Rules of Engagement, One Quiet Palm, daily painting by Everglades Artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

One Quiet Palm, Jo-Ann Sanborn

acrylic on board, 5x7

One of the joys of having a public studio in the Esplanade on Marco Island, FL is the ability to engage with other artists and art collectors.  The Esplanade is a gathering place, with three restaurants, a Starbucks, Ice Cream, and several other shops and artist studios.  People sit and drink their morning coffee on benches in the shade of the palm trees and enjoy the sound of the fountain.  They take their morning walk along the quay by the boats.  By lunchtime people meet and greet for lunch at the popular CJ’s on the Bay, and later in the day people begin arriving to watch the sun go down behind the Star Bar. 

It’s a great place for artist studios.  Locals, Floridians, and visitors from all over the world wander in and out of the Artist Colony at the Esplanade.  Some are art collectors, some are artists, some are looking for a handmade souvenir,  some want a painting for their home.  Some people are just looking for something to do beyond the beach. 

No matter which category you fall into, when YOU walk into an artist’s studio or gallery, how do you feel?  Do you engage with the art?

• Are you afraid to speak, afraid of the hard sell?
• Do you look at each painting and consider how it makes you feel?
• Do you stand back with your hands behind your back impersonally hoping no one will speak to you?
• Do you look at a piece and wonder how or why the artist was drawn to the subject?
• Do you walk through fast, judging quickly or do you take the time to consider each artist's work or a special piece?
• If you don’t like the art at all, do you think you must be polite anyway?
• Do you know what draws you in, and why? 

No matter how you approach the art, don't be afraid to engage with either the art or the artist.  YOU, and your consideration of our work are the second half of our fulfillment.  Creating the art itself is the first.