SJRCC PRESS RELEASE August 2007 Local artist opens Florida School of the Arts season with black and white simplicity Local artist and teacher Michael Everett has found his way back - back to Florida School of the Arts and to the simplicity of graphite drawings. The FloArts graduate returns to the FloArts Main Gallery at St. Johns River Community College - this time as a guest artist. The 2007-08 season of events begins Wednesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. with Everett's collection of Florida landscapes. The scenes in Everett's drawings range from the remote locations of Juniper Springs and the Ichetucknee to the familiarity of local country roads. Everett said he believes the natural beauty of landscapes is something we are all bound to and can relate with. "The process by which my work is created and the final image displayed both acknowledge an escape from the real while based on the real," he said. "The images created by my hand are a representation of a place filled with a tranquil serenity and absent of human interaction." Everett said his drawings are often mistaken for photographs at first glance. He describes his landscapes as a series of tiny lines that form peaceful images. "From a distance, the works show details that emerge into small marks when closely viewed," Everett said. Having drawn with graphite since he was 5, the 33-year-old said he has found his way back to drawing with graphite after years of professional training in other art mediums. "I like the simplicity of black and white," he said. Although born in North Carolina, Everett grew up in the Palatka/Interlachen area, and graduated from FloArts in 1996 with an associate in arts and an associate in science degree in fine art. He graduated from the University of Florida in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in fine art and also worked for the Harn Museum of Art at UF. Everett spent several years teaching leisure courses at UF and teaching part time at FloArts while exhibiting his work in various venues throughout Northeast Florida, including the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala. His work can also be found locally at the Art Shoppe & Gallery in Palatka. FloArts gallery director and fine arts instructor Michael Burban said the faculty is particularly delighted to see one of its own graduates invited to have his own show. "The high quality of Mr. Everett's drawings, as well as his successful career in the arts, will be a great inspiration to the students studying at the Florida School of the Arts," Burban said. "Michael Everett's extraordinary drawings show his mastery of traditional technique as well as his own personal expression." Everett, now in his second year as the drawing and painting instructor at Palatka High School, said it was his love of art and love of teaching that lead him to his current job. Even in elementary school, Everett said he had a knack for helping the other students. "Teaching has always been inside me," he said. "It's the chance to be able to teach something that I love. It's a dream job." Everett currently lives in Palatka with this wife Sherry and four children. Everett's exhibit will be on display through October 12 in the Main Gallery at the Florida School of the Arts. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. FloArts is located on the Palatka Campus of St. Johns River Community College and is Florida's first state-supported professional arts school. Approximately 150 students attend FloArts each year; students are recruited from across the state, the southeast region and New York City. Admission is based on audition and portfolio review. For more information, call 386-312-4300 or visit the Web site at www.floarts.org. "Shadowed Entrance" - An 8"x4" graphite drawing of a local rural road. "Down from Jennie Springs" A 2.5"x 10" graphite drawing. Return to SJRCC home page. Return to FloArts home page.