“Canvas Meets Clay”

Ute Kleeman & Navenka Gabrielson
October 7 - November 21, 2025

St. Simon’s Island, GA, September 17, 2025 — Glynn Visual Arts (GVA) presents two intentional artists with international roots in their Canvas Meets Clay exhibition, in the Portman Gallery,  October 7 - November 21, 2025.  

Abstract painter Ute Kleemann of St. Simons Island, GA,  and ceramicist Navenka Gabrielson, who resides in St. Augustine, FL, will exhibit together for the first time to showcase their internationally-inspired works that have been miles in the making. 

Kleemann was born in Germany and lived throughout Europe and the Middle East before landing here in St. Simons Island ten years ago. Kleemann is an energetic outdoor sports enthusiast, and this commitment to fitness and sense of place in her natural surroundings shows in her compositions. Works such as Bohemian Rhapsody, The Shape of Joy, and Harmony all attest to her mastery of color and abstract techniques, including the use of multi media.  

Gabrielson grew up in Lancashire, Northern England and has traveled the globe from Malta and South Africa to Singapore and throughout the US. In Canvas Meets Clay, Gabrielson is showing her most recent porcelain works that capture the sea’s essence. “I draw inspiration from the ocean’s fluidity, colors, and the energetic movement of the water,” said Gabrielson. 

Gabrielson is a health and lifestyle coach, nutritionist, pilates instructor, and an author. She has practiced wheel-thrown ceramics for more than 20 years and has studied under Master Potters Joel Park of Hawaii and Kim Lim Hui in Singapore.

Canvas Meets Clay is free and open to the public. Visitors are invited to meet the artists at an opening reception on Wednesday, October 8, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm at Glynn Visual Arts, 106 Island Drive, St. Simons Island, GA 31522.