"I stuck a piece of plywood in the fork of that tree and spent hours there," says Meyer, born in the Republic of Panama and raised in Brandon, Fla.. It wasn't until years into adulthood that Meyer made another emotional connection with his boyhood home.
"The streets surrounding our house were all named for artists: Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Dali," Meyers says. "That tree was right in the center of all those streets."
Thus, the name of the gallery that is quickly becoming a Norheast Florida beaches hotspot: The Artistree, Inc.
Self-Taught, Meyer Shows Impressive Range
Largely self-taught, Meyer's range of talent encompasses multiple styles including abstract impressionism, landscapes, multi-media and figurative fine arts - an impressive breadth of skill despite having foregone formal arts education and training save for a high school drawing class.
Working as a professional artist and painter since 1998, he made a comfortable living creating faux finishes and venetian plaster interiors for upscale builders, interior decorators and private citizens, including the high society of nearby posh Ponte Vedra Beach and several locally-based sports celebrities.
Meyer opened his first company, William Meyer Deorative Paint Studios, in 1998, renaming The Artistree in 2000, In 2005, he delved deeper into the fine arts world, opening Galleria de Arte, a small bungalow gallery in Jacksonville Beach, an earshot from the crashing waves of the Atlantic coastline. In 2008, he combined the two buisness concepts, relocating The Artistree to a larger, more modern space in Atlantic Beach and offering both decorative interior painting and fine arts.
Going Beyond the Canvas
Each month, The Artistree exhibits works of Meyers and of various local, national and international artists including sculptor Chris Lesley, landscape artists Henry Von Genk and Gary Mack, and New York ink artist Jaclyn Perrone. Emerging fashion designer Erin Healy has debuted several new couture collections at shows hosted by The Artistree, making it a popular spot for Northeast Florida's young hipsters.
Though much of his work is in acrylics and oils, Meyer is a passionate promoter of using environmentally sensitive and recycled paints and materials such as French and Venetian plaster, lime based products and organic powder pigments. In fact his first big accomplishment as a young artist was winning the TECO (Tampa Electric Co.) Recycled Art Contest, crafting an African tribal mask-inspired,mixed-media sculpture from a discarded skimboard, toilet paper rolls and his brother's Led Zeppelin vinyls.
"He never forgave me for that," Meyer says. But the notion of recycling everyday materials to create beautiful, fine arts works stuck and is helping to propel Meyer's reputation as one of Northeast Florida's favorite emerging artists.
Devan Stuart - Devan Stuart is a longtime journalist and five-time Florida Press Association Award winner.
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