Lake Club Artist Guild donates paintings to Hope Family Services

When Lake Club's Marcia Barkell learned that the walls of Hope Family Services' bedrooms and outreach facility were bare, she knew she wanted to do something.

"For me, not to have a painting up and have a plain wall is just wrong," Barkell said.

As an artist and a member of the Lake Club Artist Guild, Barkell decided to donate two of her paintings to the nonprofit. 

Eight members of the Lake Club Artist Guild are donating at least 45 pieces of artwork to Hope Family Services. 

Hope Family Services is a nonprofit that supports and provides services for those who are affected by domestic violence in Manatee County. It is the only state certified domestic violence center.

Photo by Liz Ramos

Tiffany Ogline, an executive assistant with the nonprofit, said the artwork will provide comfort to those who go to the nonprofit for help. 

"They'll feel loved and like someone cares for them," Ogline said. "Hopefully it will bring them some joy and some comfort whenever they see (the artwork)."

The Lake Club Artist Guild started collecting artwork after Nancy Lepain, the grants chair for the Lake Club Women's Giving Circle, reached out to the guild to combine efforts to support Hope Family Services. 

Barkell considers her donation as responsibility to helping others.

"We have to support each other," she said. "If we don't, there's something wrong with the world."

So Barkell decided to support others with her artwork. She's been painting all her life and even has won some art competitions as a child in her hometown of Framingham, Massachusetts. 

She said she loves challenging herself, so she tackles various mediums including watercolor, acrylic pour and alcohol ink. 

The most challenging is watercolor, she said, as it can be "very unforgiving."

"Sometimes when you make a mistake, it's over and you have to start all over again," Barkell said. "There's not an easy way to recover from a watercolor accident."

Lake Club's Claire Osborne agreed that watercolor is the most challenging medium. 

Photo by Liz Ramos

She's been painting using watercolors since 2015 when she was perusing art shows and fairs. She realized she no longer wanted to buy others' watercolor pieces but rather create them herself. 

Since then, she's been painting every day.

Osborne said she loves the fluidity, transparency and unpredictability of watercolors. 

"We have to plan our paintings in advance, unlike every other medium where you can white over (mistakes)," she said. 

Osborne decided to donate her painting of a fuchsia because she knew it would be hanging on the wall of a bedroom for a woman. 

"I thought what could be more feminine than a floral?" she said. "The colors are all pinks. I thought that would be a beautiful piece for hopefully someone to enjoy in their bedroom."

Osborne said she loves being able to use her passion and talent for painting to create a painting that will bring beauty in the life of someone who is faced with "a lot of ugliness."

Margie Meyer, the founder of the Lake Club Artist Guild, focuses on mixed media acrylic abstract paintings. Meyer, who has been painting since 2005, donated 21 pieces of artwork.

Photo by Liz Ramos

"I love the opportunity to be able to make someone else smile," she said. "I try to paint very colorful and happy pieces."

Lake Club's Lisa Sweeney, who has been painting for at least five years, wanted to donate the paintings she created of children and animals. She donated 11 pieces.

"I knew that it would mean more being on their walls as opposed to on mine where nobody's really looking at them," Sweeney said.

She hopes the paintings bring a sense of peace to the people staying in the rooms at Hope Family Services.