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'Last Look' at JAX art exhibit featuring Art Guild of Orange Park

Posted 1/12/24

JACKSONVILLE – It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of travelers flew in and out of Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) over the holidays last year. As passengers rolled luggage over …

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'Last Look' at JAX art exhibit featuring Art Guild of Orange Park

Cynthia Royce Smith takes down “Fat Boy’s Seafood” from the wall and prepares to take the piece home. Her painting and the paintings of many others were proudly displayed at the Sky Gallery at the Jacksonville International Airport.

Beth Haizlip has a second home in Charleston, South Carolina that she visits often. Her painting “Kiawah River Majestic Oak” captures some of the natural beauty from that environment. “I put the pink spoonbills there because the marshes have been full of them lately. I love the Spanish moss, and the sun reflecting through it. It’s a challenge to paint that, but it’s a fun challenge. It takes layers and layers of paint, but it’s worth it,” she said.

Kim Russell shares the story behind “Long Road Home.” She was heading back home from Upstate New York when she was mesmerized by the morning’s sunrise. “Stop the car!” she said. The piece is acrylic on photograph. Russell enjoys touching up photographs with paint.

Sophie Dare points to her two paintings “Tybee Waves from Savannah Beach” and “That Place with the Grapes.” Indeed, fitting entries to the “Take Me There!” exhibit.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Betty McKee’s “Catching Hovsep and Emil” was the front and center piece passengers would first notice as they walked in. The piece was an ode to her creative influences. She has taken in their styles and has offered her own interpretation. “It’s very austere and mystic and spiritual,” she said.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Linda Hawkins could find no better inspiration for the “Take Me There!” exhibit than her trips to the Caribbean. “I couldn’t think of a better setting,” she said. “All you’d have to say is, ‘Ready to go?’ and I’ll be there!” Hawkins was fascinated with Caribbean culture. The bright colors, the dancing and the music.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Art Guild of Orange Park President Phyllis Renninger and her husband, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners Jim Renninger, were proud of what this exhibit meant for the Art Guild and for all inspiring artists in Clay County.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Jeannie Brockhausen points to “St. Augustine Carriage” and shared her eureka moment. “When I saw this, I thought, ‘This would make for an awesome painting!’” she said.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

The artists begin to disassemble their exhibit and pack up their beloved paintings back home to Clay County.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Mary Walker stands next to “Ameila Island.” The painting is a scene from a little restaurant on Amelia Island. The two women in the background are herself and Jeannie Brockhausen, she said. “It was so nice to eat there.”

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Elaine Marie Austin points to “Cape Florida.” Lighthouses are a reoccurring motif in Austin’s work. “The Lighthouse is my muse. I think it’s important to bring more light into the world,” she said. Instead of portraying what the lighthouse looked like, Austin wanted to capture the atmosphere and transmit what that sight felt like.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Stephanie Pyren-Fortel shares what “Enchanted Forest” means to her. “I love the forest!” she said. “Unfortunately, Florida is knocking down so many of them.” She said that the dove represents peace and the other represents war. “It’s up to the viewer’s interpretation,” she said.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

The artists begin to disassemble their exhibit and pack up their beloved paintings back home to Clay County.

STAFF PHOTO BY JACK RANDALL

Posted Friday, January 12, 2024 6:54 pm

Jack Randall,
jack@claytodayonline.com

JACKSONVILLE – It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of travelers flew in and out of Jacksonville International Airport (JAX) over the holidays last year. As passengers rolled luggage over the marble floors, they might have taken the chance to see the “Take Me There!” exhibit at the Sky Gallery put on by the Art Guild of Orange Park.

Last Thursday, the Art Guild celebrated a “Last Look” at the spectacular paintings created by Clay County residents that welcomed home many travelers. Before the artists took down and packed up their work, they took a moment to reminisce on the significance of their paintings and shared the stories of the creations. Here are a few of the wonderful pieces that were on display last year.