HORIZONS
Exhibit Dates: August 6 - September 17, 2021
HORIZONS, a retrospective exhibition, will feature the works and careers of artists Jim Houser and Dan Mackin – both long time Hobe Sound residents. The exhibit will open with a reception on Friday, August 6th from 5:30-7pm and will continue through September 17, 2021, at the Court House Cultural Center Gallery in downtown Stuart, FL.
Dan Mackin is a world-renowned artist who has captured his memories of travels to the Caribbean, Bahamas, South Pacific, Asia and the Amazon River - where he spent time working as a tour guide. Dan’s work takes us all on a journey to paradise every time his brush touches a canvas, surfboard, guitar, Harley tank or piano. Dan has collaborated on projects with Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, Wyland Galleries, created posters and graphics for Quicksilver and various vineyards and breweries, and is one of only 29 artists worldwide to have a Disney license. His work is displayed both locally and across the globe, carried by galleries across Florida, and is collected by many.
“Everyone, at some time in their life, yearns to find their own peaceful paradise and escape from the demands of today’s hectic world,” Mackin says describing his artistic credo. “I offer viewers their own tropical paradise, embody my desire to preserve Earth’s fragile beauty, and encourage the harmony that exists between people and nature.”
Jim Houser’s career began over 50 years ago as both an artist and art educator. His works focus on the essentials to capture a scene or mood; all rendered in flat, sharply defined shapes and straight lines, with little or no scenic detail, and a minimal color palette. His award-winning works have been in numerous exhibitions since the early 1950s and can be found in many gallery and museum collections from Florida to California.
“I want the elements of my painting to be direct and simple so the viewers become immediately engaged in completing the painting from their experiences. I choose the flat clear colors of sea, sky, earth and create linear challenges in the perspective. The paintings can be appreciated as traditional landscapes, or as abstract design, or, preferably, as both.
Viewers can experience the spirituality of often overlooked portions of their visual life like the quiet beauty of a lone mailbox against a pure, blue sky; the drama of a busy intersection in familiar territory; or the lonely vista of a small house set against a line of open beach.” – Jim Houser
