ART NEWS
Painting class at Art League

COURTESY PHOTO Taters by M Pohlman.

Award-winning artist and Fort Myers resident Carol McArdle will be conducting a workshop - "Painting with a Palette Knife" - at the Art League of Fort Myers from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 15. The cost is $75.

McArdle said she hopes to demonstrate the many ways using a palette knife can open up new possibilities as the artist develops his or her artistic talent and style.

The Art League of Fort Myers is located at 1451 Monroe Street (between Bay and First Street), in the downtown River District. For more information and a list of materials that will be needed for the workshop, contact the gallery at (239) 275-3970 or visit www.artleagueoffortmyers.org.

Baseball theme at Art for ACT

Arts for ACT Gallery located at 2265 First Street in downtown Fort Myers, will host Michael Pohlman's "Baseball Art" from 7-10 p.m. on Friday, March 7 for its monthly artful evening opening artist's reception.

Pohlman, an artist and pitching coach for Bishop Verot High School, has played in the highest level of amateur baseball and appeared in six National AABC Tournaments. This exhibit includes collages of baseball positions and teams as well as action paintings.

COURTESY PHOTO Leoma Lovegrove

Arts for ACT Gallery provides a quality, contemporary exhibition gallery featuring original art, limited edition prints, giclees, hand-crafted fine crafts, tee shirts, silver and glass bead jewelry, gourd art, raku, clay, and art cards. It is a great opportunity to meet the gallery's featured artist, enjoy some local food and wine, and engage in lively artful discussions.

Painting workshop at Edison Estates

Edison's Caretaker's House and the adjacent Edison Moonlight Garden will host "Painting in the Moonlight Garden with Leoma Lovegrove" from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5.

This is a full-day acrylic painting workshop. All levels of expertise are welcome.

Lovegrove's workshop will focus on the beautiful expressionist palette which is captured in the historic garden area originally designed by Ellen Biddle Shipman in 1929. Lovegrove is well-known for her work which is reflective of the work of French Impressionists captured by Monet in the Giverny Gardens.

COURTESY PHOTO Gulf Beach Walkers 9x14.

The full day workshop will begin with history, garden and plant overview by Estates horticulturalist Debbie Hughes. Hughes will also prepare still life bouquets and arrangements using the plants from the moonlight garden. Flowers include bougainvillea, begonia oderata, iris, gardenia, bleeding heart, trumpet vine and antique roses. Recently restored, the garden won the American Society of Landscape Architects, Florida Chapter, Award of Merit for Preservation and Conservation. Ellin Goetz is the landscape architect.

Cost for the workshop is $135 for Estates members; $150 non members and includes free admission into the historic homes, gardens, laboratory and museum. Participants are encouraged to bring a bag lunch or enjoy the Estates Banyan Café. To register, call (239) 334-7419. Class size is limited to 20.

The Estates is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The Estates is an official project of "Save America's Treasures" at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a Florida Historic Landmark and a National Register Historic Site. For additional information, visit www.efwefla.org.

Benefit at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park

An exhibit of William North oil paintings completed in 2007 during his term as "resident artist" at Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park in Naples will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 8.

Paintings will include views of Wiggins Pass and the beach, with an emphasis on morning shadow patterns on the sand. North is a well-known impressionist artist with more than 60 years of painting experience.

The exhibit is a benefit sponsored by the park's volunteer Citizen Support Organization. It will be held in the pavilion at Parking Area 5.

Admission for non-members is $5 per vehicle with up to eight people, $3 for a single driver and vehicle, $1 for walkers and bicyclists. For park information, call (239) 597-6196.

Visiting Artists' reception at Harbour View Gallery

Manfred Behr (photography) and Petra Keiser (glass fusion) are the artists of the month at Harbour View Gallery, 5789 Cape Harbour Drive #104, Cape Coral.

The exhibit will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, March 7. Call 540-5789 for more information.