Seaside Inspirations

July 8 through August 23, 2010 – opening reception Friday July 9 th 7-9pm.

First Street Gallery artists Noni McGee and Melinda Bradshaw team up for an exhibit of their latest beach inspired art creations.

Noni McGee is a self taught beaded jewelry artist, influenced by fellow “beaders” and her love of glass – these intricate jewelry pieces are a work of art. After 20 years of being a stained glass artist, Noni turned her passion to jewelry about 6 years ago. After working on a piece of stained glass for months, she now enjoys seeing the fruits of her labor come together much quicker in her jewelry pieces. During the time she has been beading, she has developed quite a following and teaches classes and holds workshops in various locations in Northeast Florida . Noni's display for this show, Seaside Inspirations , has truly been inspired by the ocean. Incorporating shells and beads, most of her creations are one-of-a-kind and her workmanship is as always flawless.

Melinda Bradshaw earned a degree at Florida State University from the School of Visual Arts . Now retired after working 18 years as a graphic artist at Beaches Baptist and Memorial Hospitals , she considers her self very fortunate to have been able to enjoy a professional career as an artist. Melinda's flair for photography is evident in her art work; she captures the excitement of her subjects and uses her creativity when she puts the images on canvas and paper. Her art work for Seaside Inspirations comes from her love of sea life and her successful creation of “Beaches Town Center Art”, using various local landmarks and ingeniously creating works of art from them. Melinda designs all of First Street Gallery's graphics and advertisements, has created publicity pieces for the North Beaches Art Walk, as well as working with local individuals and businesses.