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Guild To Hold Art Show At Country Club

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 5, 2007

Updated: 12/03/2007 09:45 pm

PLANT CITY - Art and wine are on the agenda for the East Hillsborough Art Guild's 16th annual A Christmas Showing of Art.

Artists and their works will be on hand during a wine and cheese reception from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday at Walden Lake Golf and Country Club, 2001 Clubhouse Drive.

Admission is free.

About 28 of 85 guild artists are scheduled to attend, including its president, Leo Watson.

Karen Crumley, chairwoman of A Christmas Showing of Art, said about 15 to 20 pieces of art have been donated by guild artists to be offered for drawings to raise money for the organization.

Works in the show include watercolors, acrylics, pastels and mixed-media collage.

An optional dinner at the country club follows the reception. The prices for dinner will range from $15 to $20. For dinner reservations, call the country club at (813) 752-1171, Ext. 227.
Guild artists at the event include:

•Helena Laurent, a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the University of Chicago. She taught high school and elementary art classes in Michigan, Illinois and Brisbane, Australia. She has also held art classes for the residents at Plant City Community Convalescent Center. Laurent is a member of the Polk Museum of Art and the Venice Art Museum.

"My first love was pottery," Laurent said. "But I've morphed into acrylics, pastels and now into mixed-media collage."

•John Dispennette, a native Floridian who grew up near the Alafia River.

His creativity led him to design decals and T-shirt art under the name Backcountry Designs. Not long after he first started using acrylics, Dispennette was commissioned to paint country images for Harold Mobley on the exterior of his Harold's Outdoor Products sport shop in Plant City. He has completed several murals, including at the Dallas Bull country bar. He has also sold many paintings.

•Letcher "Jerry" Crowe, who moved to Plant City after retiring in Chicago in 1992. He has been painting watercolors for four years and said he derives a great deal of satisfaction from his work in that medium.

"I am partial to doing portraits," Crowe said.

His art has been displayed in Plant City, Brandon, University Community Hospital gallery and the Florida Strawberry Festival art show.

•Judith Strong of Lithia. She attended the Ringling School of Art, Sarasota, 1975-1976, and has worked as the designer at Magna Graphics in Lakeland for 17 years. Strong recently opened an online business, Paws & Claws Fine Art, specializing in pet and wildlife portraits. Her Web site at pet-portraits-deluxe.com displays a variety of her wildlife and domestic animal portraits.

•Mary Schaffer, a lifelong resident of Hillsborough County and a retired prekindergarten teacher. Schaffer said she has loved painting for more than 20 years. She began working in oils but recently has found an interest in acrylics. Schaffer resides in Plant City and enjoys spending time with her family and painting portraits of friends.

•Chris Kelley, the recording secretary for the guild, has a number of her paintings on display at University Community Hospital in Tampa. Born in Philadelphia but raised in the Dover area, Kelley lives in Walden Lake. Mainly self-taught, Kelley enjoys working with acrylics.

"I've tried several mediums, but settled on acrylic as my favorite. I find painting to be relaxing and enjoyable," Kelley said. "And it's also nice to sell a painting now and again."

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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