New exhibit opens at the museum Friday

Ormond Beach Observer
Neighbors

The landscape of the world was the inspiration for the two artists featured in the upcoming "Of the Earth'' exhibit at the Ormond Memorial Art Museum.

Painter Randy Akers studied the geography of Northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, seeking the "underbelly of those places to convey in my work.'' Sculptor Marianne Weil traces her interest back to a visit at England's historic Stonehenge when she was 16 years old.

Both of their work will be featured in a show opening Jan. 27 at the museum, 78 W. Granada Blvd., with a public reception from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibit will close March 12.

Akers is left-handed, a genetic trait he says has forced the world to be viewed differently, "the left way.'' Forced to hide his left-handedness by crouching over his distorted left hook wrist, Akers said he earned praise early on with his basic drawing ability. Akers is also a former director and designer of international television commercials, movie titles, music videos and print for Fortune 500 companies.

"I constantly sight verticals and horizontals with my eyes,'' he said in a press release. "The primitive scratch marks are the foundation to begin the layout procedure. It is never straightforward and full of surprises.''

Weil is the daughter of an art studio owner whose paternal aunt was a sculptor. Encouraged at an early age to pursue an artistic career, she traveled to Europe with her mother and saw the fabled prehistoric monument, Stonehenge. Art studies were accessible, encouraged and supported, she said.

Her abstract bronze and glass sculptures are created by using the lost-wax casting process. he makes each sculpture uniquely from the original wax, finishing and patinating the sculptures in her New York studio.

Weil's interest in archeology fuels her desire to travel the world, such as her recent visit to Greece studying field sites and excavations. She hopes visitors to the show will leave with an appreciation for the complexity of combining the two diverse materials.

"These are two very different materials in density — the opaqueness with the fragile transparent delicacy of the glass,'' said Weil. "Hopefully, I'm successful in the wedding of those materials.''

The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and noon to 4 p.m.on Saturday and Sunday.

The surrounding gardens are open each day until dusk. For more information, call 676-3347 or go to ormondartmuseum.org