VERO BEACH — Florida Highwayman Charles Walker is the January 2014 Featured Artist at the Main Street Vero Beach (MSVB) Studios & Gallery, with an opening reception scheduled on Jan. 3 from 5-8 p.m. during the First Friday Gallery Stroll.
The public is invited to visit all the galleries along 14th Ave. from 19th to 21st Streets in the Arts District downtown where, during The Gallery Stroll, refreshments and delectables are served, and the creativity of numerous local artists is featured.
Charles Walker is a native Floridian born in the mid 1940’s in Ft. Pierce. His mother was an avid fisherman, and his father, an avid hunter who took Charles on numerous turkey and deer hunting trips where his love of wildlife and nature was inspired.
Drawing since he was five, winning his first art contest in ninth grade, and known as the class artist throughout high school, it wasn’t until his early 20’s that Charles realized his true creative talent and pursued an artistic career path.
In the 1980’s, at least a decade before the Highwaymen were rediscovered, he was considered an outstanding wildlife artist, and in March 2004, Charles was inducted into the Florida Artist’s Hall of Fame along with twenty-five other Florida Highwaymen.
Walker did not participate in any of the Highwaymen activities and considers himself only very loosely affiliated with the group, although his wife, Gertrude Walker, was the sister of Livingston (Castro) Roberts (she is also the Superintendent of Elections in Fort Pierce and an artist in her own right.)
His work has been published in several wildlife and art magazines, and he is a member of the American Society of Marine Artists who is dedicated to painting Florida’s natural environment. Charles simply describes himself as “a painter of nature, wildlife, and its habitat.”
Main Street Vero Beach Gallery features the art of area artists monthly. The Main Street Vero Beach Studios is an artist’s co-op featuring the art of Leigh Bennett; Zentangle drawing, jewelry design classes, and small collage, Bob “Laff” & Leslie Lafferandre; Etchings & Calligraphy, Alice McKenna; Fun Jewelry Design, Ned Noland; Old Florida Landscapes, and Sharon Wilson; Fine Jewelry Design.
Main Street Vero Beach is a Florida Main Street designate and a member of The National Main Street Center, a subsidiary of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The First Friday Gallery Stroll is one of many regular events helping to rekindle community spirit and focused on growing Vero Beach’s dynamic Historic Downtown.
If you are interested in being a Featured Artist in the MSVB Gallery and would like more information, please call Tammy Adams, Executive Director, Main Street Vero Beach, at (772) 643-6782, email her at Tammy@MainStreetVeroBeach.org, or visit the website at http://MainStreetVeroBeach.org/MSVBStudios.html.
