About a dozen members of the Longboat Island Chapel left the island for the Artful Giraffe in Sarasota on Wednesday.
They met for breakfast first, toured the gallery for inspiration and then it was time to paint.
"I had been here before," Cari Aslan said. "I thought that this would be very tranquil and peaceful."
Valerie Evanko plans all the chapel outings and is always open to ideas. When Aslan offered the suggestion, Evanko turned it into a field trip by renting the studio for an afternoon.
Members enjoyed the excursion, especially Michael Nunes. It offered him a trip down memory lane back to his days as a Catholic school boy.
“In seventh and eighth grade, Mrs. Hillman had a kiln,” he said. “She would bring ceramics. She taught us how to shape them and then paint them. It’s been a love since then.”
Rick Skerrett, the only husband to attend, kept accidentally putting his brush into the wrong paint color.
“Here’s a secret: if you really screw it up, they’ll fix it for you,” Aslan kindly reassured him.
Michael Nunes is the first to start painting.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Cindy Kuehnel chooses a gnome she named Elmer.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Plenty of paint colors to choose from at the Artful Giraffe.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Michelle Giannico and Jamie Engel choose mugs to paint.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Michelle Giannico gets assistance from artist Gina Fortino.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Donna Dolan pours paint for her project.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Members of the Longboat Island Chapel enjoy a field trip to the Artful Giraffe in Sarasota.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Cari Aslan decides between a turtle and a dolphin with artist Gina Fortino.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Valerie Evanko and Cari Aslan
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Rick Skerrett is the only husband to join the party.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Ginger Stefan paints a gnome.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Gina Fortino is the potter on-hand.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Members of the Longboat Island Chapel gether for an art day.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Michelle Giannico paints a ceramic mug.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Ginger Stefan and Donna Dolan busy painting.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Members of the Longboat Island Chapel paint the afternoon away at the Artful Giraffe.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
The Artful Giraffe is an art studio on Fruitville Road in Sarasota.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Church members have their choice of ceramics to paint.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Donna Dolan paints a Christmas tree.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Claire Skerrett paints a mug after penciling a gnome on the side.
Photo by Lesley Dwyer
Valerie Evanko and Cari Aslan work on their ceramics.
Lesley Dwyer is a staff writer for East County and a graduate of the University of South Florida. After earning a bachelor’s degree in professional and technical writing, she freelanced for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Lesley has lived in the Sarasota area for over 25 years.
