Have you ever been so nervous of beginning something new that you stopped yourself from doing it? Shary Weckwerth, the artist of the month at the Barron Park House Gallery, was in that same boat before she started painting in the 90’s. She has since won many awards and has quite the extensive body of work, but when she was younger, she was told by family not to waste her time with painting. She overcame her fears one day and decided to go to a beginning oil workshop. “My knees were shaking when I went because I was just so nervous. I didn’t know what to expect.” Simply put, beauty is now what drives her to create and choose the subject of her paintings, and she uses a variety of mediums in a variety of genres. Mostly though, she enjoys painting animals and portraits, especially a variety of self-portraits. “I’m always there, and it’s good practice to get better at painting portraits,” she reasons. She is an artist who is always dedicated to her craft. “I love painting everything.” She even chooses to paint with a mission in mind. A couple of her animal paintings are on display at the gallery were painted for the organization Artists and Biologists United for Nature where artists come together to create cards and sellable items to support endangered species. Come visit the gallery to see her work, and sign up for the art workshops scheduled for the month. Penny Fox has a watercolor workshop on the 29th-30th. It may be the workshop that helps you overcome your fear and jump into creativity!

The Barron Park House Gallery and Gift Shop is in the historic Christie House which was built in 1914. It’s in the north east corner of Barron Park, next to the river and across from the American flag mural in the tennis courts, at 471 N. Lee S., LaBelle, FL 33935

Learn more about the Barron Park House Gallery by visiting our website at artsoftheinland.com and following us on FaceBook and Instagram. If there is any other artistic accomplishments or news, please send an email to heatheryish@gmail.com. Heather Caldwell, local artist and educator.