As they attend Brooksville Main Street’s Multicultural Parade & Festival on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Brooksville, they’ll also be seeing the official unveiling of the seventh round of Brooksville Main Street’s Mobile Mural Program in Hernando Park, which promises to transform the streets of downtown Brooksville into a dreamscape.
Artists were asked to paint their interpretation of a dreamscape, whether this be a picture of their idea of utopia or a wild scene from their imagination, revealing their visions of nature, humanity, reality, fantasy and creativity—the landscape of their mind and imagination.
“Brooksville Main Street’s Design Committee came up with this theme over a year ago and eagerly awaits sharing it with everyone. The submissions are stunning and will add so much vibrancy to downtown in the next few months. Be sure to check out our auction and bid so you can keep one forever!” said Executive Director of Brooksville Main Street, Natalie Kahler.
(Auction link: https://tinyurl.com/4w2mwef7)
The fruits of these artists’ imaginations proved beautiful and inspiring. “The ‘Dreamscapes’ theme inspired creative, colorful, and impactful concepts from the most diverse group of muralists that this program has ever seen! About half of our artists are Hernando County residents, and the other half are coming from as far as Miami or Ft. Lauderdale to create murals for us,” said Jessica Knutila, Mobile Mural Coordinator for Brooksville Main Street. “Artists from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Italy, Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia will be represented in this round, making this a truly multicultural celebration! We also have several of our favorite locals returning, including Gary Duquette, who was selected for the permanent mural this round! Be sure to drop by Bread Box Bakery to see his “Dreamscape” mural!”
Allisa Babor, Hernando County Fine Arts Council Chair and Design Committee co-chair, believes that the Mobile Mural Program does much to support the essence of community spirit in downtown Brooksville. “Each round, our Mobile Mural Program aims to enhance the value of downtown Brooksville, promote quality artwork, cause viewer interaction, provoke thought, entertain, and excite visitors through the work of public art,” she said. “It provides professional opportunities for artists and plays a part in creating an environment where the art community can succeed and thrive locally.”
Barry Meindl, graphic design specialist at Brooksville Main Street, says, “As Design Committee co-chair, I’m excited about this round of mobile murals and hope to see everyone at the Multicultural Festival for the unveiling!”
Each of the mobile mural artists brings something unique to the “Dreamscape.” Alex Bounds, aka iiigod, is a multimedia artist who has worked in digital, music, photography, and modeling. Check out his work on Instagram or at Gallery 201, where he currently has portraits on display in the I-Identity exhibit.
“My mural really was led by my inner child—the subconscious mind—and plays with ideas like lucid dreaming and fortune reading. I believe the body and mind do everything for a purpose including dreaming,” said Bounds. “So deja vu, experiences, past and future lives—all can become clear to us in our sleep and escape us so easily. People often think dreams are just the subconscious mind entertaining itself, but I believe these dreams are often memories had or to be had. My mural is just a place I’ve been before. In a past life or my next life.”
Bujikimo (Cesar Garcia) is inspired by 90s cartoons, underground art and Japanese Noh theater masks. In addition to working on canvas, Bujikimo also paints ready-made objects like furniture and street signs.
Christian Van Vooren is a visual artist specializing in acrylic painting on a large scale to achieve visual innovation and beauty.
Dana Donkle is a marine science educator and artist under the name Octopus Garden Art. She expresses the interconnectedness of our natural world through surrealism. She shares her work through various platforms, such as live painting, showing in galleries, working markets, and murals. She has worked at various marine science non-profits and left her mark in the form of an educational mural at each of them. “Fever Dream” is a psychedelic dreamscape, including three spotted eagle rays flying through a fiery mushroom forest and a hot pink river. A group of rays is called a “fever,” said Donkle. “A common theme in my art is combining the real and surreal. I am a marine science educator and artist, so I intentionally aim to inspire and educate with vivid imagery.”
Heather Neiman says of her work, “It’s all about the story. The process. Thoughts and feelings. I create using my intuition, the constant battling of my inner critical voice, words, paint, collage, and found objects.”
IZA, an artist originally from Ohio, has been based in Florida for two years. His works consist of the use of various floral elements to tell a story.
Janet Richard is an artist and graphic designer based in Michigan. She works in various mediums, including painting, digital platforms, photography, riso and lino printing. Her artwork draws inspiration from folklore, nature, tattoos, feminism and humor. Recent projects include learning design for the AM Communication Collective.
Joan Manuel Casadiego, or “Johan,” was born in Venezuela and has been in the US for over 22 years. He has loved art since childhood and is looking for new ways to communicate with viewers. He has used photography, sculpture, drawing, graphic design, and painting as tools to create meaningful compositions. “It is very exciting to see all the murals together in the park; all the styles and creative artists celebrating art makes this day very special to me,” he said. “My mural called “Alive” is about an old man arriving at this magical place where women and water play an important part in life and in my composition.”
Kayla Heintz is a lifelong artist and Florida native. She draws her inspiration from nature and the magic it holds. Her work often combines extraterrestrial and supernatural elements with local landscapes.
Lorena Greer is an artist born in Colombia. She has been based in Florida for four years and is developing her career as a fine artist. Greer has always been interested in vibrant, colorful paintings that highlight and explore female and natural beauty. “Transcending is a work where figurative characters with the abstract and vibrant background are merging, showing a dream where feelings explode out of her body and become characters that walk life next to her,” said Greer.
Renata Villemaire of Spring Hill was born in Russia and has loved painting and drawing for as long as she can remember. She went to art school for four years. Renata has also turned out major projects within our community, such as a mobile muralist for @hernandoarts, a featured artist in the uptown gallery, and an art teacher for all ages, as well as commissioning portraits of people and animals, also tackled some large-scale building murals as well – including the Hernando Library in downtown Brooksville, at Neptune’s Grotto in Weeki Wachee and one at “Major Toys” toy store in Spring Hill.
While she is well versed in many art forms, watercolor has her heart, although she also does acrylic, graphic drawings, alcohol ink, and acrylic pour. “I’m very excited about this round of murals, “Dreamscapes.” There is not really a theme, and I can let my imagination go wild with colors and shapes and all the untamed ideas that live in my head,” said Villemaire.
Robin Stewart has been an artist his whole life. He eventually gravitated toward the airbrush as a favorite tool for his work. Painting T-shirts, motorcycle tanks, monster trucks, and carnival rides around the country. He also has tattoos. “I’m very excited to be a part of the 7th round of Mobile Murals!” said Stewart. “The Dreamscapes theme is an amazing opportunity to let our imaginations go anywhere we want.”
Sabrina Dessalines is a 25-year-old self-taught artist based in Orlando. Art has always been an integral part of her identity, and she has a diverse range of skills in various mediums, including acrylics, oils, colored pencils, watercolors, and resin. “Staycation,” she described her piece. “Normalize taking extended periods of mental serenity whenever we choose, for self-care is the art of nurturing our well-being.”
Sergio Arce, better known as Registered Artist, is an urban pop artist based in Miami.
“Our Design Committee was truly thrilled with the submissions for this theme, and it is going to be a round to remember!” said Babor. “Please come out to enjoy the mobile murals, meet the artists, and surround yourself in a day of celebrating art and culture with us in Hernando Park.”
