The Nova 535 art lounge in downtown St. Petersburg held its Novalicious: Eat Your Art Out opening last Thursday, featuring large-scale, brightly colored works by Shaun McNicholas, Jindra Noewi, Sheri Salin, Janae Corrado, Gregory Colvin, William Howley, Bean Spence, Don Kobasky, Jon Ferrentino, Jan Fowler, Dan Lasata, and Ana Brice Bain. Personally, I found most of the work to be a bit boring and somewhat unimpactful — yet another show full of classy nudes, tropical landscapes and artists endeavoring to be "edgy". That being said, the paintings of Bean Spence, Don Kobasky, and Dan Lasata had enough personality to save the show. Musical entertainment was provided by Steve Arvey and his band.
Nova 535 Art Lounge, 535 Dr. Martin Luther King St N., St. Petersburg, 727-821-6682, nova535.com.
This article appears in Dec 9-15, 2009.