Florida Artist Michael Nemnich Featured At Foosaner
By Adam Lowenstein, Florida Tech // January 6, 2015
Show Runs Jan. 13-May 8
BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA — The Renee Foosaner Education Center at Florida Institute of Technology’s Foosaner Art Museum presents an exhibition of mixed-media art by Michael Nemnich.
Featuring imaginative, intricately layered landscapes, Nemnich’s distinctive style has received acclaim along the Space Coast and across the nation. This exhibition of his new works will be on view Jan. 13 through May 8, 2015, in the Frits Van Eeden Gallery inside the Education Center in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne.
Selections in the show from Nemnich’s bodies of work called “The World Outside” and “For the Birds” use symbolic imagery to express a mood and tell a story. Selections from his “Dreamscapes” series communicate an ambient dream state through color, movement and rhythm. This newer body of work also represents a conscious shift from what Nemnich described as “commercial work” to “fine art.”
A longtime Floridian, Nemnich’s unique artistic style has been heavily influenced by the local environment. Evolving over decades, his work reflects his close proximity to the ocean and his many travels throughout the world.
Nemnich was a major influence and active participant during the pioneering days of commercial surfboard manufacturing, from 1975 to 1992. Many of his contemporary design techniques are still in use today and are now considered “industry standard.” Having painted over 30,000 surfboards, Nemnich remains one of the most prolific artists within the surf world, and he was inducted to the East Coast Surfing Hall of Fame in 2014.
Also in the 1980s, Nemnich designed textile and placement prints for the sportswear industry. Several major surf wear and textile companies adopted his graphic and artistic designs for extensive use in their product lines. One of his hand-painted fabric art designs was featured in the 1988 swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated.
Nemnich worked in printmaking from 1990-2006. This body of work consisted of colographs and monoprints. Since 2006, he has been working in oil pastels and mixed media.
He has been exhibiting his fine art at outdoor art shows throughout the U.S. since 1990, and his artwork is in many private, corporate and museum collections, including the Foosaner Art Museum.
At the education center, an opening reception will be held from 5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Feb. 6 in the gallery. The event is open to the public and held in conjunction with the Eau Gallie Art District’s First Friday Art Walk. The center is located at 1520 Highland Ave. in Melbourne.
For hours and information, visit Foosanerartmuseum.
