The streets of Vero Beach were virtually paved with artwork recently during the 12th annual Art Trail hosted by the Vero Beach Art Club. The “X” marked the spot at 10 studios about town, where treasure hunters could explore the wondrous artistic talents of 16 local creatives.
Art dilettantes and aficionados alike discovered a treasure trove of creativity and talent as they traveled from studio to studio to view the art and interact with the artists.
“It’s an opportunity for people to see the exceptional art of local artists that they might not get to see otherwise,” said Eileen Lovre, event chair. “It’s a great way for people that would like to see the art being created to learn more about the artists’ process.”
Guests strolled through assemblage artist Joan Earnhart’s home in the River Club at Carlton, which offers a veritable museum of her work. Closets were filled with bins of found objects and broken antiques, and the walls and surfaces of every room held works in various stages of completion.
“I like meeting people. The Art Trail gives you exposure, and maybe you can even sell a piece or two,” said Earnhart, who considers herself a creative storyteller.
At Rae Marie Crisel’s clay studio, she and Peggy Thomas showcased their functional and aesthetic works. Crisel dabbles in oil, watercolor and clay, while Thomas has turned her hand to Florida flora and fauna inspired clay pieces. Visitors were treated to a pottery wheel demonstration as the artists got their hands dirty creating art.
Just a few miles down the road, Judy Rixom was thrilled to showcase more than 100 of her oil pieces and connect with fellow art enthusiasts. “I haven’t had my animals out in a long time; I’ve been doing the ocean and birds for a while now.”
Evan Schwarze didn’t participate this year, but he opened up his home studio to watercolorist Emily Palmer, who captures Florida wildlife and nature through a combination of fauvism, impressionism and realism, and to Susan Gancher, who creates unique silver and gold jewelry designs.
John Wartman has always been interested in photography, but became more serious and mindful about it after a Parkinson’s diagnosis, seeing photography as a means to capture singular moments in time through the intersection of light and form.
In addition to her favored oils and acrylics, Rosemary Cotnoir also dabbles in stone carving in her McAnsh Park studio, where she works to capture the abstract patterns organic to trees, stones, plants and reflections.
An old hand at raku pottery and the Art Trail, Dorinda Walker’s tour included a video explaining the process, to provide attendees with a deeper appreciation of the work.
Merana Cadorette utilizes varied mediums, from acrylics and watercolor to ceramics and mixed media, in her Indian River Aerodrome studio. Her “flights of fancy” can be evidenced by the hand-made tile and murals integrated into her home.
Sherry and Chuck Haaland share a love of art, with both agreeing that it makes life worth living. Sherry’s pastel portrait subjects lean toward the four-legged kind. Chuck enjoys manipulated photography and also delves into furniture and wood sculpture.
The tour’s final destination, Indian River Clay Potters, packed the house with clay works by four artists. Mud-lovers Maria Sparsis, Jim Cohoe, Myrna Renkert and Karen “Keko” Economou showcased a wide range of pottery styles in the community-based studio.
Proceeds from the Art Trail help the VBAC provide exhibitions of art in public spaces, scholarships to students interested in the arts and the financial support of community art programs.
Next up, the 32nd annual Art by the Sea Fine Arts & Crafts Show takes place Jan. 17-19 at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. For more information, visit verobeachartclub.org.
Photos by: Denise Ritchie
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