Debra Cortese - Nature’s Energy

Ready! Mango Art Exhibition with 15 Artists opens Saturday, July 12th at the 16th Annual Mango Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden in Coral Gables, Florida. This years festival features the Mangos of Africa and if it’s anything like years past… about a hundred other varieties as well.

Mango cocktails, salsas, marinades, sauces, salads… anything you can imagine. Mango Mania prevails. Tasters line up at least an hour before the gates open at 9:30 am. There’s a Mango Costume Ball, Mango Brunch, Auction, tree sales, and yes… this is an art column… a Mango Art Exhibition and Sale. 15 Artists: Sylvia Bota, Debra Cortese, Julio J. Figueroa, Pauline Goldsmith, Bobbi Headder, Leonardo Hernandez, Kit Kimball, Lynda Lynch LaRocca, Robin Lawrie, Elsa Nadal, Terry Mulrooney,
Nettie Belle Robinson, Barbara A. Tejada, Beth Werner and Jedda Wong are sharing their Mango Art in as many styles and interpretations of this fabulous fruit as you can imagine… something for every taste and budget.

I’ll be showing “Mango in Bird Bath”, “Blue Bath” and “Almost Mango Salsa” which should appear in this blog. If you can’t make it to the show, but would like a Nature’s Energy Mango Artwork of your own, visit my Mango page and choose your favorites from 10 new mango artworks. If you are in Miami and would like to purchase any of my art, either online or in person, you’ll want to read my SUMMER NEWSLETTER and print out a copy of the FRAMING offer…Saves you $30. on framing!

Happy 4th of July… get out there and enjoy nature!
Great snorkeling weather here in South Florida

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POSITIVE, WITTY, ENERGIZING - NOTES FROM THE UNIVERSE

“I’d Rather Be In The Studio”
Marketing & Business for ARTISTS by Alyson Stanfield

Recently, SheFinds had a link and promo to network with “Make Mine A Million $ Business” which led me to “Count Me In” and of course that inspired a couple of new images that I’m featuring on two new exclusive designs featuring the “Count Me In” colors and logo on my laptop bags.
Here’s a preview of the laptop bags.
You can purchase them on my special “Count Me In” page.


DEBRA CORTESE.COM Nature’s Energy Photopaintings
Cortese HANDBAGS
My CafePress Shop Nature’s Energy Designs and more on Journals, Shirts, Hats, Cards, Magnets.

A thoroughly enjoyable Saturday in Miami… got myself up and off to South Beach in time to attend the standing-room-only presentation on Edible Landscapes by Gabriele Marewski of Paradise Farms, Homestead, Florida. Hope to create some new images from this South Florida Findhorn-like farm!

Had missed the Tuesday night opening of ‘Atlantis in the Midst of Myth’ an exhibition of bronze sculptures by Oxana Narozniak at Miami Beach Botanical Garden, so got to see this and several other sculptures after the Edible event.

Carolina Garcia of LegalArtMiami with Stuard Horodner of Atlanta Contemporary Art Center at Locust Project in Miami’s Wynwood art district.

Back home for a quick lunch with my daughter and then off again with my friend, Paula to the Locust Project in Miami’s Wynwood art district where we attended a LegalArt presentation by Stuart Horodner, curator of the Atlanta Contemporary Art Center. Horodner’s direct, no nonsense and witty talk covered practical and passionate aspects of the Creative Life and Career of an artist. The crowd here was hungry for real world information that could help advance artistic careers. Horodner easily met this need through stories of his experiences as an artist, gallery owner, consultant, curator and writer. He reiterated, for me, something that I heard/read over and over: follow your passion. create the work you love and don’t give up. Yes, it does take time to establish yourself as an artist - just like any other career. As a parting gift to the artists, he challenged us all to create a work of art, a single image that most imparts the essence of our work, of who we are as an artist…that he will post on his blog. A brilliant networking opportunity that I am definitely looking forward to!

VERY USEFUL INFO FOR ARTISTS: “I’d Rather Be In The Studio” Alyson Stanfield’s excellent book on business and marketing your art.

and, a PARTING SHOT…
overlooking the Miami River

from deck of Casablanca Restaurant, downtown Miami. end of a perfect Saturday in Miami

photo/images: Debra Cortese 
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