Barbara Curtis is the featured artist this month at the Gulf Shores Library.    Barbara has won many awards, and has paintings hanging in collections all over the United States, as well as in Europe.

When asked, she said she won her first Blue Ribbon at the Riverside County Fair at the DATE Festival in California back in 1965.  She then attended college in California, pursued a career, and raised a family. In 1990 she began painting again, and quickly fell in love with watercolor.

She is self taught although she has taken many workshops with nationally known watercolorists such as  Judi Betts, and Chris Van Winkle.

 Watercolor is her main medium in all it’s forms: realistic, abstract, and experimental. She enjoys collages and multimedia. She has even painted large murals in public buildings as well as private homes.

She teaches watercolor classes, and enjoys watching the faces of students as they begin to unravel the mysteries of watercolor. She’ll be starting up classes soon here locally.

She was born in California moved to Gulf Shores this year.  Falling instantly in love with the State, she’s spending time, when not painting, with reading about Alabama and Island history, and geography.

In November , the Thomas B. Norton Library in Gulf Shores created the ARTIST SHOWCASE. Local artists are invited to display their art throughout the Library. All mediums and skills levels are welcome to participate.The primary goal of the program is not only to provide exposure for the artist, but to educate the public on different styles and types of art as well as the resources the library has to offer.

The program started with the acrylics of Thomas B. Norton staff member Deanne Fincher. Since then, the library has displayed works by Sharee Faircloth, Joanne Hall, Claudia Hodges, Alonzo Bunch, Regina Jackson, and throughout June and July, Barbara Curtis. Watercolor , oils, sculpture, and graphic designs are a few of the mediums that have been represented.

In the future, the library would like to incorporate various forms of art education into their existing programming. If you would like to participate in the artist showcase, please contact Deanne Fincher at the Thomas B. Norton Library in Gulf Shores at 251-968-1176. Any artist interested in forming a Gulf Shores Art Society can also call Deanne.