Three University Of Tampa Grads Have Exhibit At School

TAMPA - The Scarfone/Hartley Gallery on the University of Tampa campus will host a show of works by three local artists who are UT graduates.

Through Dec. 4, Carl Cowden, Alexandra Fernandez and Michael Massaro present contrasts and complements in texture, form, size and style.

Fernandez's small oil paintings are matted and placed in box-like frames and hung in groups. Cowden's larger mixed-media pieces are almost three-dimensional, and Massaro's pieces are mixed-media sculptures and assemblages.

Fernandez's largest painting in the show is 8-by-10 inches, and the average is much smaller.

"In trying to make my art reflect the intimacy. I'm trying to create; if I did it on a larger scale I think I would be as overwhelmed as the viewer," she said. "And I wouldn't be able to capture the intimacy, that quiet conversation between the viewer and the paintings."

Cowden's pieces incorporate many steps and many years.

"A lot of them come from pieces I've been working on for as long as 10 or 15 years," he said. "Some have found objects from that long ago."

"Escaguarda," a word Cowden made up, is painted on an old worktable he turned into a paint surface. The porcupine pieces in the show are mates to the monkey series he did 15 years ago.

"Both of them started as a found-object image that I manipulated," Cowden said. "Both images were from an old baroque mural I found in a clip art book."

Cowden's art has been visible around Tampa since 1978 in the form of murals on the sides of buildings. He also has been the master printer at STUDIO-f for the past 10 years. The last five years have been devoted to developing his style of layering and collage.

He uses leftover ink from print jobs because "it makes an interesting color flow." Then he goes back and forth between print and paint until he feels the piece is ready for three-dimensional objects such as paper, fabric or even dried paint peelings.

"Some of the paintings get very thick and heavy so they have to be mounted specially," he said.

Cowden said he has been influenced by sculptors such as his friend Massaro, who uses a variety of dissimilar materials in his assemblages.

"My focus in college was sculpture, and being around people like Mike makes me want to get back to it," he said. "In these relief paintings, I feel like I'm getting back to it slowly."

Although the Scarfone/Hartley show is wide ranging and diverse, he said, it is cohesive because each work is strong and holds its own.

The artists will participate in a free gallery talk at 11 a.m. Friday. They also will attend the free opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at the gallery in the RK Bailey Art Studios, 310 N. Boulevard.

During the reception, UT associate professor Susan Taylor Lennon and several UT students will present "Excavation, Exploration and Surrender," a dance performance to complement the art.

Call the gallery at (813) 253-6217 for details.

Ybor City Gallery Sets Annual Bash

Brad Cooper Gallery presents its annual benefit auction Saturday. Featuring fine art by local and national artists, the event celebrates the gallery's 24 years in the community.

The paintings are available for preview from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. today through Friday. A preview party will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday, with the auction starting at 8 p.m.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $30 on the day and include wine, beer, a champagne bar, hors d'oeuvres and door prizes. Call the gallery at (813) 248-6098 for reservations.

Proceeds support the artists and the gallery, 1712 E. Seventh Ave.

Gallery Hosts Jewelry Show

Local jewelry artist Meredith Haws will exhibit her newest creations from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Baisden Gallery, 442 Grand Central Ave.

Haws is known for her colorful use of natural stones and gems. A recent trip to Paris provided inspiration for some of the designs in the one-day show.

Call the gallery at (813) 250-1511 for information.