Dst In Sarasota Scene Magazine August 2020
FEATURING DST’S RESIDENT ART EXPERT & TOUR GUIDE
Meet Artist Jerome Chesley
Jerome Chesley is most comfortable painting, viewing and learning about art. Proficient in watercolor medium, his artwork is a mixture of things he is interested in such as architecture, still life, travel images and Funky Vibe portraits, made with splashes of bold vivid color.
His artwork has been exhibited in two watercolor shows which he helped to curate at Art Ovation Hotel. He was asked to be the Hotel’s Artist in Residence where he painted in the studio adjoining the lobby for a period of time.
Jerome serves on the Board of Directors of the Florida Watercolor Society and in 2018, as the organization’s president, he brought over 600 artists to Sarasota for a Statewide Exhibition, Convention and Trade Show. He has serve on many boards of art organizations while continuing to paint in his home art studio in downtown Sarasota. Locally, his works are currently represented at Malbi Decor at 127 S Pineapple Ave.
The vibrant arts scene here is what attracted Jerome to our area. He currently works for Discover Sarasota Tours as a guide to the public art and private art collections in the city. His paintings of local historic buildings and cards are sold there. During evenings, he leads art gallery crawls sharing his knowledge of city art while cruising to different art galleries.
Jerome also teaches painting and conducts workshops throughout Florida and at the internationally renowned Chautauqua Institution in New York state, where he summers. He continues to be involved with their programs at the Visual Arts Center where he serves on the Advisory Board.
With the present slow down and closing of city events due to Covid-19, it’s giving Jerome time to learn more about the city’s historical background in art, paint, and connect with artist friends via phone or Zoom.