SHORELINES

26 a p c s hor e l i n e s.c om | 2016 Vol :3 The art show featured more than 40 artists this year, all with a story and a lake connection. For Hardbot Family owners Alisa Shivers and Rene Mason, their creations of miniature repurposed robot sculptures was a way to put their respective engineering and creative backgrounds together in retirement. The two grew up as best friends in Alexander City, and Lake Martin is deep in their roots. Then there is W.H. Young, whose family moved to Wetumpka in 1975. He never left, and lives on Lake Martin with an art studio on the water. "There is inspiration every day here, it's the most beautiful place on Earth to be able to do what I love and create," says Young. "My studio is right on the water's edge." Young is a master of many trades and focuses mainly on wood sculpting. He started a shutter business in 1986, which awakened his passion for transforming natural wood into something else. "Repurposing the wood is a spiritual connection; it's not about taking from nature but giving back and utilizing what nature gives me," Young says. After putting down the paintbrush for nearly 25 years, in 2005 he added acrylic and watercolor painting, and photography, to his repertoire. For painter Annie Bartol, the lake provides a constantly changing canvas for her acrylic painting. "I live for color. And there is such a vibrancy on the lake," she says while standing in front of a wall of colorful originals. For the Russell Lands on Lake Martin team, these artists' stories and reflections are exactly why Arti Gras exists. The show features a variety of art forms from painting and woodworking to jewelry making, photography and even homemade jams and jellies. "The people here at Lake Martin have an appreciation and a passion for this. It's an opportunity for us to connect local artists and makers with people who enjoy their art and want to have art that reflects their love of the lake," says Emily Spink, Russell Lands On Lake Martin event coordinator. "It's all about the connections we make – whether over the art itself or just in the conversations and the friendships we make at the event itself." In addition to Arti Gras, Russell Lands On Lake Martin will host a Holiday Bazaar featuring many of the same artists on Friday, Nov. 25. For more information on the event, visit russelllandsonlakemartin.com. Meet some of the other artists from Arti Gras and find links to the artists mentioned on the Shorelines blog at apcshorelines.com. — ALLISON WESTLAKE Top: Photo by TedTucker – Doug Wallingford standing in front of his ski furniture.

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