arts & entertainment

One of the most popular artists to ever exhibit at the Center for Spiritual Care, Jill Kerwick, returns with new paintings Mar. 7-31.  Her show will open with an opening party Friday, Mar. 7, from 5-7 p.m.  The Center is located at 1550 24^th St., two blocks north of the Main Vero Beach Library.

Kerwick is widely recognized as a leading figure among contemporary American artists.  Her work has been featured at museums and galleries across the country, in Europe and South America.

One of her paintings welcomed visitors to the Vero Beach Museum of Art’s show called “Treasure Coast Creates” in 2023.  The banner on which it was reproduced hung from the museum’s façade throughout that highly regarded summer show. Her March exhibition at the Center for Spiritual Care will be her third solo show there.  Center director Carol Ludwig says Kerwick “is totally in sync with current painting trends, as evidenced by her success this past summer at New York’s Auxier Kline Gallery.  The beach and nature scenes she’s showing at the Center are full of light, energy and an occasional touch of mystery.” The light in her new paintings comes not only from the beaches of Vero but from the equatorial waters of Costa Rica, where many of them were created.  Others originated in the New Jersey woodlands where she and her husband summer. 

A key element in Jill’s work is the spontaneity of the moment, according to Ludwig.  She constantly sketches in her journal ideas based on fleeting incidents.  Unconscious Images from childhood and consciously borrowed images from art history also end in its pages, Ludwig says.  “If one image continues to resonate, Jill may develop it into a small painting.  If it really works on paper or linen, she may further develop it into a larger version of the original idea.”

Kerwick was drawn to study the basics at what is now known as the Moore College of Art and Design.  Founded in 1848, Moore is the first and only visual arts college for women in the nation.  Even more notable is that the founding principle of empowering women by developing both their artistic ability and leadership capacity still holds true.  Along with such notables as the New York portraitist, Alice Neel, Kerwick has been named a Distinguished Moore Alumna.

Her master’s degree is from New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts and she has studied with notable New York artists, including Ed Paschke and Emily Eveleth, and legendary figures such as Wolf Kahn and James Gahagan. 

Kerwick’s show will be open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 4.  Private viewing may be arranged by calling 772-567-1233.