Featured Artist ~ Carol Gangemi, Botanical Illustrator and Watercolorist

• By Barb
• Posted in Things that inspire me in the garden
• On November 11, 2012
• 1 Comment.

Let me introduce you to one of my best gal-pals, Carol Gangemi. She is an artist extraordinaire as everything she does carries Carol’s personal stamp of creativity. Many people know Carol Gangemi as the Botanical Illustrations watercolor instructor at Longwood Gardens. (By the way, that’s a class I can’t wait to sign up for next year when I am retired!)

But Carol’s art carries into her everyday living and is an inspiration to all who are lucky enough to know her personally. Her cottage home is surrounded by plantings and artwork she has created herself, such as mosaic birdbaths and copper sunflower sculptures.

 

 

 

Inside, Carol has applied her love for painting and flowers on her bedroom headboard and other furniture pieces. Even her kitchen back splash has lovely hand-painted flowers! And all the walls bear witness to Carol’s talents in painting, every picture more beautiful than the last you viewed. See Carol’s paintings available for sale through Pinterest if you are looking for great gifts for the holidays!

Each year, Carol designs her own Christmas cards featuring her four lovely grandchildren in a winter scene. Those “grands” also are lucky enough to get one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes each year made with love by “Grammy”. Carol also teaches workshops at Longwood Gardens –  this year she will demonstrate painting Christmas ball ornaments. New babies get a special painting for their nurseries from Carol. Her gifts are the ones you always look the most forward to!

My personal favorite is Carol’s “tradition” of painting a new dreidel each year for me at Hanukkah. After sixteen years, the “Carol Collection” has become quite extensive. In addition, Carol has crafted and painted menorahs for my Hanukkah collection, and I am lucky enough to have some of her wonderful paintings in our home.

I could go on and on about my dear friend. Carol simply lives an artful life and brings joy to all she meets.