This year's Arts Festival poster unveiled

The official poster of this year's Coconut Grove Arts Festival is “Grove Regatta” by Ft. Lauderdale-based painter Madeliene Abling. It was presented at a party on Thursday night, high above the Sonesta Coconut Grove.

Madeliene was proud to show off her work. It's a different format from many past posters, as it's square. I like that.

Previously a practicing attorney in Orlando, she became an artist after living on a boat, migrating up and down the East coast of the U.S., and consciously deciding to paint professionally. A self-taught artist, Madeliene works from her studio in Fort Lauderdale where she currently lives.


Finding brushes too constricting, she paints with a palette knife which she feels automatically leads to big imagery and strong definitive marks. Her work is figurative, but with an impressionistic twist.

Each of Madeliene’s paintings focus on a single subject, and are always something that bring her joy whether sailboats or vintage cars, musical instruments or cocktail-related objects like martini glasses or shakers. People are never included in her paintings so as to avoid distraction from the inanimate subject matter.  


“I paint because it fills me with a sense of well-being, of belonging, and enables me to totally be in that moment of consciousness,” she said.  “I am never closer to myself than at those moments.”

The sweet goodies and were there, freshly made crab cakes and other food at stations with lots of friends, politicians, artists and such.

Like every year, Roxie Vargas, reporter from NBC6, emceed the event and it was presented live, during the 6 pm news as it is every year. Curtis Crider, Mayor Tomas Regalado and Commissioner Ken Russell were part of the ceremony.


Carlos Lopez-Cantera, Lt. Gov. of Florida; Commissioner Ken Russell and Monty Trainer, head of the Arts Festival. Three big-shot Grovites. 

I got to kibitz with Cris Sweeny and Claire Lardner of FrameWorks, which is having it's reopening party on Saturday, February 6. Claire said I looked stressed. I think it might have been that incredible orange vodka drink they had at the event.

William Rivas, GM of CocoWalk and Margaret Nee VP of Development at Sabal Hill (the Pointe Group) and Pia Clemens with her neighbor Jack Feldkamp.

Old friends, Atchana Capellini, Richard Issa and Gigi Leyva. Atchana is opening her Atchana's East/West restaurant on Commodore Plaza, below FrameWorks, but they won't be open at the same time as the FrameWorks grand opening on Saturday, Feb. 6.

The Coconut Grove Arts Festival is Saturday through Monday, February 13-15, 2016, in downtown Coconut Grove. All info is at cgaf.com.