There is a reason Artigras is more than one day – you need at least three to see everything worth seeing – and there is a lot to see! 

The 27th annual ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival, presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, is an outdoor arts event showcasing a juried exhibition of outstanding fine art and featuring activities which include live entertainment, artist demonstrations, interactive art activities for all ages and a youth art competition. Listed as one of the top 50 festivals in the country, ArtiGras 2012 expects more than 250 artists and 125,000 guests over the three-day holiday weekend.

The Rickie Report will highlight a few of the artists you will be able to meet at this year’s event.

ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival

Saturday, February 18th 10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Sunday, February 19th  10:00 am – 6:00 pm

Monday, February 20th  10:00 am – 5:00 pm

Put your sunscreen and comfortable footwear on and head to Abacoa!

You don’t need to scuba dive if you love fish!  When you go to Artigras, stop by Michelle Nicole Lowe’s booth to see her amazing artwork.   You may feel like the fish are looking at you!  Their realistic colors and markings are a true marvel.

Michelle Nicole Lowe’s Fish

Michelle’s art has a tropical theme as she hopes to share her love of the Caribbean through her paintings.  The artist resides in Islamorada in the Florida Keys where she can be inspired by diving, fishing, kayaking and all activities around the ocean.

Michelle’s family has been in the Bahamas and the Florida Keys for generations and she has thus spent most of her life enjoying these islands.  She has loved art since she picked up her first paintbrush at North Palm Beach Elementary School.  By the time she was attending Gulliver Preparatory School in Miami her art began to win awards including first place in watercolors in the Beaux Arts Festival Student Artist Showcase at the Lowe Art Museum for her painting, Tropical Beauty.

While at the University of Florida, Michelle was an exchange student in Florence, Italy where she enrolled in art classes.  After graduating from Florida with a finance degree, Michelle worked for Accenture, an IT consulting company, in Washington D.C.  While with Accenture, she continued to develop her artistic talent by attending classes at the Corcoran School of Art.  Michelle was also able to show her art at the 10th Annual Artomatic, a month long art festival in D.C.

In 2009, Michelle was accepted to Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy where she could pursue her dream of being an artist on a full time basis.  While in Florence for the year, she began to hone her skills in mediums other than her now expert watercolor painting and even picked up a bit of the Italian language.

Michelle currently exhibits her work at many of Florida’s top rated art shows, see her event page for a frequently updated show schedule.  Michelle’s original artwork is also available in Limited Edition Giclée Reproductions.  If you are interested in original artwork, giclée reproductions or commissioned artwork, please contact her at   www.michellenicolelowe.com  .

Color saturates Nancy Tilles paintings!   Take a deep breath and just stand in her booth taking it all in.

Waterlilies

Nancy Tilles is an award winning artist, well known for her paintings and portraits. Her paintings are joyful expressions brought to life through color and form.  Influenced by living in South Florida for over 30 years, her images often reflect a tropical theme, rich in color.

Nancy’s work has been commissioned publicly and privately numerous times. In March, 2011 her painting “Gemstone Hawksbill Turtle” was chosen to represent the Art Fest by the Sea in Jupiter with a commemorative poster.  “Sea eScape”, her underwater series, was purchased by the City of Sunny Isles in Miami Beach. Her portrait of a young rider jumping her horse in “Sheer Determination”, was awarded best of show and chosen as the cover of “Palms West Almanac” Magazine 2004.  Community participation is important to Nancy and she regularly donates work to various charitable organizations.  She is presently licensing many of her images to appear on different products.

Nancy enjoys exhibiting her work at art festivals where she can meet people and exchange ideas. She has appeared in festivals throughout Florida including Artigras, Sunfest, Naples Art Fair, and Jupiter Art Fest by the Sea.  Recent exhibits include the Palm Beach International Airport , the Village of Wellington’s Art in Public Places, the Town of Jupiter Community Center, Village Art Gallery in Tequesta and one man show at Whole Foods in Wellington.  Presently her work can also be seen at Alligator Art in Wellington, Hurricane Cafe in Jupiter and Palm Beach Jewelers in North Palm Beach.

Originally from New York, Nancy earned her BFA from the University of Miami in 1977.  She currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens and spends her time working on commissions and teaching adults who are interested in perfecting their painting skills or learning how to paint for the first time.  To contact Nancy: ntilles@comcast.net

For more information about ArtiGras, please contact the Northern Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce at (561) 748-3946 or  www.artigras.org

For coverage of your events, listing of announcements in our events section, to place an advertisement, or speak to Rickie about appearing in The Rickie Report, contact The Rickie Report at:

Rickie Leiter, Publisher

The Rickie Report

P.O.Box 33423

Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33420

Rickie@therickiereport.com

561-537-0291