Skip to main content

Tag: featured artist

New Guild artist brings the color

New Guild artist brings the color

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

HOLMES BEACH – There’s a new displaying artist at the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island and she’s all about color.

Mixed-media artist Wendy Butcher grew up in upstate New York before spending seven years in Scottsdale, Arizona and finally settling in Sarasota. A self-professed lover of art since age 9, she said she enjoys exploring different creative directions and mediums.

“I use a lot of different mediums – watercolor, acrylic, pastels – and I love photography,” Butcher said. “Nature is always what I draw pictures of and I also love doing portraits. I’m definitely not afraid to try different things.”

She says in addition to wanting to move to the Gulf coast for the sunshine and beauty of the area, she was looking for a place that has a significant presence in the art community.

“It seemed like there wasn’t a strong local art community in Phoenix; it was very narrow compared to here,” Butcher said. “It seems like everybody comes together here. This is why I’m excited about working with the gallery. I want to help promote the artists and elevate them more. I just want to do what I can to help the art community on Anna Maria Island.”

In addition to her work as an artist, Butcher does graphic design and is currently revamping the gallery’s website. Her colorful artwork is on display and available for purchase at the Guild Gallery, 5414 Marina Drive, and at her online store.

The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. For more information, visit the Guild Gallery online.

IGW Featured Artist brings out the color in nature

IGW Featured Artist brings out the color in nature

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

HOLMES BEACH – Each month the front window display at Island Gallery West focuses on the work of their featured artist, and July showcases the colorful pastel work of Terri Westbrook.

A painter whose work leans toward impressionism, Westbrook brings nature forth in a way that captures the eye with color.

“I paint from photographs I have either taken myself in my travels or from photographs friends have provided,” Westbrook said. “I started painting pretty late in life, around 2014. I started with oils and loved it, but they began to bother me. I was allergic to oils, so I switched to pastels and have been using them ever since.”

Westbrook switched to pastels five years ago in 2017 and says she likes using an impressionistic loose style with lots of color. Her love of painting landscapes and waterscapes led her to name her company Serene Scapes.

A unique feature of Westbrook’s work is the stories she writes about each piece of art. She says many people find the stories as interesting as the art. Visit her personal website to see her art with the accompanying stories.

IGW Featured Artist brings out the color in nature
The work of Terri Westbrook is on display at Island Gallery West in Holmes Beach. – Jason Schaffer | Sun

Westbrook will be in the gallery on Saturday, July 23 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to chat and answer questions about her work, on display through July 31. All of the artworks are available for purchase at the gallery, located at 5368 Gulf Drive. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Visit the gallery online or call 941-778-6648 for updates about the art and the 30 member artists of the gallery.

“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’s new featured artist inspired by wildlife

Island Gallery West’s featured artist inspired by wildlife

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

HOLMES BEACH – Island Gallery West recently announced the artist of the month for November, and it’s not difficult to see what inspires Jody Goldman.

A retired flight attendant, Goldman was fortunate to get to travel the world and used her free time to observe the wildlife wherever she found herself. 

“The opportunity to travel and see the abundance of wildlife in such diverse nature settings in the countries I visited was the primary influence of my painting,” Goldman said. “It was then that I realized I wanted to concentrate my focus on being a wildlife artist.” 

The former Miami resident is now retired and lives on the Gulf coast of Florida, and for good reason. Goldman says she is inspired by the many birds in the area. In addition to Florida birds and wildlife, she also likes to paint the animals she observed on multiple trips to Africa. Her display at the gallery, titled “Walk on the Wild Side,” features African animals alongside local birds and marine life. In addition to painting with oil, she also works with colored pencils.

“I only want to paint wildlife, and that’s all I paint. I’m super realistic, I don’t do any abstract or impressionist,” Goldman said. “I paint animals from all over; buffalo from Wyoming, chickens from my family’s garden in Iowa and anything I observe in my travels.” 

Island Gallery West’s new featured artist inspired by wildlife BY JASON SCHAFFER
Island Gallery West’s November featured artist exhibit, ‘Walk on the Wild Side.’ – Jason Schaffer

Goldman may be retired, but she works on her art five to six hours a day, six days a week and has no plans on slowing down anytime soon. Art is her passion, and it shows in the quality of her work. She also loves to paint and draw dogs; in fact, she is happy to do a commission piece for your dog or dogs. Stop by Island Gallery West for plenty of examples of her work, and if you would like to order a commissioned work of art, you can view examples and place an order. For more information, email artistjodygoldman@gmail.com.

Each month, Island Gallery West chooses one of its 28 member artists to be the featured artist of the month. The artist chosen has a large display of their work in the front of the gallery for the entirety of the month they are featured, in addition to their permanent display in the gallery. All of the artist’s work is available for purchase.