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Tag: Holmes Beach Night Market

Artists’ Guild March featured artist all about oil

Artists’ Guild March featured artist all about oil

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

The March 8 Holmes Beach Night Market featured extended shopping hours in Holmes Beach, and lots of art.

HOMES BEACH – March 8 was the second Friday of the month, and the Holmes Beach Night Market packed the sidewalks with shoppers, diners and art lovers. This monthly event, allows shoppers in Holmes Beach to enjoy extended shopping hours at area businesses, and is a chance for the Artists’ Guild Gallery of Anna Maria Island (AGAMI) to show what the have to offer, including the monthly Featured Artist from the gallery.

Only 20 years since she began painting in 2004, AGAMI’s March Featured Artist, Carolann Garafola, would have even the most astute art critic believing she’s been doing it her whole life. A lifelong photographer, Garafola says it was a revelation by her husband that kicked off her interest in painting.

“I started painting in 2004 because my husband was a professional artist. He made a very good living as an illustrator and portrait artist,” Garafola said. “We traveled all across the United States and all over Europe. I would do all of his photography. I told him I would love to learn how to paint, and he told me that if a person has a good eye for photography, they can learn how to paint.”

Garafola started working with acrylics and some watercolor, but in 2019 she made the switch to oil as her media of choice. Many of her oil paintings are on display at AGAMI and available for purchase. She brings Florida’s many diverse animals, plants and bodies of water to life in stunning color. It was also 2019 when she retired from a busy career which included many years of public service, including being Mayor of Warren Township NJ, and started painting full time. While some artists prefer to paint plein air, which means they paint outside in front of the subject they are painting, Garafola says she is lucky enough to have a large studio at her home, and that’s where she does the bulk of her work, using her own photographs from which to paint. As an avid cyclist, she also finds inspiration from scenes she takes in during her rides.

In addition to Granola’s work, the gallery had artists demonstrations on the sidewalk in front of the gallery, live music from Larry Wilhelm, wine and snacks.

Other Holmes Beach businesses also took part, including: Pizzano’s Pizza and Grinders, DCoy Ducks, Small Town Creamery, howluckyami, Irene’s Clothing Store, Sand Dollar, The Feast, Hurricane Hank’s, Freckled Fin and The Doctor’s Office. It was a great evening for both art lovers and anyone looking for something unique they may only find on Anna Maria Island. 

The next Holmes Beach Night Market will take place Friday, April 12 from 5 to 7:30 p.m. or later.

 

Artists’ Guild February featured artist shines with pastels

Artists’ Guild February featured artist shines with pastels

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

HOMES BEACH – On Feb. 9, the second Friday of the month, a flurry of activity surrounded the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island (AGAMI) gallery. The monthly event, formerly known as the Holmes Beach Art Walk, allows shoppers in Holmes Beach to enjoy extended shopping hours at area businesses and is a chance for AGAMI to show what its artists have to offer, including the monthly featured artist.

Barbara Truemper-Green was born and raised in Germany, where she studied architectural interiors and interior design. After coming to the U.S., she worked as a commercial space planner and project manager. When she retired to Anna Maria Island, the environment inspired her passion for painting in soft pastels. The changing colors and moods in nature provide her inspiration and creativity. Her work is represented by the Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island and Cove Gallery and Boutique. Her feature display in the front window of the former will be on display and available for purchase through the end of the month.

In addition to Truemper-Green’s work, the gallery had artist demonstrations on the sidewalk in front of the gallery, live music from Larry Wilhelm, wine and snacks, People’s Choice Awards and an Artist Paint-A-Round, where artists collaborate on one painting. That painting is then raffled off at the conclusion of the event.

Other Holmes Beach businesses also took part, including Pizzano’s Pizza and Grinders, D Coy Ducks, Small Town Creamery, howluckyami, Irene’s Clothing Store, Sand Dollar, The Feast, Hurricane Hank’s, Freckled Fin and The Doctor’s Office. It was a treat for both art lovers and anyone looking for something unique they may only find on Anna Maria Island.

The next Holmes Beach Night Market will take place on Friday, March 8 from 5-7:30 p.m. or later.

Holmes Beach Night Market a shopper’s delight

Holmes Beach Night Market a shopper’s delight

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

HOLMES BEACH – It was difficult to find a parking space and sidewalks were packed at the Jan. 12 Night Market. The event is a partnership between the City of Holmes Beach, Bradenton Area Arts and Culture, The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island (AGAMI) and many other area businesses. The event was formally called the Art Walk, but the departure of Island Gallery West left only AGAMI in Holmes Beach.

The monthly event, held the second Friday of the month, is meant to stimulate business for Holmes Beach merchants by extending hours later into the evening and allowing them to showcase what they have to offer with sidewalk sales, live music and product demonstrations.

The Artists’ Guild of Anna Maria Island had artists demonstrations on the sidewalk in front of the gallery, live music from Larry Wilhelm, wine and snacks, People’s Choice Awards and an Artist Paint-A-Round, where artists collaborate on one painting. That painting was then raffled off after the event.

The AGAMI Featured Artist for January, Karen Eddy, was also on hand to talk to visitors about her featured front window display, titled Sky Wonders. Since moving to Florida five years ago, Eddy has been inspired by the colors found in the coastal sky and how those colors are reflected on the ample bodies of water that can be found just about everywhere. As a lifelong Southerner, she has paintings displayed in the gallery featuring low-country South Carolina and Georgia, in addition to her current home state of Florida. While all her works are unique, most do have one thing in common – colorful skies reflecting their beauty on a body of water.

“I was living in Arizona, and decided to move back here because I missed water,” Eddy said. “I’ve been fascinated by the clouds and the atmosphere and the sunlight. When I get up every day, it’s like a different painting.”

Eddy’s window display will run through Jan. 31 and all her works are available for purchase.

Although AGAMI spearheads the event, plenty of other Holmes Beach businesses took part, including Pizzano’s Pizza and Grinders, DCoy Ducks, Small Town Creamery, howluckyami, Irene’s Clothing Store, Sand Dollar, The Feast, Hurricane Hank’s, Freckled Fin and The Doctor’s Office. It was a treat for both art lovers and anyone looking for something unique they may only find on Anna Maria Island.

The next Holmes Beach Night Market will take place Friday, Feb. 9 from 5-7:30 p.m. or later.