All-female art exhibition in Orlando showcases ‘A Woman’s Touch’

A new art exhibition in Orlando showcases the work of five female artists working with a broad array of perspectives and media, highlighting both the common threads and diversity of women’s experiences. “A Woman’s Touch” opens with a reception from 7-10 p.m. Feb. 2 at the Three Masks, an African shop and gallery in Orlando, showcasing the work of Grey Sturgill, LaQwonna “Lady Q” Glaster, Eva Ruiz, Vonnie Benjamin-Brown and Alexia Written. “We’re making art from different angles and perspectives. It shows the variety of who we are as women,” Glaster said. “We see a lot of different things and absorb a lot of different things, so this is an opportunity for us to release what we carry inside of us.” Visitors to the gallery can see Glaster’s acrylics featuring portraits of women, which evolved from her earlier abstract work. “Even in my worst moments and the worst challenges that I’ve gone through, I would wake up at 2 a.m. and go paint. That was how I processed things,” she said. “I started abstract, and over time, the art evolved where it was me dealing with issues. As I went through my healing process, I began to paint, particularly women who are healed, redeemed and restored, or women who have gone through a process.” Sturgill, who has shown work at Kissimmee City Hall, multiple libraries and the Orlando Science Center, makes precise freehand line drawings using metallic ink on black paper or sometimes working on white paper in black ink with splashes of color. Ruiz creates ceramics, pottery and functional dishware, while Written will showcase abstract art inspired by her background in graphic design. Benjamin-Brown’s pieces incorporate small objects and paper into colorful collages. “I’m a collage artist so I do my work on wood celebrating African-American women. They’re all big, brightly-colored pieces with an emphasis on the hair made out of combs, buttons or spools,” she said. “I want to emphasize our hair, which I think is a thing of beauty.” Glaster hopes that everyone who comes to see this show can find something relatable in the works she’s created and those of fellow artists. “A lot of times when people stop and look at my art, the only question that I have is, ‘What stops you? What made you look at it? What was intriguing to you? What was going through your mind when you looked at that piece?’” she said. If you go “A Woman’s Touch” opens during a free reception from 7-10 p.m. Feb. 2 at 1023 W. Colonial Drive in Orlando. For more information, visit Three Masks Inc. on facebook.com. Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: [email protected].