Our artists are a select group of individuals who join Isola Arts via a juried process. Recent works of the artists are also reviewed and juried for each event to enhance the venue. Not all artists are selected for each show and some venues will feature solo shows. Our roster changes frequently to allow new and emerging talent to be showcased. Selected musical artists are primarily classical or jazz to encourage conversation and interaction in the venue. If you are a musician and would like to apply for inclusion in one of our Isola Arts Events, please contact us for more information.
Katherine Larson, Painter
Katherine is a Vero Beach artist who brings our local landscapes to life. She leads the Treasure Coast Plein Air painters on outings every week. Her paintings capture the romance of Old Florida with vibrant colors and compositions. Katherine is also an accomplished muralist with nearly 200 installations around the US. Her latest contribution to the local mural scene is a landmark mural for the Mel Fisher's Treasure Museum in Sebastian. Most of Larson's work is commissioned, and not available in local galleries. She has won numerous local, regional and national awards for her murals and realistic paintings. Katherine is also a children's book illustrator with 10 nationally distributed titles. She has been featured in Vero News and 32963 and recently won the 2023 "Best in Show Award" at the Indian River Birding Festival Show. To see more: www.katherinelarson.com
Sharon Sedlar, Glass Artist
Sharon's love affair with stained glass began over three decades ago, when one of her closest friends shared his interest and she quickly found herself hooked. Since then, Sharon has dedicated her career to mastering the art form and creating stunning, one-of-a-kind pieces for her clients. From custom windows and doors to stand alone vases and bowls, she loves exploring different styles and techniques to bring your vision to life. One of Sharon's Vases was recently exhibited at the 2023 "Art by the Sea" in the Museum of Art, Vero Beach, FL. See more of Sharon's work at www.sharonsedlar.com. Instagram: sedlarsharon
Linda Relis, Painter
Linda attended the School of Visual Arts in New York City, the Parsons School of Design, and the California Art Institute and has been a member of the Society of Animal Artists for many years.
In 1995, she founded St. Lucie Professional Arts League in Port St. Lucie. Since then,she has been appointed to the St. Lucie County Cultural Affairs Board and the Port St. Lucie Public Art Advisory board for Art in Public Places. Linda has been producing oil paintings professionally for over 30 years, and has many works in private and corporate collections throughout the US. Some are included in the State of Florida's permanent art collection.
Her work has been in museum art shows throughout the United States and in several traveling exhibits including "Paws and Reflect: Art of Canines." See more of Linda's art at: www.relisart.com
Marie Morrow, Sculptor/Painter
Marie Morrow attended The Newark School Of Fine and Industrial Art in Newark N.J. where she explored different mediums such as drafting, textile, and interior design. She was awarded Who's Who's amongst students in American colleges for three consecutive years and was a two year recipient of the Edward John Memorial Scholarship. Marie graduated in fine arts and then continued on to attend Middlesex County College, Edison N.J. where she studied sculpture and business. Marie's teaching career started in N.J. and has continued in Florida in elementary schools, detention facilities, as an Artist-in-Residence through-out the state of Florida and at the Vero Beach Art Museum. Marie now runs her own art studio, where she gets great pleasure out of sharing her talent and watching her students develop their own thoughts and ideas. "I enjoy the endless journey of creating and developing art, it's never static."
Marie's work was most recently exhibited at the juried 2023 "The Best of the Best "at the Backus Museum in Fort Pierce Florida. She’s been featured in Indian River Magazine, 32963, Stuart News, Boomer Beat and on the cover of the Florida Event Planner.
Jerry Smietanka, Painter
Jerry Smietanka has been a Florida based artist for almost 30 years.He started his adventure with art in the Fort Lauderdale Metro area as a watercolorist, sculptor and jeweler. Florida’s waterscapes and
outdoors are his main subject of interest and oil has become his favorite medium in the last 15 years. His works have been exhibited in over 25 national and local juried art shows. Jerry has been featured in Southeastern Arts magazine and has competed in many plein air events across the country. After moving to Vero Beach two years ago he joined the local art club and the Treasure Coast Plein Air group. He believes that capturing the beauty of Florida’s outdoors is every living artist's obligation and the best way to preserve it for future generations.
See more at: jerrysmietanka.jimdo.com
Claudia Lucia Jaramillo, Artist & Photographer
Claudia Lucia's love for art and colors began when she was a child. In 1998 while visiting her birth country of Colombia, she took a class in Stained Glass and fell in love. This brought her to the art of Mosaics, smalti and mixed media. Claudia Lucia also paints mandalas and landscapes with acrylic and explores all kinds of art, which she mixes with her mosaic art. She produces colorful handmade one-of-a-kind original art for her clients, creating a variety of pieces from wall art to pendants. Three of her Wall Mosaics were exhibited in 2021 and 2022 "Art by the Sea" in the Vero Beach Museum of Art. Claudia Lucia finds inspiration in the beauty of Gaia, the mysteries of the universe and sacred geometry. She occasionally teaches classes at the Vero Beach Art Club, and at her Studio / Gallery in Vero Beach. Claudia Lucia also learned photography from her husband, and both are owners of a Real Estate photography company, "Perfect Images Virtual Media" located in Vero Beach. Her love for all the beautiful landscapes of Florida is transferred into her art and photos. See more of Claudia’s work on FaceBook @LuciaLozadaArtist or visit her at her Studio / Gallery for classes and workshops, or email: LuciaLozada333@gmail.com
Ena Raquer, Painter
Ena began her painting career by studying at the prestigious Scottsdale Artists School (SAS). There she learned from world-renowned artists like Stephanie Birdsall, Daniel Keyes, Kathy Anderson, and Jerry Salinas, and the late Master painter Dennis Perrin, who became her mentor until his untimely passing in 2021. Portraits and roses are Ena's deepest passions and are infused with emotion, reflecting her zest for life. "My quest is for a complete understanding of the many dimensions seen when painting roses. Roses are by far the most challenging yet rewarding subject to paint. I attempt to capture my emotions and feelings in all my paintings and drawings. Besides being the best painter I can be, I aim to trigger heartfelt emotions in each art enthusiast who views my creations. Once seen, I hope my Art will leave a greater appreciation for each viewer's emotional life." See more of Ena's work at: www.enaraquer.com
Katherine Guarino, Ceramic & Jewelry
Katherine Guarino is a local artist living in Indialantic Florida. The sea has always been part of her life from playing on the beaches of Kiawah Island as a child, attending undergraduate at the College of Charleston, to playing with her kids on Lewis Beach and now raising her children in Indialantic. The variety of shells and sea life along the eastern seaboard have constantly inspired her to create pieces reflective of the body of water that has been her place of respite. Her serving pieces use inspiration from oyster shells and the subtle colors of the sea to create cutting boards, serving platters, charcuterie boards, and sculptural pieces. Her jewelry is elegant and simple following the natural lines of the stones to create lengthening pieces in a variety of tones. Gold and silver accents enhance the elegant lines of the polished stones and handmade ceramic elements in the work. gildingandsteel@gmail.com
Mary O'Neal, Painter
Mary O'Neal grew up along the Space Coast of Florida and was inspired by the art from the Florida Highwaymen she saw as a child. She attended the Ringling School of Art in Sarasota, Florida, where she studied fashion design and illustration. She received her BFA in painting at Alfred University in New York. Since joining the Treasure Coast Plein Air painters two years ago, Mary has begun painting the subject matter that inspired her in her youth to become an artist. Her work is haunting in its color and simplicity of form. Working from nature, she captures the uniqueness of the natural structures but adds her own twists to the colors and composition leaving the viewer with an image that is both captivating and memorable.
Sharon Lane Holm, Illustrator
“I’ve been an artist since third grade. I acknowledge my art style as controlled chaos. Wonderfully whimsical, silly, sassy ,sweet. And quirky. Like me. My art comes from my soul, and I will share my soul with you.” Sharon graduated with high honors from Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale with a degree in visual communications and began her career as an Art Director. After relocating to Connecticut, she turned her attention to illustrating and subsequently won several awards for children’s book illustration. Today, she is the author/illustrator of over 45 children’s books, puzzles, calendars, board and bath books and greeting cards and had the honor of working with Highlights Magazine for many years. In 2022 Sharon won an international children’s book illustration contest from Clavis publishers for "How to Spot a Grampire" -a silly insight into your grandparents. “I’m continually inspired by my own interpretation of the world around me. I create my own world where I can continually escape reality, and go to my happy place. I'm living my dream. I do know glitter goes with everything. And every picture tells a story." See more of Sharon’s work at: www.sharonholm.com
Debra Brewster, Abstract Art
Debra has created art in many mediums from ceramics to oil painting and her current passion, acrylics. Her inspiration comes in part from a life spent in Rochester NY working in the automotive industry. She describes her time there jokingly as "life in Rotten Chester in the colors of browns and burnt orange." After moving to Florida, her pallet has expanded to include the brilliant colors of Golden Acrylics and their unique selection of metallics. Debra paints her abstract work with a credit card that was handed to her during an art class at the Vero Beach Museum of Art. It changed her approach to the medium and she became fascinated with the short mechanical strokes of the plastic tool. The featured work is entitled "Boat Docking #8" and was created in oil.
Juanita Greenspan, Stone Sculpture
“When asked why I became a stone sculptor, I jokingly say, because I was a bad painter.” Juanita Greenspan enjoys the physicality required and the added creative challenges of working in a natural media which can be both intimidating and empowering. Most stone carving is done outside, so Juanita splits her time between the Georgia mountain town of Hiawassee in summer and Sebastian, FL during winter and spring. Though she took some art classes at the University of Georgia, she remains primarily self-taught. Juanita’s approach to stone carving is more intuitive than planned. Starting without a preconceived idea, she relies on each stone’s unique characteristics to inspire her. Taking hammer and chisel in hand, Juanita explores the natural contours of the stone and the way it breaks when chiseled, exposing the hidden colors and veining beneath the stone’s surface. During these early stages, Juanita discovers the stone's secrets, develops an idea, and decides how to proceed. This allows an idea for the sculpture to develop organically, and is reflected in the flow of the forms. “With the stone as my guide, a sculpture emerges.” More photos at: This link.
The featured sculpture, A Definite Presence is carved from Chlorite stone, H 27” x W 11” x D 10”
Gail Holl, Painter
Gail grew up in Washington D.C. where she often visited the many art galleries and historical archives in the city. She graduated from the Philadelphia College of Art where two of her semesters were spent in Europe touring the art and architecture. Gail worked as an art teacher for 20 years covering K through 12th grade. But her own love of taking art classes never stopped. She has studied with famous instructors in nearly every medium from watercolor to printmaking. Her subject matter ranges form still life, landscapes, animals, florals, figures, portraits and regional subjects or non-objective works. The galleries that have exhibited her fine paints are too many to list but include the Gallery of Mid-Valley Arts league, Pasadena, CA; Pomona Art Association, Pomona, CA; Paramount Arts League, Paramount, CA; San Gabriel Fine Arts Association, San Gabriel, CA; San Gabriel City Hall, San Gabriel, CA; Segal Art Gallery, Monrovia, CA; Mountain Artists Guild and Gallery, Prescott, AZ and many others. Gail has has won First Place and best of shows in multiple venues and her paintings can be found in personal collections in the United States as well as Australia, Canada and South Korea.
Lisa Rose, Pastel Artist
After retiring from her career of over 30 years as a residential Interior Designer, Lisa discovered soft pastels. She became inspired by the beauty of the natural landscape, and this led to the creation of her first pieces. She has been honored with the cover of the “Vero Beach” magazine in August 2019, selected for the National League of Pen Women “Art of the Week”, and has had several local solo exhibits at the Environmental Learning Center, The Presbyterian Church, and the Moorings Yacht Club. Lisa continues to study with national and regional artists to refine her skills in the United States and Europe. She is an exhibiting member of the Pastel Society of America, the Vero Beach Art Club, the Artist Alliance of East Hampton, and The Wednesday Group Painters of the East End and the Plein Air Painters of the Treasure Coast. To see more of Lisa's work, visit www.lisaroseart.com, or on Facebook and Instagram.
Marzia Kennedy, Jewelry
I was born and raised in Rome Italy, where I attended the University of Rome La Sapienza. When I was 27, I married an American and we moved to New York, where I studied at the National Academy of Fine Arts in Manhattan for over ten years, and there I received awards for my work as a painter. I sold in New York, New Jersey and Martha's Vineyard. Unfortunately I have many allergies and one of them became oil paint, which is in absolute my favorite medium. Then I discovered metals, stones and pearls. This is my passion now and the tool to express myself as an artist, and I enjoy very much working the metals with the different colors and hues of gems and pearls. I only use gold, gold filled and sterling, natural stones and pearls, beading, twisting, soldering and combining the different materials. I have been fortunate to have sold to clients and friends, for whom I also made custom pieces. I participated in shows, among them Under the Oaks. To see more of Marzia's work visit: mvkartisticjewelry.com
Lisa Cave, Abstract Art
Growing up in Michigan, Lisa was surrounded by plush forests, indigo blue lakes and cool rushing streams which later inspired her abstract paintings. As the world beckoned, she journeyed to Washington D.C. and Atlanta, before settling in Vero Beach with her husband and son. Always seeking to learn something new, Lisa took an abstract painting class which launched her into a new world of expression. Sights, sounds, and textures of her childhood memories came rushing back. Using the pallet of the lakes and forests of Michigan, along with the landscape and breathtaking coasts of south Florida, she translated these emotional experiences onto paper, canvas and wood.
Her paintings are interpretations of what she is drawn to at that moment. Her intuitive choices of acrylic color and mix media, allow Lisa to explore endless possibilities without fear, letting the painting take her where it wants to go. The love of water is depicted in many of her paintings with the use of blue and turquoise colors. As an artist, she never ceases to discover something new. As she says, “It warms my heart to witness the curiosity and emotion one of my paintings evokes”. Find her latest work at: LisaCaveArt.com or Instagram: lisacaveartdesign
Suzanne Roff, Painter
Raised on an island off the coast of Miami with a tropical monsoon climate, Suzanne moved to the island of Manhattan to pursue graduate studies and her PhD. After several years in a fulfilling career as a psychologist, she relocated to Orchid Island to resume her passion for painting. Suzanne believes she was destined to reveal the unspoken and invisible through her work as a psychologist, writer, and now painter. “Painting for me is a visual exploration of personal narratives and a Rorschach for the audience. The synchronistic discovery of color and form are wonderfully unpredictable and so rewarding despite inevitable times of creative doubt and frustration. Did I mention fun? Yes, that is another special ingredient in the process.” Suzanne holds a double major degree in Philosophy and Fine Art (painting). She spent a year studying art in Florence, Italy, as well as at Parsons School of Design and The Art Students League of New York. Currently, she paints in historic Vero Beach at Studio on Sixty adjoining Gallery Veritas. To see more work visit: www.SuzanneRoff.com Instagram: SuzanneRoffStudio
Sheila Priestley, Painter
As an educator, Sheila's father encouraged her early artistic development by allowing her to paint murals in oils on her bedroom walls. He also taught discipline through his swimming instruction. Sheila became a nationally ranked swimmer and went on to get a masters in social work at USM. She worked at a drug treatment center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi until her retirement. Her love for art was rekindled by watching Bob Ross videos and she decided to start taking classes with a Vero Beach art teacher. “It’s a healthy addiction.” Sheila says with a smile, “Taking classes provides me with a support group to keep me painting every week and gets me through those difficult ‘I hate this painting’ moments.” Sheila loves to paint the beach, but can’t access it easily because she uses a wheelchair. Her sister, Jackie Solari, takes photos of the ocean everyday and Sheila often uses them for inspiration in her paintings. Her painting “Affordable Housing” was from a photo Jackie took of a temporary beach dwelling. The painting was exhibited at the prestigious 2023 “Best of The Best Show” at the A.E. Backus Museum in Fort Pierce.
Jackie Solari, Painter
Jackie Solari was born in Richmond, VA and suffered from continuous bouts of pneumonia. Her family moved to Vero Beach in 1960 to treat her condition. Jackie fell in love with the ocean, the beach, the sun and running. She became one of the top five runners in the U.S. and 10th in the world in the mile run. She still runs everyday on the beach, where much of her inspiration comes from as a painter and photographer. “I dream about the beach. It’s always different, the sky, the water, the sand. I never tire of it.” Her entry into art was not a happy one as she was traumatized by a private school teacher. But her sister, Sheila Priestley made her attend group art lessons in Vero Beach as an adult. The class provided support for Jackie and she gradually gained confidence. She still prefers photography and hones her skill everyday. Jackie’s intricate oil paintings of flowers are crafted with a photographer’s eye. Her love of nature, colors and details bring the viewer into an intimate relationship with her subjects. Jackie’s work was most recently exhibited at the 2023 “Art by the Sea.”
Dave Wallace, Painter
Dave Wallace started out in charcoal and pastels. He took art classes early at the age of 10. He attended med school at Wilkes College receiving an undergraduate in Biology, and went on to at Hahnemann, a residency at Monmouth Medical in Long branch NJ (OB-GYN), and a fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Pennsylvania hospital. Dave was an MFM specialist at MMC for 35 years, retiring in 2020 to Vero Beach. So how does an OB-GYN become an oil painter? Dave says, “We learned early on in med school to stay current, relearning always, or you will be on the decline. It’s about continuous life-long learning. Art gives me that.” It took Dave less than a year to take up painting lessons as his creative outlet after retirement. “Landscapes are my favorite. I’m inspired by man-made structures in nature. I’m always improving, always a student.” Dave’s attention to detail and captivating compositions keep the viewer engaged in his paintings. The featured painting is an oil of the Driftwood Inn in Vero Beach.