Marco Island's Arts Afire!

Hope you will join me at the City of Marco Island's Arts Advisory Committee's free and fun event on Sunday Afternoon.  The big band will be playing between the "walks," and Marco's arts and culture organizations will provide tableaux of some terrific works of art. 

Thanks to Gem Auto, who will help ferry those unable  to walk. Beach Dogs will provide some refreshments. The Parks and Rec staff have been terrific in helping prepare for this event. 

The Artist Colony at the Esplanade will be portraying Renoir's Luncheon of the Boating Party.  Can you guess which artist will play each part? 

I can't wait to see the Jewish Congregation depict Chihuly's Red Chandelier, or

attend the Island Player's Mad Hatter's Tea Party!

There will be something to delight everyone, topped off by the presentation of Marco Island's prestigious Flame Awards, presented to those who contribute and support the arts on Marco Island. 

Come along!  You'll be glad you did.  We'll be entertained, and have a very good time! 

What's on your palette?

Art's Afire!, the week long celebration of arts and culture on Marco Island was terrific!  It culminated in a beautiful evening of celebration and awards.  It was a busy time, a wide variety of events happening around town all week.  I believe that arts help build community through shared experiences, and last week was a great example as people who might not come together otherwise enjoyed the events. 

The Afterglow Gala was specular.  Held at the Island Country Club, doors opened to a trumpet fanfare, the ceiling glowed with paper lanterns.  World renown Everglades photographer Clyde Butcher was there, and  PT Barnum and Reese Witherspoon made brief appearances.  Several of Marco's elected officials were seen having FUN!  The food was supurb, ending with delicious, flaming baked Alaska.

The Awards all held a requirement for service to community as well as achievement, and it was with great pleasure that I handed an envelope containing the name of the winner to each presenter.  Thanks to Ken Stroud, Commissioner Donna Fiala, Keith Dameron, Sandi Johnson and Howard Blankman for presenting the beautiful glass engraved awards. 

     Tara O'Neill - Individual Artistic Achievement

     Tyler MacDonald - Emerging Artist

     Public/Private Art in Business - Dave Rice

     Arts in Education - the Calusa Garden Club

     Cultural Leadership - Clyde Butcher

Tyler is a 15 year old nature photographer, and meeting Clyde was the highlight of his evening.  It was a magical community evening filled with good will.  I'm hoping it will become a yearly event. 

After taking a break from painting for a week, I'm going back with a slightly different palette.  Pretty colors, nice change.  What's on your palette today? 

Arts Afire Ignites the Arts on Marco Island! Changing Light painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Changing Light, Jo-Ann Sanborn, 2011

acrylic on canvas, 30"x30"

Arts Afire!, Marco’s celebration of Arts and Culture, starts tomorrow, and there are so many wonderful opportunities for people to see, view, and participate in a wide range of arts and culture events over the 10 days of Arts Afire!

One event that is sure to be well attended and VERY special will be Flashpoint, a Kick-Off Party at CJ’s on the Bay held by the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce on Monday, March 14th.  In addition to the literary and performing arts delighting you, the Artist Colony at the Esplanade will provide an opportunity for your participation in the Visual arts, but that's only a small part of what will happen at Flashpoint. Flashpoint will truly light the spark of arts and culture on Marco, and will delight you.  Don't miss it! 

On Wednesday, March 16th, The Artist Colony at the Esplanade will have demonstrations by each of the Colony artists all day long.  Stop in and have the opportunity to look deeper into each artists muse.  Some will demonstrate or show you a special technique, some will talk about their own art, and some, about the art of others.  Here's our schedule"

10:00 Waterfront Gallelry and Studios, Karen Swanker - Found objects

10:30      Rightside Studios, Darren Clack

11:00     Waterfront Studios Gallery and Studios, Maggie DeMarco - Glass Painting

11:30     Portside Studios, Inez Hudson - Inspiration

12:00     Rightside studios, Tara O’Neill - Art with an Intimate Focus

12:30     Waterfront Gallelry and Studios, Tom Gallagher - Watercolor techniques

1:00     Portside Studios,  Amanda Ganong

1:30     Rightside Studios, Betty Newman - Painting on Water

2:00 Waterfront, Tony Dallman Jones Sculpting with Light - 22nd Century Art

2:30     Portside Studios, Carolyn Burger - The Diversity of Acrylics

3:00     Rightside Studios, Jo-Ann Sanborn - Everglades, Light and Love

3:30     Waterfront Gallery, Claire Keery - Collage and Assemblage as an Artform

The week will culminate in a fabulous Afterglow Gala at the Island Country Club.  Tickets can be purchased online here. 

What a week!  Here's a SMALL sampling of the weeks events:

Opera!  (Opera Naples at Lutheran Church on Sunday - costumes and scenery!)
Dance! (Spotlight Dance at the Esplanade Monday)
History! (Museum on Sunday)
Song! (Ray and Mary Ellen Friday)
Flowers! (Art in Bloom at the Art League)
Movies! (MIFA Wed and Mackle, Friday)
Art show and all day entertainment!  (Art League)
Art of Flaming Food (Bergman at St Marks Tuesday
Photography!  (Clyde Butcher Lecture Wed at Historical Society)
Mimes and more! 

This can be wonderful!  It's still growing, but you can download a copy of the latest Arts Afire! schedule of events here or pick one up in any of the studios.  I'll be taking the week off from this blog to enjoy the events.  See you out and about!   

Icebergs, almost a whine, and a recovery

Monday, pleased with myself, I delivered 23 fine paintings, a little over six months work, to Aura Fine Art Gallery in Naples.  I also washed my windows and spoke for Arts Afire at the Marco City council meeting. Today we'll host a group from the Woman's Cultural Alliance at the Artist Colony at the Esplanade.  I'll supply tea sandwiches for 40 people, homemade, of course. That's what I did yesterday, Arts Afire meeting, groceries, tea sandwiches, computer training.  Tomorrow is the opening reception of my show Corner of the Glades at Aura Gallery and I'm hoping to see you there. Saturday is a Left Bank Art Fest at the Esplanade.  My sister and her husband will come from New England for a few days.  Phew! 
The iceberg?  I need a day to chill out!

It's mid-February, only half way through Marco's busy season, and I'm looking at a real killer week in March.  Still, it's a great time with exciting stuff happening, clients stopping by, a positive and energetic time.  I'm not whining, just hoping I have the energy to keep up!

But it's the painting that drives me, and I've got plans for a nice walk in the Everglades with family.  I know it will spark some ideas that are brewing in my brain for some new work!

By the way, if you are on the island and haven't yet nominated someone for one of the coveted Arts Afire Flame awards, you can do it here.  Deadline is Feb 15.

Arts Afire on Marco Island!

I'm doing too much other than painting right now. This happens to me now and again, and with a big show coming up in February and family responsibilities increasing over the holidays, I have to make some decisions to pull back.

So, I've bowed out of a joint venture to produce labyrinth floor cloths, and will leave the Palette Parties to others in my studio. I'm most likely going to have to pass on being on the committee of the Chamber of Commerce's "Wet Paint Live." Still, I believe that the arts build community, was brought up to be service oriented, and have to put some time in making the arts grow.

The Arts Advisory Committee of the City of Marco, which for two years has been a very manageable commitment, is doing something that I just can't refuse. We're working on a new Celebration of the Arts to include fine arts, music, dance, and theater. It will a wonderful opportunity for our community to view and enjoy the arts, and will end with a celebratory dinner dance and presentation of Flame Arts Awards on March 20, 2011.

Arts Afire website will be up soon, but in the meantime you can do your part by nominating someone for one of the awards. I'll have applications in the studio, and so will the Art League of Marco and the Marco Foundation for the Arts.

You also download a copy from front page of the City of Marco's website, or here. Look for the flames, and look to your fellow citizens and see who might deserve a little recognition in the literary, visual or performing arts.

Deadline is December 31, so don't delay. Nominate someone today!