by James Coulter
If you were to observe the award-winning artwork of Beth Garcia, you’d probably guess that most of her subjects were alien lifeforms from another planet, especially with their abnormal appendages and strange growths.
However, believe it or not, her sculptures, which helped win her best of show at this year’s Lake Wales Art Fest, are based on lifeforms that are quite terrestrial, if admittedly microscopic.
Beth Garcia is a working artist and a high school teacher at Harrison School of the Arts in Lakeland. Before she studied art, she studied biology and wanted to create illustrations for medical textbooks.
Later, she decided to switch from a biology major to a Masters of Fine Art. However, once she switched her studies, she quickly discovered her science lessons likewise worked their way into her artwork.
“I started to realize that what I had learned in biology, the imagery from biology, kept coming back through my work,” she said. “So, it really does steer the concept. I think about nature, the tenacity of nature, and I think it is the ultimate sign of optimism. So, I focus on the totality and optimism and joy of nature.”
While she does not have a favorite art piece, her larger sculptures have proven more challenging, so those are the ones that are nearest and dearest to her heart.
She had been attending the Lake Wales Art Fest for more than eight years. She loves how the committee is responsive to the needs of participating artists, which inspires her to return every year. Being able to win the best of show was quite a milestone for her.
“It is humbling,” she said. “My quality of work here is really strong, and I am humbled to be selected.”
More than 50 artists showcased their artwork along the scenic shores of Lake Wales Park for the annual Lake Wales Art Fest. The event kicked off on Friday evening with the private Art-B-Que event and opened for the public on Saturday and Sunday.
From paintings and photographs to ceramics and glass sculptures, artists and craftsmen from all over the county, state, and even country arrived to showcase their work. Attendees could also peruse other vendors and food trucks, listen to live music, and even engage in a beer crawl.
Tommy Frank, Executive Director of the Lake Wales Art Festival, was impressed by this year’s turnout. More than 50 artists participated this year, and he expects future events to draw in more than 100.
“We have been having a really great time this year,” he said. “We had a great turnout of people. Everyone enjoyed seeing the artists and talking about their work, listening to the music, [and] checking out some great food trucks. So, yes, it has been a real successful year.”
Frank owes the success of this year’s event to their marketing and integration of various other activities like a beer crawl, the children’s activity area, and the community hospitality tent.
“I think we were more intentional about how we were going to integrate more of our community [activities],” he said. “I think we are synergizing more of those things together and connecting them more strongly with the artist tent area.”
This year’s event more than exceeded expectations, and expectations for next year’s event and events to come remain high. Frank expects to see more growth and better integration of the various festival components. He expects to implement all that through feedback collected from participating artists.
“I think the event is definitely meeting expectations,” he said. “What is nice is that every year we do this, we have a chance to see where we want to improve and where there are ways to make it better every time. So, we are certainly here to collect those notes and the artists are telling us things that they like about it and ways we can change things up to benefit what they want to do. And we are excited to be receptive to that.”
