At once restrained and exuberant, Smith transforms compositions of comestibles, silverware, cutlery and plates into tableaus teeming with resonance and eloquence. “Food is something we all have a relationship with,” said Carrie Mae Smith. “My work examines and re-examines these familiar subjects, experimenting with composition, brushstrokes, light and shadow, inviting the viewer to fill in the blanks of both form and context.” 

ArtCenter’s new exhibition, “In His Own Likeness,” showcases diverse media (photography, sculpture, painting and video) of four Latin American artists who illuminate  the subject matter of gender and its relationship with power and divinity. The artists are from Guatemala, Mexico and Cuba and include ArtCenter/South Florida resident artist Othón Castañeda, plus visiting artist Eny Roland, with Rocío García and Mario Santizo. The exhibition is currently on view through March 16 at the Richard Shack Gallery

Developed as a follow-up to Megumi Sasaki’s award-winning documentary Herb & Dorothy (2008), this quaint film encapsulates an ordinary couple's extraordinary life and incredible contribution to the America’s modern art culture, as the pair’s life as collectors comes to an end. Herbert and Dorothy Vogel were married in 1962. Herb was a postal worker and Dorothy was a librarian at the Brooklyn Public Library. The couple managed to live of off Dorothy’s salary, while using Herb’s salary to build a huge collection of over 4,000 works of art. 

Judy Jetson grew up and became a swinger: That’s the impression one might get the first time viewing a Shag painting. The artist Josh Agle—his nom de brosse comes from the SH in “Josh” and the “AG” in Agle—is known for his martini-clutching mod characters in swanky spaces rendered in saturated colors with a distinctive mid-century style. Lithe ladies in bobs and beehives and their cool-cat men lounge on boxy sofas and egg chairs, or sip tropical drinks in bars next to zombies and skeletons while bongo drummers and guitarists play on. 

At the young age of 12, the child prodigy has commissioned six-figure works of art and has garnered national and international acclaim for her colorful tributes to Marilyn Monroe.  Her artistic style has been compared to iconic abstract painters including Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock and the Picasso. Her exhibitions have defined her as one of the most accomplished and recognized prodigies of our time.  Her original masterpieces have sold for tens of thousands of dollars, and have been acquired by several major art collectors.

Tavormina's dramatic images reflect the sumptuous detail of 17th century Old Master paintings.  Using a contemporary medium and a modern approach, her vibrant photographs of food and flora are reminiscent of Dutch, Spanish, and Italian still lifes of the Golden Age.  To create these luscious compositions, Tavormina collects “props”—such as butterflies, shells, dried flowers and ceramics—which evoke the still-life vernacular and imbue each tableau with allegorical meaning.

For me, the act of painting is an ongoing process of exploring where memory meets imagination. When painting, I am inventing another world that has no morning or midnight, no beginning or end; instead, I try to capture a suspended moment in time. Ideally, the images act with the unexpected quality of syncopated rhythm, accenting a beat normally unaccented.

Born and raised in New York City, artist Clarisse Perrette currently lives and works in Chicago. Her paintings have been featured at a number of galleries around the country, including s.e.e.d. Gallery (Brooklyn), Artist’s Museum (Washington D.C.), the Art Students League (New York City) and the Zhou B Art Center in Chicago.