Coastal Breeze News

By Karen Swanker The Marco Island Public Library and the Marco Island Center for the Arts work cooperatively to provide monthly art shows at the Marco Library branch on Heathwood Drive. Each artist will exhibit for two months. March and April 2013 will feature the works of Marco Island artist Joan Scherer. Joan Scherer, artist and art educator, has been teaching watercolor at the Center For The Arts on Marco Island since 1991. Her classes are geared to several levels, including beginners. Joan has a facility for teaching the basics of watercolor and making it fun and successful. Color is ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom - [email protected] The 23rd Annual Taste of Marco is just around the corner. Sunday, April 7th, from 10 AM until 5 PM, patrons will have the chance to try the delicious delicatessens made by Marco’s local restaurants. As has been for a number of years now, the Taste of Marco will be held at the Esplanade on North Collier Boulevard. Admission is $5, with children 12 and under free. Proceeds from the tasty day benefit the Greater Marco Family YMCA. Patrons may purchase tickets for games food and drink – plenty of beer to be poured at this ... Read More »

I’ve recently gained admittance into a secret world, a parallel universe, as it were. A world both frenzied and fabulous: a world that exists only deep inside… The Art Festival. The parallel reference is certainly true; participating in art festivals doesn’t mean you have any idea how to organize one. Sure, you know the pretty bits that apply to you: there must be an application and selection process. There must be an itinerary for setting up and breaking down. There must be goody bags with cool gifts! There must be rules. I’ve always read the rules very carefully to avoid ... Read More »

So…. I was going to write all about the Goodland Art Alliance’s Inaugural Harbor Arts and Music Festival held on March 10th. But then I found out that the GAA’s President and Coastal Breeze Artful Life Columnist, Tara O’Neill had it in mind for her column. Fine, Tara, it’s all yours. Besides, my fingers are tired and blistered from typing and photos are much more fun anyway. A special thanks to photographer Celeste Navara. Her pictures tell the story of what was truly a beautiful day of art and music, to – literally – say the very least.   Read More »

Celebrated artists of Southwest Florida will lend new meaning to the old expression, “like watching paint dry” on February 6, during 2013’s Wet Paint Live event. Presented by the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce, this annual day of charity gives 21 artists six hours to turn a blank canvas into their own “Marco masterpiece.” Beginning at 9 AM, artists will be at their easels at different locations throughout Marco Island and on Goodland and Isle of Capri. Maps will be available at the Chamber and on its website, www.marcoislandchamber.org, for those who wish to view the artists as they create ... Read More »

Murder, mystery, danger, intrigue, puzzlement and humor are all words that describe the gamut of emotions experienced while watching the Marco Players Theater current play “The 39 Steps”. The same words can apply to the artwork that greets you as you enter the MPT’s gallery hallway. Setting the tone for the play are Ginny Mueller’s intriguing clay bugs along with the mysterious mix of multi-faceted elements in Clair Keery’s assemblages. Bill Moseley’s three stepped abstract acrylics lend a clue to the mystery to come while bits of torn paper put together in humorous puzzle fashion by artist Joanne Rose will ... Read More »

ARTFUL LIFE Tara O’Neill [email protected] [In the spirit of full disclosure I tell you now that the following subject touches me personally as I am not only president of the GAA board of directors, but am also on its festival committee.] The Goodland Arts Alliance is spreading its wings. A fledgling – but a mighty fledging – this newly formed non-profit is dedicating itself to the mission of “preserving, promoting, and advancing, the cultural presence in the Village of Goodland, through art, history, and education.” Towards that end (end?), the GAA is sponsoring its inaugural outdoor Harbor Arts & Music ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom [email protected] Artwork abounds at the Marco Island Farmers Market. Every Wednesday, from 7:30 AM until 2:00 PM, a mix of Florida’s finest artists set up booths amidst florists, food vendors, and vegetable stands at Veterans Park. A part of the cultural hub of Marco’s community, the Marco Island Center for the Arts sets up shop, showcasing multiple artists and mediums. The non-profit entity focuses on collaboration and education of the arts in all forms. Over 40 years ago, the Art League was formed on Marco Island. It found a home at 1010 Winterberry Drive and expanded over ... Read More »

Artful Life Tara O’Neill taraogallery@marcocable.c[email protected] Well, here we are at the end of an old [read: worn-out, done-in, used-up] year and ready to take on a shiny new one. (Mmmm, don’t you just love that new calendar smell?) I’m not one to make resolutions, but I do try to set new goals each New Year, and assess my previous ones. Oh, I know, many of you will put your best scoffs on: it’s just a date; a day like any other; it’s arbitrary! it’s imaginary! To you I say an artful life is filled with imagination and much else that can ... Read More »

ARTFUL LIFE Tara O’Neill Although much of his work reflects the beauty of a rather small geographical area, I doubt if folks around Giverney ever labeled Claude Monet as a local artist. For that matter, do you think New Yorkers ever referred to local artist Jackson Pollack? Of course not. While the term is often used by well-meaning journalists, most would be surprised to find that professional artists consider it a derogative. It implies a degree of smallness, in scope and in audience, and it reveals nothing of the art created – except perhaps to tell a serious collector that it ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  It was late summer and the natives were getting restless. The slow, humid days dragged on and the mosquitoes – while not as bad as usual – pestered in the ears of us as we sat in front of our a.c. units to keep cool. We needed something fresh. We needed something new. And we were in the mood to get creative. Because we’re artists; all of us in one medium or another. And so it came to be, that on October 7, 2012, 12 artists from Goodland came together under the pavilion at MarGood Park ... Read More »

ARTFUL LIFE Tara O’Neill Drawing is a form of language you can conjure an image, a story, a feeling, even an idea, using pictures instead of words. Our prehistoric ancestors may have had the capacity to grunt and bark basic concepts – yes, no, danger, hunger, lust, scram – but they could also tell whole stories, epics even, by drawing pictures in the dirt or on rock walls. Drawing may not have preceded verbal language, but it does preceded written words. How do we learn to talk? We learn through practice, through trial & error, and by making many, often ... Read More »

ARTFUL LIFE Tara O’Neill We can bluff a lot in this lifetime, and that’s often OK, but when it’s important, when it matters, I prefer to reference those wiser than I. So I am borrowing heavily from artist and instructor Robert Genn and author Elliot Eisner in regards to art in education; and offering from myself a little something about education in art. Robert Genn is author of the free on-line Twice-Weekly Letter found at [email protected] At it’s best, and at any level, art education teaches students creative problem solving, how to tap into one’s inner-reservoir to create innovative solutions. Crazily, ... Read More »

BUZZ FROM THE SWAMP Patricia Huff [email protected]  The holidays are approaching and more events are being planned in the Swamp. Big Cypress Gallery is hosting its “Annual Holiday Book Signing” with Clyde Butcher on Friday, November 23, and Saturday, November 24. Clyde’s books make great holiday gifts, especially with a special note from Clyde. For more information call (239) 695-2428. The Everglades Society for Historical Preservation will host its first program of the season on Friday, November 30, at 5:30 PM in the Everglades Community Church annex. Marco Island historian Betsy Perdichizzi will present “Pioneering Medicine in the Marco Wilderness” based ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  Where have all the dolphins gone? Ten years ago, the Marco Island YMCA and The Art League of Marco Island introduced 36 dolphin sculptures displayed throughout the city which were designed by local artists. The “Dolphin Debut,” as it was dubbed, raised $123,000 for the two organizations through an auction held on April 13, 2003. Ten years later, a number are still visible around the island, but many have barely been seen since. Artist Denise Santos is searching for those dolphins, hoping to perform a “Dolphin Redux” on those in need of a touch up or, ... Read More »

By Coastal Breeze News Staff David Fuller, an award winning artist who has lived in Goodland for over five years, opened his one man show in the West Wing Gallery of the Naples Regional Library on November 1. The show will hang all month in Old Naples at 650 Central Avenue. Hours are 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Thursday, and 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM on Friday and Saturday. David has two aspects to his show. First, he is exhibiting some of his acrylic paintings which are in the narrative style and depict poignant scenes from everyday life. ... Read More »

ARTFUL LIFE  Tara O’Neill Recently I was asked by a fearlessly inquisitive art collector why so many artists wear black, or shades of grey, or neutral brown. “I mean,” said my inquirer, “their stock in trade is, generally, color.” It’s true, we often mute ourselves. The best answer I ever heard to that oft-asked question came recently from Brian Curtis, head of the drawing department at University of Miami, and a much lauded oil painter. Mr. Curtis explained to a roomful of workshop participants (part of the Naples Philharmonic Lifelong Learning program) that colors are so emotionally evocative, that it was ... Read More »

By Carol Glassman Ikebana, the fine art of Japanese flower arranging, is enjoyed all over the world. Rather than putting a bouquet of flowers in a vase and moving the stalks around so that they ‘look pretty’, the student of Ikebana works in a disciplined way to balance blooms, stems, and leaves to emphasize shape, line, and form. It’s a practice that has been evolving for over 500 years, and under the umbrella there are seven main schools of styles: Ichiyo, Ikenobo, Ohara, Saga Goryu, Sangetsu, Sogestu, and Wafu Kai. At Ikebana International #160 – Naples, Florida, a very active ... Read More »

By Natalie Strom  [email protected]  “I always get inspired when Day of the Dead comes around,” explains local artist, Esau Rodriguez. The holiday, el Dia de los Muertos, celebrates death as a transition rather than a finality. “It helps you realize that death is just a part of life and then you can see the comical side to it,” adds the 26-year old who has used the celebration as a muse for his canvas oil paintings. Bright colors, masks, whimsical skeleton figures or “calacas,” and sugar skulls are all a part of the Mexican tradition and are also incorporated into Esau’s ... Read More »

Submitted The Marco Island Public Library and the Marco Island Center for the Arts are working together to provide monthly art shows at the Marco Island Library located at 210 South Heathwood Drive. Local artists will be exhibiting their works for two months at a time. September and October are featuring the works of Marco artist Karen Swanker. Her acrylic paintings vary in subject from quiet and meditative water lily ponds and floral paintings to abstract pieces celebrating Marco Island. One piece titled “Where Did You Find That?” is a sample of her work using found objects picked up from ... Read More »