My website is finally done and about to go live!

I have some important news to share.

I've been working with my IT company and content provider for several months now to launch a new website. Work has been just about completed, and we expect to launch it either tomorrow or Monday, at the very latest! Hooray! It has been a long and grueling task - one that has given me fits because I believe that a serious artist should have a up-to-date, representative website that showcases not only her work, but her process and creative philosophy, as well.

The website will include a blog, and once it goes live, the content you've been enjoying here will be migrated to the new blog and website. And that's where I will continue to share my everyday art adventure. There are some exciting developments coming up in the weeks to follow, not the least of which is my annual spring trip to Europe to paint in Claude Monet's gardens in Giverny.

So if you've been wondering why I haven't had a website over the past several months, now you know, and your wait is almost over. Check back here and on Facebook for the details. I promise, there are many good things to come!

One of my paintings to be auctioned off at Canterbury's 2017 'Paint the Town' extravaganza

Canterbury School is hosting its  2017 Paint the Town extravaganza on Saturday, April 1. Presented by FineMark National Bank & Trust, the event features dinner, dancing, a philanthropy spotlight presentation, and a live and silent auction. Music is being provided by Alter Ego.

 

I did a painting for Canterbury last November that will be included in the auction. It’s titled Arts Crawl, a mixed media painting on Lucite panel that measure 34 by 36 inches.

The event begins at 6:00 p.m. and takes place in the Murphy Sports Center, 8141 College Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33919. Tickets are available at www.canterburyfortmyers.org/extravaganza.

Canterbury’s history is rich in leadership and vision by those who have come before as donors, visionaries and volunteers. Together they have set the course for what Canterbury is today, a well-respected educational institution producing students who are prepared for success in college and beyond. And that’s one of the reasons I support their efforts.

For nearly five decades, Canterbury School has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to academic excellence, preparing students to excel in the world. From its first faculty member in 1964, Canterbury’s outstanding faculty has nurtured the individual potential in each student. They challenge, support and recognize the individual learning journey of a diverse student body.

Today’s mission of academic excellence, leadership, character and service are evident by the contributions of over 1000 Canterbury alumni all over the world.

Let me tell you a little about fellow Congressional Art Comtest judge Christie Marcoplos

Yesterday I told you about Mercedes Price, who is one of the artists who will be judging the 19th Congressional District's Artistic Discovery Contest with me. The other judge is Christie Marcoplos. 

Christie owns and operates Blue Mangrove Gallery. An entrepreneur by passion, Christie thrives on finding beautifully created fine art and crafts. She believes one should surround themselves with things you love. That not only makes you happy, it enables you to support someone who works hard at the craft they enjoy.

 

“To succeed, you need to have a vision combined with determination,” proclaims Christie. “You have to give it your all. It is your passion that kicks in when needed.”

Christie’s unique shop features traditional, functional and whimsical gift items such as jewelry, glass, pottery, furniture accent pieces, art and photography, note cards, books (particularly those of local interest), handbags, accessories, and children’s books and toys. Blue Mangrove Gallery is located in Suite 417 of Marco Town Center, which is located at 1089 N. Collier Blvd, Marco Island, FL 34145.

Let me tell you about Mercedes Price, who will be judging the District 19 art competition with me

One of the artists who will be judging the 19th Congressional District's Artistic Discovery Contest with me is Mercedes Price. If you're not familiar with Mercedes, she owns and operates Vino’s Picasso, which takes people with no previous artistic experience or aptitude on a convivial adventure during which they combine a glass or two of wine, some paint and a canvas to make a masterpiece they’ll treasure for years to come. Although she’s one of the least pretentious people you’ll ever encounter, she actually pays homage every day to Captiva’s favorite son, Robert Rauschenberg, who once said, “If I do my job correctly, we won’t need artists anymore.”

It’s not that Mercedes disdains artists and what we do each day. To the contrary, she’s always loved painting and the process of creating art. But like Rauschenberg, Mercedes believes we all have an inner artist just begging to be released. It’s just that most of us labor under these preconceptions and inhibitions that artists are in some way imbued by the Creator or the universe with talents the rest of us simply don’t enjoy. To get around these misconceptions, she combines a wee bit of alcohol with a large measure of sociability to create a fun, relaxed, energetic vibe. Then she and her team serve as guides, showing participants that everyone and anyone can create art – their art. There’s no right or wrong. No good or bad.

Which brings us back to Rauschenberg’s raison d’etre as an artist, an educator and a person. Rauschenberg’s gift was his characteristic proclivity to see the world in a fresh and unconventional way and communicate to viewers around the world that people can make art from anything in any way the mind can imagine. Prior to Rauschenberg, brushes and oils were the stuff from which artworks were made.

 

Since Rauschenberg, debris, detritus, cardboard boxes, dirt and even nose oil can be molded into an artwork. With that realization comes the inevitable conclusion that anyone can offer new ways of seeing and interacting with the world around us – not just artists like a Manet, a van Gogh or even a Bob Rauschenberg.

 

Mercedes did not start out in art. She actually had a career in the medical field for more than eight years. But then she took a trip to South Carolina to visit her sister. During that visit, she experienced something similar to Vino’s Picasso and knew what she was destined to do. So she took her savings, opened a studio and launched Vino’s Picasso – well before the current paint and wine craze. “Our goal is for people to relax, enjoy themselves and create,” Mercedes says. “We’re not about fine art, but fun art.”

The logistics are simple: visit Vino’s Picasso website, choose a piece of art from the calendar, reserve your spot and show up with your beer or wine. “All you need to do is bring an ID and an open mind because this non-traditional type of studio provides a place of inspiration for patrons. We supply the paint (acrylic), palette, brushes, canvas, apron and even corkscrews for you to open your bottles. We set it all up and clean it all up too!”

You can also choose your location. I’m a little biased in that regard. I can’t think of a better place to embrace your inner artist than at Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens. Mercedes and her team hold painting sessions here several times a week. But season ends with Easter, so you only have about thirty more chances this season to experience Vino’s Picasso for yourself. Just go online to pick the day and subject that interests you most. And when you do come out, you’ll discover just what I, Bob Rauschenberg and Mercedes already know. We’re all artists at heart. It’s a matter of attitude, not aptitude!

Why you or your high schooler should enter the Congressional Art Contest

In my last post, I mentioned that I will be one of three judges participating at the invitation of Congressman Francis J. Rooney in this year's art competition for high school students in Florida's 19th Congressional District. If you are a high school student - or know someone who is - I can't urge you strongly enough to enter the contest.

 

The competition is actually part of a national competition known as the Artistic Discovery Contest. It's sponsored each Spring by members of the United States House of Representatives and it affords 9th through 12th graders to share their artistic talent and vision with both their local communities and the nation at large.

Congressman Rooney is proud to come from a Congressional District where the arts flourish and creativity abounds, and he's mindful of the contributions that the Lee County Alliance for the Arts, the Centers for the Arts Bonita Springs, the Naples Art Association and even outdoor art fairs and festivals such as the Estero Fine Art Show make to develop young artists through classes, workshops and art shows.

 

 The Congressman is eager to showcase the talent of our local youth and, toward that end, encourages 9^th through 12^th grade students living in Florida’s 19^th Congressional District to enter the contest. It’s as easy as delivering a framed piece of their art to Mr. Rooney’s office in either Cape Coral or Naples by 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 10, 2017.

Artworks entered in the contest may be up to 28” x 28” x 4”, measured from the outside of the frame. The art work may be

• Paintings - including oil, acrylics, and watercolor
• Drawings - including pastels, colored pencil, pencil, charcoal, ink, and markers
• Collage
• Prints - including lithographs, silkscreen, and block prints
• Mixed Media
• Computer Generated Art
• Photography

All entries must be original in concept, design and execution. Entries must also be accompanied by two copies of a from entrants can obtain at https://francisrooney.house.gov/constituent-services/arts-competition.htm.

 

There is no fee to enter the contest.

Each student’s work will be hung for display and judging in Room J-117/118 in the Rush Library on the Lee campus of Florida SouthWestern State College, 8099 College Parkway, Fort Myers, FL 33919. All entrants will receive a certificate of achievement. The second and third place artwork will be displayed in Congressman Rooney’s district offices. The winning artwork will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol along with award-winning artwork from across the nation. Southwest Airlines will present the first-place winner and one family member with two roundtrip airline tickets to Washington, D.D. to attend the National Exhibit and Reception. 

The Congressional Art Competition began in 1982 to provide an opportunity for members of Congress to encourage and recognize the artistic talents of their young constituents. Since then, over 650,000 high school students have been involved with the nationwide competition.

Please telephone 239-599-6033 for more information.

I'm judging the Congressional Art Competition

Each year, Florida’s 19^th Congressional District holds an art competition for 9th through 12th grade students. The event gives every high school student who attends school in the district the opportunity to share with the community their artistic talents in the areas of drawings (colored pencil, pencil, ink, marker, pastels and charcoal), collage, prints (including lithographs, silkscreen and  block prints), mixed media (the use of more than two mediums such as pencil, ink, watercolor etc.) and photography.

 

And I have been named as one of the three jurors who will judge the competition!

A reception will be held Tuesday, April 12 from 2:00 - 3:30 p.m. at Florida Gulf Coast University’s Cohen Center, which is located 10501 FGCU Blvd. N, Suite 12, Fort Myers, FL 33956. All entrants will receive a certificate of achievement, and the winning artwork will be displayed for one year at the U.S. Capitol along with other award-winning artworks from across the nation.

 

The second and third place artworks will be displayed in Congressman Francis Rooney’s district offices.

If you or your high schooler would like to enter the competition, please visit: www.house.gov/content/educate/art_competitionfrancisrooney.house.gov/constituent-services/arts-competition.htm

 

H

On Monday, I had the pleasure of sharing ideas about making life a work of art with more than 75 students at Florida SouthWestern State College. In fact, my remarks were broadcast live to an equal number of students at FSW’s Charlotte, Hendry/Glades and Collier campuses. And one of the messages I wanted to convey was that each of us has the responsibility to create our own reality and the power to change the world. And so I shared with them a message from Apple Computers that I read while travelling on a plane. Here it is:

• Here's to the crazy ones.
• The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers.
• The round pegs in the square holes.
• The ones who see things differently.
• They're not fond of rules.
• And they have no respect for the status quo.
• You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them.
• About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.
• Because they change things.
• They push the human race forward.
• And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius.
• Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.

 

This actually goes back to an ad that Apple ran in 1997! The man behind that ad was Ken Segall, the guy who named the iMac and wrote “Think Different.” Here’s what he said was behind the ad:

“The ability to think creatively is one of the great catalysts of civilization. So the logic seemed natural: why not show what kind of company Apple is by celebrating the people Apple admires? Let's acknowledge the most remarkable people — past and present — who change things’ and ‘push the human race forward.’"

 

And so I challenged the students at FSW Monday night to approach life with creativity. To think out of the box about who they are, what they’re doing and how to market themselves and the art and products they eventually make to the world.

That’s been my approach.

I hope you’ll make it yours.