Give Your Art Artists
Letter from Shelley Greggs, Fund-Raising Chair
Welcome to CHR’s 4th Public Art Project. Public art is inspirational and provides a community with an interaction between the past, present and future. It highlights what is distinct about the places where people live, work, and play. This year CHR is proud to announce our new project – a tribute to Sanibel and the city’s 50th anniversary. It includes paintings, drawings, photography and more in this new “Give Your ART to CHR” event. Once again CHR has been gifted with the artwork of 26 very talented and generous SWFL artists who have donated their time and energy to support CHR.
These stunning pieces of art will travel around our islands at various locations, from October through January and everyone is invited to visit and enjoy the artwork. This ART show will capture the spirit, atmosphere and uniqueness of our islands and CHR is delighted to present it to our community.
List of Committee Members
Angi Semler Welch
Kate Stone Pujol
Kelly Seaman
Laura Gales
Lisa Ann Miller
Margarethe Miville
Melissa Halliburton
Paula Friedman
Vicki Bourdow
Savannah Miller-Berg
Shelley Greggs
Artists
Stephanie Austin Anderson
“Hoot”
20 x 20
watercolor
Stephanie Anderson is graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, and works as a painter and illustrator. She lives with her husband in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, and is represented by Bernay Fine Art in Great Barrington, MA.
Shane Antalick
Artist
Shane Antalick
“Bottom Bay”
39 x 28
Photography on Fuji crystal DP II
Shane was born and raised on the barrier island of Sanibel in The Bailey Homestead. He was able to be fully immersed in nature from an early age due to his upbringing on the island.
Regularly straying from the usual route, he picked up a camera during his formative years to start documenting the unique world he was experiencing. Photographing every fleeting moment he found special about the island.Over the decades, his passion has grown into a career. And his global documentations now aim to remind viewers of the distinctive characteristics and beauty of our coastal environments. And the vital necessity to keep them protected.
Laura Ball
Artist
Laura Ball
“Soaring into the next 50”
40 x 30
Acrylic and spray paint
I went to H.S of Art & Design in N.Y. I moved to Florida in 1995. I’ve worked as a clerk at the Sanibel Post Office for 29 years. I love painting local wildlife. I love giving back to the community and all of our charitable foundations.
laurajball.com
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Instagram
Suzanne G. Bennett
Artist
Suzanne G. Bennett
“Shades of Sanibel: a story through color”
24 x 21
Pastel
Our special island manifests itself through color: periwinkle blue, seagrape green, and pastel seashells, to name a few. My process starts with photography to gather color samples of native plants, animals, and architecture that embody the spirit of Sanibel. I then used the physical evidence gathered to paint a story through color, capturing another dimension of Sanibel.
Alex Bustamante
Artist
Alex Bustamante
“Sanibel Wings”
36 x 36
Acrylic
Alex is a dynamic mural artist based in SWFL. She has worked on the island for over 15 years becoming an integral part artistic community. She moved to FL from Peru. Her preferred medium is acrylics. Started painting murals in 2019.
brandbugcreative.com
Instagram-Alex
Instagram-Brand Bug Creative
Antonia Catherine Crook
Artist
Antonia Catherine Crook
“Seeking Refuge”
30 x 40
Oil on canvas
Ginny Dickinson
Artist
Ginny Dickinson
“Sanibel Love”
40 x 30
Photography and shell
Ginny is a native of Fort Myers, with a passion for all the natural beauty that SWFL has to offer. She collects and creates with shells, sticks, leaves, seeds, bark, branches and more. Her giant shell heart is on display at the San-Cap Chamber.
Mary K. Donahoe
Artist
Mary K. Donahoe
“Once Upon a Time”
36 x 48
Oil on Canvas
After a career as an architect, I turned to large-scale oil and acrylic painting. My most important criterion for painting is producing work I would like to see hung on my walls.
My paintings use colors I love and strong composition to create an emotional experience for the viewer. I work towards direct artistic expression, not representation, although I still enjoy keeping my hand in drawing and plein air painting, capturing local scenes of the coast.
I started with art in high school, moving on to many painting and design classes in college, including a summer program in Florence, Italy. During my graduate studies in Architecture, I learned drawing, design and color theory. While I took classes in watercolors and printmaking during my working years, training and involvement in art accelerated during retirement. I was awarded a grant for portraiture training by the North Carolina Art Council in 2008.
Participating in local art groups’ shows is a community responsibility to me. I’ve received many awards, including First Place (2D) in 2018 and Second Place (2D) in 2019 at Myrtle Beach ‘s Seacoast Artist Gallery. I exhibit at Franklin Square Gallery, a co-op, in Southport where I was selected to exhibit as Artist of the Month in May, 2024. This November-December I will be featured at WHQR’s MC Erny Gallery in Wilmington, NC.
Art makes my life more vivid. I’ve learned a lot over the past 18 years, and have seen a new vista open through it.
Sherry Fonseth-Lais
Artist
Sherry Fonseth-Lais
“A Bowl of Spoons”
24 x 48 x 1.5
Acrylic
I am a self taught artist, working mostly in acrylics, with my favorite topics being nature and how the world nurtures us, even through times when she is a tough Mother.
Tim Garmager
Artist
Tim Garmager
“Panes to the Past”
40 x 30
Watercolor
I am an executive coach and leadership consultant. My office is in Fort Myers, Florida. In 2003, I was diagnosed at Mayo Clinic with Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease. CMT is a genetic disorder that strips my nerves of a protective sheath, resulting in peripheral neuropathy. As the disease has progressed, and as expected, I have acquired leg braces to assist in my walking, and I am losing the small motor skills of my hands.
My therapist and I have discovered that sketching, using some simple adaptive devices on my pens, is an effective occupational therapy for my fingers. I loved sketching and painting when I was younger, and I have now come back to an early love (though those lines will never be straight again!).
Vicki Green
Artist
Vicki Green
“Sea Turtles”
18 x 24
Shattered glass
Vicki Green, founder of Faux House Designs has been a creative painter and artist in Fort Myers Florida since 2004. She is also the owner of Shattered Glass Designs. She has been a shop owner at The Franklin Shops since 2020.
Lafe James
Artist
Lafe James
“Off the Chart”
26 x 74
Image transfer on wood
Artist and creator, Lafe James, is a visual designer who has worked his way through a wide variety of art and design projects and positions throughout SWFL. 20+ years of experience from digital/print design to product development.
Mary H. Klunk
Artist
Mary H. Klunk
“Sanibel Sunrise”
48 x 36
Oil on canvas
BS Degree major Fine Art minor Psych, MEd Special Ed, study 2 yrs Mitchell School Fine Art. Worked as Gallery Artist, Art Therapist and Art Teacher in colleges in Maryland. Work in BIG ARTS teaching in season. Member Arts for ACT Mediums Oil, Pastel.
Skyler Lowden
Artist
Skyler Lowden
“Riptides”
36 x 72
Oil and acrylic
Skyler Lowden is an Artist and Designer based in FL. She obtained a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Miami. Her interest in Ecology informs her work as she explores themes of grief, as seen in the aftermath of environmental disasters.
Taryn Manning
Artist
Taryn Manning
“Meet me in Paradise”
24 x 36
Acrylic
Taryn takes inspiration from her surroundings and finds way to intertwine mediums and styles to create home décor, photographs and illustrations that represent her creative passion. She has resided in SWFL for 7 years after moving from Colorado.
Candi Maraldi
Artist
Candi Maraldi
“Home is where the lighthouse shines and the osprey soar”
12 x 36
Acrylic Triptych
I moved from Huntley, Illinois about 14 years ago. I’ve worked at a few differant restaurants on the island over the years and we recently became Sanibel residents. I have an art backround but only started painting about 2 years ago when I started painting for the Sanibel Shells Group. I would receive so many messages of love about my work that I decided to start painting on canvas and it’s been evolving ever since. You can usually find me at the beach, spending time with my family and 2 cats, or volunteering at a local sanctuary in Punta Gorda.
Kym Mason
Artist
Kym Mason
“Jamming at Jensen’s”
20 x 24
acrylic
I am an artist/designer who has been working on Sanibel and Captiva for 19 years. I love the islands and have lent my time and talents to many local charities and community causes during my years here.
After living through Ian and seeing the vast devastation it created my creative spirit was crushed. The beauty Sanibel and Captiva have been my “muse” for years. Now the community spirit and perseverance of the people of Sanibel and Captiva are my inspiration.
I received my BFA from the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
In my spare time (what’s that?) I enjoy restoring my house, spending time with my friends and family, live music and traveling.
Barb Nicholson
Artist
Barb Nicholson
“Sanibel Bouquet”
36 x 72
Mixed media
Barb Nicholson is a self taught mixed media artist living on Captiva Island. Her art is inspired by nature, faith and the colors of her surroundings. Using acrylics, collage, etc..she allows intuitive expression and whimsy to come forth on canvas.
Jacqueline Roch
Artist
Jacqueline Roch
“Sanibel Remedy”
36 x 36
Oil on wood panel
Born in Los Angeles, California and raised on Miami Beach, FL, Jacqueline Roch is an artist whose work is best described as “tropical realism.” Her workis highly distinctive with bold color choices and contrasts. Layering pastels to create complex colors, she’s able to achieve a quality that’s reminiscent of an oil painting. Influenced by her love of nature and the tropics, Jacqueline’s work is meant to inspire those who see it to “stop for a minute, slow down and see the good and beautiful in every day.” Focusing on the every day scenes one can come across in Florida, her artwork captures simple beauty in a dynamic display of color. Her biggest inspiration? Everglades and BigCypress. Jacqueline loves that part of Florida. “Summer is stormy and great big thunderhead clouds, winter is crisp and clear blue, lots of reflections in the water. I never get tired of seeing it. For us Floridians, it’s our backyard.”
Known to her friend’s as Jacqui, she considers herself a “purist in her technique.” Her pastels are simply that on paper. She adds nothing else to her work. Although she mostly works with pastels, she admits she occasionally picks up her brushes and creates a few oil paintings, “just to feel the oil on panel and canvas.” Keeping with her purist philosophy, she does not make any reproductions of her work. All of her pieces are one of a kind, making her work all the more valued and unique. An award winning artist spanning several decades, Jacqui has been commissioned and has exhibited her work all over the country with Artist In Residence requests from some of the best and beautiful locations in her beloved Florida.
Ed Saternus
Artist
Ed Saternus
“Flower Power”
18 x 24
photography
I grew up on Sanibel, and have a passion for photographing Sanibel wildlife. Recently, I
have also started fundraising for, and rescuing stray cats on the island.
Dave Smith
Artist
Dave Smith
“Christmas Colors”
30 x 22
Watercolor
I am a self-taught artist working in watercolors for the most part, with the occasional pencil or ink. While I have done acrylic and oil, it is watercolor I am most fond of. The vibrancy of the colors and the translucency have long fascinated me. When I was living in the southwest many years ago, I took a workshop with a wonderful watercolor artist, and I have been working with watercolor ever since.
When I was a child, I copied comic book covers. My mother assured me I was great! I didn’t draw again till I was grown and serving with the Marines in El Toro, CA. There I was flying in the F4 as a RIO and when overseas, would have to keep my own log book so I bought a Rapidiograph pen. It was in Okinawa in 1976 that I re-discovered the joy of drawing (what else, the F-4). I said then, and still maintain today, that the Lord draws, I just hold the pen. After all, He gave me whatever talent I have.
Since then I have drawn and produced many lithographs, signed and numbered prints, selling them in whatever country I found myself across the world. My last commission while on active duty was for General Schwartzkof during Desert Storm. He wanted an ink drawing depicting the forces in use during that conflict. In the end, I produced a series of 15 combat art prints for that conflict, all published in-country. While there a local gallery carried all my watercolors which depicted the decorated doors and the landscapes of that country.
In the years that followed, I have had several shows, earned an award or two and have continued to pursue realism in watercolor. Currently living on the coast in Florida, I am concentrating on the reflections of water, the boats and the wildlife. In the Lord’s creation there is great beauty, and I hope to capture some of it on paper. Enjoy!
Toni Westland
“Wild and Free – 50 years of Conservation”
40 x 30
Acrylic
Art Ranger Toni has been exploring, discovering, and working outdoors on Sanibel for over 22 years. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Natural Resource Mgmt & Environmental Education. Toni is inspired by nature and creates sustainable repurposed art.
Wild and Free: 50 years of Conservation
Just as the Sanibel Lighthouse stands strong, so does the native wildlife that makes these islands so unique and special as a sanctuary island. Depicted in this painting are some of our iconic native wildlife found on Sanibel and Captiva showcasing some of its beauty. An osprey family on their platform nest, a bowl of flying roseate spoonbills, and a squadron of brown pelicans, as well as tracks and nest a loggerhead sea turtle, our most common sea turtle found nesting on islands.
Project Statement
“Wild and Free” depicts how Sanibel Island is home for all that walks, flies, crawls, swims, slithers, and lives in balance with this beautiful island community. This piece of art celebrates 50 years of conservation by commemorating its wildlife, beauty, and our sustainable future.