Hi friends!! If you’ve been following me for a while, you know that the last 5 years have been difficult for me personally. Or, maybe I’ve been good at playing that off through social media. After having been married for 25 years, I had a very abrupt divorce. I knew that there had been issues in my marriage that I thought we were trying to work on, but in August of 2019, I learned some news that would change my life forever. It led to our divorce and me moving from Naples, FL, which we had called home for 15 years. It was such a hard transition to leave my friends and home, but very necessary for me to move closer to my family who live just south of Sarasota. I arrived here just after the new year in 2020 hoping to lay down some new art roots and meet some new art friends. But that was not to be - all the world shut down with Covid within a couple of months of the move. It greatly delayed my settling into my new town and making it my home.

Two and a half years later, life is looking so very different. I have gotten remarried to the most amazing man, I have a new home, and I’ve gotten a chance to settle into this new hometown. And what I can tell you is that I love it here for so many reasons as I’m am finally able to settle into my new art life in this amazingly artistic Sarasota hometown.

If you are not familiar with the this beautiful city on the west coast of Florida and you love art, you should research this amazing area. While I’m not a historian or anywhere close to that, I thought I'd share with you my favorite artsy parts of this great city!! Sarasota was the home of John and Mable Ringling from the famed Ringling Bros. Circus, along with his brothers and made Sarasota the winter home for the circus. Ringling was a huge proponent of the arts and spent much of his time in Europe with his wife collecting art for an art museum. The Ringling Art Museum owns the largest collection of Rubins in the world, and the entire area around the museum includes the stunning home of John and Mable Ringling which is spectacular, and circus museum buildings.

There is also a very renowned Ringling College of Art and Design (RCAD). Needless to say the art presence in the city is incredible. Within the beautiful and clean downtown area, you can find sculptures at every traffic circle. There are so many opportunities for the preforming arts, as well as many great art galleries along the streets. There is also the Art Ovations Hotel that is a boutique hotel with an amazing art theme. Beautiful works adorn every wall and an amazing rooftop lounge provides for a beautiful view of this artsy city. There are also many fine arts and craft fairs to round out this amazing city.

While I was juried into an art exhibit last summer at the Art Center of Sarasota and did a week long residency at the Art Ovation Hotel, I will finally have a permanent location to showcase my work at the Art Uptown Gallery in downtown Sarasota. This is one more step in the right direction of making Sarasota my new home for my work as well as for my family. Art Uptown Gallery is located at 1367 Main Street, Sarasota, Florida 34236 right in the heart of the shops and restaurants!!

I am very excited about this new chapter moving forward. I’m so thrilled to be a part of this special group of artists in this exciting city on the bay. If you are thinking of visiting this area soon, please contact me!! I’d love to meet you in person and talk all things art and Florida - two of my most favorite things!!