HOLMES BEACH – The first Holmes Beach Art Walk of 2022 was a big success as both locals and tourists were treated to the best of Island art featured at a variety of Island businesses.
Those participating included the Artists’ Guild Gallery, The Feast, Restless Natives, Sun and Surf Beach Shop, Original Sand Dollar, The Scavenger Market and Island Gallery West. Businesses that normally close earlier stay open for this event, which now is scheduled for the second Friday of every month after being shut down for more than a year due to COVID-19.
The Artists’ Guild Gallery’s featured artist, Donna Slawsky, welcomes visitors during the latest Art Walk in Holmes Beach. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
“We’re starting to see some good crowds,” said Karen Beach, a member artist at Island Gallery West. “We have a wide variety of artists here, we have modern art, we have still life, we have sculptures and jewelry. There’s so much, it will really surprise you if you come here.”
A few hundred yards away from Island Gallery West is The Artists’ Guild Gallery, which has a beautiful selection of local art that has something for everyone. Featured artist Donna Slawsky showed off her unique works made of cut stained glass and fine china that is broken, then reassembled in a mosaic fashion for something truly unique and beautiful. Both galleries offered wine and lite bites to visitors who could not only view the art but purchase it, as everything in both galleries is available to buy.
This oil painting by Island Gallery West’s January featured artist, Darryl Goldman, was sold to a sheep farmer from England vacationing on the Island. – Jason Schaffer | Sun
“I sold this painting of sheep laying down in a pasture to a sheep farmer who was visiting the Island from England,” said Island Gallery West’s featured artist, Darryl Goldman. “She said it reminds her of the sheep laying down early in the morning on her farm.”
The next Art Walk is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 11 at the Island Shopping Center and S&S Plaza.
HOLMES BEACH – Art is alive and well in Holmes Beach. Friday, Dec. 10 marked the return of the Art Walk, and not only were the city’s two galleries open late for the event, but many of the other businesses in the area were as well.
Participating businesses include the Artists’ Guild Gallery, The Feast, Restless Natives, Sun and Surf Beach Shop, Original Sand Dollar, The Scavenger Market and Island Gallery West.
“We got ice cream, some souvenirs and saw some great local art. I’m trying to justify spending $300 on a painting of a sea turtle,” said Allison Reynolds, of Detroit. “We just want something we can put in a prominent place in our home and think of Anna Maria Island every time we see it.”
If you weren’t able to make it to this Art Walk, the next one is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14, and the second Friday of each month thereafter.
HOLMES BEACH – The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island held its grand re-opening event on Oct. 8 at their gallery, located at 5414 Marina Drive. Some of the Guild’s more than 150 member artists were on hand to celebrate the works on display and the organization.
Member artists are selling their works at the gallery. The paintings are available for $60 each and are displayed prominently in the front window.
“If it’s watercolor, they mount it to the board, but if it’s acrylic or oil they paint directly on the board,” said Sharon Tarras, president of the Artists’ Guild. “Every dollar we get for these 10×10 works goes directly to our fund. We use that to help the community. We have kids that take field trips, we donate art supplies to schools in Manatee County and a lot more. That funding comes from sales like this.”
Additional funding comes from other sales of members’ art. A percentage from each sale goes to help with the cost of running the Guild, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
The Guild’s all-volunteer membership (about 150 artists and supporters of the arts) arranges exhibits, shows, online classes and other means to further local art in the community. The art gallery, the Guild’s largest program, has 50-plus displaying artists and also features works by high school students in Manatee County. Since 1989, these artists collectively show, sell and run the nonprofit gallery and serve as ambassadors for art in the community.
The gallery is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Hand sanitizer is provided and the gallery requires all non-vaccinated visitors to wear a face mask and practice social distancing.
BRADENTON – The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island’s 11th annual juried art exhibition, “Boundaries Erased,” is on display at ArtCenter Manatee in downtown Bradenton through Friday, Feb. 7.
The exhibition opened Tuesday, Jan. 14. The opening reception and awards ceremony took place Thursday, Jan. 16.
Marianne Hiland and Wendell Graham co-chaired the exhibition that took place for the first time this year at ArtCenter Manatee. In years past, the exhibition took place at The Studio at Gulf and Pine in Anna Maria.
Guild members and non-members submitted the 60 works on display in the Kellogg Gallery, all of which are for sale. Renowned Florida artist Dean Mitchell judged the competition.
Cortez resident Susanna Spann won Best in Show and the $500 prize for her “Friday on Frenchmen Street” painting.
“I’m doing a whole series of musicians, primarily from New Orleans. I go there every year for the Jazz & Heritage Festival. This was at The Maison, one of the bars there. I take photos, come back home, rearrange and redesign them and paint with watercolor. I want to tell stories and what I want is the feeling I felt. This was a red-hot jazz band and I wanted that feeling to come out in my painting,” Spann said.
“Friday on Frenchmen Street” was previously one of 10 winners in The Artist’s Magazine’s nationwide Over 60 Art Competition.
“I’m real proud of this baby, it’s been real good for me,” Spann said.
Many Guild members are also ArtCenter Manatee members, and some dual members entered other pieces in the ArtCenter’s “Annual Member Show” currently on display in the Searle & Reid Hodges galleries.
“I’ve got another one in the other room that I also won an award for, ‘Washboard Willie at The Cat.’ I wanted the same feel – the feeling I got when I was listening and watching the musicians,” Spann said.
“Busy Day in Thailand”
Holmes Beach resident Cheryl Jorgensen’s “Busy Day in Thailand” watercolor painting won first place and a $400 prize.
Cheryl Jorgensen’s “Busy Day in Thailand” painting won first place. – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“I was in Thailand and I saw this guy with this beautiful orange outfit and decided I had to paint it,” Jorgensen said. “To me, it says no matter where you go, people are busy. That is what life is all about.”
Doreen Renner’s “Cardinal Rule” was awarded second place and Lu Ann Widergren’s “Morning View from Rod-n-Reel” was awarded third place.
Excellence in Photography
Anna Maria resident Cathy Tobias won Excellence in Photography awards for her “Great Migration” and “Flamingo Delight” photographs.
Tobias took “Great Migration” in Tanzania while watching wildebeest migrate.
Cathy Tobias won an Excellence in Photography award for her “Great Migration.” – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“It was on my bucket list of things I had to see. They stand at the riverbank and they can stand there for hours before the first one starts to cross – they’re worried about crocodiles,” Tobias said.
“It was late morning and this reddish dust was everywhere. They crossed for 30 minutes and I cried the whole time. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen and this is very close to the true color of what was going on,” Tobias said regarding the color tones in her photo.
She took “Flamingo Delight” at Jungle Gardens in Sarasota.
Cathy Tobias won an Excellence in Photography award for her “Flamingo Delight.” – Joe Hendricks | Sun
“This is a gorgeous bird. I liked the detail of the feathers, the eyes, the black tail and the shape it was in,” Tobias said, noting she cropped out the natural background.
“The background was competing with the flamingo and I thought it would stand out much better with a black background,” she said.
Change of venue
“I want to thank ArtCenter Manatee for hanging the show and for being so supportive. It’s a great venue,” Hiland said. “A number of our Guild members are not on the Island, so this is more centrally located for our membership and participants. It’s been a wonderful experience. The galleries are gorgeous.”
ArtCenter Manatee is located at 209 Ninth St. W. in Bradenton. For more information, visit the ArtCenter online.
The Artists’ Guild Gallery is in the Island Shopping Center at 5414 Marina Dr in Holmes Beach. For more information, visit the guild online.
