Artist and Author, Tom Suhler, Revisits ‘Sunshine State’ for Seventh Time in Three Years

Renowned for his ability to combine layers of beauty and nudity to evoke bold emotions in his audience, Texas artist, Tom Suhler is delighted to announce his return to Florida for the opening of his exhibit at the 530 Burns Gallery.

Austin, TX — While he resides over a thousand miles away, artist Tom Suhler’s work has been in high demand in Florida since 2010. With seven trips to the Sunshine State garnering a growing audience, Suhler is delighted to announce his return on April 12th as he brings his art to the 530 Burns Gallery in Sarasota.

Beneath the Veil
Beneath the Veil

Suhler, whose nude pieces read more like sculpture than photography, has found a receptive audience in the people and places of “The Sunshine State,” discovering a creative home amidst the vibrancy and romanticism of Florida’s artistic and cultural history.

“In some ways, it has been easier for me to find an audience here than in my home State. Floridians really seem to connect with the simple beauty of my art and understand the emotions and stories they infer,” says Suhler, who also achieved great success as far away as China.

Continuing, “People see beyond the ‘nude’ dancers and into the freedom, openness and truth that lies within each piece.”

In fact, Suhler makes it clear that the nude aspect of his work is secondary to the emotions and ideas that lie within each subject.

“It’s all in an attempt to evoke emotions in my audience. I do this through combining many layers; nudity is just one of these many layers,” he adds.

Suhler will be using the visit to exhibit pieces from two different collections. (e)Motion was created in Austin in a rented warehouse over a two and a half month period. Winding Creek emerged from a three and a half month project produced at night in a Texas Hill Country Creek. Both collections can be viewed in their entirety at http://www.tomsuhlerfineart.com.

Suhler’s trip will take him throughout Southern Florida between April 12th through 20th, promoting his 530 Burns Gallery exhibit, as well as his recently released art book, UnVeiled.

To date, the book has attracted a consistent string of rave reviews.

For example, fellow artist Rom Stark said, “Suhler’s thoughts do not interfere with the viewer’s personal response to the work. He does state his ideas on what he is doing without telling the viewer what to see. What a relief! One should take notice of the simple yet powerful impact that is our basic humanity. A still life of an egg, a landscape, even a portrait of a stranger can offer that impact. And, here in UnVeiled we have Suhler’s vision.”

UnVeiled, as well as open and limited edition prints, are available through Tom’s website http://www.tomsuhlerfineart.com

 

Inspiration from the Dali Museum

Last week, while I was in Tampa Florida, I took an afternoon trip over to St. Petersburg.  I was hunting up some seafood and looking into the local art scene.  While I wasn’t sure what part of the peninsula would yield lunch, I knew that at some point I would spend a few hours at the Dali Museum. This would be my second visit to the Dali and would prove to be just as fulfilling as the first.

Salvador Dali Museum
Salvador Dali Museum

To start with, the museum has several architectural features that I find really interesting. The most obvious are the billowing glass windows on the bayside of the building.  A strong second is the staircase in the center of the building the self-supporting concrete spiral twists upwards, extending beyond the top floor and ending in midair.

Dali’s surrealistic paintings are a great place to let your imagination roam around unchecked.  I don’t see any need to concern myself with Dali’s  thoughts or intentions behind his work.  Instead, I allow myself to create my own stories around his imagery which ultimately leads to all kinds of inspiration for me.

The very first piece I encountered was Autum Sonata.  In it, I saw a battle raging between two people, a few lay possibly exhausted or injured and another maybe just an uninterested soul. All this set in the foreground while an unaffected city rests behind it.  I cannot help but project my preoccupations of our own current affairs on to this scene.  Exhausted by war, soldiers bare the blunt of the conflict while the country at large is unaffected.  Or a scene of drones fighting while the city on the other side of the water appears to be unscathed, for now.

Another impression I took from this visit deals with his landscapes within scenes.  I saw a commonality among many pieces of stark and mostly empty landscapes.  I enjoyed how emptiness plays as significant role as any action the scene may include.

I took away a range of emotions and ideas inspired by the works I was drawn to and wonder how they will impact the work on my current projects. I hope you have a chance to wander through his world at the Dali Museum the next time you are near St. Petersburg.

Poster Signing at Exposure Gallery

I will be at “Exposure – A Gallery of Fine Art Photography” in Santa Fe tonight and tomorrow night signing commemorative posters. There are quite a few of my limited edition prints on exhibit in the gallery through the end of September.

Santa Fe Gallery Association Announcement

Nude Nite Orlando, More than Just Fine Art

The 200 pieces of fine art photographs, sculptures, and paintings are just a part of Nude Nite Orlando. “It’s made of painters, performers, acrobats, …” explains Director Kelly Stevens. “It’s about visual extravaganza. A feast if you will.”

Posing by Jonny Edge
Posing by Jonny Edge – Acrylic on Canvas

 

Empusa 2 by Christopher Johnson
Empusa 2 by Christopher Johnson

Nude Nite is as much a happening as it is an art show.  Thousands of people attended the show during its three night run.  And if you came late you’d end up standing in line.  The attraction is for the performances as much as the art.  There are burlesque shows, acrobats performing on stage and on a large hoop suspended from the ceiling.  Roving models, live body painting demonstrations, and performance artists moving through the crowds.

Nude Nite Crowd
Nude Nite Crowd

 

Nude Nite Model
Nude Nite Model

 

Attendees are encouraged to bring their cameras as long as they are respectful and understand the limits of what can be done with their photographs.  “If you think about the event from a photography standpoint it probably has two dozen of the most incredible visuals that I’d like photograph,” continues Stevens. “It’s a very inspiring event.  Full of color and texture, which is what I think photographers really like.”

Unbridled by Cheri Mittermaier
Unbridled by Cheri Mittermaier; Perfomance artist in background

 

Artistic Beauty by Trevor Neigebauer
Artistic Beauty by Trevor Neigebauer

 

The tag line, “Take a nude home tonight” is meant to encourage attendees to purchase art.  And when they do, they receive free tickets to Nude Nite for life.

 

Double Happiness by Shannon Holt
Double Happiness by Shannon Holt

“Seis Trace” Photograph heads to Nude Nite Tampa

The Nude Nite Tampa juried art show has selected “Seis Trace” for its 2011 exhibition.  The event draws thousands of fine art enthusiasts and artists from around the country.  The show is held in the Trolley Barn at The Heights and runs from March 3 – 5.

Seis Trace
Seis Trace

“Seis Trace” is from Suhler’s (e)Motion collectionNude Nite Tampa is the third show this year to feature one of his fine art nude photographs.

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