Artist Recognition

​Our featured Artist for the month of March is watercolor, acrylic, and mixed media artist Mairin L. Wilson. Mairin is an award-winning artist and educator who translates Florida’s vivid flora and fauna into layered works of acrylic, watercolor, and mixed media. Her work ranges from soft realism to abstract interpretation, often using painted paper collage to create movement and depth. Influenced by Byzantine art traditions and modern masters like Matisse, she strives to create compelling visual art experiences for the viewer. She has taught watercolor, acrylic painting, and drawing at the Visual Arts Center (VAC) in Punta Gorda since 2022 and holds certifications in iconography and art education. Click here to see the artist's work.

Congratulations to Bev Yankwitt, whose abstract painting, Layers of Time, was accepted into the National Art Exhibition being held at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, February 12th to March 26th, 2026.  The painting earned the "Abstract Excellence" Award.

Congratulations to Kathleen Hartman, whose abstract painting, Virescence, was accepted into the National Art Exhibition being held at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, February 12th to March 26th, 2026.  The painting won a Merit Award.

Congratulations to Jim Beech, whose watercolor painting, Drying the Nets, was accepted into the National Art Exhibition being held at the Visual Arts Center in Punta Gorda, February 12th to March 26th, 2026.

Cheryl McClure's photo of a Zebra longwing butterfly has been juried into the 2026 calendar of the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership.

Bev Yankwitt won First Place in the Visual Arts Center's "Melody of Art" show, September, 2025, with her painting, "What the Color Sang."

Congratulations to Bev Yankwitt whose acrylic and collage abstract piece "Buried Treasure" won the Judges' Award in the Visual Arts Center's Members' Showcase. Summer, 2025.

Congratulations to Barbara Albin, who received Third Place  for her watercolor collage "'The  Pier," in the Visual Art Center's June, 2025 Reimagine Show. Judge's comment: "This is my favorite true abstract.  What a beautiful balance of shape, color, and value.  I absolutely love the feeling."

Congratulations to Barbara Albin, who received a Merit Award for "Subtropical Terrain," in the Visual Art Center's May, 2025 Walk in Nature Show.