SPAACES Studio Artists
ALICIA BROWN
Born in 1981, St. Ann, Jamaica. Alicia Brown is a contemporary realist oil painter. She received her BFA in Painting, and a diploma in Art Education from Edna Manley College of the Visual Performing Arts and an MFA in Painting from the New York Academy of Art. She has been a recipient of the Dawn Scott Memorial award from the Jamaica Biennial, two Elizabeth Foundation Grants, the Joan Brady Foundation Grant and an LCU Foundation Grant. Alicia has attended residencies at the Leipzig International Art Program in Germany and the Cutty Hunk Island Artists’ residency in Massachusetts. Exhibitions have included the Jamaica Biennial, Prizm Art Fair Miami, Jamaica Spiritual London, and the Wausau Museum of Contemporary Art. Her work has been featured in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, American Art Collector, Painting the Figure Now SHOUT MIAMI, ARTIT voice of Artists, Caribbean Quarterly Journal and other publications.
MARIANNE CHAPEL
Marianne Chapel is an artist, an instructor of Fine Art at the Ringling College of Art and Design, and the founder of a new art gallery with art studios in Sarasota called SPAACES. At SPAACES, Marianne specializes in high caliber, new forms of contemporary art and community collaborations. She has her Masters in Fine Art Painting from Indiana University and has been instructing art at the college level for over 20 years. Marianne has an extensive exhibition and grant record, and a working art studio in downtown Sarasota. She is currently practicing a form of art new to Sarasota called Socially Engaged Art. She is a dedicated advocate for artists and is building SPAACES to provide better working conditions and studios for Sarasota artists.
CASSIA KITE
Cassia Kite is an interdisciplinary artist who created Soundstitching, a multimedia project that transforms color from a hand-stitched image into a musical composition that can be interpreted by a musician and/or performance artist. Kite has collaboratively produced large-scale work for chamber ensemble and dancers using color-coded graphic scores derived from her hand-stitched tapestries. Kite’s work was premiered at KANEKO in Omaha, Nebraska in July of 2017. She has been featured as an experimental composer and visual artist in music festivals, museums and universities. Kite has been awarded artist in residence at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts in 2018 and The Hambidge Center for Creative Arts and Sciences Residency Program in 2019. She is the recipient of the Paul J. Smith Excellence in Fibers Award from the Fiber Art Network 2018 and the Dixon Ticonderoga Award of Excellence from the Florida Art Education Association in 2019.
JESSICA MOWERY
Jessica Mowery is a practicing contemporary artist with a Spaaces studio. She has a varied professional background that has included selling vehicular armor, running an accomplished interior architecture studio and is currently a cryptocurrency analyst. Jessica is also the co-founder of a private NFT investment fund launching in 2022. The fund is committed to bringing together unique talent and licensing opportunities for artists, creators and investors. Jessica will provide a broad overview of the NFT market. She will break things down in layman’s terms explaining the technical basics, why NFT’s are important to the art market and how to comfortably purchase your first NFT.
LAINE NIXON
Growing up in Oklahoma, I found refuge in the magnificent sunsets and storms of the Great Plains. There I discovered my love of the purely aesthetic/abstract/wordless experience that I express through my artwork. Working in various media including water-mixable oils and colored markers, I focus on color, pattern, and strict systems to develop non-representational paintings. My work highlights the gap between “what is” and “what could be”. It is an homage to hope and possibility.
Laine holds a BS in math from the University of Tennessee and a BFA in painting from the University of South Florida. Her work is in the collections of RBC Wealth Management, SRQ Media, and Hillsborough Community College. She is the recipient of the 2017 John Ringling Towers Fund and Hermitage Artist Retreat residency award.
CLAUDIA RYAN
Claudia Ryan was born in Washington, D.C. in 1952. She received a Certificate of Fine Art from the California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, California in 1984, a BFA from the Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, Florida in 2002 and an MFA from the University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida in 2006. She explains her artistic approach as follows: “I don’t start with a final image in mind, although sometimes I have a feeling about what I want to come out. I work until something does, or I keep trying. I expect failure. I get anxious, so I do something. I am drawn to my own private world.” She lives in Bradenton, Florida and works in Sarasota, Florida at SPAACES studios.
THOMAS SATCHER
Throughout his career, Thomashas consistently pushed the boundaries of figure sculpture, blending traditional techniques with innovative approaches to challenge the status quo. Satcher’s work often appear as if it has spontaneously sprung to life from some ethereal spark, activating the viewer’s imagination with its dynamic and powerful presence. This extraordinary quality invites the audience to embark on a journey of wonder and exploration, as they project their own thoughts, experiences, subconscious, and personality into the world Thomas merely “frames” for the viewer.
Thomas Satcher’s work has been widely recognized and his sculptures can be found in both private collections and public exhibitions across the globe. As he continues to push the limits of his craft, Thomas remains committed to inspiring others to unlock their own creative potential and view the world through the lens of an artist.
CHRISTINE GAHAGAN
Christine D’Andrea Gahagan is a sculptor from Vermont who studied under Elliot Offner and A. Lee Burns at Smith College, and more recently with Brett Harvey, Philippe Farault and Stephen Perkins. She strives for a likeness in portraits, inspired by realism and is fascinated by capturing emotion in micro expressions and gesture. When not in the studio, Christy is learning dance, paint, and leaves shiny gifts for the curious crow in her backyard.
http://imparoart.com
STEPHEN PERKINS
A versatile artist with expertise in sculpture, painting, and drawing, demonstrates an exceptional understanding of human anatomy that imbues his creations with unparalleled beauty and energy. Merging the ageless arts and techniques of the past with contemporary processes allows his work to transcend time.
Artists often define themselves through the choices they make in selecting mentors. In pursuit of mastering his craft, Stephen sought the guidance of the most distinguished painters and sculptors of his time. His journey began under the tutelage of Henry Hensche at the renowned Cape Cod School of Art. He then apprenticed with Lesley Posey, an esteemed academic sculptor, followed by Walker Hancock, whose iconic monuments adorn various regions of the country, including the Capitol. Stephen also found inspiration in the works of Deane Keller and Nelson Shanks.
Throughout his career, Stephen has been dedicated to imparting his in-depth technical knowledge to others. He has taught at prestigious institutions such as The New York Academy of Art, The Water Street Atelier, The Grand Central Academy of Art, and Janus Collaborative School of Art in Manhattan, as well as the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Additionally, he has conducted numerous workshops across the United States and internationally.
