It begins as a painting, then it becomes a sculpture and under the careful guidance of the artist transcends both to become more than the sum of its parts. Created from the combination of painted canvas and sculpted mesh, the work of Washington DC-based artist Joan Konkel blends the painter’s palette with the sculptor’s sense of shape and a dash of optical magic, and, in Sarasota, can only be found at 530 Burns Gallery.

Grand in scale, the work begins with the canvas, to which Konkel applies her mastery of color in bringing forth great swirls and bands of vivid hues that leap from the wall to embrace but never dominate. Encapsulated in a wire mesh, carefully crafted and folded into undulating and overlapping waves, Konkel’s creation comes alive with a dimensionality and vigor made possible not only through the artist’s craft but her intuition for optics.

Sculpted over the face of the base painting, the mesh rises and falls, varying the distance between canvas and mesh and the angle of the light peering through to the colors below, while overlaps in the mesh create moire patterns to entrance the eye. Manipulating the light through the mesh, Konkel creates constructive and destructive interference in the travelling light waves, which in turn either enhance the illuminative effect or lessen it. This gives the work a dynamic quality, whereby different angles of approach offer distinctly different experiences depending on the light. By adding paint to the mesh itself, a whole new layer enters the equation.

A sculptor originally, Konkel says the shift years ago to her current work was a lucky discovery born of necessity. With her child entering kindergarten, she reveled in the possibilities of newfound independence and getting back to sculpture, but an illness in the family made that impossible. Looking for a way to continue her artistic explorations without the ungainly and expansive tools required for sculpture and found a compromise in mesh and painting. “I wasn’t going to need band saws or table saws and that sort of thing,” she says. “Once you have a limitation, in a way it almost opens doors.”

And opening doors is what Konkel hopes her art will do for its audience, as they experience the fullness and versatility of the work despite its simple origins. “What I hope is that it’s engaging enough that they want to investigate like I did,” says Konkel. “You become more aware in everyday life and have an extra appreciation. There are a lot of magical moments in life.”

With work currently on display at 530 Burns Gallery, Konkel will have a solo exhibition at the gallery opening February 10, entitled Allure of Illusion.

Opening tonight, Splendor of Sarasota celebrates the local artists whose work populates the walls at 530 Burns Gallery, such as Bettina Sego and Linda Richichi. An opening reception begins tonight at 5:30pm. 

Pictured: "Lilia's Papaya" by Joan Konkel. Photo by the artist.

Alternating between lunch and dinner specials, Walts Fish Market is always whipping up something new for its seafood-loving customers. A favorite dish that seems to make a constant appearance for lunch is the famous Cobia Oscar. Moist and firm in texture and sweet and rich in flavor—a filet of fresh cobia gets thrown in a pan where it is broiled to perfection making the fish juicy and tender. Lump crab meat is placed on top with a lemon butter drizzle to compliment the flavors of the seafood and give your taste buds a creamy, buttery kick. The dish gets paired with the popular roasted red potatoes—red potatoes cut up and tossed in olive oil, rosemary and roasted garlic. Add blackening seasoning if you’re looking to spice up your plate.  

Walts Fish Market, 4144 South Tamiami Trl., Sarasota, 941-921-4605

Chilly weather is approaching and with it, foods to warm your insides are needed. YO! Sushi shares the recipe for their spicy seafood udon. A thick noodle popular in Japanese cuisine, udon gets tossed in a bowl with shrimp, salmon, squid and vegetables all over a hot and spicy kimchi broth. Healthy, spicy and hot, this dish is ideal for those who crave soup with an added kick.

Ingredients: 1.5 oz. warm water shrimp; 1.5 oz. fresh salmon filet; 1.5 oz. squid, scored and sliced into six evenly sized pieces; ⅓ oz. carrot, finely sliced; ½ oz. rehydrated wakame; 17 fl oz. Dashi stock; ¾ oz. kimchi paste; ⅓ oz. finely sliced cucumber; 5 oz. udon noodles; ¼ oz. finely shredded scallions; small pinch of mustard cress; small pinch of finely diced red chili slices.

Slice the salmon into three even pieces. Score the squid with a sharp knife and cut into six evenly sized pieces. Prepare the dashi stock as per the instructions. Add the salmon, shrimp, squid, kimchi paste and dashi broth to a pan and bring up to boil. Add the chopped cucumber and diced carrot to the broth mix. Boil for one more minute then remove from the heat. Add the wakame and the udon noodles and simmer for a further 30 seconds. Spoon the udon noodles into the bowl, along with neatly placing the seafood and wakame. Pour the dashi broth, cucumber and carrot over the noodles and seafood. Garnish with the scallions, red chili slices and mustard cress.  

YO! Sushi, 40 University Town Center Dr., Sarasota, 941-313-7091.

The Trust for Public Land announced it has received a $50,000 grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation to help extend the Legacy Trail into downtown Sarasota. Funds will be used to support appraisals, boundary surveys, environmental assessments and other project expenses needed to advance the proposed acquisition of approximately eight miles of rail corridor needed for the extension project. Once the acquisition is complete, county officials plan to build a pedestrian and bike path connecting Downtown Sarasota to the existing Legacy Trail. 

Trust for Public Land

Halfacre Construction Company is constructing a new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) research and development facility in Manatee County. The 28,210-square-foot building will be utilized to protect the area’s agriculture industry from non-indigenous insect outbreaks that affect Florida and the Caribbean. This hybrid-type building will replace the existing Sarasota facility on 57th Street and DeSoto Road. The new design build for the USDA will not only allow for an increase in the production but is also equipped as an emergency facility to combat multiple outbreaks from various species, including the oriental fruit fly and screwworm fly.  

Halfacre Construction Company

The Central West Coast Chapter of the Florida Public Relations Association (CWC-FPRA) is hosting, Building and Sustaining a Thought Leadership Platform, a presentation by Joseph S. Grano, Jr., president and founder of Next-Mark, LLC. Grano will discuss thought leadership as a sustainable communications platform. With more than 25 years of comprehensive marketing, business development and public relations experience, Grano has held key executive management positions in healthcare, technology and financial services and has also served as director of marketing at two large public health systems.  

Central West Coast Chapter