HOLMES BEACH – The front window at Island Gallery West is alive with color thanks to June’s Featured Artist, Sharon Lennox Woelfling, and her display titled “Coastal Impressions.”
Woelfling has been an artist for decades and has spent much of her time teaching art to children as well as adults.
“I’ve taken a lot of workshops, and I started out with watercolor, doing that for many years before I evolved to acrylics,” Woelfling said. “I’ve really fallen in love with acrylic painting because you can do a larger painting and it’s more forgiving. If you make a mistake in watercolor, you throw it away and start over.”
Woelfling points out that while only one out of 10 watercolor paintings come out the way she would have liked, an acrylic painting can be corrected. Her passion for this medium is apparent to anyone who views her work on display at the gallery. Works range from lifelike to abstract, with many landing somewhere in between as she paints in a style that takes something like a tropical flower or waterfall and pulls them to the verge of being abstract.
While Woelfling’s favorite color is blue, her works leap off the canvas with bright greens, reds and any other color required to bring each particular vision to life.
“This gallery is a great way to interact with other artists because when you paint, it’s very solitary, so you need that interaction with other artists,” said Woelfling, speaking about her relationship with Island Gallery West and her fellow member artists. “I love to see their work and be in the gallery the days I work, and just see what’s new in here.”
“Coastal Impressions” will be on display until June 30, and all works are available for purchase. Island Gallery West is located at 5368 Gulf Drive, Holmes Beach and is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
