“I have lived on the buffs of Montrose for 40 years, and it is my inspiration to make things that reflect the geological wonder of where we live.” - Shelley Leigh

‍My husband is an avid reader, usually reading several books at once. When he meets a new person he always asks “What are you reading?” because it gives him an idea about his or her interests. I’ve heard young mothers say Clifford the Big Red Dog and others say The Bible but with the plethora of book club members and other bibliophiles in the Scenic 98 Coastal area, a new favorite book is always part of the conversation.

Throughout June, the Mobile Arts Council’s Gallery @ Room 1927 will feature works by four Mobile-based artists. The exhibitions, titled “Figures of Imagination” and “Ethereal,” have contrasting themes, but are compatible in their focus on figures, extreme detail, and surreal imagery.

Meeting up for lunch at The Barn at Hope Farm with the dynamic event coordinator, Tonya Dalhaus, was an exciting hour for both of us. We discovered we have a mutual friend, Heather Mitchell, a sketch artist. 

Big News! Mobile Ballet Eastern Shore has moved to a new location on Equity Drive in Daphne, Alabama. After years of renting, the dance school has purchased and expanded to a much larger space, with three studios, an area for dressing rooms, and offices. 

Full disclosure, Raine Bedsole is one of our closest friends and she is also an extraordinary artist. She was recently selected as one of 9 artists out of more than 250 applicants to complete a sculpture to be placed in The Underwater Museum of Art, less than a mile from the sugar-white sands of Grayton Beach, Florida.

There is a pottery studio and showroom in Navarre, Florida, called Holley Hill Pottery. The owner/artists are Marty, Brenda, and Jason Stokes, co-founders of the Gulf Coast Kiln Walk Society and the WoodStoke Pottery and Kiln Festival which is coming up on Saturday, February 10th.

Some people are lucky to have been born with creative genes. How creativity manifests itself can take many tracks, often depending on a person’s environment. In the case of ultra-talented Fairhope resident Elisabeth Hays, it was the free reign she was given as a child to do whatever she wanted to do in her art room, the finished attic of their home.