Judy Rixom and Sherry Haaland. PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

The 35th annual Art by the Sea Exhibition, presented by the Vero Beach Art Club at the Vero Beach Museum of Art, was another great success, attracting huge numbers of art aficionados over the course of the three-day event.

Art by the Sea is another of the art club’s premier fundraisers, second only to its ever popular Under the Oaks Fine Arts and Crafts Show, which will take place March 8-10.

The show, co-chaired once again by Judy Rixom and Sherry Haaland, opened Friday night with a reception, where visitors had their first opportunity to view the exhibit and purchase their favorite pieces from the more than 200 on display. The artists, all members of the Vero Beach Art Club and/or the Vero Beach Museum of Art, were allowed to enter one piece each, so their choices were exceptional.

Until last year, the exhibition had been held in the museum’s Holmes Great Hall, but was again moved across the hall into the Laura and Bill Buck Atrium, taking full advantage of the ample natural lighting.

“This is the second year we’ve been in the atrium, and the lighting is phenomenal compared to before,” said Rixom.

“I think we had a phenomenal judge. I think he made some great choices,” she added, referring to John Wilton, a mixed media artist from DeLand, who has served as a judge at more than 70 shows throughout Florida.

She noted that in addition to prior categories – oil, acrylic, watercolor, pastels/graphic, mixed media, sculpture/jewelry and photography/digital – fiber art was added this year.

“The judge last year suggested to me that we might want to consider making a fiber art category because it was an upcoming thing, and he has seen it in other art shows that he’s been to. So we decided to incorporate it and there were enough fiber artists in the club that were interested.”

A portion of the proceeds from each sale supports the Vero Beach Art Club and its educational outreach programs, including scholarships to local students. The nonprofit, which has supported the Vero arts community since 1936, also has a Gallery & Marketplace in the Vero Beach Arts District.

For more information, visit VeroBeachArtClub.org.

Photos by Joshua Kodis