Best In Show At PSC Student Art Exhibition “Means Nothing”

by James Coulter

Ava Edmonds, a sophomore art major at Polk State College, won Best In Show at the Student Art Exhibition on Thursday. She won the award for her abstract painting, prominently featuring three large faces smashed together almost as one while surrounded by several smaller faces.

If you were to ask Ms. Edmonds what her painting means, she would simply point to its title: “Look Closer And It Means Nothing.”

 “A lot of people look really deeply into my work to try to find really crazy detail meanings, but it is like…I like to paint things that I like, people who are awkward just like I am,” she explained.

Edmonds receives her inspiration from many places, from religious artwork to the illustrations within children’s storybooks. Her favorite subjects are plants and people. While other artists might want to find deeper meaning, Edmonds remains content in drawing what she loves.

“I just like art,” she said. “I have always liked to read, and I always look closely [at] the illustrations in my book forever. I remember staring at pages for hours, and I want to [create artwork like] that.”

Currently, she is in her fifth semester as an art major. She has big plans for publishing her own art and even her own writing. Outside of the arts, she’s contemplating becoming a teacher and perhaps even a filmmaker.

“I have a lot of dreams,” she said.

More than 100 art pieces by various students, including art majors, were exhibited and judged in several categories during the art reception at the Fine Arts Gallery at Polk State College on Thursday.

Winning Judge’s Choice was Hope Shiver, a sophomore psychology major, for her 3D art sculptures. Her many art pieces range from a cluster of porous balls to a makeshift house.

As for what inspires her and her artwork, Shiver simply shrugged and replied that she makes whatever is on her mind. She simply creates and doesn’t think about it, she explained.

“I made it because of the deadline,” she said of her recent art pieces. “Honestly, whenever I make things, I don’t really sit or think about it, I just do it and it comes to me.”

She really enjoys being able to mix different glazes and seeing the final combinations once her art pieces have been placed within and removed from the kiln.

“Seeing it come out of a kiln after it glazes is fantastic,” she said.

Though a psychology major wanting to move onto forensic psychology, Shivers has an interest in art. She is especially inspired to do what she does through the support of her grandmother and boyfriend.

“It feels good to win,” she said. “I did not expect to win anything.”

The art reception that evening exemplified the growth that the college’s arts program has experienced in recent years. As of 2019, PSC has 200 art majors enrolled for their two-year degrees. Once they graduate, many will transfer to other colleges to pursue their art degrees, explained Holly Croggins, Visual Art Organizer and Coordinator.

The art reception that evening showcased the sheer number and diversity of its many art students, and even many of the students who are not art majors, Croggins said.

As for the success of the show, Croggins states: “I think it is their hard work and professionalism, trying to exhibit their work. And their professors…have really invested in them.”

The Fines Art Gallery at Polk State College is located at: 999 Ave H NE, Winter Haven, FL 33881. For more information, visit: https://www.polk.edu/visual-arts/

Here are the other main winners of the art show reception:

Best In Photo: Nikie Silers, “Harold.”

Best in Ceramics: Finn Hoffen, “American Traditional Pitcher.”

Best In Drawing: Allison Guana, “Growth.”

Best In Painting: Aca Edmonds, “Series Of 5.”

Best In Mixed Media: Judith Zamora, “Sea Breeze.”

Best In Sculpture: David Santiago & Kieran Fox, “End The Violence.”

Best In Digital Design: Oliva Yeager, “Ehteral Imperfection.”

Downtown Winter Haven Celebrates 13th Annual Oktoberfest Despite Rain

by James Coulter

Cloudy skies and light rain could not stop people in Downtown Winter Haven from having a “Wunderbar” time with beer, brats, and plenty of oom-pa-pa music.

Hundreds of beer and brat lovers congregated in Central Park Winter Haven on Friday evening to celebrate the 13th Annual Oktoberfest, hosted by Main Street Winter Haven.

Wearing rain jackets and carrying umbrellas, these brave attendees withstood the rain for a chance to down craft beer, take a bite out of barbecued bratwurst, and otherwise have a Wunderbar time listening to live musical entertainment.

This year saw the addition of a special private VIP area provided by MyBox, a company that rents out movable containers that serve as bar and seating areas for special events.

 Several dozen local businesses served as vendors that evening, including a handful of local breweries including Swan Brewing Company and Grove Roots, all of who helped offer fresh servings of locally-brewed craft beer.

This was the third year that Grove Roots attended the annual downtown event. The local brewery had been participating in local events such as this since it first opened, explained Morgan Wilson, Grove Roots Chief Operations Officer and Bar Manager.

 As someone who is also on the Board of Directors for Main Street Winter Haven, Wilson has been working closely with the other board members towards achieving their initiative of attracting more local breweries to the area and having them involved with events such as this, she said.

 Grove Roots, since opening three years ago, has maintained a “community-centric” philosophy by participating in events such as the Oktoberfest, as well as helping give back to the local community through various fundraisers.

“We have been doing this for three years, and we will continue it,” Wilson said. “I love seeing the community come out, not only as an art community but as a local community as well.”

This Oktoberfest has been growing over the years since it first started back in 2008. The event has experienced tremendous growth in turnout, vendors, and participation, explained Sean Greear, President of Main Street Winter Haven.

“We learn every year that we are getting better and better at doing this event, and we learn from any mistakes we have,” Greear said. “There is more proof in the pudding that more people want to sponsor this event so it is a good thing.”

Greear attributes the local community to the event’s success in recent years. More and more people have been turning out for a great time, and he expects more people to continue turning out in the future.

“How can you not like it?” he asked. “It is good food, good beer, good music, good people, good vibes. Why not? Celebrate Downtown Winter Haven. Eat more, drink more, and sleep less.”

“The Beautiful Addiction” Teaches How To Fly Fish Near Your Home

by James Coulter

There are more than 500 lakes in Polk County. Chances are you’ve probably fished in one of them. But have you ever tried fly fishing?

Fly fishing may sound tricky, but the technique is simple enough that anyone can learn it within the span of a weekend. You can do exactly that when you pick up a copy of the newest book published by a local fishing instructor with more than 20 years of fly fishing experience.

In his book, “The Beautiful Addiction: Learning to Fly Fish Near Your Home”, Chris O’Byrne, Director of Fly Fishing Schools at The Andy Thornal Company in Winter Haven, teaches the basics of fly fishing using laymen’s terms, witty anecdotes, and lively illustrations.

The book offers a short and simple read, ensuring that anyone, from novices to experts, can learn enough about fly fishing that they’ll be out on the water casting lines in only a few short days, O’Byrne said.

“I intend it to be easily read within a weekend,” he said. “[It’s] for someone to pick up a book on a Friday and catching fish on Sunday evening.”

O’Byrne conveys more than 20 years of his fly fishing experience into this short read of a book, offering his own expertise in simple language that anyone can understand. No matter what your fishing level may be, this book will help you learn the basics on your own and get you out on the water as soon as possible, he said.

“Everyone in North America is within a short drive of bass and bluegill. This book will teach them no matter where they are,” he said. “It is not aimed at a specific location or exotic species, anyone can catch these fish on the fly.”

Ever since his father first taught him how to cast a line, O’Byrnehas spent most of his life out on the water. Fishing came naturally to him, and so, too, did fly fishing.

“When I started to exhibit some of the signs that I was ready for a fly rod, he handed me a fly rod and taught me,” he said.

His main career has been as a school coach and physical education teacher for the past 20 years. Though he previously took a brief reprieve from fly fishing, he returned to the sport in 1998.

He received his Flycaster Certification from Fly Fishers International in 2010. Since then, he has logged over 600 hours teaching in many different settings, including ten years teaching classes through the Andy Thornal Company in Winter Haven.

Since 2005, he has been sharing his fly fishing experience through his writing with blog posts and even a monthly fishing column in Coastal Angler, as well as in Florida Sportsman and Fly Fisher. Over the years, he has collected notes on various tips, tricks, and methods. Having accumulated more than a decade’s worth of research, he was inspired to compile everything he knew in one handy-dandy guide.

“When I started seriously teaching fly fishing, I began taking notes of other people’s ideas…and a whole lot of questions from my students, from beginners to advance anglers. So somewhere in 2014, the computer file began to look like a book,” he said.

Since 2017, O’Byrne has been slowly chipping away at his book. Aside from his own research, he also solicited advice from other people in the industry and began studying other books and fishing guides. He also received assistance in his writing through the Lakeland’s writer’s group, Writer’s 4 All Seasons.

“So in terms of the writing, it has been a real adventure, not just…putting words on paper and getting people to cast a certain way, but also to come back with anecdotes, make the book interesting, not just informative,” he said.

He has since published his book through Pepper Tree Press in Sarasota. The book includes illustrations from proffesional illustrator and fly fisher, Pete Chadwell, who has also created illustrations for fishing magazines and books.

O’Byrne hopes that everyone, regardless of whether they have fished or not, gives his book a try. He expects fishers to learn more about the sport and try a different aspect of it, while non-fishers can attempt to try something new. Either way, he hopes that his book will provide an enjoyable read.

 “I try to hold a mirror up to the fly fishing life so that people who have been fishing for a while can enjoy that,” he said. “Anybody in the country can use The Beautiful Addiction to quickly catch fish on the fly.”

The Beautiful Addiction: Learning to Fly Fish Near Your Home” is available on Amazon: https://www.featherwater.com/shop

The book can also be purchased at the Andy Thornal Company, located at: 336 Magnolia Ave #2904, Winter Haven, FL 33880

For more  information, visit O’Bryne’s website at: https://www.featherwater.com/