Island artists and authors highlight Holiday House
The Beacon of HOPE is excited to announce the inaugural Holiday House of HOPE from Dec. 3 to Dec. 12 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Porpoise Point, 1112 Porpoise Point Road in Matlacha.
Noted island artists/authors will be highlighted at the inaugural Holiday House of H.O.P.E. Leoma Lovegrove, Mary Kaye Stevens, Mel Meo and Robert Macomber have all generously granted the use of their art and books to the Beacon of H.O.P.E. to add to the island-themed holiday decor of the inaugural Holiday House of H.O.P.E.
Leoma Lovegrove, Pine Island’s Painting Princess, currently makes her home in Matlacha, Florida, but her works are displayed in numerous galleries throughout the world, including her new gallery on Sanibel. Leoma’s art is instantly recognizable for its exuberant technique and tropical color palette. With subjects ranging from brightly colored fish to the Beatles, Leoma’s work will delight everyone from children to sophisticated collectors.
Mary Kaye Stevens is an educator who made Lee County her home in 1972. Arcadia Publishing publishes her books and she has enjoyed all aspects of the process from a rigorous writing schedule, to research and marketing her books. As with her previous book, Images of America: Pine Island, Images of America: Lee County Islands will take readers on a delightful journey through the islands’ unique past.
Mel Meo is a naive (primitive, self-trained) artist whose work embodies the peace of Pine Island, Florida, her home for 40 years. Her painting is eclectic and exuberant, bursting forth through an astounding variety of mediums and surfaces and always exhibiting the artist’s spirituality and sense of humor. Mel often paints from dreams, usually in a series, or a theme that seems to spring from some inner journey pushing her, always, toward the mysterious good, or “another beginning,” says Mel, “like opening a door.”
Robert N. Macomber is an internationally recognized award-winning maritime writer, lecturer, and television commentator. He is a lecturer in the Distinguished Military Author Series at the Center for Army Analysis at Fort Belvoir, near Washington DC, and has presented at the U.S. Southern Command’s Notable Military Author Series, the West Point Society, and at the Office of Naval Intelligence. He is also a maritime commentator for Florida PBS documentaries, a magazine writer, and a naval history lecturer for the American History Forum and the Civil War Education Association. His lectures span 35 various maritime and literary topics.
Tickets are available in advance for $8 per person at The Beacon of H.O.P.E. at 5465 Pine Island Road in Bokeelia, Southwest Capital Bank at 5551 Sunset Lane, St. James City and SunTrust Bank at 10202 Stringfellow Road, St. James City.
Organizers thank their generous sponsors, “without whom we would not be able to host this event”: Century 21 Birchwood, Busic, Chesser and Associates, Coastal Lands & Homes, LLC, Stearns Custom Builders and Southwest Capital Bank, N.A.