Six works from renowned area artist Bruce Marsh — with two major pieces featuring scenes in Ruskin — are on exhibit at the Tampa Museum of Art, as part of “Skyway: A Contemporary Collaboration.”
Marsh was the featured guest artist speaker last week at the museum in downtown Tampa. The exhibit features the work of 57 artists spanning three major museums: The Tampa Museum of Art, The Museum of Fine Arts – St. Petersburg and the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
The exhibit was curated from an initial pool of nearly 300 applicant artists, designed to demonstrate an ongoing visual dialogue, not only among and between one another, but also with the larger global and regional arts community.
Marsh is professor emeritus at the University of South Florida, where he taught for 34 years. His work can be found in numerous public and private collections. He has built a strong reputation for his naturalistic style and for his interest in the Florida landscape. His fascination with Florida, the Florida sky and waters, and his innate talent in portraying depth, light and shadow on canvas is breathtaking. In addition to smaller pieces on exhibit, his two major pieces are “Tiki Bar” and “Drawing Class.” Area residents will see the Sunset Grill Tiki Bar at Little Harbor Resort in Ruskin. “Drawing Class” is a remarkable interpretation of the weekly drawing classes that he oversees at The Firehouse Cultural Center.
Marsh lives in Ruskin and is married to artist Dolores Coe, whose own work is frequently on exhibit regionally and beyond.
The exhibit “Skyway: A Contemporary Collaboration” will continue through Sept. 24. The Tampa Museum of Art is at 120 W. Gasparilla Plaza in downtown Tampa. For information visit www.tampamuseum.org.