Acclaimed Artist Tom De Vita's artwork is currently on display at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). The exhibition, entitled The Locals  is located at the Lee Wagener Art Gallery, Terminal 2, Departures Level; and will run through July 1, 2013. Inspired by the wonderful and eclectic characters that he has met since moving to South Florida, De Vita feels the exhibition is an exploration into the personalities and the symbols that define these people.

"The Locals reveals a truth that lies beyond the visible surface of the person’s image and resembles them in a more poetic way," says DeVita.  "My work is about finding a harmony in dissonance. I want to force multiple 'reads' of images and figures, while exploring the deconstruction of their meanings. It is my pursuit to create paintings that appear disjointed, while developing overlays of images in a pastiche of my own personal semiotics. I want to embrace the 'sea of visual noise,' that is so inherent to our contemporary way of seeing, while preserving my conviction towards painting in the grand tradition of figuration."

Tom De Vita is a New York City native, and an academically trained artist. He received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Painting, Drawing, and Sculpture, from St. John's University, New York, and his Master of Fine Arts from Miami International University of Art & Design, with a full-paid tuition grant. He maintained studios in New York, and Miami Beach and now has one at Studio 18, in Pembroke Pines, FL. His life has been devoted to developing paintings, portraits, illustrations, and murals for numerous businesses, residences, and private collectors. He exhibits locally and nationally, and is a professor of art at The Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, Barry University, and Broward College, teaching painting, drawing, and design. He also conducts private lessons at his studio, imparting his passion of art onto others. For more information please visit his website.

The Lee Wagener Art Gallery, supported by Broward Cultural Division’s Public Art & Design Program and the Broward County Aviation Department, offers Broward artists an opportunity to exhibit their work in a prominent, high traffic area. Artists are selected through the Public Art & Design Program. Exhibits are changed every three months.

For more information, contact Christina Roldan, Public Art & Design project manager at 954-357-8542.