Artist Recognition

Our 2D Artist of the Month for July and August is Contemporary Watermedia Artist Barbara Albin.   Barb has loved art since childhood and sold her first two paintings to Northern Illinois University at the age of 17.  She was a public school art teacher, and has been active in many arts related activities both in her native Chicago and in Florida, including teaching watercolor art to adults, presenting art workshops, entering juried and invitational shows, and jurying art exhibitions.  Barb’s paintings are in many permanent corporate and private collections, including Northern Illinois University.   Barb describes her love of art this way: “I love color. I love how the world is so full of color and life. I feel the energy of nature pulsating through the earth and the atmosphere. This is my inspiration, and I can’t wait to begin capturing all the emotions and joy I feel on canvas. My paintings are prayers to God thanking Him for the beautiful world we live in." Click here to see the artist's work.

  ​ Our 3D Artist of the Month for July and August is Ceramic Artist Marlene Jones.    Marlene first started working in clay while living in Maryland during the 1960s.  She creates raku and stoneware pottery, such as cups, bowls, and teapots, but her real love is creating unusual horsehair pottery fashioned in a style like that of the Plains Indians, using hair from the mane or tail of a horse.  The hair can be applied to vessels of various shapes, such as vases, lidded jars, and urns.  The hair vaporizes upon contact with the heated clay, leaving beautiful carbon tracings.  As Marlene explains, “Working with clay is one of the most rewarding experiences as I take what is considered mud and form it into something beautiful and useful, which is my personal passion." Click here to see the artist's work.

Beth has been honored by the Audubon Society with an interview on their website discussing her artistic practice in creating bird sculptures using pine needles.   Click here to access the article.

Kitt Moran's painting "Tools of the Trade" won Second Place in the North Port Art Center's "Cheeseburger in Paradise" food themed exhibit held June & July, 2022.

Congratulations to Kitt Moran, whose oil painting, "Boy," won Best of Show in the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society Associate Members Online Gallery for 2022.  "Boy" also won Second Place in Venice Art Center's "Now and Then" show, July/August, 2022, and was also included in the FAV15% (jurors' top favorites) in the June, 2022 Bold Brush Painting Composition.

Beverly Yankwitt's painting, "Spring Foliage," won First Place in the Visual Arts Center's "Florida's Best" show, May/June, 2022.

Kitt Moran's oil painting, "Lido Key" won a Merit Award at the Visual Art Center's "Water, Water, Everywhere" Exhibit at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, May/June, 2022

Jim Beech will be giving a one-day workshop, "The Importance of Detail, "  on September 22, 2022 at the 51st Annual Exhibition of the Florida Watercolor Society.  The exhibition will be held at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda from September 14th to November 14th, 2022.

Congratulations to Kitt Moran.   Her oil portrait, "Cal," was accepted into the National Oil and Acrylic Painters Society International Spring Online Exhibit, 2022. "Cal" was included in the FAV15% (Jurors' favorite entries) in the June, 2022 Bold Brush Painting Composition "Cal," previously won First Place in Venice Art Center's January, 2022, "Near and Far" exhibit.

Kitt Moran's oil painting, "Für Elise," won a Merit Award at the Venice Art Center's December, 2021 Yin & Yang Exhibit at the Venice Art Center.

Congratulations to Renee Farr, Glass Artist, and Bob Rioux, Glass Kaleidoscope Artist, for being voted Winners in the Glass Art category of the Charlotte Sun's "Best of Charlotte" Readers' Choice Awards Contest, October, 2021.

Kitt Moran's oil painting, "Boy with Balloon," won the Bowles Portrait Award in the October/November, 2021 "Falling for Art" Exhibit at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda.

Joanne Stramara's painting, "Theoretical Permutation," was awarded Third Place in the Venice Art Center's September/October, 2021 "Big & Little" show.

Joanne Stramara's  mixed media painting, "Florida, Hot & Cool," won a Merit Award in the Visual Arts Center's September/October, 2021 "COLOR!" exhibit.

Congratulations to Bev Yankwitt, whose abstract painting "August Storm" won First Place in the Visual Arts Center's September/October 2021 "COLOR!" show.  "August Storm"  was also accepted into the 45th Annual Exhibition of the Southern Watercolor Society and won the Golden Colors Award.  The exhibition was held at Art Center Manatee in Bradenton, Florida, from April 14th to May 13th, 2022.

Bev Yankwitt's painting "Rise Up" was recently published in Artistonish Contemporary Art Magazine (January, 2022,) and was accepted into the National Watercolor Society's 101st International Open Exhibition 2021.