Save the DATE - December 6, 2019 at Arts for ACT Gallery - Downtown Fort Myers

Join Arts for ACT Gallery, located at 2265 First Street in downtown Fort Myers on Friday, December 6, 2019 from 6 to 10 pm for the opening reception of "Imperfect" by Artist Daniel Jude Venditti in the main gallery and "Waterways" by Jeff & Dale Ocasio in the White Gallery. 

Main Gallery – "I'mperfect" by Daniel Jude Venditti

Dan Venditti has always been fascinated with the human form.  He has a great interest in human nature, as formed his artistic style to reveal much about himself, the subject, and the observer.  His Italian heritage, coupled with various European masters, both  past and contemporary, has influenced his work in many aspects.  

Dan received his Bachelor Degree in Fine Art from Pratt Institute in 1987.  He later attended the New York Academy of Art and received his Masters in Painting and Sculpture in 1994.  He also apprenticed with the Russian artists Komar and Melamid for most of the 90's, working on print editions of DEATH Magazine and their America's Most Wanted series of paintings.  He spent 20 years in New York City showing his works in galleries in the city as well as international galleries and group exhibits.

Currently, Dan is living in Southwest Florida where his work is evolving, combining his time in New York with the aesthetics of his new surroundings.  He is involved in many local non-profit and charitable organizations in the area.  He enjoys writing and poetry, basing some of his visual works on pieces he has written. 

 I’MPERFECT is a series of figurative paintings of real people, showing the beauty and grace in all of our wonderful flaws, all of our beautiful shapes and sizes, our humanity.  In this day and age of body shaming, our looks reduced to a number from 1 to 10, this series is in response to all that. My goal is to show what we are,

and what makes us perfect.  This ongoing series of portraits will tell each person’s story, through their

words, their perception of themselves and the pain, confidence, grace, struggles and beauty that is told by their faces, bodies and gestures 

In the White Gallery – "Waterways" by Jeff & Dale Ocasio

" Water Ways" – a tribute to life in the tides

Jeff and Dale Ocasio collaborate on making sculpted and illustrative art. Both were raised in Tampa, Florida where they met, started a family and began a creative life together. North Fort Myers has been their home for over 20 years. Refining their self-taught technique of using paper masking tape as a sculpting medium for more than a decade, they’ve been honored to have their art awarded in juried shows and have exhibited locally throughout SW Florida and in Chicago.

Sculpting with paper masking tape over wire and reclaimed objects is where our artwork begins, aiming to express an imaginative, storybook spirit. Each sculpture is encased with layers of acid‐free glue, color is added with more layers of acrylics, and protected with varnish. A large part of our work is figurative sculpture where a world of made up, quirky, imperfect, characters are introduced to the viewer as soon as eye contact is made. Many of our sculptures are familiarized in our own illustrative digital art.

‘Water Ways – a tribute to life in the tides’ is a whimsical, naïve but loving view of living things in and around our banks and shores. Water connects us all. It is our intention to stir up, refresh memories, and make one think about this vital message.

Contact: dale.ocasio@gmail.com, 239-691-8292, ocasiocasa.com

Come view these creative artworks from our guest artists and support ACT Gallery.