ANNA MARIA – Local artists Barbara Truemper-Green, Judy Vazquez, Karen Beach and LuAnn Widergren enjoyed An Artful Evening at the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum on Jan. 24.
In addition to displaying and offering for sale some of their past work, three of the four artists created new works in real-time at the well-attended event.
Inside the museum, Truemper-Green created a new pastel painting that depicted her memory of a tree-lined Anna Maria shoreline near Bean Point. After noting that she participated in a previous Artful Evening event two years ago, she said, “I love this.”
Working next to her, Vazquez created a new mosaic made by attaching pieces of blue, marine life-themed glass to a frame surrounding a small mirror.
“This is the first time I’m using this glass,” she said.
She also displayed a previously completed mosaic and some smaller inspiration stones.
Participating in her first museum show, Vazquez said, “We have a wonderful group of people here. It’s a nice turnout.”
As she made her rounds, the museum’s Executive Director Caryn Hodge said, “We’re happy all these people came out to see us bringing art and history together at the museum. We are showcasing four amazing local artists who all have different styles and different mediums.
We love supporting our local artists who capture pieces of Anna Maria history and this brings more people to the museum.”
Inside the museum, Karen Beach displayed several of her locally-themed watercolor paintings. One painting illustrated the pass at DeSoto National Memorial as viewed from the path she and her husband walked constantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her other works included paintings of a cottage on Gulf Drive, a school of jumping mullet and an outdoor setting in Alaska.
“I like this event very much and I was in it two years ago. It brings people into the museum and you can see people appreciating the museum while we show our work,” Beach said.
While working outside on the museum’s front porch, Widergren created a new oil painting of one of the Island’s palm trees – working in a manner and a medium similar to the late TV personality, Bob Ross.
“It’s a very happy palm tree,” she joked when that comparison was made.
One of her previous paintings depicted a grounded, abandoned boat in Cortez that she created during the two days spent outside at the boat’s location. Another painting depicted a beach scene in Holmes Beach.
“I haven’t done this event before, but I’m at the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island with a couple other artists here and they invited me. I couldn’t pass that up,” Widergren said, noting she tries to make a living from the sale of her art.
Attendees also enjoyed free charcuterie provided by Anna Maria Olive Oil Outpost and free wine provided by Time Saver Wine and Spirits.
