Small events make Lakewood Ranch a big draw

It's a two-parade weekend on Nov. 8-9 for East County.

Who doesn't like a big event with plenty of live entertainment, fun for the kids, and great food and drink?

You have your pick between the Santa's Grand Arrival Parade on Oct. 8 at UTC and the Tribute to Heroes Parade in Lakewood Ranch. Lots of fun, and thousands upon thousands of people.

And while I love those major events — the parades, the upcoming Senior PGA Championship at The Concession, the rowing events at Nathan Benderson Park, et al — those aren't what make Lakewood Ranch so special. They are just bonuses.

In my mind, it's all the little stuff — the parks, the clubs, the activities — that you can do any day, and the people you meet while you're doing it, that make our community world class.

Take, for example, the Lake Club's Patty Notarianni, who I am going to describe as a perfectly imperfect artist.

Photo by Jay Heater

I went to Notarianni's home to preview the upcoming Creative Arts Association of Lakewood Ranch's 23rd annual Fall Art Show and Sale 9 a.m, to 4 p.m. Nov. 15 at Lakewood Ranch Town Hall. It would be fair to say the artists at this show aren't worried about drawing the masses. This is more about connecting with people with similar interests, exchanging ideas, and selling off a few projects to help finance future endeavors.

Notarianni was quick to explain that her home was starting to fill up with her own projects, so the Fall Art Show and Sale would be a good opportunity to downsize her inventory.

Her primary interest in art has more to do with wine glasses, or should I say what's in them.

Sure, she has created beautiful resin and acrylic pieces that adorn her walls and tabletops, but the experience of creating is more important to her than the creation.

She has converted a room in her home to a she-cave, artist's studio. A large rectangular table sits in the middle of the room, with plenty of space on each side for those who want to accompany her on each journey. She hosts interested Lake Club residents about once a month, varying the subject matter. Those who attend had better be able to work with one hand, because it's likely a glass of wine will be in the other.

"We just have fun, and I love it," Notarianni said with a huge smile. "We have some wine ... we talk ... we socialize."

With that said, Notarianni wanted to show me how it all works. I bellied up to the table, and she went into a box to grab a plain wine glass. She was going to walk me through the process of "alcohol Ink."

Being a writer, I certainly know ink. And, alcohol? Yes, I know that one, too.

But it's not the kind of alcohol I might have expected.

Alcohol inks create vibrant, fast-drying art on non-porous surfaces like glass, metal and tile. If I did a good job, I would have a drinking glass that Vincent van Gogh could appreciate.

So I squirted a little on this side of the glass, and then some on the other side, twirled it a bit, and it went everywhere. 

Patty stood behind me like I was a Cub Scout, giving me a den mother's advice.

"You're doing great!"

Liar, liar, pants on fire.

She explained whether it involves alcohol ink, or resign, there is an uncontrollable flow that kind of does its own thing once you release it. Considering I have trouble drawing stick men, that was good news.

So a squirt here and a squirt there, and I was finished. Patty, who wasn't all that interested in art as a child because she wanted to be an ace in business ("So I could take care of myself"), covered my glass with a liquid hardener, and wrapped it for my ride home. Just call me J. the Artist.

Patty's optimism, humor and gentle instruction all made me jealous of what her friends in the Lake Club see on a regular basis.

Those who attend the Fall Art Show and Sale will understand what I mean. For those who want to contact her, send a note to [email protected].

How can you not love an artist who has things covered in her studio because, "It could get messy?"

Being an anti-artist, I appreciate that Notarianni can also see the beauty in a project gone wrong. She has one resin creation sitting on a table that simply fell over in the process. She never blinked, Kind of mushed it together, and added another layer, and wow!

Photo by Jay Heater

"It's not at all what I imagined," she said of that piece. "But I like it."

For those keeping score at home, resin art is a medium that uses an epoxy resin and a hardener, that when mixed, produces a glossy, plastic-like material. Artists mix pigments and additives into the liquid resin to create their designs. The colored mixture can be pour onto a surface to create abstract patterns, and can be used to host glitters or shells. Patty is certainly a smart cookie, because she didn't ask me to do any resin art.

In my own technical terms, I would call it, "Squirt, squirt, swirl, swirl, spray, spray."

It was a totally enjoyable afternoon, visiting with one of Lakewood Ranch's most valuable resources ... its residents.