Meet the Artist Reception – for Artist Bradlee Shanks

Rio Carrabelle is inviting guests to an opening reception with outstanding artist Bradlee Shanks on Saturday, March 25th from 6-9 pm in the historic Rio Carrabelle Building. This exhibit, entitled Dog Island Jewels, was inspired by the beautiful nature found on Dog Island along the Forgotten Coast, a place for escape and discovery. The highly detailed landscapes have been described as “alluring and imaginative”. They are created by a labor-intensive process: applying up to 70 layers of braille ink, building texture and depth in these unique pieces of art. The result is highly reflective, causing light to move across the face of the art as the viewer approaches. The surface and colors of his work are notable for their subtle nuances and amazing vibrancy. Photographs do not do these artworks justice. They must be seen in person. Guests are encouraged to see Bradlee’s stunning art and hear from the artist himself while enjoying live music and refreshments.

Mr. Shanks is a recognized leader in the area of digitally mediated printmaking. His masterful technique constructs an intricate reality, combining drawn, photographic and digital processes. Bradlee says the act of making art is, “a joyful process for me – which comes from the mind’s delight coupled with years of artistic practice. I have been a practitioner of many different kinds of processes: exploiting the language of painterly, drawn, digital and photomechanical printmaking. The body of work is eclectic and idiosyncratic. What inspires me is trust in the idea that something deeply personal is also, simultaneously, universal.”

Mr. Shanks received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree from the University of South Dakota and a Master’s in Fine Arts from Arizona State University. He has exhibited in over 150 national and international group exhibitions, in addition to exhibits at the University of Alabama, Auburn University, the University of Georgia, University of Alaska and Tampa area galleries.

In addition to his extensive exhibitions, Mr. Shanks has served as a panelist and demonstrator at numerous national and international printmaking conferences. His work is in collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, the Fogg Museum in Boston, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City. He was a professor and the head of Printmaking at the University of South Florida for 34 years until he retired in 2020. (And is now a full-time artist.)

This exhibition of Bradlee’s distinctive and engaging artworks is on display at Rio Carrabelle Art Gallery Tuesdays – Saturdays from 10 am -3 pm at 102 St. James Avenue (US Hwy 98), Carrabelle, Florida. Rio Carrabelle is a unique non-profit art and music destination located in beautiful Carrabelle. Visit www.riocarrabelle.com for more information or on Facebook, The Gallery At Rio Carrabelle.