Florida Artists Group

Artists Bio:

As a small child growing up in South Florida, I was gifted with a creative eye and was always drawn to color, pattern and texture. Somewhere deep inside I knew art was my passion, and my dream was to study art in college. While my artistic ability was appreciated and encouraged I went the conventional route and attended the University of Mi-ami where I obtained a B.S. Degree in Medical Technology. After college I married and relocated with my husband to Northern Virginia just outside of Washington D.C.

As a life-long creative and a stay-at-home mom, I was determined to incorporate art and creativity into my daily life. I established Animated Artworks, a home-based calligraphy and illustration business that became my creative outlet for many years. When my daughters were older and in school I reentered the workforce and was employed as a graphic artist and publications specialist for a consulting company in Bethesda, MD.

After returning to Florida, my husband and I were drawn to the art-rich community of Sarasota as a retirement loca-tion. We love the city and all that it has to offer and I found a creative home through classes, creating art in my home studio, participating in juried exhibits and creative opportunities through volunteer activities. I also show and sell my work at ART Inside, a collaborative gallery in downtown Sarasota while building an online presence via so-cial media platforms and an online teaching community. As a volunteer for a number of committees in the area I also keep my graphics skills challenged with a variety of marketing/communications assignments. My return to Flor-ida has proven to be the perfect environment for me to immerse myself in the creative process and finally follow my passion in earnest.

Artist Statement:

As a native Floridian who has returned to her roots I am surrounded by beautiful beaches, Florida’s nature at its finest and spectacular sunsets for inspiration. I am drawn to vibrant colors and how I might use them through a va-riety of mixed media methods to deliver an evocative message. In planning and executing my mixed media works I employ and integrate an array of painting and collage techniques. It is, however, my love of color and texture that underpins the creative process and allows me to convey a happy, joyful spirit to the subject of my work. For many of my pieces I create hand painted papers. Each one-of-a-kind patterned paper brings a unique element to the final art piece. While conceptional in design, I approach my mixed media work as an experimental and intuitive process that yields my signature style.


Exhibitions:

September 2018       “Elsewhere” Art Center Sarasota
July 2018                   “Possibilities” Art Center Sarasota
February 2018          “Art From The Heart” Art Center Sarasota
October 2017            "First Impressions" - Art Center Sarasota
August 2017              "Line, Form & Color" - Art Center Sarasota
July 2017                   "Florida's Finest" - Art Center Sarasota
July 2017                   "American Melting Pot" - North Port Art Center
May 2017                   "Unlimited Potential" - Art Center Sarasota
March 2017               "Garden Party" - North Port Art Center
February 2017           Student/Alumni Exhibit Player's Theatre - The Players Gallery, Sarasota, FL
January 2017            "Classic Fantastic" - Art Center Sarasota
July 2016                   "Florida Flavor" - Art Center Sarasota
May 2016                   "Local 707" - Art Center Sarasota
April 2016                  "New/Renew" - Art Center Sarasota
February 2016            "Member Show" - Bird Key Yacht Club
January 2016              "Visually Speaking" - Art Center Sarasota
January 2016               Art & Frame Exhibit
December 2015           "What Lies Beneath" - Art Center Sarasota
October 2015              "Daily News" - Art Center Sarasota
June 2015                    "Florida Flavor" - Art Center Sarasota
May 2015                      "I'll Be The Judge" - Art Center Sarasota
March 2015                  "At the Heart of It" - Art Center Sarasota
January 2015               "Fresh"- Art Center Sarasota
December 2014           "Parallel Universe - Art Center Sarasota
Oct. 2014                      "Applied Practice" - Art Center Sarasota
May 2014                     "Perspectives" - Art Center Sarasota
May 2013                     "New Works" - Art Center Sarasota

Solo Shows:

October 2018               “Color My World” Solo Show, Unity Church, Sarasota, FL
Summer 2018              “Color Outside the Lines” Solo Show, Unitarian Universalist Church, Sarasota, FL Winter 2017                  Solo Lobby Exhibit Player’s Theater, The Player’s Gallery, Sarasota, FL.
Winter 2016                 Solo Exhibit Player's Theatre, The Players Gallery, Sarasota, FL.

Awards:

February 2018 "Desert Garden" awarded Second Place at Art & Frame's Hall Gallery Art Show
December 2017 "It Must Be Paradise" awarded Honorable Mention at Art Center Sarasota's Exhibit "New and Now" August 2017 "Sunroom in Bloom" selected for the National Collage Society's 2018 Calendar
March 2017 First Place Garden Party Show for "Her Indelible Past" North Port Art Center
July 2017 First Place American Melting Pot Show for "Pheasant Garden” North Port ArtCenter

Memberships:

Art Center Sarasota
North Port Art Center
National Collage Society
Women Contemporary Artists of Florida's Culture Coast
Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County

Goals:

My goals are to continue to grow as an artist by challenging myself creatively. After my return to Florida I became acutely aware of how much my roots in the Sunshine State have informed me artistically and creatively. I hope to expand my reach within the community to enhance my creative work. Having working in a corporate communica-tions environment I am focused on expanding the way in which my art can be viewed as a conceptual communica-tions vehicle. My artistic goal is to give voice to a spirit of positivity and connect our surroundings to art that is re-flective of our environment socially and emotionally.