Since moving to Florida my wife and I have developed a major appreciation for art. When we met in 2004 I had been matting and framing pictures for several years. The matting and framing developed because of all my sports memorabilia and how expensive it is to have it professionally framed. So as you can imagine when we’re at the shows we always hunt for an unframed print or painting so I can take advantage of my framing skill. Our house is painted in neutral colors because of the colorful matted and framed prints as well as the art that we have purchased at the local shows.
In Florida we have been to shows in Melbourne, Tampa, Sarasota, St. Armand’s Circle, Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton and most recently Venice. We both agreed the Venice Show was the most enjoyable show we have ever been to. They block off West Venice Avenue in the downtown area and place the artist’s tents one after the other in the center of the street. With the artists in town the downtown area becomes alive with locals and tourists. Restaurants like TJ Carney’s Pub & Grille and unique shops like Sunshine Boyz Island Shoppe and Sea Pleasures and Treasures surround the artists and provide something for everyone.
The artists are from all over the United States and they sell pottery, paintings, sculptures, jewelry and music. We stepped into several tents had some nice conversations with a few of the artists. Some shows are so crammed you don’t have the opportunity to do this. A few of our favorite artists were: Diana Ahrens, Graham Metal Art, Rizzo Watercolor Art, Michelle Nicole Lowe, Artistic Alchemy and Twisted Dimensions. Venice has an art show in March and November and you can keep up with the schedule at artfestival.com. A great Facebook page for the art shows is Howard Alan Events. They have the schedule, photos and more of all the past and upcoming events so be sure to “like” their page if you are an art fan. Again, if you live in the Sarasota or Manatee County area the Venice art show is definitely recommended by us.
Seemybeach.com has a great YouTube video from the show!