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Featured Articles in Fernandina Beach News Leader The Art of Shrimp Fest by Gary Rubin, IAA Publicity Chair, April 18, 2008 Soon it will be time for the annual Shrimp Fest extravaganza. Fernandina Beach will host over 100,000 visitors who come for food, fun and the Arts. Not just a local celebration anymore, Shrimp Fest has grown over the years to become a major Art show. Visitors will come from all over – some from great distances. They come for the enjoyment of the event and the opportunity to view and buy art from the many well-known, award-winning artists. Artists like Ben Essenburg, who could almost be considered a fixture at Shrimp Fest. Ben has been showing his realistic acrylic paintings of Florida wildlife and landscapes for over thirty years at the show. He says that this is one of the first shows he ever exhibited at and he considers it one of the best. A self-taught artist, Ben moved from Illinois to South Florida in the early 70’s and developed a special feeling for what he saw around him. His paintings have won numerous awards and are collected by both private and corporate patrons around the world. Ana Varela is a Brazilian-born ceramics artist whose work has appeared in a number of books and is also collected worldwide. With nature as her inspiration, Ana creates unique pieces that bridge Art and function. She says her intent is to invite fun, dinnertime conversation and bring beauty to our fast-paced world. While Ana’s award-winning work has been exhibited in hundreds of shows, she has been a regular at Shrimp Fest since 1990, because “it is such a great venue with so much going on.” Water color artist, Barbara Hagan, is another long-time participant. She has been showing her florals and seascapes for 25 years at Shrimp Fest. Her semi-abstract style is illustrated in her accomplished use of negative painting—painting only the background and allowing the white paper to emerge in exciting and dramatic ways. Barbara’s enthusiastic zest for life and painting is also expressed in her fondness for Shrimp Fest. “I love Shrimp Fest. It is one of the few that I still do on the circuit.” Not at all abstract, Danny O’Driscoll’s realistic paintings of wildlife are often mistaken as photography. While never attending art school, Danny did spend a lot of time studying animals. He became an official zoo artist and furthered his “education”. For 20 years, he has been delighting Shrimp Fest visitors with his life-like acrylic paintings of songbirds and animals. Danny says he enjoys coming to Shrimp Fest from his South Carolina home because “it is such a wonderful, family-oriented event…and I like the music.” Elizabeth Kershaw, award-winning watercolor artist, also thinks Shrimp Fest is a “fun show…everybody has a great time.” She has been exhibiting her nature-inspired paintings at the show for at least seven years, after 30 years of teaching in the Florida schools. Elizabeth feels that there is always something in observing nature to lift the spirits and that emotion is shown through her vibrant paintings which celebrate our connection with the beauty around us. Raising spirits is important to all artists. “If I can give a person something of beauty that will make their life richer while making a living playing with mud and fire, well, does life get better than this?” says Jim Gasser, potter from Alabama. Jim has been bringing his earthy-colored pottery to Shrimp Fest for more than 18 years. He says this is one of his favorite shows because of the strong local support and all the fun. While mostly functional, Jim’s pieces show the same life and vitality that he does. These are only a few of the hundreds of artists that will be exhibiting at Shrimp Fest. They welcome the opportunity to make your visit memorable. Benn Essenburg Ana Varela Barbara Hagan Danny O'Driscoll Elizabeth Kershaw Jim Gasser Article in Fernandina News Leader dated April 25, 2008 Award winners abound at Shrimp Fest by Gary Rubin, IAA Publicity Chair Recently, we introduced you to several of the outstanding artists that bring their work to the annual Shrimp Fest art show. Many of the exhibitors are nationally and internationally known artists who come to show and sell their works. That these remarkable artists continue to bring their wares to Shrimp Fest points out the importance of the event. Among those returning is Stephanie Pollack, a watercolorist whose works hang in such prestigious places as the governor’s mansion on Grand Cayman Island and the administrative offices of the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. For a number of years, Stephanie has been bringing her large-format, vibrant-colored images of birds, flowers, nautical scenes and Victorian homes to delight the visitors at Shrimp Fest. From her home in Port St. Lucie or her lake cottage in Indiana, Stephanie promises works "that make people happy." Those works demonstrate her optimistic view of life at a show she says is a "lot of fun." Also returning is plein air artist Mary Erickson. Painting on location all over the world, in addition to her home bases of Marshfield, NC and Venice, FL, has provided Mary with a broad range of subjects to paint. Inspired by nature, she "captures moments in time and places them on canvas." Her work is collected throughout the U.S. and Europe. Among her numerous awards, Mary was juried into the Paint America’s Mini Top 50 which is touring the country throughout 2008. Mary also thinks Shrimp Fest is a "lot of fun because of the great people." "The gala atmosphere is what makes this show so much fun," according to Ralph Rankin. Multiple-award winning ceramic artist, Ralph adds to the gala atmosphere with his exquisite colors in his very contemporary pieces. He uses the surfaces of the clay vessels he produces as a canvas. "They are abstract landscapes." Ralph is always trying to invent something new in ceramic techniques and perhaps this is why his pieces are prized by collectors. Another artist who is always looking for a new way is nationally known artist and author. Lin Seslar. Lin says, "The challenge of capturing light and color is never ending." She shares her experience of the search in her book, Painting in Sharp Focus. Her award-winning oil paintings are both realistic and romantic views of things that catch her eye. Subjects range from architectural to beach scenes. Lin loves showing at Shrimp Fest because of the "laid back" atmosphere and the "fun crowd." The fun crowd at Shrimp Fest is also loved by artist and author Susanna Spann. She describes the show as "loud and colorful", and that she has enjoyed it for the past 10 years. Susanna’s water color glazing method of layering as many as 20 layers of transparent paint provide intensity and texture that help her weave a story from collected objects and plants. Many of her works are known for the appearance of crystal or glass in the composition. Susanna’s paintings have won hundreds of awards and are included in many corporate collections. These artists, along with hundreds more award-winning artists will be happy to meet you at this year’s Shrimp Fest. Don’t miss their amazing and beautiful works.
S. Pollack's Display Mary Erickson Painting Ralph Rankin Lin Seslar Painting Susanna Spann Return to main Shrimp Festival page
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