Artists showcase their talent during Lakewood Ranch Fine Arts Festival

By Madison Bierl
| 8:00 p.m. January 24, 2026

Lakewood Ranch's Douglas Grierson said he is amazed by how talented the artists, including painter Thomas Legault, are at the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival.

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Lakewood Ranch's Douglas Grierson appreciates when people showcase their talents, especially when it has to do with art.

According to Grierson, he has no talent in that department.

Grierson was walking on Lakewood Main Street during the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival on Jan. 24 and stopped in his tracks as he watched acrylic painter Thomas Legault in action.

"I'm impressed and speechless," Grierson said. "How can someone be that brilliant? How can someone have that artistic ability in their head, in their eye coordination and hand movements? It just speaks to me."

Bradenton’s Paula Grafton, a former art teacher, saw the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival as an opportunity. Along with 2-year-old son Noah, they learned about different ways art can be expressed as they walked past the booths.

"We do paint, and color or play with Play-Doh every day, so he learns how to appreciate it," Grafton said. "We go around and we talk about what we see. He likes to sniff everything because he can't touch it."

Lakewood Ranch's Michelle and John Potocko attended the event last year and were eager to attend again this year. They were not disappointed.

"There's a lot of talent here," Michelle Potocko said. "It's a gorgeous day. It's crowded, so that's good. It's just fun. There's a good vibe here. It's artsy, but it's classy. We like spending the day together."

A lot of the artists at the festival traveled to show off their art, but Whit Wesenberg lives in Lakewood Ranch. He sells hand-painted and hand-carved wood pieces through his business Humu's Island Treasures.

"There's so many wonderful art markets around here and just being in our own community I am very excited," Wesenberg said. "This is my first show ever in Lakewood Ranch. I've been around in Tampa, Venice, so on and so forth, but it's exciting to just be in your own backyard."

Bradenton's Noah Grafton, 2, checks out a handmade wooden sculpture created by Chris Boone at the Swan Shadow booth.

Fine Art by Jane's Jane Axman has a conversation with Lakewood Ranch's Cheryl Boncorddo about her wildlife photography. Boncorddo heard about the event on Facebook and was immediately attracted to the animals when walking by.

Thomas Legault began painting at 13 years old and turned his passion into a lifelong career. At the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival, he provided live painting demonstrations to show how he does it.

Tallahassee's Mary Lee of Mary's Origami began creating art out of paper in 1995 including jewelry, 2-D wall art and 3-D objects. She said origami is her hobby, purpose and a way to express herself.

Jennifer Akese-Burney of Akese Stylelines traveled from Crystal Lake, Illinois to be a vendor at the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival. Her work is currently featured in exhibit "Connecting Threads: Africa Fashion in Chicago" at the Field Museum.

Lakewood Ranch's Whit Wesenberg of Humu's Island Treasures is grateful to sell his hand-carved and hand-painted wood pieces to people in his own community.

Boston's Callum Chisholm, 7, is excited to put his new glass paperweight on his desk. It was made by James Wilbat of James Wilbat Glass.

Swan Shadow, a business of 35 years, gives artist Chris Boone an opportunity to sell animals made out of logs and limbs. He is sure to leave some of the natural grains of the wood showing.

Sarasota's Rachel Wu started her business Crafted by Rachel to share her epoxy resin art inspired by the sea. She said the "waves took off and captured everybody's hearts" when she began selling her art prior to Covid-19.

Jen Callahan, who lives in Costa Rica, has been in Florida for a month to participate in four different art shows, including the Lakewood Ranch Fine Art Festival. She uses water based paint to create pieces inspired by the ocean which include jellyfish, manatees and mermaids.

Lisette Cedeno Designs artist Lisette Cedeno shows off one of her "functional sculptures" to Lakewood Ranch's Michelle and John Potocko.

Parrish's Glenda Barfell poses for a photo with a handmade wood art piece by From the Heart Wood Designs because "she is just like me!"

author

Madison Bierl

Madison Bierl is the education and community reporter for the East County Observer. She grew up in Iowa and studied at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication at Iowa State University.