Next Wave artist Eric Burke, Chris Eliades and Nick Whipple

By Amy Woods:

Ceramic artist Eric Burke is a 22-year-old Tequesta resident who painstakingly recovered from a debilitating car accident and re-gained his focus on pottery.

Chris Eliades is a 25-year-old Jupiter resident whose keen interest in clay has led him to experiment with kiln techniques and abstract designs while working on his one-of-a kind creations.

Nick Whipple, a 29-year-old Hobe Sound resident, developed his own medium of expression – 35mm slides – and won second place for a piece called Buddies in the “Next Wave: Young Contemporary Artists” exhibition at Lighthouse ArtCenter.

“I started this series originally because I didn’t have studio space,” Whipple said. “I was living in an efficiency the size of a closet.”

His miniature canvases are home to all sorts of mixed media: theatrical gel, burlap, cheesecloth and human hair.

The “Next Wave” exhibit runs through Sept. 1 and features a collection of works by young artists under age 35. The artists recently gathered at the center for a lecture night, during which they explained the inspiration for their artwork and the methods behind it.

Wine and hors d’oeuvres were served.

After the presentations, the new staff of instructors at the center took the stage and introduced themselves. They include cartoonist Pat Crowley, painter Hugh O’Neill, tile fabricator Diane Hutchinson and photographer David Randell.