The following exhibit will run from February 10 - March 4

Please join us for a reception for the artists Friday, February 19th between 5 & 7 p.m.

Faye Jones

Faye began painting with watercolors in 1993 and in 1997 changed her medium to oil. Since moving to Florida in 2002, she has attended numerous oil painting workshops and classes including instruction by J.B. Cobbs, Linda Blondheim, Bart Lindstrom and Barbara Flowers.  In 2004 she attended an intensive color workshop with Cape Cod School educated artist Susan Sarback. In 2008 she attended a portrait workshop by nationally known impressionist artist and instructor Carolyn Anderson. In 2010 she attended a still life workshop by master impressionist painter and teacher C.W. Mundy. Faye continues ongoing study and critique with Ros O’Grady, her mentor. She exhibits in local shows and has won several awards including first place in the 2006 Annual Beaux Arts Exhibit sponsored by the Arts and Design Society.

Faye has been a  member of the “Emerald Coast Plein Air Painters” since its inception in 2004. Most of Faye’s paintings are alla prima works produced with a combination of brush and palette knife work. She has been expanding her exploration of art by working in new media including oil painting on alternative supports and encaustic painting as well as hand built and wheel thrown art pottery.

Faye offers instruction in oil painting with a focus on a loose, impressionistic style. She will also demonstrate either oil painting or encaustic painting as a program for group meetings. Her work may be viewed at Art, Antiques and Interiors in Destin, Fl where she also is a member of the group studio there. She is looking forward to a solo show in May, 2010 at The Gallery of Art and Light in Greenville, S.C. Faye may be reached at 850-682-7543 or by email at birdie1345@aol.com

Philip Miesen

I have been using chalk pastels since I was young; painting from personal photographs or live objects. I attended college in Santa Barbara majoring in physics, and continued to find outlets to show my artwork and develop new ways to use chalks. More recently I have been painting geographical scenes, without any photo or live references. Imagination is the most creative and open way to immerse yourself in new environments, with new textures, and different types of light. I have found this way of painting more fun and engaging. I hope you enjoy my work as much as I enjoyed creating it

Jill Knight

I became interested in art in my middle school years, but never really expressed it on canvas until later on in my 40’s.  I believe that everyone has an artistic ability within him or her that at some point in time manifests outwardly.  It intrigues me how color and light, along with paint brush, can elevate a common thought into a brilliant piece of art.  At the beginning of 2006, when I started to paint, my intent was to simply convey an emotion and intuitive response to the mysteries that lie within me.  After a while, I hoped that I could compel my viewers to interpret my work from their own rich pool of memories and life experiences.

I have lived in Niceville for 45 years, and after my daughter’s death two years ago, my focus was strictly to conquer life through oil painting.  As I started to heal, the paints and oils’ ability to maintain integrity of individual strokes became a wonderful mechanism that linked me to my grief and passion all in one.  The liveliness of colors mixed with emotion, talent, and thought fostered a passionate poetic language that I now crave and desire.

I graduated this year, 2010, with my AA degree from NWFSC, but along the way, I became interested in the environment and began classes at UWF also.  I have also graduated this year with my Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Humanities.  I have always made sure that art classes were my primary electives along with dance.  I studied the tedious dimensions in art through design, which included line, precision, shade, color etc., but along the way, I said to myself, “that’s not art.”

Art, in my opinion, should not be forced by working in a precise, realistic style, however; when creating masterpieces through painting, I feel compelled to portray whatever the moment's thought is that hits the canvas by adding a dimension beyond merely duplicating photos.  I love to pick up a paintbrush and create moods with the use of dramatic light sources and rich colors tastefully mixed, no matter what the outcome is on the other side.  Although there is still a perfectionist tendency in me, I sleep a little better when I know that I have created a piece of art that expresses a meaning to someone, even if a little extra accuracy goes unnoticed.

My favorite quote is, “You have to be more than disciplined; you have to be driven," no matter what you do in life, and along the way, live well, laugh often, and love much -- life’s experiences do bring joy and peace of mind.