Ocean Art: new home to four artists

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

In an attempt to bring art to residents and visitors, Flagler Beach publisher Frank Gromling has joined with four local artists to expand his space at 200 S. A1A to house Ocean Art Gallery. Adding to his Ocean Books & Art retail theme, Gromling saw an opportunity to highlight additional art when neighbor Glen Bond moved his Nerdz Comics & More to a larger space on State Road 100.

“Glen and I had a great relationship, and I hated to see him go, but I knew right away that I could make the 600-square-foot space into an attractive art gallery if I could find the right artists,” Gromling said.

That’s when good fortune introduced photographer Bob Carlsen to Gromling. Carlsen and three other artists from Flagler County were looking for a place to display and sell their art. He saw the “For Lease” sign on the front window and met with the landlord, who knew of Gromling's idea for the space. The result is Ocean Art Gallery, the new home of the artists. A perfect win-win-win for all, Gromling said.

In addition to Carlsen’s photography, the space will also be home to oil paintings by Richard Hausen, photographic art by Krystyna Madejczyk and stained glass art by Robert Carlton.

Ocean Book and Art will operate the gallery and will handle the everyday business of selling the artwork. The hours of operation will be the same for the two locations, except the gallery will also be open by appointment.

The hope is that the gallery is not only a place for displaying and selling artwork but also one for presentations and classes. There will be presentations by the gallery members on their artwork, by Ocean Book and Art on subjects other than art, such as newly published books, the ocean and ocean life, and classes on photography and enhancing photographs.

Ocean Art will hold a new opening reception on the first Friday of each month, spotlighting a different artist at each opening. Although the works of each artist will be displayed constantly, they will change based on sales. The openings will always coincide with Flagler Beach’s First Friday celebration.

Bob Carlsen

The first opening, scheduled for Sept. 7, will highlight photographic art by Carlsen. Carlsen moved to Palm Coast in 2010. One of his favorite places is the Flagler Beach Pier, and he has created several pieces of photographic art there.

Carlsen’s work has been displayed in many galleries in New Jersey and New York, where he has also won many awards. Most recently, two of his pieces, including, “Shuttle Enterprise Over NYC,” were on display in the Denise Bibro Fine Art Gallery in New York as part of the Salmagundi Juried Art and Graphic Exhibition.

Carlson has also won local awards, including a Best of Show at the Flagler County Art League for his photograph, “Here’s Looking at You,” a portrait of a macaw; and his photographic art piece, titled, “Flagler Pier at Night,” was a cover for Flagler Magazine.

Richard Hausen

The Oct. 5 opening will highlight oil paintings and portraiture by Hausen. Hausen attended the Paier School of Art, which is associated with Yale University, in New Haven, Conn. He has also taken classes in portraiture with nationally known artist, Don Renner.

Hausen presently teaches portraiture and life figure classes for the Flagler County Art League. He has several murals in residential and commercial buildings in Connecticut and has painted numerous portraits for individuals, including the founder of Ulbrich Steel.

Robert Carlton

In November, stained glass art by Carlton will be highlighted. Carlton’s work encompasses a wide variety of subjects ranging from the creation of exotic birds and animals from around the world, to the wondrous creatures that inhabit the abundant waters and beaches of Florida. For all his creations, each piece of stained glass is individually hand cut, fitted and painstakingly assembled utilizing copper foil and solder.

“Creating stained glass art is highly labor intensive, and the more complex designs on display have taken from 30-40 hours to complete,” Carlton said. “Due to the complex process involved in manufacturing stained glass, each piece I have created is inherently unique in color, texture, design and density. No two pieces are ever exactly alike.”

Krystyna Madejczyk

Finally, Madejczyk’s photography and sculpture will be highlighted in December. She graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in Poznan, Poland, with a Master of Fine Arts degree and has lived in the United States since 1981. She has exhibited her work in Poland, Mexico, Canada, France, Italy, Germany and the United States and has received numerous awards.

Four large-scale sculptures are on permanent display in Poland, as is a creative design for a subway station in Kew Gardens, New York. Her artistic endeavors include sculpture, photography and installations.

Since 2006, Madejczyk has been serving as president of Artes Group in New York. She is a member of the New York Society of Women Artists, the National Association of Women Artists, Hollingsworth Gallery and Florida Photographers Group.