- March 14, 2025
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Ruben Medina of Cape Coral uses resin covered with a brass or iron coating to create his art.
Photo by Sidra WaliDrew Allan, from Sarasota, is a self-taught artist who utilizes mixed mediums on wood.
Photo by Sidra WaliEd Hendrix, from Palmdale, used to be a sea life artist until he switched to flamingoes. He utilizes photos, drawings and paintings to create his art in Photoshop.
Photo by Sidra WaliCheryl Grogan of St. Petersburg creates paintings using acrylic and oils inspired by Old Florida.
Photo by Sidra WaliKevin Kennedy, from Venice, Florida, uses fossilized shark teeth to create his art.
Photo by Sidra WaliSveta Osborne of Cape Coral utilizes acrylic on canvas.
Photo by Sidra WaliKen Orton, from Venice, Florida
Photo by Sidra WaliMartin Figlinski's oil painting of a beach scene.
Photo by Sidra WaliKenan Sari grew up on the seaside and paints using acrylic and oils.
Photo by Sidra WaliVictoria B. Cooley of Sarasota paints with acrylic and oils to create beach scenes.
Photo by Sidra WaliMaykel Medina of Cape Coral grew up with sea life surrounding him.
Photo by Sidra WaliDallas Primavera of Jacksonville writes either a journal entry or a poem on the back of each painting to document the moment in time while he created the piece.
Photo by Sidra WaliSt. Armands Circle turned into an open-air fine art gallery May 27-28, with artists’ tents covering the green for the annual St. Armands Fine Arts Festival.
The artists showing their work were accomplished in a variety of media, including oil and acrylic paints, metalwork, ceramics, and fossilized shark teeth. The one common denominator among the artists was that most were from Florida.
Painter Victoria B. Cooley of Sarasota described her work as “more traditional and coastal.” The Ringling College graduate said the beauty of fests like St. Armands’ is that it brings artists into contact with “hundreds of different people” in a short time period.
She shows her work at about 30 shows a season. Cooley explained that she’s received a number of commissions through the festivals with commissions booked through July.
“Summer is when I replenish my work,” she said. Cooley offers a variety of special prints and artwork, including pocket-sized canvases on mini easels, perfect for fitting into a suitcase or carry-on.
“I just want people to have art,” she said.
On the other side of the circle, one artist’s tent stopped a number of passersby with a simple sign, “Yes, they are paintings.”
Ken Orton’s paintings prompted a number of double takes from festivalgoers who might have mistaken them for photos. The Venice-based artist hails from Birmingham, England, and taught art in Spain at the Centre de Arte Joan Miro of the Baleares International School in Palma de Mallorca, where among other lessons he imparted the power of the ellipse and transparency to students.
“I can build anything from that,” he said.
His Venice studio is called The Workhouse, which he jokingly described in Dickensian terms. While Orton paints there he said he prefers the rhythm and cadence of baseball broadcasts or audiobooks. Music would overpower or distract from the painting, which itself is “very musical.”
After years of attending 40 shows or festivals a year, Orton said he plans a more sensible 20 or so shows in the future, yet he still paints in his workshop “most of the night.”
With tongue in cheek, he advised, “Every time someone takes a photo of an artist’s work without permission, a kitten dies.”
