The adventure continues

It’s been a little more than nine months since Leoma has created a post here. But don’t be fooled. Her art adventure has continued every day. You see, for Leoma Lovegrove, art is life. She paints every day, creating evocative, colorful, Impressionist artworks that are influenced by the environment that surrounds her.

There’s no telling where Leoma will turn up. You might find her on the shores of Lake Superior, building “Beach Boys” out of hunks of driftwood. Twice a year, you’d have to fly to France, because she teaches painting in Claude Monet’s gardens in quaint, historic Giverny. If you’re standing on the banks of the Seine, you might even catch a glimpse of the flamboyant American daubing oils on easeled canvasses aboard a reproduction of Claude Monet’s floating studio as the Father of Impressionism once did more than a century ago. Locally and abroad, Leoma’s been known to hide pieces of her art in general view to be found and forever treasured by passers-by as part of her ongoing “random acts of art” program.

On select occasions, Leoma paints “out loud” – in live performances set to music during special events that support local churches and charities in Southwest Florida and across the state. And when she’s home in her beloved Matlacha, you’ll find her either painting in her studio, chatting with patrons in her gallery or centering herself in her sprawling botanical garden that looks out on picturesque Matlacha Pass.

As you might expect, people around the globe have taken notice of the artworks spilling daily from her Matlacha atelier.

Among those with Lovegroves in their collections are Presidents George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter, Sir Richard Branson (whose portrait was commissioned by Virgin Airlines for its London headquarters), actress Sharon Stone and actor Jesse Metcalf. Both the City of Fort Myers and Florida Gulf Coast University proudly include her art in their portable works collections, and her immense narrative mural titled The Catch of Matlacha Island welcomes visitors to the "New Key West" as they cross the bridge from the mainland for a look at the artist community on the water that has everyone talking. 
 

Recognizing the merits and popularity of her work, Bealls Department Store partnered with Leoma in 2013 to create a designer line of merchandise. Today, casual clothing, sportswear, luggage and home goods bearing Leoma's distinctive images are sold in all of Bealls' Florida outlets, as well as online. Not only has this increased the demand for her original works of art, it's lured scores to Southwest Florida for a visit to Lovegrove Gallery & Gardens.

The adventure continues in January, when the prestigious Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in the downtown Fort Myers River District will exhibit a retrospective of the work Leoma has created over the years. Titled Palettes: Past Present and Pursuits, this groundbreaking solo show will feature an exciting array of work from each of the major series that has denoted Leoma’s illustrious career.

In anticipation of this groundbreaking exhibition, Leoma, I and a number of guest authors will tell you more about Leoma’s life work, artistic philosophy and what you can expect to see in January. As you will quickly discover when you check back for subsequent posts, Rod Stewart had Leoma in mind when he sang, “Every picture tells a story, don’t it?” Yes, Rod. Every picture rendered by Leoma tells a unique story. Expect to be surprised, astonished and sometimes overwhelmed.

#LeomaLovegrove’severydayartadventure.