Over 80 Exhibition and Palm in the Sun, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Palm in the Sun, 2013, Jo-Ann Sanborn,

acrylic on canvas, 7"x5"

The Art Center of Marco Island held  a lovely reception last Tuesday evening for the Over 80 Exhibition.  Long-time member artists over the age of 80 were invited to show their work, and fourteen artists responded with quality work of  paintings, pottery, and sculpture.  Many of the 80's  group attended the reception, as did much of the Marco Island arts community.  Great turn-out and enthusiasm for a summer show.  

 The  work represented  a wide range of styles,  mediums and subjects.  Many of the artists had been classically trained, and some of the pieces are just breathtaking.  Among other delights,  Shirley Piercy's (84) glowing watercolors in jewel tones lit up the room, and the wide variety of mediums used by Rena Tippett (92) showed her broad talent.  Marilyn Wirth's (83) fanciful impressionist pieces were pure joy.  Gerry Brunjulson (93), Bill Mosley (84,) Marie Senechal, (84) and Edythe Newbourne (82) are long time favorites of mine.

These people are a generation of artists on Marco Island, our forefathers in the arts. I learned something from each of them along the way, as no doubtnother artists did over the last 20 years. I value their sharing.  The show is a not-to-miss island event.  It will hang till the end of the month, with the gallery open from 10-4 daily.  Don't miss it.

Music of Memory painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Music of Memory, 2012, Jo-Ann Sanborn

Acrylic on Canvas, 30"x30"

This painting sings to me.  The soft colors flow, and there's something nostalgic air about it.  A timelessness, a feeling of sweet dreams.  What's the song?

Maybe it's because the studio music has been turned to oldies, I've been thinking about music.  These days there's just as much music around, but everyone has their own play list, and listen to it plugged into their own ear.  Alone. 

As a result, our exposure to music we're not familiar with is somewhat limited.  We can't ask "who's that?" if we don't hear the song.  We don't have much "universal knowledge" about art, literature, music, or anything else anymore. 

My paintings sing about the threatened Everglades landscape.  Here's an Everglades song for you

Artists decisions, Safety in Numbers painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Safety in Numbers

20x20 Acrylic on Canvas

It's time for the artists in Southwest Florida who do outdoor shows to begin applying. Deadlines are approaching and decisions must be made. Many shows have become quite expensive, some $400 or more, with no guarantee that the public will show up and purchase. But most self-representing artists want to put themselves out there to meet with valued collectors and to get to know new customers.

Gallery artists are also having a difficult time. Many galleries are struggling during the current economy, and some have closed. Galleries are also not able to do as much as they did in the past for their artists, looking more often now to sharing reception costs and advertising.

Now there is a whole new generation of Internet artists. They gather followers and make sales without even leaving their studio. Thousands of images can be quickly a prospective collector, purchased easily, and have their choice delivered right to their home.

Now that so many schools are choosing to cut art and music programs from school budgets, will the next generation even care about original art like humans have throughout history? Will our instant gratification young people go for low priced, mass produced images over a beautiful and timeless original?

Yet many artists are doing just fine. They've built up a good reputation, taken good care of their valued collectors, and continued to build their art business even in a down economy. People still want to live with beautiful things around them and are willing to pay for quality.

Artist Outings, To the Wind daily painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

To the Wind

5x7, acrylic on canvas

$150, framed

This time of year the tropical weather outlook has been added to our local weather. The South Atlantic has been quiet so far, but weather things are beginning to heat up, and we've been hearing about hurricanes and tropical storms all week.

None seem to be threatening us at the moment, but today's daily painting is what came off my brushes despite my plans for something else. Guess I've seen enough weather forecasts that just the mention of a tropical wave makes me recall the sky, wind and water during a storm.

Tonight will be the Art League of Marco Island's reception for the Color Vibrations exhibition. Should be an interesting exhibition, and the Marco Island Chamber of Commerce After Five will be held as well. It should be a great time to see both good art and good friends.

You're invited, so come along, and if you're one of the Art League's artist members, you can pick up your prepared canvas to begin working on your piece of the painting for the Art League's 40th birthday, coming up in Novmeber. I'll do a longer post on this project later.

Island's Artist Tabletalk luncheon, a monthly artists roundtable sponsored by the Marco Island Foundation for the Arts will be held tomorrow. It's amazing how refreshing and inspiring it is to talk and share with other artists. Coming together to talk about our work and to support and encourage each other makes me really appreciative of the arts community on Marco.

Marco Island Historical Society Museum Mural, Daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Reflections

6x6, acrylic on canvas

$125

When the Marco Island Historical Society began the process of building a museum, a committee chose five artists to produce series of paintings called "Art Interprets History." One of the artists, Steven Muldoon, is a Marco resident, the rest of the artists were from surrounding Collier County. Artists Paul Arsenault, Jonathan Green, Robert Gruppe, Rachael Kennedy, and Steven Muldoon were invited to participate, and the paintings created helped with fundraising and to bring attention to the project.

Now the Museum is becoming a reality, and two artists, Jonathan Green and Paul Arsenault, are vying for the honor of creating the largest mural in Southwest Florida for the museum, based on two paintings done for the above series. You can seen the paintings at Marco’s M&I Bank from July 24 to Aug. 14 and in the M&I Bank in Naples from Aug. 17 to Sept. 2.

The Marco Eagle is also taking part, and will have images of the two paintings available for viewing in their lobby. You can also vote online, here, which is a great choice if you're off-island for the summer. The results of the voting will be announced September 7th.

Hurricane Cut, I've got the Blues, daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Glades Watchers

12x16, acrylic on canvas

Sold

I've got the Blues is another painting in my elongated palm series. I'm still investigating both color and composition as the the series continues. Although I love the drama of the tall palms, it's prompted when I see the severe cutting inflicted on palm trees as some people continue the practice of give the palms their annual hurricane cut.

Deep in the Everglades, the hurricanes trim the palms. When done on purpose, the hurricane cut is quite detrimental to the health and the life of any palm. The hurricane cut removes all the fronds, dead and alive, up to a 45-degree angle. This reduces the ability of the tree to support it's critical functions of growth, storage, and defense.

This harmful practice has been documented to increase, not decrease, damage in a hurricane. Here you can see pictures of the damage it can cause, and here learn the right way to prune your palms! A hurricane cut is never appropriate, and some communities are now banning the practice!

Our monthly Tabletalk art luncheon was held yesterday. Our only rule is that the subject must be art, and we take turns telling about our month's work, discussion art matters, and enjoy a show-and-tell or critique. So far, been a women's group. Yesterday, for the first time a male artist attended! Shocking, but why not? It didn't seem any different since we were all talking art. Will he come back next month? Bring friends? A gender neutral round table about art? Wow.

Artists Tabletalk, Family Outing painting by Everglades artist JoAnn Sanborn

Family Outing

16x12

The MIFA sponsored Artist Tabletalk luncheon that I host is today, the third Thursday of each month. What started out to be a small group of professional artists has grown into a great support group for artists here on Marco. We've decided that we'd accommodate all serious artists who wanted to come, even new artists, at long as they were serious about their art, were actively painting, and wanted to get to know other Marco artists. Right now there's almost 20 people on the list, but only 12 seem to make any one meeting.

Our goal is to carry on one conversation, since we all want to hear what everyone has to say. We go around the table taking turns telling about our art month--successes, disappointments, experiments, new ideas, discovered materials. Sometimes someone comes with an art question or art issue that sparks lively discussion.

We also have a time for show and tell--where we can discuss how a painting developed, why we went in a certain direction, and get some help when we know things aren't quite right, or just want affirmation that they are. I'll bring the above painting to see what the reaction is.

Other artists have told me that they go home energized, renewed, and full of new enthusiasm. Me, too. Thanks, art friends! See you at lunch.

Selling Art in the Slump, Whisper on the Wind daily painting by Everglades artist Jo-Ann Sanborn

Whisper on the Wind

5x7, $150>

Today's Everglades painting is of a clump of palms that has become quite familiar to me. I've pushed their surroundings back a little to focus on the group. Yesterday a cold front came through, and the skies darkened as the wind picked up. To me they look like they have their heads together, trying to hear what the wind might be telling!

Selling art in the slump is not easy for artists, and we're lucky to have the help of people like Alyson Stanfield, an art marketing coach who gives back by giving away a free Art Marketing Salon. Eight Marco Island artists have taken on this challenge, and business reporter Quentin Roux of the Marco Eagle, our local newspaper wrote an article about the Salon. It was easy to submit the article because Alyson included a sample article and all we had to do was fill in some of the local information. He took the information and we're delighted with the publicity.

But more important was that it began a dialogue between our local newspaper's business reporter and the artists. He told me he liked hanging out with artists. I told him that I thought the business of art was important to the economy of an area. If he liked Marco artists, he should attend the Blue Mangrove Gallery's reception for artist Tara O'Neill. There just might be some artists there! The Blue Mangrove is a wonderful Marco art-business success story, and Tara paints a story of village life. This particular exhibit is all about beach umbrellas, and each painting has a story to tell. Our reporter may have been going anyway, but it was nice to see him there, taking pictures and talking with people about the art. Stop in and see the exhibit and think of the Blue Mangrove when you need a gift or a treat.

Other artists have expressed interest in the Art Marketing Salon, and Marco Center for the Arts will host a brown bag lunch at noon on January 22 to discuss art marketing. We'll discuss what you'd like available. It may result in another Salon, so save the date and come along at noon if you're interested.

Salon De Garage

Salon de Garage was a lot of fun on Saturday. Clients who wanted a special piece or a bargain came early. Thanks to you all, with special thanks to the Tribilcocks who picked up four pieces for home-building children. Lucky kids! Each artist got about 10" of space floor to ceiling, and you can see Joan Dunkle's gorgeous work off to the right in the first picture. At the end of the day I traded paintings with Joann Lizio O'Brien for an early piece of hers that will fit nicely into the plans I have for our bedroom, and picked up a great little beaded, mosaic "Joy" from emerging artist Angela Brown. Angela's work centers on nature and the fairy realm, and she's also a healer. You can see more of her work and learn more about her art here. Many of the paintings you see in today's pictures have found homes, but I still have a few pieces available for adoption. I'll keep the sale opened until Wednesday.