Meet the Artini Artists
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Maggie Perez Weakley
Maggie received a BFA in Illustration from the Columbus College
of Art and Design in Columbus, Ohio. From 1990-1993 she worked for Hallmark Cards, Inc in Kansas City, Missouri as an Art Director for Shoebox Greetings. From 1993 until present, Maggie has been a freelance artist working with a variety of companies and clients. In 2005 she created MaggiesAngels.com where she continues to freelance, while also creating custom artwork portraits for clients around the world. |
In 2014, she became the Administrative Coordinator for Fine Arts For Ocala, Inc. (FAFO) putting on the Symphony Under The Stars, and the Ocala Arts Festival, as a part-time position which allows her to continue her freelance career. She is an avid supporter of the arts in the community, volunteering and donating her time and artwork to raise money for the arts.
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Justin AlsedekMy journey began in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania in a home which creativity and music was encouraged. I have had an eye for capturing scenes and personality in my work since before I can remember. My parents set me free with a camera and the world never looked the same again. This desire to create lead me on a path towards art school to fine tune my abilities, hone in on my talents and broaden my horizons.
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During my time as an art student I got a summer position drawing portraits for Kamans Art Shoppes in Hershey Park. There they trained me to use chalk pastels to draw quick lifelike portraits of park goers. I fell in love with the art of live portraiture, and continued to work for them for five years. I graduated from Pennsylvania College of Art and Design in 2007 with a bachelors degree in fine art photography. It was during my fifth year with Kamans that I decided to take an adventurous chance. In 2008 I decided to quit my job, I told my boss that I needed to go on a spiritual journey to find myself. I had made a plan to tent camp thirty minutes from Ocean City MD boardwalk, drive into town every evening to set up and draw live portraits for “generous donations” (at this point you were not allowed to set a price as a street artist.) Met with open arms and open wallets I soon was making enough money that I was able to rent a cabin not far from work. After two summers of this I decided to take another risky leap of faith.
I packed my car up for Key West to go draw portraits at Mallory Square’s sunset celebration. In key West I met many traveling artists, musicians and found another place to call home. It’s become a life practice for me to take off to new places spreading my art along the way. I have had the fortune of seeing many beautiful places in and out of our country. The exotic and the geologically astounding sites have inspired many pictures and paintings for me. It’s been my preference and pleasure to meet new people and places as the Gypsea Artist I am, doing business the old fashion way.
After eight years of pretty steady travel I have landed for now in Ocala with my wife and son, where I have been taking on art commissions, working on personal art projects, and now diving into the juried art show scene.
I packed my car up for Key West to go draw portraits at Mallory Square’s sunset celebration. In key West I met many traveling artists, musicians and found another place to call home. It’s become a life practice for me to take off to new places spreading my art along the way. I have had the fortune of seeing many beautiful places in and out of our country. The exotic and the geologically astounding sites have inspired many pictures and paintings for me. It’s been my preference and pleasure to meet new people and places as the Gypsea Artist I am, doing business the old fashion way.
After eight years of pretty steady travel I have landed for now in Ocala with my wife and son, where I have been taking on art commissions, working on personal art projects, and now diving into the juried art show scene.
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Carmen Rojas GinesCarmen is a sculptor, painter and art teacher, whose art work has been displayed at the National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts and Culture in Chicago and the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala, Florida with the traveling group "La Diaspora." She also has exhibited at Florida State University Museum and her large mobile sculpture "Oculi Aqua" was showcased in the Outdoor Sculpture
Exhibitions in both North Carolina and South Carolina. |
She has a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Puerto Rico and a Master in Administration of Education from the University of Phoenix.She has taught art in various Puerto Rican public schools as well as St.John's Lutheran School in Ocala, Florida. At the moment,Carmen works in her studio located in Ocala, Florida, where she is developing new expressions in sculpture, painting, and glass work.
Courtesy of Meagan Gumpert Photography.
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Jordan ShapotJordan Shapot, a native and current resident of Central Florida, obtained his Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2009.
Besides creating art for galleries, he also does various commissions and freelance jobs ranging from illustration work to murals. When not in the studio, Jordan loves to be exploring and painting the outdoors. Jordan also plays an active role in his community through participation in multiple non-profit organizations. |
Jordan says, "My newest body of work depicts subject matter comprised of seemingly random and increasingly chaotic mark making. The notion of organized chaos has proven to be a constant objective in my creative process. In contrast to the meticulous way in which I tended to portray subject matter at a younger age, I am currently getting looser with my color, shape and line. In order to focus on the essence of an object, I must visually deconstruct it. Then I build pattern and shape until I achieve a mood and complexity that is both visually interesting and that properly portrays the subject’s reconstructed identity. Primarily working in oil paints, I apply my media very expressively with bold brushstrokes and vibrant colors to project the essence and energy of the subject matter."
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Juan Carlos CahueOriginally from Mexico where some of the best jewelry artists have created for
centuries, Juan Carlos came to the United States seeking adventure and the American dream. Juan was raised to appreciate independent business and festival life, so jewelry shows and art festivals came naturally to him. His parents were responsible for bringing holiday lighting to Mexico City through their electronics factory so public celebrations influenced him as a way of life. Juan became interested in jewelry fashion and design while working as a Jewelry Sales Representative in Arcadia, California. His fascination with visual art, creative design, gemstones and metal grew. |
Having acquired almost three years of knowledge, training and applied education in gemology as a corporate Jewelry Store Manager, he began to think in terms of creating his own designs. After 9/11 Juan lost his position in the corporate jewelry culture and decided to study with a Native American Jewelry Designer and then a Jewelry Artist from Thailand. From 2002 to 2004 he fine tuned different techniques of manufacture, fabrication, design casting, hammering, embossing, reticulation, stone setting, alloy metals, lapidary and other concepts. Since that time Juan Carlos has created more than 2000 original designs using precious and semiprecious stones in earrings, rings, necklaces, bracelets and pendants. International
influences can be seen throughout Juan’s work- from the Mexican composition of Frida Kahlo’s style to the inspiration he receives from his wife’s home country of Colombia. Juan has participated in almost every art festival in Florida & has taken
his jewelry inspiration nationally gaining acclaim and awards in: California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama. Juan Carlos is now showing at Riverside Fine Art Gallery and the Orlando Museum of Art. Since 2011, he and his wife Nuris have lived in Ocala. His custom commissions and special orders are countless.
influences can be seen throughout Juan’s work- from the Mexican composition of Frida Kahlo’s style to the inspiration he receives from his wife’s home country of Colombia. Juan has participated in almost every art festival in Florida & has taken
his jewelry inspiration nationally gaining acclaim and awards in: California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Alabama. Juan Carlos is now showing at Riverside Fine Art Gallery and the Orlando Museum of Art. Since 2011, he and his wife Nuris have lived in Ocala. His custom commissions and special orders are countless.
