Online Art Exhibition Artists Jacksonville

Unity & Equality Show Artists

Below read about each of the artists that entered artwork into the Unity & Equality Show and watch the video interviews in which they speak on what inspired their submitted pieces to the exhibit.

Artist Annelies Dykgraaf

Annelies Dykgraaf was born in Nigeria where she lived for 18 years. She has a BFA from Calvin College and studied in France through the Cleveland Institute of Art. Annelies moved from Michigan to Florida in 2001.
In 2008, Annelies was awarded an Art Ventures grant from the Community Foundation in Jacksonville. She is a founding member of Jacksonville Cultural Development Corporation (2004)(f/k/a JCAAA) and The Art Center Cooperative Inc. (2005). She served on the Board of the Beaches Fine Arts Series for 12 years and is currently the President of the Jacksonville Artists Guild.
Her art is mainly in relief work; carving into a block of wood or linoleum depicting people, symbols, textile patterns and motifs of West African culture/myths.

Here piece for Unity & Equality show is "Break Free". Annelies is a founding and current member of TAC and a Honorary Board Member. You can see more of her work on our site by visiting her artist page CLICK HERE

Artist Denise Sawyer-Jonhnson

Denise is a new artist and a member of TAC, who enjoys painting faces using pencil sketches, acrylic and mixed media to create. Denise has exhibited in Maryland and has participated in juried shows. She has sold works to art enthusiasts from DC, Maryland, Boston, Miami, Savannah and Jacksonville. Denise is also a board member.

Denise has one piece in this show; "08:46".
You can see more of her work on our site by visiting her artist page CLICK HERE.

Artist Cyndy Reynolds

An enthusiast of both wheel and slab creation, Cyndy has successfully marketed her functional and garden whimsical work at art and garden events. She uses primarily mid-range clays and glazes and is at work most days in her shop amid the leftover tools from the shop’s history of creating national championship racing cars.

Cyndy Ira Reynolds, a native of Jacksonville, Florida, developed her love of pottery during the long winters in Wisconsin where she managed a hotel for Marriott. Upon retiring in 2017, she and her husband moved back to Jacksonville where she, with the support and assistance from her father, established her own pottery studio in the family’s former car shop and began her new venture, Cirama Pottery and More.

Based on her love of gardening and achieving Master Gardener status in both Wisconsin and Florida, her work has been nature-inspired and driven by intriguing textures and shapes. Cyndy doesn’t just admire leaves on the neighborhood trees, but takes samples and turns those leaves into planters, bowls, platters and trays. Cyndy has one piece in the Unity & Equality Show called "Melting Pot".

You can see more of Cyndy's work at: www.facebook.com/cirama

Artist Corey Moortgat

Corey has five amazing pieces in the Unity & Equality Exhibition: Mirror, Soul Sisters, Beseech, Still Fighting, and We Will Not Forget.

Corey Moortgat is an acrylic artist from Jacksonville, Florida. She’s explored a variety of media throughout her life—paint, pencil, collage, photography—just to name a few. She graduated college with a BFA in Painting in 1994, then went on to earn her Master’s degree in Art Therapy in 1996.

She’s worked as an art therapist, an art teacher, a custom framer, an art store manager, and currently manages a paint and sip studio while teaching acrylic painting classes.

In her spare time, she’s taught mixed media classes, written articles for magazines, and even owned her own artistic rubber stamp line for a bit! In 2007, she published a book called The Art of Personal Imagery about using personal and meaningful imagery in your artwork.

Artist Jacquelyn Pfaff-Pratt

Jacquelyn has a wonderful piece in the Unity & Equality Show called " Black Lives Matter: Then, Now, Always".
You can see more of her work on our site by visiting her artist page CLICK HERE.

Jacquelyn Pfaff-Pratt is from upstate NY. She lived there for 58 years before she started her journey south. Jacquelyn has always had a strong interest in the visual arts. In sixth grade she stated that she was going to be an artist when she grew up. That is just what she did. She spent 32 years teaching high school art in NY.
Jacquelyn has won many awards in visual arts in New York, Maryland, and Florida. She has work in a variety of collections around the world. Her mediums of choice are oil paints, colored pencil and pastels. She is currently relearning watercolor painting. She pretty much can draw whatever is in front of her but her preferences are flowers, gardens, landscape, pets, architecture. She is also active in the Plein Air movement. She will work on commission, portraits, pets, homes, etc. Jacquelyn is a member of TAC.

Artist Julie Mainor

Julie's piece was created from a interview and then friendship that grew between herself and Ms. Burton. A 20 year veteran of JSO and a woman of color.

Here is Ms Burton's quote: I humbly share how proud I am to represent law enforcement and the black community.

The pain, fear, frustration, and division is surreal and painful. I don't have to choose! I am both.

We all make up a diverse part of the fabric of our society. It's a fact that we have a lot of rebuilding to do. I am committed to doing my part to contribute to that effort with Love!

Artist Jennifer Bothast

Jennifer graduated from a magnet arts high school and then attended classes at the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida. She holds an Associate of Science degree in Occupational Therapy and a Bachelor of Science in Health Science. She has exhibited in galleries in St. Petersburg and St Augustine, Florida and is a member of the Jacksonville Arts Guild and St. Augustine Arts Association. She currently resides in Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Jennifer has three pieces entered into the Unity & Equality Show; Say Their Names, When It's Time to Start Over, and Through the Dark Night. You can see more of Jennifer's work at her website: https://www.jenniferbothast.com/home

Artist Douglas Mealing

Douglas Mealing last participated in our Tune-In Show. Douglas creates some abstract caricatures and also produces some creative acrylic pieces. Brightly colored and dramatic these pieces are digital art.

Douglas has two pieces in the Unity & Equality Show; Unite and Our Lives Matter Too.

Ed Malesky

Ed is a Board Member of TAC and the Immediate Past President.
Ed has always been interested in woodworking and developed his skills to focus on woodturning as art.
He feels that creating his art always starts with a beautiful form. Turning wood into these forms is a truly tactile and very enjoyable experience, complicated by the fact that wood is an organic material that moves and distorts as it dries or contains hidden defects. Sometimes he can use these features and sometimes he needs to plan ahead to get the form he wants.
A beautiful form can be enough, especially when he has used a spectacular piece of wood. However, his real goal is to draw an emotional response from the viewer, so often this initial form is just the canvas for his work. He loves adding color and texture to his pieces using dyes, paints, pyrography and other processes that allows the viewer to see something beyond just a piece of wood.

The love of color and shapes has also led him into the world of digital images. Ed is amazed at the way a computer can generate beautiful images starting with some simple forms. There is a lot an artist needs to add however, since there are thousands of variables to apply to these simple forms to create a beautiful image. Once all the parameters are set, the computer begins the arduous task of rendering the image, which in many cases takes more than a day. Form and color, texture and complexity are his tools, whether in wood or on paper. Ed has two pieces in the Unity & Equality Show, Entombed and Climb to Unity.

You can see more of her work on our site by visiting his artist page CLICK HERE.

Artist Lisa Lofton

Lisa has one piece displayed at the Unity & Equality Show called "Josephine".
You can see more of her work on our site by visiting her artist page CLICK HERE.

Lisa began drawing and painting with her mother while she was still in the single digits of her existence. She studied Architecture at the University of Florida but ended up working in computer technologies for the better part of her life, 12 years of which was spent as a graphic designer and marketing manager for a European Linen retailer.

In late 2018 she decided to leave the conventional workforce behind and pursue her desire to create. Lisa is a 2-D Artist who works primarily with acrylic on canvas and also uses a variety of mixed media. Her current works depict Jacksonville and Florida as a whole. Her paintings are influenced by the architecture, people, landscape, and industry of her city and state. Lisa’s dramatic illustrative style invites an emotional connection to a time and place.

She is a member of the Art League of Jacksonville, the Secretary of the Jacksonville Artist Guild, and the current President of the Art Center Cooperative.

Artist Cookie Davis

Cookie Davis is a native of Jacksonville and has been involved in the art community since the early 1970s both as an exhibiting artist and as a volunteer chairperson and board member of a number of cultural organizations and events. Ms. Davis’ sculptures and paintings are stories without words. She says of her work, “Over the years I have filled many sketch books with ideas and themes for sculptures. Beginning in early 2016 I began to translate some of these ideas into paintings...Story People on Canvas.” Cookie has work in permanent collections both nationally and internationally and is proud to have been the first recipient in 2014 of the Robert Arliegh White Award for Art Advocacy presented by the Cultural Council of Jacksonville.

Cookie has two pieces in the Tune-In Show; One is the Loneliest Number and Sing Out Loud - Dance Like Everyone's Watching.

You can see more of her work on our site by visiting her artist page CLICK HERE.

Artist John Merwin

Could brush strokes have value of their own, even if they were not just part of a realistic representation of the painter’s subject?
The artist abstract artist Yayoi Kusama said, “Bring on Picasso, bring on Matisse, bring on anybody! I would stand up to them all with a single polka dot.“

This bold statement, that a single mark could not only be art, but stand up to works of artists like Pablo Picasso and Henri, Matisse, was intriguing.
If you break down a painting, it is nothing more than a series of brush strokes. Could a single brush stroke have meaning or convey a concept?
John Merwin has two pieces in the Unity & Equality; US and Together.
See more on his website: https://johnmerwinart.com/gallery/

Artist William Garcia

William Garcia is a TAC Member and also one of our studio artists. William works in oils to create very thought provoking abstract pieces. He has participated in may of the exhibition shows and earned awards for his work.

William has one pieces in the Unity & Equality show; Order Establish.

You can see more of her work on our site by visiting his artist page CLICK HERE.

Artist Lindsay Merwin

Lindsay Merwin is an Orlando artist. She graduated from Florida State University with a B.A. in Studio Art with a focus on Painting and Figure and a minor in General Business. Her education also includes a summer in Florence, Italy, where she studied Florentine Renaissance and the Italian language. Much of her work is inspired by pop culture, nature, people, and animals.

Artist Deborah Reid

Deborah Reid is an accomplished artist and an AV rated attorney with over 36 years experience. Deborah is passionate about sharing her knowledge and providing support to other creatives. She is a seasoned federal practitioner and is admitted to the bars of Florida, California, New York and New Jersey. Deborah Reid, P.A. is based in Jacksonville, Florida.

Find out more about Deborah and her work at her website: https://www.reidartlaw.com/

Artist Janice Rippon

Her works in the Unity & Equality Exhibition include; Comfortable in Their Skin, Lift, and Fight for Your Rights.

Artist Janice Rippon is Scottish artist living and working in Florida.
She says, "I use a range of media to create artworks. My three sisters gifted my first easel when I was 14. My high school art teacher introduced me to watercolor paints and I was up and running. I paint what I like being drawn to boats, beaches and all things seaside as they remind me of home. I use photographs of favorite places as inspiration from a distance. I like to create still lives using interesting angles and perspectives. I work in my studio – lovingly called the Arty Bar – or outside in the sunlight. I exhibit my work locally both in Ponte Vedra Beach and St. Augustine. I’m an artist member of St. Augustine Art Association, Cultural Center of Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville Watercolor Society."

Artist Wendy Means

We welcome artist Wendy Means. Her works in the Unity and Equality Show are breath taking. We look forward to seeing more by this artist in the future.
Wendy has three pieces showing in this exhibition, Race, US, and Re:form. Wendy works in acrylic and her work is expertly created.