Nouveaux Steps

The Exhibit, on display at Gallery Coco, located on 222 N. Baylen, opens during Gallery Night on Friday, May, 15, 2009 from 5-9 pm. Walther and Beauchamps's artwork will remain on display through June.

Dawna Walther is a Florida Panhandle native, born in Pensacola and raised in Jay. Dawna grew up on a farm with her family. Two things, living close to nature and her mother, a high school art teacher, have played major roles in influencing her ceramics.

"My mother has always encouraged me to be creative and has taught me many things about art. I am now a senior at the University of West FLorida working towards a Bachelors in Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics. My pieces for this show are some of my favorite pieces that I have made in the past year."

Born in the Bahamas, Andy Beauchamp is the 15th of his late father’s 16 children. Although he was born in the Bahamas Andy was raised mainly in Haiti, which is where his passion for art began. Appreciating the vibrant colors and excitement utilized in Haitian art, Andy decided that he wanted to use art as a method to express himself.

At the tender age of seven he began drawing various objects; Andy would often go down to the port and draw boats as they pulled into shore and humans interacting in the local street markets. However, it was not until he relocated to America that his passion for art truly developed into beautiful artworks. From the time he was in high school Andy’s artworks were highly praised and acknowledged by teachers, administrators and fellow classmates. During this time many of his artworks were created with colored pencils. He would meticulously mix and blend colors to create vibrant and unique images. As his creativity evolved, Andy ventured into oil paints. Andy is currently honing his artistic talents as a senior at the University of West Florida.

For more information, call 850-434-2626 or visit Gallery Coco News