South Tampa News

Weds August 2nd, 2006

"Christmas Comes Early To Tampa Art Scene"

Columnist: Esther Hammer

There was an interesting crowd at the recent opening of the newest exhibit at Mirta's Cafe, 119 S.Hyde Park Ave., near downtown Tampa. Young hip urbanites with clear vision mingled easily with the more mature glasses-wearing set of art enthusiasts. Guess which set I belong to.And the art was equally varied. It was all contemporary, but some of it was what in the '60s we would have called "out there." Called "Christmas on the Island of Misfit Art," the theme was meant to evoke the celebratory and somewhat ironic image of Christmas in the tropical paradise. The misfit is a sideways reference to an island of misfit toys that appeared in an animated film about Rudolph somewhere, explained organizer Bob White of Bad Art for Bad People. The trendy, avante garde show drew nearly 40 artists, most of them from the Tampa Bay area. One of them was Tampa native, Jonathan Rodriguez.The 23-year-old artist now lives in Sarasota where he is pursuing a bachelor's degree in graphic design from the Ringling School of Art and Design. It wasn't his first choice of study. "I was going there for illustration for a year and then switched majors," he said. "The idea of being a freelance artist kind of scared me, so I went into graphic design. It feels alot more secure."It's also led to his current body of work, in which his images seems to incorporate elements from both illustration and design. His work often shows up in South Tampa venues. He's shown his work in exibits twice, and has sold out both times on opening night, he said. eigth pieces displayed in the lobby of the Shimberg Playhouse at the Performing Arts Center.His friend, Jason Frondren, has exhibited at Mirta's in the past and Frondren persuaded Rodriguez to enter the erotica/nuerotica show there several months ago. For the recent "Christmas" show, he had three pieces, priced from $175 to $400. Two of them were based on the show's theme. The third was more of a personal nature. Called "Why do I feel so Numb," the 2-foot-by-4-foot piece was created from masking tape, acrylic paints and pastels in a style that shouts contemporary, but defies other categorizations. That's true of all of his works. "Style?" the artist asked. "I look at other people's art and I just pick things I like from different artists and combine them into one." All his pieces have similar poses, he said. "They're all kind of still and uptight and frozen."s that supossed to tell us something about the artist? I asked. "Yes, pretty much," Rodriguez admitted with a laugh. "And they all have the big eyes with the black marks underneath, like they've lost sleep like they're anxious to the point of collapse." I'm pretty sure we'll be seeing more of Jonathan Rodriguez in future shows around South Tampa. He's become seriously popular in a short amount of time. Look for his name here and in other art stories and columns. He is in the process of making a web page. Meanwhile, to see the works he had at the Shimberg Playhouse, visit Myspace.com/jrodrig2.