Animals, animals, animals! Three island artists get together their best beautiful beasties for a new show
When Boca Grande artists Emerson Wickwire, Linda Wolcott and Nancy Bass sat down together and looked at each other’s proposed art pieces for a show they were putting together, they all had a moment of clarity.
Each one of them was featuring animals in their work.
“We looked at each other and said, wait a minute. Animals. It just sort of happened,” Wickwire said. “The card went out for the opening. Without any consultation we looked at all of them and realized they were all about animals. It wasn’t meant to be a theme … it just happened.”
The three artists started culminating the idea of having a show together sometime around the Valentine’s art show last year. When they realized all of their colors often complemented each other, it was the beginning of a new exhibit.
“We have the same palette,” Nancy said. “They are very Boca Grande.”
Nancy said some of her earliest memories of painting included drawing poodles of all colors to cover her room.
Emerson admits that the time he spent at home during the quarantine led him to new ideas, including a brilliant selection of mirrors using the same style of glass and ornate, gilted objet d’arte pieces he uses on his cofanetti pieces, otherwise known as “Florentine boxes.”
“What else do you do when you spend all that time at home? We hadn’t been able to get back to Florence, and I got my last shipment from there right before they were totally shut down,” Emerson explained.
He had always wanted to do a piece with a dolphin jumping out of the water, so he spoke with his carvers in Italy about creating something he could use. Those dolphin pieces were in that last shipment.
“It got me through the really rough months,” he said. “Trying to figure what to do with them.”
Linda and Nancy were very content during quarantine, almost in their element. They just painted and painted.
“Our message is ‘up,’” Linda said. “And a little humor.”
Known for her cow paintings, Nancy said her pieces in this show are all endangered animals, and in her narrative all the endangered animals came to Boca Grande to live in paradise.
“I wanted to draw attention to their beauty,” she said. “But in my works they’re in Boca Grande.”
The opening reception for the show will be held on Friday, Feb. 4 from 5 to 7 p.m. The show continues on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Boca Grande Art Center is the location, 236 Banyan Street.
