Opening celebration: Friday March 13, 4-6 pm at Turner Carroll Gallery
As a young child and the son of a naval officer, Slonem’s family frequently leapt from military station to station, but it was his time in the Hawaiian islands and Central America that left the most indelible impressions on Slonem. Surrounded by the tropical lushness, these exotic settings were the cornerstone for his artistic practice and forever instilled a lifelong obsession with what he refers to as “exotica”. In those pivotal years Slonem developed a deep affinity for exotic birds, orchids, and the sentient beings of the natural world. His devoted connection to flora and fauna grew so deeply rooted they became his precious adopted family, and despite the cautions of his family to stray from artistic ambitions due to the inherent challenges, he embarked upon his early painting practice at the ripe age of six years old – a dedicated practice that continues to the present day.
