JARED SEFF SPEAKING TO LAA   April 17

 

Carol Otto Cole

"Double Punch" is a Martial Arts term obvious in meaning, and one helpful in describing the charged atmosphere in which you'll find yourself when Artist/Instructor Jared Seff comes to speak on April 17.  As a SCAD alumni classically trained in painting and drawing, Seff's finished paintings are a vortex of motion and excitement, a bleeding of emotional frenzy translated fluently onto canvas with limited but masterful strokes.  After a short business meeting at 7, Seff, now the Lead Art Instructor and Curriculum Director at Habersham School in Savannah, will tell of his classical approach to teaching and his most recent focus on the Mixed Martial Arts Culture, followed by a quick life drawing demonstration.  

Aided and encouraged by his parents to paint from the age of 7, Seff's rendering of Mixed Martial Arts events happened naturally when his triplet siblings Jeremy and Samantha entered the arena as participants.  To calm his nerves while watching either of them fight, Seff concentrated on capturing the nuance of the brutality rather than focusing on the physical gut punch so common in the sport.  "Jeremy's First Fight" (picture courtesy of Dr. and Mrs. Mark Dusek at the Landings) was conceived and executed through clenched teeth to convert inner turmoil in watching his brother fight into a refined and graceful after-the-fact viewing experience. 

Raised largely in south Florida, Seff has been in Savannah 8 years and considers it home. In those short years, the splash he has made on the city's considerable artistic community has been powerful and dramatic. In addition to his paintings and  portraits in permanent collections (Bill Clinton, Paul McCartney, and SCAD President Paula Wallace to name a few), he locally has had his own solo show, "Modern Gladiators" at Roots Up Gallery.  For an intoxicating experience, check out the paintings on his website, jaredseffart.com. 

The artist of the triplets, Seff says he loves the tactile qualities of paint, especially oil. "The visual language that the brush provides has the potential to express for more than a stroke on canvas. This fact excites and stimulates me. The challenge is not to let the act of painting be purely about bravado, but instead to have the paint communicate deeper feelings about the subject being portrayed." With this kind of in-sync camaraderie between them, it's safe to say Samantha and Jeremy have a home team advantage. 

    The Landings Art Association welcomes anyone interested in attending ($3 guest fee), at the Skidaway Island Presbyterian Church, Tuesday, April 17 at 7 pm.   For information about LAA, visit www.landingsart.com or contact Pam Reynolds, Membership Chair at drpamr@gmail.com.