The Tully-Levine Gallery at the Arts Xchange Campus (515 22nd St S) is alive with color after this weekend’s opening of Flower Power, a new exhibition that celebrates nature’s impermanence. The show is free to visit and on display through January 28, inviting visitors to step into a delicate world filled with petals, stems, and leaves. Adding a unique dimension to the show is the Ikebana International Chapter #65 of St. Petersburg, using the Japanese art of flower arranging as a counterpart to the paintings on display.
From left: Mixed-media collages by Denise Cormier Mahoney and oil paintings by Jenipher Chandley
A celebration of botanical art
Flower Power brings together the work of six female painters who interpret botanical subjects with distinct styles. Carrie Jadus’s large canvases burst with vibrant colors, showing fiery orange bird-of-paradise flowers painted against lush greens, and a delicate white lotus created with bold, expressive strokes. In Jenny Bleackley’s paintings, pastel backgrounds are sprinkled with soft wildflowers, while Denise Cormier Mahoney’s mixed-media panels combine bright floral motifs with textured patterns, drawing comparisons between nature and design. Collectively, the paintings in Flower Power express the idea that beauty is often found in the temporary and imperfect.
From left: Arrangements by Sybille Ruschmeier and Susan Thorpe
Ikebana: the art of Japanese flower arranging
Ikebana, with its emphasis on harmony, balance, and minimalism, offers a striking counterpart to the lively two-dimensional works in Flower Power. Sculptural arrangements rest on simple white pedestals, showcasing elegant lilies, crimson blooms, and compositions that cast dramatic shadows on the gallery walls. A key aspect of ikebana is its impermanence: the flowers slowly change day by day, giving visitors a slightly different experience each time they view the exhibit.
Members of the St. Petersburg Chapter #65 can choose to study from five schools of ikebana, ranging from more traditional styles to creative, freestyle arrangements. Different schools are represented in the Flower Power exhibition, ranging from the imaginative work of Sybille Ruschmeier, who is affiliated with the Sogetsu school, to the wide, shallow container used by Susan Thorpe, characteristic of the Ohara school.
You can visit the chapter’s website for more information about ikebana and becoming a member in St. Pete.
Paintings by Jenny Bleackley, ikebana by Rieko Fujiname-Leifeste
Visiting Flower Power
Together, the colorful, contemporary paintings and meditative qualities of ikebana create a layered experience that celebrates nature. Flower Power is a gentle reminder that sometimes, the most beautiful moments are also the briefest. This exhibit is free and open to the public Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and during Second Saturday ArtWalk from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Follow @wadastpete on Instagram for more details about upcoming events at the Arts Xchange.