Florida Artists Group

Vicky's Bio:

Lennon’s travel with her husband, John, to Europe, Asia and within the United States, as well as their boating trips up and down the Intracoastal Waterway, Canada, and the Bahamas and around the Great American Loop with their cocker spaniel, Cutter, has had a significant influence on her art.

Her works can be found in several private and corporate collections including Ed White Hospital, St. Petersburg Florida, Florida State College of Jacksonville, Jacksonville Florida, and Lake City Community College, Lake City Florida.

Artistic plans for the coming year include a painting retreat in Myrtle Beach in November, Complete a commission for the Synergy Lifestyle Center ,  preparing for an invitational exhibit at the Cultural Center of Ponte Vedra Beach,  participation in the National League of American Pen Women “Visions and Verses” exhibit and a painting retreat in Ashville N.C. in April.  

Artist Statement:

Vibrant colors and rich textures explode on the surface of my non-objective work.

My paintings are always a process. I work intuitively as the image evolves.  Varied layers of glazing give lushness and depth, while the addition of mediums helps to create the textures that emerge in the final image. I work pushing and pulling shapes, surfaces, and colors, until I am excited with the uniqueness of each piece. 

I am currently working on two series.  The first is inspired by the 6 month boating adventure my husband, John, our cocker, Cutter and I took in our 34 ft power catamaran around the Great American Loop.  The trip took us from Jacksonville, Fla., up the Intracoastal waterway and to Atlantic City, New York City, Quebec City Canada, Ottawa, and then through the Great Lakes, down the  great Mississippi River, the Gulf of Mexico and back to our home port, Jacksonville, Fl, via Sarasota, the Okeechobee Waterway  and Vero Beach to name a few of our ports.

The second is a collection of bright, colorful abstract and non-objective pieces inspired by the experiences surrounding my heart attack and rehabilitation. I share the story in my continuing Happy Heart series of paintings in hopes that it will help other women realize heart attacks strike everyone differently and to listen to their body and their own feelings and intuition.  These series intermingle because the heart attack occurred in a marina at the beginning of the first attempt of our Great Loop Adventure.

I look for the good in every situation and create art to reflect the positive.  My escape from the day’s problems is to the frustration and enjoyment of creating beauty.  I invite the viewer to stop for a while and experience the joy, excitement, tension, or serenity in each mosaic of color and texture.

Select Exhitions and Awards:

One Person Exhibits:

Ponte Vedra Concert Hall     April 2016
Florida State College of Jacksonville    North Campus December 2016-March 2017
Florida State College of Jacksonville,  Baymeadows Campus March 2017-June 2018
Baptist Hospital (Jacksonville) 2017
Archway Gallery 2017

Group Shows:

SOMMMA “Sunshine, Sparkles and Celebration” July 2016  Award 2nd Place”
SOMMA Awards Exhibition 2016 (invitational)
St. Augustine Art Association Honors 2016 (invitational)
Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts June 2016
Cultural Center of Ponte Vedra Beach Juried Member Exhibition 2018

Appointments:

                        Jacksonville Art in Public Places Commission,
                        (Appointed by Mayor John Delaney for two consecutive terms.)

Selected Awards:

                        Suwannee Valley Regional Purchase Award
                        Society of Mixed Media Artists  2nd place, 3 place

Corporate Collections:

                        Florida State College at Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Florida
                        Edward White Hospital, St. Petersburg Florida
                        Lake City Community College, Lake City, Florida
                        North American Mortgage 

Memberships: 
                                                                                                                       
                        The Society of Layerists in Multi-Media (national)
                        National League of American Pen Women (Current Board Member)
                        Jacksonville Coalition for the Visual Arts (President 1994-1999)
                        Society of Mixed Media Artists, Jacksonville, Florida
                        The Cummer Museum of Art
                        Jacksonville Artist Guild

Publications:
                        Unique Insights Book of  the society of Layerists in Multi-Media

Articles:
                        Women’s Digest on the First Coast February 2012 (Cover and article)  
                  
Gallery Representation:   
                  
                        Archway Gallery, Atlantic Beach, FL
                        Frame N Art by the Sea, Lauderdale by the Sea, Florida
                        European Leather Gallery, Jacksonville, FL
            
Education:  
    
B.F.A. University of North Florida