281 On Par Blvd., in Fort Myers.
The galleries and Serendipity are open free of charge to all from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Shell Point Retirement Community is located along the Caloosahatchee River in Fort Myers, just two miles before Sanibel Island. For further information, visit www.shellpoint.org or call 1-800-780-1131.
