The closing ceremony for Brenda Bohannon will be September 20, and the next artist featured in the series will be Scott Robinson on October 18 during Fall Family Festival.
Saint Leo University is bringing art — and artists — to its students. In August, the English, Music, and the Arts Department launched its Visiting Artist Series by hosting Tampa, FL-based artist Brenda Bohannon.
Also known as Bbo The Artist, Bohannon “creates modern-contemporary art rooted in color, texture, and emotion.” She showcased her art during a reception in Saint Leo’s Fine Arts Building on August 6, and a closing ceremony for her work will be at 7 p.m., Friday, September 20. Everyone is invited to enjoy the art, meet Bohannon, and enjoy some refreshments.
“The purpose of my art is to nurture and inspire the human spirit!” she said.
And that purpose is in line with the objective of Saint Leo’s Visiting Artist Series. “The goal is to bring art and artists to our students and the community in order to share their visions and inspiration,” said Pamela DeCius, associate chair of the English, Music, and the Arts Department. “We will have rotating in-person events and the art also can be found in our online gallery. This allows our students to experience art firsthand without having to have a car or travel into the city.”
Supported by the College of Arts, Sciences, and Allied Services, the Visiting Artist Series hopes to host artists and their work monthly. DeCius said there will be opening and closing receptions for each featured artist that will allow those attending to ask the artist questions about the process, materials, and other aspects of their work. Light refreshments will be served at those receptions. In addition, some of the artists will offer their items for sale and prices will be listed on the museum tags.
October Opening
Saint Leo’s Visiting Artist Series will welcome Scott Robinson. The opening ceremony will be at 7 p.m., Friday, October 18, during the Fall Family Festival. Everyone is invited to the Fine Arts Building on campus (33701 County Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574) to meet and talk with the artist, view his work, and have some light refreshments.
Robinson “followed many different paths in art, but always found himself drawn to monochromatic images and Chiaroscuro lighting,” his biography states. “Fortyish years later, Scott finds himself truly exploring his love of the black and white image and the uncompromising way it describes the world around us.”
While he has worked in many mediums, acrylic paint is his tool of choice. “You can glop it on thick or thin it down to the slightest whisper of a mark,” he said.
His latest series features cities, forests, favorite dogs, and more, which he bases off of old and new photos.
“Xerox, Rorschach, Eisenstaedt, Adams, Hitchcock, and the list goes on, as I remember it, I have always been drawn to the black and white image,” he stated. “My fascination stands within all the power, color, and emotion that can be breathed into the most basic markings. . . black on white.”
More Information
The Visiting Artist Series hosted by Saint Leo University’s Department of English, Music, and the Arts, is free and open to the public. For information, contact pamela.decius@saintleo.edu or chantelle.macphee@saintleo.edu.