From Miami and Miami Beach to Naples, Sarasota, Palm Beach and more, Florida is a sunny place to be for a lot of reasons. With glistening coastlines and sandy beaches as well as numerous galleries, museums and arts institutions, the Sunshine State is a prime destination for collectors.
An aerial view of PortMiami in Miami, Florida. Photo courtesy of the GMCVB – MiamiandBeaches.com.
Take the popular Miami Art Week, for instance, which brings a weeklong menagerie of blue-chip modern art fairs to the Miami/Miami Beach area. Art Miami, running December 1 to 5 with a VIP Preview on November 30, features an array of iconic and important art works, dynamic projects and special installations from more than 130 international galleries. During the 2021 CONTEXT Art Miami, collectors can explore artwork from international galleries showcasing emerging, midcareer and cutting-edge artists, continuoulsy pushing the conversation on where modern art can go. And during Aqua Art Miami, South Beach's Aqua Hotel opens its courtyard for collectors to discover fresh new talent. Design Miami showcases the very best creatives pushing the field of collectible design. And yet another Miami Art Week event, Spectrum Miami, showcases more than 150 independent artists, offers opportunities to speak directly with the artists, hear their stories and take home the pieces that speak to you. 
A view of Museum Park with the downtown Miami skyline. Photo courtesy of the GMCVB – http://MiamiandBeaches.com.
The month of March brings several wonderful plein air events. At Forgotten Coast En Plein Air, artists gather to paint various locations throughout Florida in an homage to the authentic "Old Florida." The Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens in West Palm Beach hosts the 9th Annual En Plein Air Paint Out Competition, where visitors can observe more than 20 artists as they paint the beauty of the gardens, which are the former residence of sculptor Ann Weaver Norton. The events conclude with an awards ceremony, exhibition and chance to purchase the artwork created.
In Tequesta, Florida, find the Lighthouse ArtCenter Gallery & School of Art, a nonprofit organization that connects the community to art through yearly exhibitions and special events. This March, the Lighthouse ArtCenter holds its 9th Annual Plein Air Festival, a weeklong affair featuring events, artist demonstrations and workshops and brand new works for sale—and a staple for the Tequesta area. 
The Acosta Bridge in Jacksonville, Florida. Photo credit: Daron Dean for VISIT FLORIDA.
Moving to Winter Park, the city brings many exciting events, including the Winter Park Paint-Out, held at the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, happening April 24 to 30, 2022, which includes demonstrations and a chance to view artists at the easel painting in plein air.
And happening rain or shine the first Friday of every month in St. Augustine is the First Friday Art Walk. From 5 to 9 in the evening, esteemed St. Augustine art galleries open their doors for visitors and art lovers to browse the latest art exhibits at more than 30 participating galleries.
The TLH sculpture is the centerpiece of an urban park that sits on the west end of the Cascades Bridge in Tallahassee, Florida. Photo credit: Stacy Hilton.
Other fantastic galleries, institutions and artists that call Florida home include Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Alliance for the Arts, Rosa Chavez and Leon F Ruiz, Emily James Art, Glory Spinuzzi, Roni Lynn Doppelt, Ellen Negley, Eydel Fine Arts, Piper Gallery and Studio, Venvi Art Gallery and Melissa Gallo.
Calendar of Events
December is prime art season in Miami with the return of Miami Art Week, while other cities in Florida welcome art fairs, plein air festivals and more to enjoy throughout the year.
November 30-December 4, 2021
Untitled Art Miami Beach
Ocean Drive & 12th Street • Miami Beach
www.untitledartfairs.comm
December 1-2, 2021
Miami River Art Fair
The Penthouse Riverside Wharf • Miami
www.miamiriverartfair.com
December 1-4, 2021
NADA Art Fair
Ice Palace Studios • Miami
www.newartdealers.org
December 1-5, 2021
Aqua Art Miami
Aqua Hotel • Miami Beach
www.aquaartmiami.com
December 1-5, 2021
Art Miami
Art Miami Pavilion • Miami
www.artmiami.com
December 1-5, 2021
CONTEXT Art Miami
The CONTEXT Art Miami Pavilion • Miami
www.artmiami.com
December 1-5, 2021
Design Miami
Miami Beach Convention Center • Miami Beach
www.designmiami.com
December 1-5, 2021
INK Miami
Suites of Dorchester
Miami Beach
www.inkartfair.com
December 1-5, 2021
Pinta Miami
31 Northeast 14th Street
Miami
www.pinta.art
December 1-5, 2021
Red Dot Miami
Mana Wynwood • Miami
www.redwoodartgroup.com
December 1-5, 2021
SCOPE Miami
Ocean Drive & 8th Street • Miami Beach
www.scope-art.com
December 1-5, 2021
Spectrum Miami
Mana Wynwood • Miami
www.redwoodartgroup.com
December 2-4, 2021
Art Basel Miami Beach
Miami Beach Convention Center • Miami Beach
www.artbasel.com
December 17-January 8, 2022
D’Art for Art
Tequesta, FL
www.lighthousearts.org
January 28-30, 2022
IMAGES: A Festival of the Arts
Riverside Drive & Canal Street
New Smyrna Beach
www.imagesartfestival.org
February 17-21, 2022
Art Wynwood
Art Wynwood Pavilion • Miami
www.artwynwood.com
February 17-22, 2022
The Palm Beach Show
Palm Beach Convention Center • Miami
www.palmbeachshow.com
March 4-26, 2022
Annual All Florida Juried Exhibit
Alliance for the Arts •Fort Myers
www.artinlee.org
March 18-27, 2022
Forgotten Coast En Plein Air
Various Locations
forgottencoastculturalcoalition.wildapricot.org
March 24-27, 2022
Palm Beach Modern + Contemporary
Palm Beach County Convention Center • West Palm Beach
www.artpbfair.com
March 27, 2022
9th annual En Plein Air Paint Out Competition
Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens • West Palm Beach
www.ansg.org
March 27-April 2, 2022
9th annual Plein Air Festival
Lighthouse ArtCenter • Tequesta
www.lighthousearts.org
April 24-30, 2022
Winter Park Paint-Out
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens • Winter Park
www.winterparkpaintout.org
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Alliance for the Arts
(239) 939-2787
exhibitions@artinlee.org
www.artinlee.org
Alliance for the Arts is a vibrant and welcoming nonprofit visual and performing arts center located in the heart of southwest Florida. Since the 1970s, they’ve been transforming lives and improving community through the arts. The organization’s year-round schedule of events has become a staple for our community to connect with each other and to the arts during engaging gallery exhibitions, inspiring art classes and stimulating theatre productions. The Alliance is creative space that spurs and supports self-expression, imagination and equity.
Alliance for the Arts, Saw Palmetto, watercolor, 18 x 30", by Curtis Whitwam.
Alliance for the Arts, War Hero, oil, 48 x 36", by Hernan Brito Pena.
In December, Alliance for the Arts will be displaying a special juried holiday exhibition. Deck the Halls is an alternative show that encourages appreciation for all holidays of the season. Artists are asked to create works of art and installation proposals that utilize holiday decorations in unique ways, reuse, repurpose or reimagine the use of traditional decorations and envision an immersive installation experience to celebrate the season. The show will be on display December 10 through January 3.
Alliance for the Arts, Hip Check, metal sculpture, 43 x 31 x 7", by Victoria Milne.In January, the works of two local artists, Alice Kiderman and Carol Coates, will be showcased in the joint exhibition States of Being and will consist of statues and three-dimensional work paired with paintings and photography, on view January 7 to 29. The Alliance for the Arts’ biggest exhibition of the season is its All Florida Juried Exhibition, which will run March 4 to 26. This show, celebrating its 36th year, features pieces created by artists working in a wide variety of media from all over the 65,000 square miles that make up Florida. The juried entries come together for an award-winning and exciting exhibition representing today’s contemporary Florida artists.
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Lighthouse ArtCenter Gallery & School of Art
373 Tequesta Drive, Tequesta, FL 33469
(561) 746-3101, www.lighthousearts.org
Andy Warhol (1928-1987), In the Bottom of My Garden, mixed media, 12 x 19"
“We are honored to bring these powerful and diverse exhibits to our community…Spring season begins with the highly anticipated ninth annual Plein Air Festival. It’s a weeklong festival that’s packed with events, demonstrations, workshops and fresh works of art for sale…It will be a season you won’t want to miss!.” — Janeen Mason, curator, Lighthouse ArtCenter
Lighthouse ArtCenter is a not-for-profit organization located in the heart of Tequesta, Florida. Founded in 1964, it has been a creative pillar in northern Palm Beach County inspiring, engaging and connecting the community through a vibrant school of art, unique exhibitions and diverse special events.
A major upcoming exhibition at the gallery is WARHOL! WARHOL! WARHOL! running January 13 to March 23, as well as the ninth annual Plein Air Festival from March 27 to April 2. In addition, D’Art for Art open this December 17 and runs through January 8.
Eli Cedrone, Deerfield Beach, oil, 11 x 14"
Andy Warhol (1928-1987), You Can Lead A Shoe to Water, 14 ½ x 21½"
In recent years the gallery has brought world-class exhibits including Guggenheim’s Frank Lloyd Wright, Nick Cave’s renowned Sound Suits,Kara Walker’s Sugar Babies, Clyde Butcher’s iconic photos of the Everglades, Edie Widder’s first photos ever taken of a giant squid alive and in January 2022, rarely seen, original Andy Warhol pieces.
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Emily James Gallery
720 Fifth Avenue, #111
Naples, FL 34145
(239) 777-3282
emily@emilyjamesart.com
www.emilyjamesart.com
“I was born by the sea and have found much joy in painting its many moods and nuances, an ever-changing subject,” says artist Emily James of Emily James Art Gallery. “Each coast has a different feel, each body of water.” The artist has studied oceanography and has gone scuba diving, painting her memories and beautiful observations onto the canvas.
Naples-based artist Emily James works on a painting.
Emily James, Sea Beauty, mixed media, 60 x 48"
Emily James, Beautiful Florida, mixed media, 54 x 65"
Recently, James has been focusing on creative ways to “capture the magic of the immediate fluidity of the sea in all its beauty…I’ve enjoyed having my own gallery in Naples, Florida, where I meet my collectors and delight in knowing they share my love and vision.” James will be part of a group show in January and February at the Marco Island Center for the Arts.
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Rosa Chavez
Naples, FL & Granger, IN
(209) 509-9589, (702) 521-6122
rosachavezartwork@gmail.com
ms.ruiz@emeraldartgallery.com
www.chavezartwork.com
Like most contemporary artists, Rosa Chavez is inspired by multiple art styles and movements. Looking through her portfolios, collectors will find that she is influenced by a mixture of abstraction, minimalism and figurative painting styles. These sorts of influences allow her to create the unique energy found in her work; from peaceful yet joyful marinas where boats are docked, to her energetic regattas where you feel the intensity of the race being portrayed by the long strokes of paint. 
Rosa Chavez, The Adventure Awaits, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60"
Rosa Chavez, Monroe Harbor, IL, acrylic on canvas, 56 x 70"
She uses color, texture and basic shapes throughout her work to create the energy one feels while sailing out in the open water. Her color palette is mostly composed of blue hues, complemented by primary colors usually found on racing or docked boats. She uses these bright primary colors to bring in some joy in a canvas filled with blue hues, something that is commonly experienced while you’re out sailing in a large lake or ocean; where the water mass and the sky seem to be endless. The most complicated pieces are her Urban Marinas, which her husband, Leon F Ruiz, helps her paint. His education and experience as an architect in Mexico City have allowed them to paint as a team in depicting famous urban marinas like Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle, Boston and New York, to name a few. 
Rosa Chavez, Regatta Annapolis, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 24"Chavez will be participating in the Naples New Year’s Art Show in Naples from January 8 to 9; the Downtown Delray Beach Festival of the Arts January 15 to 16 and Images: A Festival of the Arts in New Smyrna Beach from January 28 to 30.
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Leon F Ruiz
Naples, FL & Granger, IN
(209) 509-9589, (702) 521-6122
mr.ruiz@leonfruiz.com
ms.ruiz@emeraldartgallery.com
www.leonfruiz.com
The paintings in Leon F Ruiz’s latest series are a visual representation of the energy found in city life. The inspiration for Ruiz’s experimental art form comes from his enjoyment of recording the sounds of bustling noises found in urban areas. Inspired by more than just visuals, Ruiz paints with more character when he can feel the city through sound. It is a way of transporting himself into a different space while still painting from his studio. 
Leon F Ruiz, Serenity, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60 x 1½"
Ruiz travels to multiple beaches throughout the year in the pursuit of finding books, magazines and other sorts of paper materials left behind by beach visitors. After collecting the discarded materials, he lets them soak in water until it turns into mush. That “mush” is then mixed with eco-friendly acrylic that turns the leftover paper into papier-mâché. He then applies the papier-mâché to his painting surface, which creates the texture that is visible on several of his paintings. 
Leon F Ruiz, O-Town, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 36 x 1½"
Expanded polystyrene foam (EPS), which Ruiz also utilizes in his work, is pervasive in the marine environment. An eco-artist, Ruiz has collected many found cups and plates made of styrofoam over the years and is now crumbling it up and turning into texture in his paintings. All of the artist’s paintings are made with eco-friendly acrylic paint provided from several worldwide providers. He makes sure that they are made from 99 percent natural ingredients, water-based, non-toxic and solvent-free. 
Leon F Ruiz, The Magic City, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 72 x 1½"
Ruiz will participate in the Naples New Year’s Art Show from January 8 to 9; the Downtown Delray Beach Festival of the Arts January 15 to 16; and will be a featured artist in Images: A Festival of the Arts in New Smyrna Beach from January 28 to 30.
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Roni Lynn Doppelt
Worth Avenue, Palm Beach, FL
(561) 271-8775
ronilynndoppelt@gmail.com
www.ronilynndoppelt.com
Roni Lynn Doppelt has been creating various forms of art since the early 1980s. She began with acrylic and watercolor abstract paintings and subsequently expanded into colorful creations on glass. She found a special talent for sculpture and has enjoyed creating numerous bronze pieces as well as alabaster and marble sculptures. She has excelled with mixed-media heart collages and abstract-scapes of all kinds inspired by her abiding love of travel. 
Roni Lynn Doppelt, BLUE SKY, acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24"
Most notably, Doppelt has contributed her artwork to various charities for fundraising events and has generously donated significant original pieces to foundations such as Morse Life, Pink Aid, Donna Klein, Alzheimer’s Association, the 92nd Street Y and Albert Einstein College.
Roni Lynn Doppelt, RAINBOW PEARL, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 60"
Roni Lynn Doppelt, PINK SKY, acrylic on canvas, 30 x 40"
Her work has been shown at Amsterdam-Whitney International Fine Art Gallery in New York in 2018 to 2021, the Pergande Gallery in Aspen in 2018 to 2021, World Art Tours with Nina Torres from 2016 to 2021, and is at the Sandra Neustadter Gallery in Delray Beach, Florida. She was a featured artist in early 2019 at the Hugh O’Neill Art Group in Jupiter, Florida. In addition, she was honored to be invited to participate in a unique and fabulous opportunity to have her art shown at the Ancient Olympia Town Hall during the 2020 Olympic Flame Ceremony in Ancient Olympia Greece. The virtual digital exhibition was called Athletic Idea, Man And The Arts.
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Glory Spinuzzi
Glory Spinuzzi Fine Art LLC
(239) 293-7858
glorysheba922@yahoo.com
www.gloryspinuzzifineart.com
Self-taught painter Glory Spinuzzi was born on the island of Sri Lanka in 1989, and being raised on an island meant the artist always had a fascination with the sea. She says, “It has been one of the biggest inspirations behind my artistic journey.”
Glory Spinuzzi, Winds of the Sea, oil on canvas, 24 x 36"
Spinuzzi adds, “The sea is an expression of my own quest for the ideal world and of my longing to depict pristine, unspoiled nature. In my water paintings I express the primeval desire to represent clarity and purity. My intention or the idea behind an image is not always what is perceived by the observer. The way a work of art is interpreted and registered always take its own dynamic.” 
Glory Spinuzzi with her painting, Summer Surf.
The artist is also drawn to the organic nature of oil paint, finding that it both suits her personality and best represents the feeling and motion of the sea. She says, “The way it blends, glows, moves and exists. It’s an incredible medium to work with.”
Glory Spinuzzi, Coming Home, oil on canvas, 36 x 60"
Spinuzzi’s brushwork is quick and spontaneous, with shapes made up of lines, dabs and dots. But when viewed at a distance, the painting comes together in a recognizable composition. She explains, “My technique is derived from my study of oil painting, and in particular, glazing, which allows me to achieve the optimal depth and resolution. My current glazing technique is the result of using oil and resins. By employing glazing tried and tested in many paintings, I achieve the fascinating effect of depth in my latest variation of contemporary realism. Although I am a self-taught artist, I have been mentored by Edward Park, a great and internationally recognized artist.”
Spinuzzi will participate in the Naples New Year’s Art Show on January 8 and 9.
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Ellen Negley
(561) 512-247
negleywatercolors@gmail.com
www.negleywatercolors.com
Ellen Negley is a Florida watercolor artist living in Lake Worth Beach and focuses primarily on capturing the tropical essence of Florida’s coastal enclaves. Backed by her motto “more color, more happy,” she seeks out fun, quirky settings full of energy where she can unleash her unique vision of the world with bold, exciting colors. She is fascinated by watercolor’s elusiveness and unpredictability. 
Ellen Negley, Living the Lime Life, watercolor, 22 x 30"
“One minute the colors are bold and electric, and the next they’re delicate and transparent. When unexpected colors mix in watercolor, it’s so exciting,” says Negley. “It’s like being the director of an orchestra but having no control over the musicians. You just have to watch and wait and hope the music is beautiful.” The artist adds that the color combinations in Florida are unlike any other place in the world. 
Ellen Negley, Naples 5th Avenue II, watercolor, 22 x 30"
Negley participates in several Florida fine art festivals throughout the year and loves painting the state’s quaint downtowns. The artist will have upcoming shows in Sarasota from January 29 to 30, Fort Myers from February 4 to 6, Palm Beach Gardens running February 19 and 20 and Stuart from February 26 to 27, among many other locales.
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Eydel Fine Arts
800 Fifth Avenue South, Suite 101
Naples, FL 34102, (239) 273-7677
www.eydelfineartsgallery.com
Eydel Fine Arts is a family-owned art gallery passionate about offering (and making) high-quality, interesting and fun artwork that brings joy to the soul and enriches the community. Featuring the mixed media artwork of artist and gallery owner, Alina Eydel, as well as 20 other local and national artists, Eydel Fine Arts is a jewel of downtown Naples. 
Eydel Fine Arts, Bluebirds of Happiness, acrylic on canvas with silver leaf, gold leaf and glass bead mosaic, 48 x 48", by Alina Eydel.
An interior view of Eydel Fine Arts in Naples, Florida.
A professional artist since 2003, Eydel opened the gallery in 2017. Although she works with many different mixed media materials, including gold and silver leaf, semiprecious stones, and real butterfly wings, Eydel is best known for her unique glass bead mosaic, in which she glues glass beads to the surfaces of her acrylic paintings, creating a spectacular and intricate mosaic-like effect that must be experienced in person.
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Piper Gallery and Studio
2608 N. Ocean Boulevard #3
Pompano Beach, FL 33062
(954) 951-7125
www.pipergallery.com
Piper Gallery and Studio, Ready, Set, Go, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 48", by Phyllis Shipley.
Piper Gallery and Studio opened in November 2019 and over the last two years has strived to carve out a unique niche in the industry by featuring artists from its South Florida pool of extraordinary talent. Piper Gallery’s professional, award-winning fine artists have been carefully selected for their unique take and representation of wildlife, landscapes, seascapes, people and more that call Florida home. The artwork represented encompasses all genres and mediums including sculpture, oil, acrylic, watercolor, mixed media and photography. 
Piper Gallery and Studio, Wondrous Wetlands, acrylic on canvas, 48 x 24", by Donna Sallee.
“I am focused on our collectors, their confidence in our artists, the gallery and in knowing they are obtaining a quality work to enjoy for many years,” says owner and curator Piper Steffen. The gallery is currently displaying the works of roughly 14 artists, with new works continuously being added.
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Melissa Gallo
(954) 243-6097
melissa@melissagallopaints.com
www.melissagallopaints.com
Melissa Gallo was born and raised on Long Island, New York. Both her parents were artists. Therefore, frequent visits from and conversations with some of the major artists of the day, such as Pino and Bernie Fuchs, were not uncommon in her house. She became an illustrator and worked for 22 years, producing covers painted in acrylics for the major publishing houses in New York and Milan. Later, Gallo became a photographer, which ultimately led to her fascination with digital painting. However, Gallo’s dream has always been to be a landscape painter working primarily in oils. With the beauty and majesty of the landscape as her crowning inspiration, she is finally realizing that dream. 
Melissa Gallo, Off the Road, oil on paper, 7 x 9"
Her work is currently on display at the Certain Women art exhibition in Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted by the Zion Art Society at Anthony’s Antiques and Fine Art. In addition, she is releasing a collection of various sized paintings in the spring of 2022, consisting of small works in gouache and oils, as well as larger oil on canvas pieces. Gallo currently resides with her family in Florida.
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The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art
445 N. Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL 32789
(407) 645-5311
information@morsemuseum.org
www.morsemuseum.org
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of works by Louis Comfort Tiffany, including the artist and designer’s jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass lamps and windows. The museum’s holdings also include American art pottery, late-19th- and early-20th-century American paintings, graphics and decorative art. Founded by Jeannette Genius McKean in 1942, the museum was named for her industrialist grandfather, Chicago industrialist and Winter Park philanthropist Charles Hosmer Morse. Although internationally renowned for its Tiffany collection, the Morse is more than a Tiffany museum with contemporaries such as Louis Sullivan, Frank Lloyd Wright, John La Farge and Arthur Nash represented, as well as many European artists. 
The exterior of The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art.
The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, Wine and Oranges, 1903, oil on board, 10 x 65⁄8". Gift of Theodore E. and Susan Cragg Stebbins (2020-004:30), by John Frederick Peto (1854-1907).On view now, The Stebbins Collection: A Gift for the Morse Museum showcases the collection of Theodore E. Stebbins Jr. and Susan Cragg Stebbins over 55 years.
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Venvi Art Gallery
2901 E. Park Avenue, Tallahassee, FL 32301
(850) 322-0965
email@venviartgallery.com
www.venviartgallery.com
An installation view of artwork by Mark Messersmith at Venvi Art Gallery.
Since 2015, Venvi Art Gallery has been a staple in the art community of Tallahassee, Florida. Representing many talented artists of local, national and international renown, the gallery features a wide array of artworks both abstract and representational that cover many different subjects including, landscapes, portraiture and surreal environments. There are many artists of note including several who are also professors at Florida State University, such as Mark Messersmith, Mary Stewart and Ray Burggraf. The gallery also features works by Leon Hicks, who was a pioneer for Black artists and educators in the 1950s and ’60s. Additionally, Venvi Art Gallery is always adding new artists to its roster. In 2022 there will be exhibitions by Selena Nawrocki, Nancy Dillon and Bella Falbo. 
Venvi Art Gallery featuring Passion For Color by artist Ray Burggraf.The heart of the gallery is connected through the passion the artists and the owners have for the art and the community they share. —
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