Lehigh Artists to exhibit works: Here are five area artists who have their work on exhibit at the MerVil Design Center at 2100-A Trade Center Way in Naples. They are from left to right, June DiVencent, Annie St. Martin, Diane Carmen, Parker Harlowe and Graciela Price, who organized the exhibit. Photo by Mel Toadvine

Lehigh is the home of several fine talented artists and five of them have been chosen to exhibit their work at the MerVil Design Center in Naples. They are some of the 19 artists from Southwest Florida who have been personally invited to show their works to the public by Graciela Price, an accomplished multi-media artist herself and strong advocate for the arts.

Hearing of these artists in Lehigh, Price personally notified each of the other four and asked them to exhibit their art at the gallery, some 30,000 square feet of space in Naples at 2100-A Trade Center Way. The exhibits are open from Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A special reception is planned in January where all the artists will be on hand to talk to visitors about their paintings. The date will be announced.

“If someone is interesting in buying a certain piece, they may do so. The price of the paintings for those interested is with the the painting,” Price said.

“We really wanted to focus on Lehigh this year,” Price said. “We know there is a lot of talented artists living in Lehigh and we thought it would be nice to introduce them to the rest of Southwest Florida.”

“It’s a fantastic idea and a great experience for us,” said June DeVincent of Lehigh, who has been painting for years and who is now teaching art in Lehigh. She is one of the artists who will be displaying her works.

In addition to DiVencent and Price, the others from Lehigh include: Diane Carmen, Parker Harlowe, and Annie St. Martin.

There will be all types of art including sculpture, carvings and painting in oils, watercolors and charcoals.

Price said there will be at least 25 artists with their works on display, however. Others include Carol Allen Anfinsen, Barbara Batchelor, Barbara Brenton, Ursula Cappelletti, Alfredo Chevallier, Lidia Vieytes Dick, Henry Alcides Godiness, Nancy R. Hall, Kim R. Hart, Angel Ledesma, Dot Lingren, Pat Potter, Evelyn Swanson and Jose Talaversa.

The art exhibit is on display now until Feb. 12, 2011.

The following is a brief sketch about each artist whose work is on display:

Diane Carmen works with watercolors, acrylics and oils. This artist began her career as a professional photographer creating “classic boudoir” photography, lovely tasteful and romantic compositions. After moving to Southwest Florida, she decided to satisfy her long time dream of being a painter and joined the Gateway Artists group. Her work is a reflection of her new found and joyful expression of her talent.

June DiVencent has studied several years in numerous workshops, private lessons, and six years at the Yard School of Art in Montclair, N.J., and it only deepened what had to be a longtime endeavor. She said that more than 80 percent of her work is imagination. The rest inspired by photos taken throughout her travels eventually evolving into charcoal, pastel, watercolor or oil painting. She has received numerous awards for more than 35 years plus several acceptances into the Southwest Florida Art Council’s “Winners Circle.” She teaches art at the Veterans Park Community Center.

Parker Harlowe is a gifted and versatile artist who grew up on a country farm in West Virginia. At age 7, he amazed his family by painting a unique collection of colorful stones and rocks. He continued to develop his creative gifts while attending Marshall University in West Virginia and later he moved to Columbus, Ohio, were he studied at the Columbus College of Art and Design.

His own work is a true reflection of this vibrant and gifted artist; innovative, rich in detail, unique in color, texture and design. He creates “modern masterpieces, that are delightful to behold,” as many who see his work say. He has enjoyed working inside on some of the finest homes in Southwest Florida. After creating several exquisite ceiling murals, 20 by 30 feet high, he was dubbed “a modern day Michelangelo,” He has worked on the ceilings while lying on his back on scaffolding two to three stories high. He also designed the memorial chapel and crosses at St. Raphael’s Church in Lehigh Acres and adorned the walls with his paintings of Jesus, Mary and the angels.

His own work is a true reflection of this vibrant and gifted artist; innovative, rich in detail, unique in color, texture, and design.

Graciela Price is originally from Colombia and organized the Gallery Exhibition at the MerVil Design Center. She is an accomplished multi-media artist and strong advocate for the arts. She is inspired by nature and natural settings. Soft blends of tones and shades sprinkled with vibrant splashes of color can intrigue even the most casual of observers and stir the artist’s palette with beacons of inspiration. The artwork is greatly influenced by her native Colombia with its beautiful mountains and tropical forests. She finds the fragrance of the tropics an inspiration, and for this reason, says she loves her life here in Southwest Florida’s sub-tropical climate.

She says she enjoys painting with acrylics and finds them forgiving, easy to apply, and especially adaptable to her mural work. Her great love, however, she says, is in the three dimensional world of sculpting. While a great deal of her work has been done in clay, she enjoys the challenge of working in other mediums as well. She now works in her home studio where she teaches painting with oils and acrylics, and teaches a hand building clay class at the Estero Recreation Center.

Annie St. Martin comes from her native Rhode Island and is a professional floral designer. She found her passion for painting later in life, she says. She turned that passion into a thriving business, painting murals and unusual faux techniques for the most discriminating clients.

She continues to be fascinated, she says, and draws inspiration from a quiet walk in nature, the beauty of a sunset, the sound of the pounding surf or simply watching a butterfly in the garden.

“I really wanted to focus on Lehigh this year and show some of the community’s talent. We hope many people from Lehigh will join other art lovers from the area and attend the exhibit and the reception in January,” Price said.

She also said artists may not be as widely known as others in Southwest Florida.

“This will give us all an opportunity to show the wonderful work this group has done,” she said.