CAA’s A+ Art Fine Art Exhibit Featuring Mara Viksnins Opens June 21

The Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) A+ Art Committee in partnership with Northwest Florida State College announces the summer fine art exhibit featuring the work of 2012 Best in Show A+ Art Exhibition winner, Mara Viksnins. Viksnins work will be on display through August 23 at Northwest Florida State College South Walton campus. Viksnins won Best in Show for her piece titled, "Tickling the Ivories," which earned her the solo exhibit.
 

"Tickling the Ivories is typical of Mara's symbolic style, which is vibrating with color and rhythm," said A+ Art Committee Co-Chair Robin Wiesneth.
 

Viksnins is a mixed media artist who works in watercolor, acrylic, collage and pen and ink. She draws inspiration from living in New York, Texas, the Gulf Coast and in Europe and is obsessed with the human figure.
 

"No matter how I start a painting, whether it be with just random brush strokes and colors or with a more realistic intent, a figure appears," said Viksnins. "I love to portray the female figure, sometimes in a mystical setting, sometimes as a nurturer or Mother Nature or just as an ordinary human being."
 

Viksnins is also interested in mythology, iconography and religious paintings. She often uses some of the symbolic language of the old masters to convey a message. Her subjects often reflect the environment and role of women in today's world.
 

With an Art Degree from the University of West Florida, Viksnins has studied with many prominent artists nationwide. She belongs to Blue Morning Gallery and Quayside Art Gallery in Pensacola, Fla. and recently received Best of Show at Artel Gallery in Pensacola for her work called "Family Dynamics," a collage encased in a shadow box. Viksnins is also president of the Pensacola Branch of the National League of American Pen Women (NLAPW), an organization of professional female artists, composers, and writers, and was honored at the 2012 NLAPW Biennial Art Show in Washington, D.C.
 

The A+ Art Committee will hold an opening reception, celebrating Viksnins' work on Friday, June 21 from 5-7 p.m. The exhibit runs from June 21 to August 23 at the South Walton Campus of Northwest Florida State College, 109 Greenway Trail, Santa Rosa Beach, FL 32459 during normal business hours. Viksnins also paints commissioned works, including portraits of children and animals. To view more of her work, visit www.maraviksnins.com.