By Zeb Hargett

We are fortunate to have so many Scenic 98 Coastal communities that host monthly Friday evening art walks, showcasing our talented local artists. In Fairhope, it’s the First Friday Art Walk downtown. It kicks off a new month of good times and serves as a big block party, with galleries open, and bands playing, with an opportunity to visit with friends or take the family out for a free, fun evening.

On the second Friday, the Mobile Arts Council holds its LoDa (Lower Dauphin Arts District) Art Walk around Cathedral Square, featuring all kinds of artists and musicians. Gallery Night Pensacola is a themed monthly experience held along Palafox Street every third Friday. January’s theme was the “Art of the Snake” for the Lunar New Year. Wherever these art walks take place, you will experience great food, live music, and beautiful works of art by local artists.

Fairhope’s Lyons Share Custom Framing and Gallery, next to Page and Palette on De La Mare Avenue, always has a featured artist to discover. On February 7, Abi Waller will have her first-ever art show there. Her oil paintings will hang at the gallery throughout the month.

Abi and her family moved around a lot, as her father, Blake, was a United States Air Force colonel. Her grandmother, Stephanie Crowe (one of my favorite people), whom I met when she managed author events at Page & Palette, reached out to suggest I do a story on Abi and her art in advance of Fairhope’s Art Walk. I wanted to hear about her artistic endeavors and learn more about her show.

Born in Phoenix, AZ, Abi and her three older brothers lived in Korea, Germany, Pennsylvania, and Las Vegas until her dad transferred to Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery. Her grandmother has been a long-time resident of Fairhope since 2013, so Abi visited often. The family moved to Fairhope after her dad retired when she was in the 8th grade.

I asked Abi what it’s like to be a military kid, changing hometowns and schools so often. “We bounced around a lot. As a kid, you think everyone’s experiences are just like yours. So many of our friends were military kids, and we were used to picking up and moving, so it seemed normal.”

Spending her teen years in Fairhope, she spent much of her time with horses at Fox Run Equestrian Center. She was also interested in art. “Art felt right, and my parents were always supportive. I took an art class at GiGi’s Art Gallery and got into oil. Oil is my medium.”

After graduating from Fairhope High School, she entered the Fine Arts program at Birmingham-Southern College. “I had an interest in the philosophy and history of art. BSC is the only school I applied to.”

Having lived in Germany, Korea, and many other places, Abi visited the Louvre Museum in Paris and was struck by how much power the tiny painting of the Mona Lisa had.  “Visual art is an art form that is so much more difficult for people to understand and engage in. It is a fascinating language. So much of the language of art is rooted in elitism. It doesn’t have to be.”

She goes on to say that the appreciation of art is in the eye of the beholder. “It’s not limited to people who are trained. There are no rules. An artist can’t control what people will think about their art or how it makes them feel.”

While in college in 2019, her mother, Sharon, was diagnosed with breast cancer. She tells me that her mother’s cancer changed her whole outlook. Abi began to appreciate every moment; the mundane, everyday things. “I would daydream and reflect about the present day as if I were looking back on it through the lens of a memory. I became interested in objects and the people associated with them.” One of her first paintings with this theme was of a jacket she identified with her mom.

After graduation, Abi continued her studies and moved to Austin, TX, where she worked for a private company that handled art. Abi decided to move back to Fairhope during the summer of 2024 to be close to her mom. “Family is so important. Growing up as a nomad, we became each other’s best friends.”

Abi’s best friend, Joy Davis, works at Lyons Share and introduced her to the owner, Kelley Lyons. Kelley liked Abi’s work and decided to take a few pieces to sell. The art did sell, and Kelley asked Abi if she wanted to do a show.

Her first solo show will open Friday, February 7, at Lyons Share. She views art as a triumph of the human experience. “It’s a call to action to appreciate who you have in your life and  to be aware of the sweetness before it becomes a memory.”

She describes her artistic style as impressionistic, colorful, and nostalgic. I was talking to a friend of mine about Abi’s art, and she went to her website, abiwallerart.com, and said it has a Cezanne quality. Abi enjoys painting using the “wet-on-wet” technique to create the blurred lines of images that resonate in her memory. Her work is really quite remarkable.

What’s next for Abi? She tells me she is itching to explore other subjects. She has done some portrait work and commissioned pieces. As she readies for her first show, she says her next goal is to get into more galleries and engage with the local art community. I think she is onto something!

Best of luck to this talented young artist. Be sure to stop by Lyons Share anytime you are visiting downtown Fairhope, especially on the first Friday of the month. Thanks, Abi!