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IGW featured artist ‘walking on clouds’

IGW featured artist ‘walking on clouds’

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOLMES BEACH – Each month, Island Gallery West displays the work of a featured artist prominently in the front window of the gallery, and October offers striking acrylic paintings by Charlotte Sorsen.

A Massachusetts native who relocated to Florida a decade ago, Sorsen uses bright colors to bring the Gulf coast to brilliant life with works of art that pull the eye into local flora, fauna and nature. Her display titled “Walking on Clouds” is a visual step into the beauty of Anna Maria Island and the Gulf coast she so dearly loves.

IGW Featured Artist “Walking on Clouds”
Charlotte Sorsen, Island Gallery West’s October Featured Artist’s work titled ‘Walking on Clouds,’ is currently on display at the gallery in Holmes Beach. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

“These birds are a continuation of thought,” said Sorsen, speaking about birds in some of her paintings on display that seem to fly off the canvas. “They are birds, but they could be anything you would like them to be. When you take a picture of birds, you see parts of them, but they continue beyond the frame. That’s what I wanted to portray, the continued flight of whatever you want them to be in your mind. It could be the flight of your life, a flight of adventures; it could be anything you want it to be.”

Sorsen studied in Boston at the Museum School of Fine Arts and the New England School of Art and Design, using oil as her preferred medium in her early years as an artist, but later switching to acrylic for a very practical reason.

“I started with oil when I was considerably younger, then I had babies,” Sorsen said. “Acrylic paint was just starting to become a bit popular, but not really liked. I was painting on top of my washing machine at the time, and having small children around I was worried the toddler could pull the palate – which had turpentine and oil on it – off the machine; it was dangerous, so along comes acrylic paint and it just made sense.”

Like many area artists, Sorsen’s inspiration is drawn from her surroundings. She loves to paint nature, birds and other Gulf coast scenes with vivid oranges, blues, pinks and other colors she says just didn’t exist in her native Massachusetts. While she will always have a fondness for her native home, she has no desire to return to the north, where she says there is much more grey than the vivid colors that continue to inspire her in Florida.

Island West Gallery is located at 5368 Gulf Drive, Trolley Stop 15. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit the gallery website or call 941-778-6648 for updates.

“Coastal Impressions” makes a splash at Island Gallery West

‘Coastal Impressions’ makes a splash at Island Gallery West

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOLMES BEACH – The front window at Island Gallery West is alive with color thanks to June’s Featured Artist, Sharon Lennox Woelfling, and her display titled “Coastal Impressions.”

Woelfling has been an artist for decades and has spent much of her time teaching art to children as well as adults.

“I’ve taken a lot of workshops, and I started out with watercolor, doing that for many years before I evolved to acrylics,” Woelfling said. “I’ve really fallen in love with acrylic painting because you can do a larger painting and it’s more forgiving. If you make a mistake in watercolor, you throw it away and start over.”

Woelfling points out that while only one out of 10 watercolor paintings come out the way she would have liked, an acrylic painting can be corrected. Her passion for this medium is apparent to anyone who views her work on display at the gallery. Works range from lifelike to abstract, with many landing somewhere in between as she paints in a style that takes something like a tropical flower or waterfall and pulls them to the verge of being abstract.

While Woelfling’s favorite color is blue, her works leap off the canvas with bright greens, reds and any other color required to bring each particular vision to life.

“This gallery is a great way to interact with other artists because when you paint, it’s very solitary, so you need that interaction with other artists,” said Woelfling, speaking about her relationship with Island Gallery West and her fellow member artists. “I love to see their work and be in the gallery the days I work, and just see what’s new in here.”

“Coastal Impressions” will be on display until June 30, and all works are available for purchase. Island Gallery West is located at 5368 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Island Gallery West art walk returns

Island Gallery West art walk returns

Written by Jason Schaffer on . Posted in Art, Entertainment.

HOLMES BEACH – After almost two years, Island Gallery West’s monthly art walk event returned on Nov. 12 to a large crowd of artists and art lovers ready to get back to a pre-COVID normal.

 Art lovers enjoyed a glass of wine as they relaxed in lawn chairs in the parking lot, tapping their feet and singing along to music performed by Chip Ragsdale. Inside, many of the 28 member artists were on hand to discuss their work with guests and socialize with other members.

Island Gallery West’s members seem more like a family when you speak to them. Even though they work in every kind of media, they all have one thing in common: A love for art. 

“We’re finally getting back after a couple of years of not having these. We didn’t really know what the success would be, but it’s been a great success,” said Darryl Goldman, a member artist at IGW who specializes in oil paintings. “People are coming in, they’re buying some art, they’re enjoying walking around, so we’re really happy with that.”

All 28 member artists are featured at the gallery at all times and works from all the artists are always available for purchase. Most artists also do commission works upon request. From a portrait of your pet to a painting of your favorite photograph, there is an artist that can make your project come to life at the very highest of skill levels. It’s as simple as finding the artist’s style you prefer, then telling them what you want. If they can make it happen, they will.

“This gallery is special because we have an amazing group of artists, I just love everybody here. We really try to keep high-quality art, we don’t want anything to be ‘crafty,’ ” member artist Janet Flickinger said. “I think we were really missing a lot of that personal interaction during COVID. To meet the people and talk to them makes the art more personable to them, and that’s really important.”

Any artist who is interested in becoming a member of Island Gallery West is welcome to apply. A committee of member artists reviews all applications and will decide the status of all applicants. While some artists have been members for years, others have only been with the gallery for a few weeks.

“I recently moved from Indiana to Florida as a permanent resident. I was a member of a co-op for 20 years in Indiana and it was a home environment. I just knew I needed to find another home like that,” said Dawn Gerardot, who at 12 days is the newest member of IGW. “It’s just like what I’m used to, there’s a high quality of art in here and it makes me feel comfortable.”

Island Gallery West is open every Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information on the gallery and its members, visit islandgallerywest.com.