About "Sprit of the Sea: Modern Masters of Marine Art" Exhibition

“SPIRIT OF THE SEA: Masters of Modern Marine Art”

Dimetrious Athas, Kenneth M. Evans, Denise Kelly, Robert K. Roark, Lance Walker

The Sailor’s Valentines of Gayle Condit

Artists’ Reception Saturday, July 14, 2007, 5 to 8 PM

From July 10, 2007 thru July 22, 2007

Capturing the beauty and gusto of the sea coast, the oceans and the ships that sail them is a challenge that Dimetrious Athas, Kenneth M. Evans, Denise Kelly, Robert K. Roark and Lance Walker have no problem stepping up to. On July 14, 2007, Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts will host an artists’ reception for a show entitled "SPIRIT OF THE SEA: Masters of Modern Marine Art" where these five renowned marine artists, along with Sailor’s Valentine artist Gail Condit, will display the fascination, romance and love of all things nautical. Each of these master marine painters is unique in his approach to his own personal celebration of the sea and its many manifestations. Whether it is with oil on canvas and panel or through the unique artistry of Sailor’s Valentines, they capture the brilliance of the sparkling waters and the sails of the ships that ride the waves. They invite the viewer to share the beauty and tranquility of a beautiful coastline, a calm day of sailing or the heartache of a floundering ship at sea.

Mr. Athas' luminous realistic style has won him many awards and he is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and a past vice-president of the International Society of Marine Painters. An accomplished and recognized maritime master, Dimetrious Athas is now among a select few marine artists included in the American Art Museum Library at the Smithsonian Institution. His precise and realistic renderings of catboats, sloops and schooners under sail stuns viewers into believing they are looking at actual scenes taking place before them.

Mr. Evans' oft romanticized, albeit precise, renditions of ships have earned him a reputation as a master marine artist. His marine art focuses on the variability of light and the smooth gradation of color. His deliberation of the sky is as intense as his attention to the scene on and near the sea or the ships sailing on it. Mr. Evans is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists, the International Guild of Realism and an elected member of the Mystic Art Association where he received honors in 2001.

Currently living on Cape Cod, Ms. Kelly has won many awards including "Best of Show" in the Leo Diehl Show and has been featured in major periodicals including Cape Cod Life. Her work is in numerous private collections in both the United States and Europe and she is an active member of many Cape Cod Art Associations and the International Guild of Realism. Denise Kelly’s maritime paintings embody the mood of the Cape Cod coastline. Her painterly manner, bold compositions and sensuous colors capture expansive, mood-filled costal scenes and the radiant light of the sea.

As a student Mr. Roark was the recipient of a Ford Foundation Scholarship and the Kunyoshi Memorial Scholarship and throughout his renowned career he has won numerous awards. His work has shown at major museums across the country, including the Smithsonian, the Hirschorrn Museum, the Cahoon Museum, the Cape Cod Museum of Art and he is currently a member of the International Guild of Realism. His realistic renderings of marine art are defined by his unique pallet and the way he captures light which reflects a particular love of the New England coastlines and waterways.

Mr. Walker is a brilliant up and coming artist who focuses mainly on maritime, seascape and landscape subjects. He is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists and the International Guild of Realism and has been in numerous shows including the Cahoon Museum and the Cape Museum of Art. His direct and detailed marine paintings capture the exact likeness of ships under full sail or the moodiness of crashing waves against rocks.

The story of the Sailors' Valentine begins in the early nineteenth century, when it was customary for sailors, after returning home from long voyages at sea, to come bearing sentimental gifts for wives, sweethearts, daughters and mothers. Sailors' Valentines, known in their day simply as "shell mosaics," were among the most given gifts. In the 1930s, collecting these now antique mementos of the sea became popular, and the name Sailors' Valentines was adopted. Since that time, the intrigue of the octagonal shell mosaics has grown immensely. Today, after a silence of nearly a century, the once-lost art form is being resurrected by a handful of Sailors' Valentines craftspeople. Gayle Condit fell in love with Sailors' Valentines a number of years ago after seeing them at a gallery on Martha's Vineyard. Her love for the ocean, beach and color has taken her from a career in fashion and costume design to the art of making Sailors' Valentines. She has been featured in Cape Cod Magazine, in a section entitled "Celebrating Cape Cod Women" and recently won second place in the 2007 Sanibel Seashell Show, Traditional Category. Ms. Condit’s designs are unique. She often uses antique lace in the centers and incorporates ideas from traditional work. The sea shells she uses to construct and fashion pieces of exquisite beauty and detail are all natural. Her Valentines are heirloom quality pieces of art and adorn homes throughout the country.