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Mize Gallery presents our 50th exhibit : RAIN AND THUNDER Rainy and stormy weather is the most common and symbolically diverse of weather used in literature and movies. Rain can symbolize many things. When it comes to the symbolic meaning of storms, there comes about a kind of frenetic energy. MIZE GALLERY Exhibit on view July 8th - 24th, 2022. Contact info@chadmize.com 727.251.8529 for purchase. |
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The Swinger When the rain and thunder clear, look for Earth's gift – the rainbow! I Am Thunder Get your power back! Rise above the clouds and take charge! |
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Reverberations Reverberations is an illustrated story referencing cycles of nature and the echo effect created by our experiences. Echos can reference sound waves, a peal of thunder in the distance. Echos are also found in parallels of ideas, feelings or events. For the Rain & Thunder show, I wanted to expand visually on the things we take and leave behind in life. Some are physical like a footprint, a bottle cap, taking a shell for a keepsake or baby mangroves from a beach. Others are ethereal; memories made, the emotions conjured watching a sunset, the energy of a sacred moment spent alone or shared with friends. There are parallels to the ways our lives mimic nature and the cycles of rain; conception, birth, death are similar to evaporation, condensation and precipitation. Like rain we go back from whence we came, atoms in a sea of life. The shells we most often find on beaches are created by mollusks, who secrete layers of proteins to create the shell that protects their bodies. The mollusks die or are eaten, other creatures like hermit crabs use those shells for new homes. Eventually broken or eroded by ocean waves and time, shells break into smaller pieces and appear to us only as grains of sand. Inspiration for this piece also comes from my roots as a comic book geek and a friend’s poem. “Wishes on Beaches” by Michelle, aka @Laetoli88 on Instagram, is about nearly being struck by lightning. We both have a connection to Treasure Island referenced in the GPS coordinates on the mug, where her poem takes place and where I have collected mangroves since moving to the area in 2015. As thunder ripples through a night sky these experiences, emotions and places have left behind an indelible echo on our lives. |
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Rain Clouds Storms can provoke feelings of peace, clarity, and energy. It feels like magic really, how they can sweep in with such force, hydrating, restoring, and sometimes destroying. I attempt to capture this magnetic feeling with my piece "Rain Clouds." I incorporated gold sting so that depending on how the light touches the painting, or when you move past it, glimpses of movement or tingling can be seen, or felt.
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Raiju - Thunder Beast RAIJU - (Thunder Beast) - In Japanese folklore, Raiju is a companion animal to Thunder Gods (Raijin). Raiju are sky dwellers associated with thunder and are said to travel to earth on lightning bolts where they create havoc. A tree that has been struck by lightning could be described as having claw marks of the Raiju. When lightning caused fires, it was believed to be the Raiju who were out of control during storms. The strangest and perhaps cutest part of the the folklore surrounding Raiju is that they will curl up and go to sleep inside belly buttons that are exposed during a storm. They sleep soundly in the navel until their Thunder God wakes them by hurling a lightning bolt at the host. So, it’s a very bad idea to expose your belly button during storms! Raiju have been described as blue in some lore and as various animals like fox, cat or world. but they has even been described as an insect or crustacean. This was a fun creature to take on because it was wide open. I decided to make my Raiju female and to depict her floating over her cloud. She is calm, but don’t underestimate her power. She can hurl lightning bolts when she needs to. |
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Beauty in Both When people say a storm is coming, it is generally meant negatively. Conversely, when someone says we have a bright and sunny day on our horizon, rare is the person who would dispirit. But why? There are beautiful and maddening aspects to both a storm and a stillness. In a storm your senses and awareness are heightened, you are able to retreat inward. But also there is unpredictability and potential damage. A cloudless sunshine day can bring clarity, openness, and access. But it can also become mundane, the sun literally sucking the energy out of you.They are both beautiful, and they are both necessary. Just like the differing, often warring aspects of our inner selves. The calm and the chaos, the left brain and the right brain; the yin and yang. One not necessarily better than the other- just different. Complimentary when embraced for what they are. |
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Lost and Sea The combination of rain and thunder along with open water creates an intense image in my mind. The churning water threatening to swallow me up with its waves of dark blue and frothy white. The rain is pouring down ceaselessly and the sky is grey and black - even purple but no hope for a patch of bright blue. The crack of lightning that leads to echoing thunder growling as if mother nature has decided its time to display her powers and remind us just how fierce she can be. It must be terrifying to be lost at sea. |
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Thunderstruck Thunderstruck portrays fun loving manic monsters who suddenly find themselves subjects of a major storm. Loud Thunder, lightning, and heavy drops of rain make these nervous nellies run for cover. All the while laughing from panic. This gaggle of wayward weirdo friends are forced to face their fears and yet, ultimately, are still able to find the rainbow. |
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When It Rains, They Go Wild In July 2021, Tampa Bay saw its worst red tide event in 50 years just months after failure at Manatee County’s Piney Point Phosphate Plant led to more than 200 million gallons of contaminated water being dumped into the bay. Water containing phosphogypsum, a toxic, radioactive byproduct of the fertilizer production process. The 2021 Piney Point leak wasn’t the troubled site’s first. There were leaks in 2003 and 2011. Piney Point, and the more than 20 other gypsum stacks around the state, still pose a significant threat to Florida’s ecosystem. Conservation groups allege that the state ignored multiple warnings about the structural integrity of the stacks at Piney Point, has not effectively managed such dangerous sites or regulated the fertilizer industry. Following the most recent Piney Point ecological disaster, authorities evacuated residents and closed the area to the public. reports filtered into the nearby town of Ruskin, of fishermen spotting bioluminescent creatures just north of Port Manatee. Most of these sightings occurred near a triangular lagoon at the end of Piney Point Road, which became known as the “Black-light Bayou”. My submission to Rain and Thunder is titled “When it rains, they go wild!” It is one of a series of objects I have created, illustrating the “urban myths” or conspiracies resulting from the ecological crises at Piney Point. |
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Untitled Everynight I ask Alexa to play rain sounds to help me sleep at night. Thank you Alexa. #ad #jeffbezos
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Euphoria This piece explores the power of storms as catalysts for transformation. To be struck by an energy or idea that leads to awakening. Through the dramatic imagery of creation myths and the sensual sunset palette, "Euphoria" lives on the erotic edge between agony and ecstasy. Inspired by heat lightning and contemporary chiaroscuro.
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After the Rain The presence of rain invites a promise of growth. As ambiguous shapes of rich violet and blue fill the sky, the plants and animals below thrive. Within this piece I am inspired by the familiar Florida landscape and a recent trip I took to Ireland. While exploring the Irish countryside, rain was a daily occurrence. As I walked through the lush green grass and moss covered rocks, the natural beauty was all-consuming. While initially a burden, eventually the rain became a comfort and a reminder of its purpose. Rain sustains all life, bringing with it a cathartic release and renewal.
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Nature’s Bath As the current climate of our society seems to be shrouded in darkness, there are times where we get a glimpse of just how beautiful the human condition can be. It shows us that the constant revolution of obstacles we face and the emotions that surface as a result continue to illuminate our solidity. “Nature’s Bath” embodies this push and pull we feel when we grapple with adversity.
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Brainstorm Brainstorm: A storm of ideas constantly occurring until lightning strikes |
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A Place to Spend Some Time with You There’s something so comforting about rainy weather. To me, it creates a barrier between you and the outside world - often cancelling your plans and causing you to stay inside. My idea for this piece was to create a representation of my perfect sanctuary to ride out a storm or spend a rainy afternoon. I love when absolute chaos can take over the outside world, and yet my inside world - be it my physical space or the world that exists inside my mind - is filled with peace. In this imaginary room, I populated it with my favorite reading chair, houseplant, and my lovely dog Cotton. I also included some motifs from my other paintings - such as the amoeba-shaped mural on the side wall, and a small version of this very painting above the chair.
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Beyond Beginner Building Blocks: Mobile Motivation I Statement: The piece is the statement.
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Drizzle Her flaming red hair is impeccably set and her eye make-up carefully overdone.
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Rain + Thunder = Rainbows My work is influenced by the literal analogy of the circle of life between humans and nature. I moved to St. Petersburg in 2010, a block from the Holiday Motel, a fixture in St. Petersburg for 70 years. I always felt drawn to the Motel's multi-colored doors and occasional tin foiled-window. I would often get up early to photograph the Motel while 4th Street was still sleeping.
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Kaminari In my chest I feel
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Reflecciones De Mi Alma The painting I am presenting is about reflections of my life…it is a Vanitas… I like to paint and repaint my work, maybe because I feel that’s what we do in life… I don’t like to place myself in a specific movement or style, but I could say at 46 years old of age I like to create works out of the subconscious, deconstructions of forms and planes and use of color. Love Kandinsky, Picasso, Schnabel,Hoffman,Doig, Hopkins and some of the paintings of Basquiat…my list can grow much larger of influences on my Art, especially Munch, and the colors Matisse used… This painting is called Reflejos de mi alma which means reflections of my soul, the painting and the reason is a Vanitas is because of that… the mirror on the painting glued on the canvas by soap is my mirror I used on my 9 years of incarceration, due to Drinking and driving…someone lost her life… I hate talking about this…this painting pictures a Skull with an image of a screaming figure, you can also see a flame representing life, a small shot glass and a bottle…the window with crossed bars and the colors and movement represent a life passing by plus the incarceration which now out still have… there is also a comb that I used to use to get a haircut with a razor blade… Here is another thing… I refused to sign my paintings since 2020…my belief is that is you are admiring a painting should be for the beauty of it and not who made it, I impress my right hand and date it for records only on the back of the canvas…another reason I refuse to take any capital gains on this… The money after the Gallery’s cut should go to the Suicide prevention line/mental health… I am just trying to give back...
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Sunny with Chance of Rain Clouds are Florida’s mountains whose majestic peaks and ever changing forms and colors provide a source of fascination and imagination for all to enjoy. If only people would take a moment to get off their phones and look up!
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Acid Rain on Venus This is a plague doctor. This painting comes from a future book that I'm currently working on. It's all about plague doctors exploring the various planets and moons of our solar system. Here we are on Venus, which is covered by thick layers of clouds of sulfuric acid. I don't know if it really rains on Venus but, if it does, I believe it would look like that.
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Black Rain Spike the drone hunter, it’s hybrid toucan character that appears in my stories and many other pieces of artwork. Here, he is overlooking a Drone squadron the day of the “ black rain”.
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Rain & Thunder For my Rain and Thunder piece I knew I needed the practice to make my clouds appear more soft and layered. I also wanted to add rain by using crushed glass and glitter. It took many failed attempts, but after watching the weather channel, listening to some fair criticism from my kids, and doing plenty of research online, Mothers Nature's inspiration took form. Two layers of epoxy later gave my piece some depth and dimension an a unique acrylic thunderstorm formed.
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Torrential Rage Within the tempest of dark oppressive forces, the torrential rage of the female collective consciousness ignites.
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Unseen 2247 Frequency is the invisible scaffolding of all things. Unseen is an ongoing photographic series of organic light-based forms representative of my own frequency at a given instance. These frequencies are digitally captured at random and cannot be replicated.
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Just Another Day at the Beach An image of a beach in an unknown town may summon the welcome memory of a stolen kiss or a darker recollection where the weather was daunting and uncertainty suspended the moment.
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Bunch of Sunshine Soaking up a Storm Thunderstorms are part of life during Florida Summers. Throw a window open (a crack) & embrace the life giving rain. Let all the senses engage and exhale the thought that rain spoils the day. After all, it will be blue skies again in no time.
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Easy Livin’ I wanted to evoke the feeling of being caught outside in a gentle rain, how the drops sound on leaves... I sometimes wonder what do other creatures do in the rain? Are they snug inside somewhere or do they have a party under the plants? This piece layers several hand carved stamps, hand detailed with an ink brush pen.
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Welcome to St. Pete I create illustrations of iconic St. Pete nostalgic spots. This piece depicts the recently razed "Welcome To St. Pete" sign off I-275 and Howard Franklin Bridge. With all the changes happening in St. Pete, the city feels like a different place to me, almost as if it were upside down. Making a nod to Stranger Things, I thought it'd be fun to depict the Welcome sign as a gateway to the Upside Down.
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Florida Thunderstorm I chose to paint a girl named Ellie (she/they.) My work centers around youth culture most especially that of millennial and Gen Z aesthetics. I am most interested in the hedonistic elements of certain subcultures and the dichotomy between sin and innocence. Since I met Ellie I was immediately struck by her drive to push the zeitgeist forward both ideologically and stylistically. For this piece I simply wanted to focus on her beauty. And the beauty of a Florida Thunderstorm. Youth is electric. And the heat storms in thunderheads of the Florida skyline will never get old.
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