Several days ago, I stopped in at The Coffee Mill to do a little last minute Christmas shopping. It's a wonderful store on Indian Rocks Road that has been an icon in our area for years, and I always find the nicest items for my friends there. Not to mention they have the yummiest coffee and tea assortment. And, we all know how I feel about my caffeine! As I was about to pay for my purchases, I spotted a calendar and asked the clerk about it. What a find!
The calendar has 12 gorgeous plein aire paintings of the quaint cottages on Indian Rocks Beach in the most beautiful, vibrant colors. (Plein aire painting simply means work done by the artist, on site, with an easel and their paints just like Monet used to do in Giverny, France.) I snapped one up especially after learning that the $20 price tag goes directly to benefit the Indian Rocks Library and Historical Museum. It turns out that these paintings were created by 3 local women who have been painting small homes on the beach for 6 years in an effort to capture them on canvas before they are all torn down to build McMansions.
If you love the beach, the arts, quaint cottages, or beachy scenes, you will go crazy for this calendar. I called the artists, left them a message telling them I'd love to have their calendars at P.F.T., and 2 days later they showed up at the shop with an armful of calendars! Yippee! So, come in and check out this wonderful calendar. Also, the artists will be at Guppy's restaurant on the beach January 9th with 60 of their oil paintings for sale. You'll be able to see the actual works in person. The show starts at 6PM and you'll get to meet these interesting ladies. I, myself, can't wait to go. Hope to see you there.
Here's the link to the artists and their work: http://www.pleinaircottageartists.com/
Feeling Artsy today,
Debbie
