Brava at Arts on the Park

Thanks to Bjorn Andren, Candace Knapp's husband, we managed to document our opening at Arts on the Park in Lakeland, Florida, on November 29th. Margaret Conte has already sold a piece - way to go, Margaret!

Just so you know, this show will be up through December 27th, 115 North Kentucky Avenue, Lakeland, phone 863-680-2787.

Rivergate Tower, Downtown Tampa, 12/10/05

Brava artists Martha Marshall, Margaret Conte, and Candace Knapp are participating in this show. It's a beautiful venue. Hope to see you there this Friday night 6-10 p.m.!

Kim Radatz Wins Best of Show

Congratulations to Brava's Kim Radatz for her Best of Show award in the upcoming "Black and White (and Read All Over)" at Ridge Art in Winter Haven, Florida. The show is from November 30 through December 18, 2005, with opening Reception on Saturday, Dec.3 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. Check the gallery's website for additional information.

BRAVA Show at Arts on the Park and More Happenings

Last night, November 14th, Brava hosted a "slide slam" at the temporary Gala Corina space in Tampa's Channel District. About 20 artists attended and talked about their work, which was shown on a huge screen, with their choice of low or high-tech equipment. A huge "thank you" goes to John Landsman of Directions Media for the screen, all of the projection, and putting together the presentations for the artists!

A few artists brought slides, and a few more provided jpegs. Since the space had no seating, we brought our own chairs and one or two to share, and Brava's Kim Radatz brought the wine and sodas. Some expressed a little apprehension about the public speaking aspect of it, even though many of us can bluff our way through. I am always nervous too. It just means we don't practice it enough, and these events give us a little more courage, I think. A couple of the artists had to have their arms twisted even to come, but each of them said how glad they were that they did it.

In the future we probably will have to rename these "jpeg jams." I will do a happy dance when slides are no longer part of an artist's life.

This fabulous show is only up for a few more days, so please don't miss it if you can get there.


The opening reception for BRAVA's December show at Arts on the Park in Lakeland, Florida, is November 29th, from 6-9 p.m., during Lakeland's Downtown Holiday Walk-About. The show runs through December 27th. There will be a fun, eclectic mix of new works in various media. We hope to see you there!

The Dunedin Fine Arts Center's holiday show Unwrapped opens November 5th, and is open during regular gallery hours throughout the holidays. Brava's Margaret Conte was invited to participate in this one, so from the rest of us -- Congratulations, Margaret!

Member artists Margaret Conte, Candace Knapp, and Lyla haggard -- will be exhibiting in the oh-so-hip and happening Gala Corina show "Nueva Vida," open to the public from Friday, Nov. 11, 2005, through Saturday, Nov. 19, 2005. For more information on the schedule and for directions, visit the events page. The 2005 roster containing more than 100 artists is available on the artists page.

Brava will be hosting a slide slam, open to all area artists, during the show. This year's artists are invited to come and discuss their work among fellow artists at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 14. This event is open to the public. So invite your friends, potential buyers and anyone else who has an interest in good art. Just be sure to bring some slides of your work.

Martha Marshall's Thursday night acrylic painting classes at Gold Dragon Gallery have been great fun, and they're hoping to continue these in the future. Do let Martha or the gallery know if you're interested in attending a future session.

Fun with Sculpture and Painting

In case I didn't mention that we also teach classes around the Tampa Bay area, here are some learning opportunities for you . . .

Lyla Haggard is teaching an all-media painting class, “Art in the Afternoon,” on Thursdays, 1:30-3:30 pm, at the David M. Barksdale Senior Citizen Center, 1801 N. Lincoln Avenue, Tampa 33607. Call the Center at 813-348-1180 for more information. New members are accepted anytime.

Martha Marshall will be teaching an acrylic painting class on Thursday evenings from 6-8 p.m. at Gold Dragon Gallery, Located at 3508 South Manhattan Avenue in Tampa, just south of El Prado. Please call 832-2755 for directions. This will be a six-week class, and will begin as soon as the slots are filled.

Candace Knapp's Thursday morning sculpture group will hold a member’s show, “Spotlight on Sculpture” beginning in November. The opening will be November 11th at the The Old Hyde Park Art Center, located at 705 Swann Avenue, Tampa, Florida. For information about Candace's classes and about the show's opening time, please call the Center at 813-251-3780.

Lyla will have several pieces in that show as well!

The Latest on Upcoming Member Shows

Martha Marshall has a solo show at Gold Dragon Gallery, opening reception September 9th, from 6-9 p.m. Click on the Gallery Link for phone number and directions.

Martha will also be attending ArtExpo Atlanta next week end, September 15th - 18th, to sign some of her giclee prints in the Corporate Canvas booth.

Congratulations to Brava's Margaret Conte who will be exhibiting works in "Unwrapped" a National Invitational of Contemporary Art and Craft November 4th through December 24th at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Dunedin, Florida.

First, A Little Background . . .

"Brava" is an informal group of women artists who create independently but show our work collectively, who get together for critiques of our work, examine new trends and techniques, and encourage one another in our individual quest for excellence. We are located in the Brandon/Valrico area of Florida, near Tampa -- hence the name "Brava."













We've been gathering once a month since some time in 2001. Founding members include Martha Marshall (that's me), Candace Knapp, Margaret Conte, and Kim Radatz. Members from the greater Tampa area are Lyla Haggard and Phyllis McEwen.

We will keep you up on what's happening with Brava. If you're in the Tampa Bay area, we hope you will come to one of our openings, or perhaps a future "slide slam" open to all artists.

Our next group show will be at Arts on the Park in Lakeland, Florida, during the month of December. When I get the exact dates, I will add those here. Stay tuned for more exciting news!