Britannica defines Art as "the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others". The Soma Center intends to share these “experiences” with everyone who enters our doors. We hope to provide a positive and energizing space where local and national artists can display their thoughts, ideas, and perceptions of the world around them. Please take a moment to read about these talented individuals, visit their websites, and give them love and support. All of the art on our walls will be made available to be on your walls, if you so choose. If you are interested in anything you experience at The Soma Center please contact Scott (scott@thesomacenter.com) for more detailed information.
Meghan Jones
For me, being an artist is like being in your own movie. Anything you see and capture is a scene of your life in some way. I enjoy collecting and arranging all the little snippets of life and letting them be still or confining them into one particular moment that stands on its own. For every moment in time that is captured, a part of the soul is free. The world has one more piece of evidence of your life and if it relates to them then we are all connected and can share in each other’s journey. Live Laugh Love Be free.
Anthony Marchetti
Although the thesaurus equates the words “looking” and “seeing” as synonymous, I would argue that there is an important distinction between the two verbs. As humans, we rely heavily on our sense of sight; our eyes guide us through life. The pace of life today is extremely fast, and information comes at us at seemingly break neck speed. We are constantly flooded with visual imagery from countless sources; advertisements alone account for a vast number of images every day. In this consumerist and information age, I often feel overwhelmed by the amount of visual information. I catch only a fleeting glimpse of a billboard as I drive by at 60 miles per hour, and the programs on television are broken up into brief ten-minute segments continually interrupted by an onslaught of media, products, and visual noise. Often my sense of sight becomes overloaded and although I am still looking, I am hardly seeing.
One reason for photographing the world around me is that looking through a camera lens forces me to slow down and take note of the scene in front of me. Photography offers a way of really seeing. I become engrossed in the quality of light bathing an everyday setting. As the various forms and lines come together inside the rectangular format of my camera, an ordinary scene that otherwise might be overlooked, now becomes unique and extraordinary. Taking time to immerse myself in detail allows a deeper narrative to emerge and it is in capturing these moments for the viewer that I hope to have them shift from merely looking to really seeing.
John Beedenbender
John Beedenbender is a New York City based photographer whose work resembles documentary style and fine art simultaneously. Truth is stranger than fiction, and Beedenbender illustrates that with the surreal elements that comprise mundane city life. Exhibited in New York as well as Connecticut and Massachusetts, Beedenbender's work is now focused on portraits, where the subject becomes analogous to the environment.
Matthew J. Bindert
My work is inspired by the experiences and observations I have made throughout my life. I was raised in a family that fostered many children from broken and abusive homes, and exposed very early in life to a world that gave me a heightened sense of awareness. I became more aware of the harsh realities of life in my travel overseas and in my everyday experiences. I derive intense emotion from these observations and experiences; this emotion is evident in the aggressive and intense carving of my woodblocks. The Resulting images are both representational and abstracted. My work is intended to promote social awareness and inspire viewers to travel and expand their influences. I strongly believe that it’s important for people to try to understand other cultures and environments so they can better understand the diverse and changing community around them.
Krista Robbins
I am a three-dimensional artist working toward a degree in visual arts at Florida Gulf Coast University in Southwest Florida. Traditionally, I have derived the most pleasure out of making non-functional ceramic and sculptural pieces, sometimes politically-motivated and sometimes not. I have recently been inspired to make modern furniture exploring the relationship between fabric and wood. My chairs and couches allow the viewer to sink into the furniture and become part of the piece. These are the first functional pieces I have made, and I look forward to exploring this technique much further.