Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze - Part 4

Studio Earth Art by Artist M. Gene Albritton.

I am having a fun time doing this series of arts festival blog posts. There were so many fun, wonderful, awesome artists at the Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts last weekend. Most of those same artists will be at the arts and crafts festival in Fairhope, Alabama starting tomorrow through the weekend.

Fairhope 61st Annual Arts and Crafts Festival - March 15th thru 17th

Artist M. Gene Albritton and some of his Studio Earth Art.

One of those is North Carolina Artist Marshall Gene Albritton and his Studio Earth Art. Gene says he does all his paintings using natural pigments which he mixes himself. His art is all in luscious earth tones and most are framed with handmade rustic frames. Gene describes his art as "Adventures with Hue."

You can see more of Marshall Gene Albritton's art on his website at: Studio Earth Art

Gene can be reach via email at: genealbritton@yahoo.com

 



Folk Artist Morris E. "Mojo" Johnson.

One of the fun artists at the arts festival in Gulf Breeze was Florida Folk Artist Morris E. Johnson. "Mojo" does brightly colored wood art and beach paintings. His is the kind of art that will make you smile.

"Mojo" lives in St. Petersburg, Florida where he draws his inspiration from all the beautiful birds, sea life and beach scenes on the beautiful Gulf Coast.






Folk Art by Florida Artist Morris "Mojo" Johnson.

"Mojo" doesn't have a website, but you can contact him via email at: mojofolkart@hotmail.com

You'll also be able to find him at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival in addition to other Florida arts and crafts festivals.







One-of-a-Kind Gourd Art by Florida Artist Bonnie Eastwood.

I'll end today's post with the beautiful one-of-a-kind Gourd Art by Florida Artist Bonnie Eastwood. Bonnie lives in Hudson, Florida and teaches classes in Gourd Art.

Bonnie Eastwood can be reached via email at: purplehatsbonnie@yahoo.com

I've enjoyed putting together this series of arts festival posts. So many wonderful artists. Please be sure to check out my three previous posts and the final arts festival post tomorrow.

A special thanks to the artists for agreeing to be included in this post.

Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze - Part 3

Paintings by Artist Brandy Villella.

I had a wonderful time at the Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze last Sunday. I loved the wide variety of art and it was great getting to meet the artists too. That's why I decided to do a series of arts blog posts all week long. I knew the rest of the world needed to meet these artists and their work.

This is Part 3 of my series, so please be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 too. All of these artists participated in Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts. You can check out the link for upcoming arts festivals in Gulf Breeze.

Most, if not all, of these artists will be at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend. See the link below for additional information.

Fairhope, Alabama - Eastern Shore 61st Annual Arts and Crafts Festival - March 15th thru 17th




More paintings by Artist Brandy Villella.

Artist Brandy Villella paints in oil and acrylics. I instantly fell in love with Brandy's unique style, as you'll see in these two photos. I asked Brandy if she wanted to be in the photos with her paintings, but she didn't want to show off her pregnant figure. Trust me, she looked great.

You can see more of Brandy's art, and a photo of Brandy, on her website at: Brandy Villella - Canvas Catastrophe

Brandy can be reached via email at: brandy.villella@gmail.com

Artist Marion Pacsuta with one of her oils.

I have to say I loved Artist Marian Pacsuta's original oil paintings too. Her oils of dancers, chefs and beach scenes are simply awesome. I could have admired her paintings for hours. I also enjoyed meeting and talking with Marian. She's so very nice.

You can see more of Marian's art on her website at: Pacsuta

Marian can also be reached via email at: marionroseart@gmail.com

Artist Marion Pacsuta with one of her chef paintings.

I'm pretty sure Marian said she'll be at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend. If you want to get one of Marion's gorgeous oil paintings then I suggest you get to the the festival early.





A Mermaid by Linda Devins.



Florida Artist Linda Devins is one I've admired for a long time. You see, she creates these awesome one-of-a-kind Art Dolls. Not the kind little girls play with, but dolls for us grown-up girls to collect and display in a place of honor.

I've heard from others that if you start buying Linda Devins' Art Dolls, you'll have to keep buying more. Linda was kind enough to let me take a couple photos of her Art Dolls and include them in this post.

Linda names all of her Art Dolls, but I'm sorry to say that I forgot to write down the names of the ones in these photos.

Art Dolls designed by Florida Artist Linda Devins.

Linda's unique Art Dolls, as well as her paintings and jewelry, can be seen at the Pensacola art gallery listed below.

Quayside Gallery - Pensacola, Florida

Linda can be reached via email at: lindadevins@cox.net

Florida Artist Tom Grow.

Pensacola Beach Artists Tom and Frances Grow create the most wonderful, whimsical pottery cats you've ever seen. That's not their only art, but the cats are what caught my eye. They refer to their creations as "Four Elements Art: Using Earth, Air, Fire, Water, and Electromagnetic Energy to Create Art." All I can say is, I love it!

You can see more of Tom and Frances Grow's "energized" art on their website at: Four Elements Art





Pottery Cats by Artists Tom and Frances Grow.

Tom and Frances specialize in Raku and Stoneware Pottery. Believe me, their pottery cats and other critters are the kind that will make you smile.

There were so many wonderful, awesome artists at Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts that I'm inspired to do blog posts about them all week long. So be sure to check out my two previous posts, Part 1 and Part 2, plus the rest of this week's posts.

A special thanks to the artists for agreeing to be included in this post.

Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze - Part 2

Paintings by Outsider Artist Doug Odom.

I absolutely love arts festivals, so the one in Gulf Breeze last weekend was a must-see. The art was so awesome I just had to share some of it with you.

I happen to love feel-good-art, so Alabama Artist Doug Odom's Outsider Art is just what the doctor ordered. Doug's brightly colored paintings can't help but make the grumpiest person smile.

Doug doesn't have a website or a computer, so you'll just have to haunt the local arts festivals to see his work.

Outsider Artist Doug Odom and some of his Outsider Art.

The next big arts festival is in Fairhope, Alabama this upcoming Friday, Saturday and Sunday. See the link below:

Fairhope - Eastern Shore 61st Annual Arts and Crafts Festival - March 15th thru 17th

If I remember correctly, Doug said he'd be at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival this weekend.

In fact, most if not all of the artists in this post will be at Fairhope. It's an awesome festival that you won't want to miss.

Doug calls his art "Alabama Redo's" and says his paintings are on tar and in frames "hand did" with old, distressed wood. Doug Odom is an artist you don't want to miss.

Texas Artist Ross De La Garza and his clay creations.

Another of note is Texas Artist Ross De La Garza. Ross calls his art "Primordial Persuasions, unique expressions in clay." In other words, he creates whimsical fish, frogs and other critters out of clay. No two are exactly alike. So if you're looking for fun one-of-a-kind critter-art, then Ross's creations are just for you.

I enjoyed meeting and talking to Ross and I know you will too when you meet him. Ross is one of those people that you feel like you've known forever.

A close-up of Ross De La Garza's clay "phish."

A little tidbit about Ross. He's a geologist turned artist. That explains his wonderful primordial creations.

You can email Ross at: phishross@aol.com

Be sure to check out Ross's website at: Ross De La Garza - Primordial Persuasions

Ross is also on Facebook at: Primordial Persuasions

Glass Artist Frank Thompson and his awesome glass art.

Louisiana Glass Artist Frank Thompson had some beautiful pieces of glass art at the festival. If I had the money I would have bought several pieces of his gorgeous glass art. Instead, I stood there and admired every single one.

Check out Frank's website at: Frank Thompson Studio

Contemporary Artist Rafi Perez.

Contemporary Artist Rafi Perez moved from Chicago to the Florida Gulf Coast. Rafi's art is unique, just like his car which is covered with his art work. I enjoyed talking to Rafi and fell in love with his dragon painting, which I told him would look great on a book cover.

Check out Rafi's website at: Rafi Was Here Studios

You can email Rafi at: Rafi@RafiWasHere.com

Pensacola Artist Jeff Spade.

Pensacola Artist Jeff Spade does reverse paintings on glass. He had some beautiful art works of wine bottles with wine glasses, which I could picture in someone's gourmet kitchen or in some posh restaurant or bar.

Check out more of Jeff's art work on his website at:
Jeff Spade - ACEART Studio

There were so many wonderful artists at the Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze that I can't include them all in one post. So be sure to check out my previous post for Part 1 and then the rest of the posts as the week progresses.

Check out Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts for upcoming arts festivals in Gulf Breeze, Florida.

A special thanks to the artists for agreeing to be included in this post.

Arts Festival in Gulf Breeze - Part 1

Mixed media paintings by Indiana artist, Susan Kline.

This past weekend was the arts festival in Gulf Breeze, Florida. Now I love all kinds of art, so I always look forward to the arts and crafts festivals that coincide with Spring Break. I love seeing the variety of art: paintings, ceramics, pottery, mosaics, glass-art, jewelry and more. This festival had it all.

In honor of the wonderful artists I met and their work which I admired, I've decided to do a series of posts this week with photos of some of their art.

Mixed media painting by artist Susan Kline.

For those who love arts festivals, see the links below. Many of these artists will be at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival this coming weekend.

Gulf Breeze Celebrates the Arts - March 9th & 10th

Fairhope - Eastern Shore 61st Annual Arts and Crafts Festival - March 15th to 17th

Be sure to check the Gulf Breeze link above for upcoming arts festivals.

I decided to start this post with the colorful mixed media paintings by the Indiana artist, Susan Kline. When I talked to Susan she graciously allowed me to take a couple photos of her paintings to post on this blog.


I told Susan that I love her bright, cheerful paintings which made me smile just to look at them. Susan said her art is mixed media collage with paper and paint. She forgot to mention all the love that obviously goes into each of her pieces of art.

Be sure to check out Susan Kline's Facebook Fan Page at: Susan Kline Designs - on Facebook

Paintings by Gulf Breeze artist, Holland-Doyle.

I absolutely loved the paintings by Gulf Breeze artist, Holland-Doyle. She says her paintings are acrylic and mixed media. I'll add that she's a lovely person to talk to and her Florida beach, pelicans and other sea life paintings are simply wonderful.

Holland-Doyle doesn't have a website, but you'll be able to see her paintings at the Fairhope Arts and Crafts Festival as well as other local arts festivals.






Ceramic Sculptor, Richard White, and his whimsical cars.

Ceramic Sculptor, Richard White, was a joy to talk to. He explained that his sculptured whimsical classical cars are named after people he met through the years. So each of his cars has a story behind it.

You'll definitely want to talk to Richard to get the scoop on his colorful, fun art.

Check out Richard's website at: Richard White - Ceramic Sculptor







A close-up of Richard White's prize whimsical Woody.

Richard had a fun story to tell about this red, green and yellow Woody. It's named after a cheerleader he admired from afar in high school.

For the rest of the story you might want to email Richard at: Richard@DrawToLive.com

There were so many great, fun, wonderful artists at the arts festival. I'd like to include them all in today's post, but there are way too many of them for one day. So please check back throughout the week for more info and photos on these awesome artists.

A special thanks to the artists for agreeing to be included in this post.

Yodeling for Yellow

Some of my potted yellow Pansies.

If I knew how to yodel that is exactly what I would be doing right now. Only I can't sing a note, so yodeling is definitely out of the question. So, you might ask, what is this yodeling all about? Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it's a bright sunny day and very close to spring.

It's already Spring Break here in Florida. Tourists from all over the country, and the world, head to Florida this time of year. The temperatures are mild, in the high-60s today and expected to reach the high-70s tomorrow. Before the month is out we should be in the 80s.

This is beach weather for those from colder climates. For me too? Beach weather? Well, not quite. My "old" bones need at least the 80s before I venture down to the beach and into the water. On the other hand, this is perfect weather for walking on the beach.

So what does yellow have to do with Florida and Spring Break and almost beach weather? Well, it's all about gorgeous blue skies, a bright yellow sun, the emerald/turquoise Gulf waters and sand between the toes.

I happen to love the color yellow in all its different shades, from the palest yellow hue to bright canary yellow and everything in between. I love yellow flowers, yellow clothes, yellow houses, yellow cars, well, just about yellow anything. Yellow books? Yep, those too.

My yellow floral oil painting.

Besides writing, I'm a part-time artist, which means I paint in oils or acrylics when the mood strikes me. I love to paint florals. And yellow flowers are sooooo much fun to paint.

One of my favorite floral paintings is a bouquet of yellow flowers with two red-orange Gerbera Daisies. I did that painting back in 2004 while I was recuperating from back surgery. I couldn't do much of anything for the six weeks following the surgery, but I could paint.

I think I did some of my best paintings during those six weeks. I also read a whole lot of books during those weeks, but then I'm always reading a whole lot of books.

Well, as I've mentioned in previous posts, colors represent different phases and memories in my life. A couple months back I started writing posts about colors (Seeing Red, Passionate About Purple, Think Pink and Lovely Lavender). This morning I woke up and said, "This is a yellow day."

When I was a kid I always dreamed about having a yellow farmhouse. I wanted it to be two stories with white shutters and a huge painted-white wrap-around porch. I wanted that farmhouse to be right in the middle of acres and acres of land, with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs and any other critters I could think of. Well, that yellow farmhouse is still a dream, but maybe someday ... you just never know.

When I was sixteen my parents bought a bright yellow Corvette Stingray. Wow! That was an awesome car. I wanted so badly to be allowed to drive it, but I had to wait until the following year. One day, when I was a freshman in college, my dad finally relented and said I could drive the Corvette to pick him up at work. Was he crazy? Allowing a seventeen year old to drive a Corvette? And on a rainy day too?

Well, I took the turn onto the freeway on ramp (in So-Cal) at too high a speed and did a 360 and then some.  I remember thinking that I'd better die in the crash, because if I didn't my dad was going to kill me. I must have had a guardian angel looking out for me that day, as the vet came to a stop about a foot away from a concrete embankment. I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart still pounding, looked up and there was Forest Lawn Cemetery right before my eyes. That was an instant reminder of where I could have been. By the way, I learned to be a very careful driver after that.

My parents never heard that story. When I picked my dad up from work he asked how the drive went. I think I said something like, "Just fine." Dad had a twinkle in his eye, so maybe he sensed that I drove the vet much too fast that day. Now my mom, who is probably hearing this story for the first time as she reads this post, is saying "You did what?" Hey, what can I say?

Years later my husband and I bought a canary yellow Jeep Wrangler with a black removable top. It pretty much looked like a giant bumble-bee, but boy was it fun to drive. We had that yellow Jeep for several years until we traded it in for a big white truck.  A truck? White? What were we thinking? But that's another story, another post.

I remember a bright yellow mini-dress that I wore to a high school dance. I wore it with yellow fishnet stockings, purple shoes, a purple headband and purple sunglasses. Hey, those were the late sixties and mod-dress meant bright colors. So yes, my dress was a hit. And I did wear those sunglasses while I danced in my fishnet stockings in the gym.

I remember another bright yellow dress, so many years later. My husband and I were on a mini-vacation in Jamaica. We were staying at Wyndham Rose Hall outside of Montego Bay. I spotted this gorgeous yellow and white striped dress and I just had to buy it. The skirt was cut in overlapping triangles of solid yellow and then yellow and white striped. I wore that dress off and on for many years and it always brought back memories of Jamaica, the warm Caribbean waters, Jamaica Delights (a tropical drink with pineapple juice, coconut milk and three different kinds of rum), balmy temps and reggae music (and yes, I can reggae).

Well, I could go on and on talking about the color yellow in my life, but then this post would be way too long. So to wind things up I'll add a few yellow books. It's not surprising that one of my favorite yellow books is John D. MacDonald's One Fearful Yellow Eye (Travis McGee Series #8). I've read every one of the colorful books in the series and plan to read all of them over again. Yes, I'm in love with Travis McGee, but don't tell my husband.

Another favorite yellow book is Patricia Falvey's The Yellow House. This novel is awesome! I have a hardback copy which graces my bookshelves. Some books stay in your memory and this is one of them, a book to read over and over again.

A yellow book I'm looking forward to reading is Louis L'Amour's Showdown at Yellow Butte. I have just about all of Louis L'Amour's books in paperback (all keepers) and have already read over half of them. I love every one, so I'm sure to love this one too.

In most of my posts I include a list of books. So in this case it's a list of Yellow Fiction. I haven't read any of the books listed below, but they all sound like great reads. Some of them have already been added to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Yellow Fiction (that's fiction with yellow in the title, in no particular order):

Yellow Crocus: A Novel by Laila Irahim*
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Tapestry: Strands of Blue and Yellow by Cady Elizabeth Arnold
Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance #1) by Peggy L. Henderson*
Yellowstone Redemption (Yellowstone Romance #2) by Peggy L. Henderson*
The Yellow Palace (Inner Seas Kingdom) by Jeffrey Quyle
Secret Past (Yellow Creek Novel #1) by Anna Sugg
Ghost Thunder (Yellow Creek Novel #2) by Anna Sugg
The Yellow Rose of Texas by Shannon Richardson
Yellow Rose Bride (Historical Romance) by Lori Copeland
The Yellow Birds: A Novel by Kevin Powers
Strawberry Yellow (A Mas Arai Mystery) by Naomi Hirahara
The Yellow Rose (Lone Star Legacy) by Gilbert Morris
Pushing Up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Mystery) by Leann Sweeney
The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins
In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal
Chrome Yellow and Other Works by Aldous Huxley
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Gilman Perkins

Another of my oil paintings with yellow flowers.

*On my Kindles

I had a fun time putting together this list of yellow fiction. Please feel free to add more in the comments below. Thanks again for stopping by.

YOooooDoooOOLeeeeng YeeEELLooooOOO ... (that's me trying to yodel).

Lovely Lavender

Lavender Azaleas in my yard.

I live in Florida, so this time of year my yard is a floral rainbow of color. The most recent to bloom are lovely lavender azaleas with fuchsia colored centers. Each bloom has the exquisite look of an orchid. Of all the azaleas in my yard, I think these are my favorite.

I enjoy painting. A favorite subject of mine is florals. I love the challenge of mixing my oils to get just the right shades of color. Lavender appears in my florals, seascapes, sunsets and landscapes. Yes, I love painting in shades of lavender.

More of my Azaleas, in a lovely shade of lavender-pink.

These lavender azaleas bring to mind my growing-up years in Southern California. Now how is that? Well, I've noticed that every phase of my life is represented in one color or another. My childhood just happened to be highlighted in lavender. My bedroom, from the time I was a small child through my teen years, was all in lavender with a touch of turquoise here and there.

Lavender? You see, my mom decorated my room with a lavender shag carpet, a lavender bedspread on my twin bed, and a lavender swag lamp over my bed. I don't recall if my mom ever asked me if I wanted a lavender room. It's just the color she chose for me and so it became a part of my life for all my early years. All I can say, it's a good thing I happen to like the color lavender.

For those who follow my blog, I write color posts from time to time: "Seeing Red" (1/24/13 post), "Passionate About Purple" (2/16/13 post) and "Think Pink" (2/20/13 post). So if you happen to have a passion for colors, please stop by from time to time to see what colors I write about next.

I also happen to be passionate about books. So this is the perfect time to provide a list of Lavender Fiction. My favorite lavender book is The Long Lavender Look  (Travis McGee Series, #12) by John D. MacDonald. See my 11/1/12 post, "Florida is a State of Mind," for a list of all the Travis McGee books in order of publication. I've read through the whole Travis McGee series and am looking forward to reading them all again. I still think every one of these books would make a great movie. Anyway, it seems to me that lavender reads would be just as exquisite as my lovely lavender azaleas.

Lavender Fiction (in no particular order):

The Mystery at Azalea Plantation (Lavender Series) by Lavender Lace
On Lavender Lane (A Shelter Bay Novel) by JoAnn Ross*
Lavender Vows (Medieval Herb Garden Series) by Colleen Gleason**
Lavender Morning (Edilean) by Jude Deveraux
Loving Lily Lavender by DeAnna Kinney
A Sprig of Lavender by Susan Ralph
Lavender Lies (China Bayles Mystery) by Susan Wittig Albert
The Lavender Principal (Reid Devron Mystery) by Julie Baythorpe
Lavender Fields by Marie O'Byrne
Lavender Skies by Tony Ivers
Lady Lavender (Harlequin Historical) by Lynna Banning
Lavender Aurora - Destiny of Life by J. F. Ellington
The Lavender Maze (Walcott Manor) by Florrie Boleyn
Lavender Love by A. J. Estes
Lavender by Annemarieke Tazelaar
The Lavender Field by Jeanette Baker
Lavender Lady by Carola Dunn
Lavender Secrets by Sandra Barret
Lavender Road by Helen Carey

*I have this book in paperback, but haven't read it yet.
**I have this one on my Kindle Fire, but haven't read it yet.

Please feel free to add any of your favorite lavender books in the comments below.

Before I forget, I happen to love the fragrance of lavender. I remember lavender sachets from when I was a kid, in addition to baskets of dried lavender at the county fair. When I lived in Las Vegas, I grew lavender in my garden and loved the fragrance in the warm desert air. Come to think of it, lovely lavender has always been a part of my life.

Note - If you love azaleas, please see my 1/30/13 post, "In Florida it's all about the Flowers," for more of my azalea photos.