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Upcoming this spring and summer on Marco Island is a series of events that anyone who appreciates art will want to attend. So will anybody who knows little or nothing about art but would like to learn, from the artists themselves.

It’s the brainchild of Keith Dameron, general manager of Marco’s Orion Bank. I don’t know whether Keith can even draw a bath or a six-gun, but he is offering some fun evenings for art lovers, starting tomorrow, April 10th, at the Bank on Bald Eagle Drive.

This is the first of six “Artist Appreciation Series” evenings. The artist featured will be Stephen Muldoon, whose work gets raves wherever it is displayed.

Muldoon has more than 30 years of experience in multimedia imagery. As Stephen says, he was “born with a passion to paint, an innate talent responding to the genetic feast of a painter father and a painter grandfather.”

Muldoon’s paintings were big draws at a fundraiser last summer for Youth Haven, part of the Dancing With the Stars project. His many awards include being voted America’s Best Mural Artist.

The event Thursday begins at 6:30pm and includes a forum discussion with Muldoon and those attending. As Dameron’s announcement of the series explains:

“Marco Island’s Center for the Art’s has been invited to assist by working with each spotlighted artist in preparation and implementation of each monthly event.

“Marco’s Paradise Seafood will provide an array of Fresh seafood delicacies during each event for our guests.

Owners, Scott and Bill Young’s support of this unique event reflect their belief that the “Artist Appreciation Series” is a natural “fit” for their clientele.”

The second artist in the series is Malenda Trick, who will show and talk about her art on May 14th.

Malenda enjoys creating works in the style of 19th century impressionism --- vibrant colors, strong textures and bold, flowing lines, I am told. Experts say her work often is labeled “romantic impressionism”, but she can paint in a variety of styles.

As Dameron put it, “From her whimsical chefs, her still life works reminiscent of renaissance art and the great impressionists of the19th century, to stunning European landscapes, Malenda’s art is prized by owners worldwide.”

One of Marco’s best known and most prolific artists, JoAnn Sanborn, will be the star of this series on July 9th. She seems to be everywhere, capturing what she sees and how she feels on canvas.

Her first love of a place to paint is the Everglades, but Sanborn’s work is known up and down the East coast and beyond. If you ever want to know what’s going on around here in the world of art, a great resource is http://joannsanborn.blogspot.com/.

Dameron will announce the other participating artists soon.

Depending on the artists’ desires, the individual programs may have a formal presentation by the artist, or a demonstration or just a casual, sit down, round table discussion with the artist.

Topics to be discussed will be wide ranging, from how the artists got started in their careers, their backgrounds and why they paint or sculpt in their particular style. In short, Dameron says there will be no limits on the areas of conversation.

Attendance at all six events in the series will be free of charge, but reservations are required and no more than 40 people may attend each evening. The Orion Bank number to call: 403-5169.

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Chris is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC TV stations in Washington, DC, Houston and Atlanta. Email: chris@chriscurle.com.