Elmore's Landing is OPEN and celebrating the 25th annual Christmas Art Show on December 9 & 10 from 10am til 6pm. The Holiday Art Show will honor Joe Elmore, the late South Walton artist and creator of Elmore's Landing art gallery on Hwy 331 South. Also, featuring Florida folks artist Missionary Mary Proctor!
The festival will feature local art, crafts, food vendors, beer and wine, drinks, art activities for kids, and live music. The community is invited to come out and celebrate the holidays with friends and family.
Vendors can contact Elmore's Landing for information and sign-up: elmoreslanding@gmail.com. Call 850-225-8827 for more information. Follow Elmore's Landing on Facebook to learn more about this unique art gallery shop under new ownership featuring Joe Elmore's art as well as other local artists you'll love. Come out any time to browse this piece of South Walton history for old and new art.
The late and great Joe Elmore, chainsaw artist | 2014 at Elmore's Landing
Elmore's Landing has been a landmark in SoWal for many years. It's hard to miss the giant chainsaw sculptures and colorful folk art as you enter or exit South Walton on Hwy 331 just south of the bay. If you ever had the good fortune of meeting Joe, it's likely you haven't forgotten the big bear of a man with the bear-hug personality. Joe was intense and creative when wielding his chainsaw to cut away at a massive piece of wood. Joe’s passing this past March left a big hole in SoWal’s art culture and it is heartening to know that his gallery will continue.
Read more at SoWal.com feature story: http://sowal.com/story/the-legacy-continues-at-elmores-landing
Missionary Mary Proctor
Mary Proctor was a self-described "Junk Dealer" for years, until a tragedy struck her family. Her grandmother, aunt and uncle were all killed in a house fire. Shortly after this, a grief-struck Mary was given a vision. A voice told her to paint one of the many old doors in her junkyard. Mary listened to the voice and soon found herself painting everything she could find.
Mary sees herself as a Missionary, and her goal is to use her art to spread her message. Typical paintings show stories from her life, or members of her family, and usually include a message, or a lesson that she's learned and wants to share. Mary takes objects that she finds in her junkyard (now called her Folk Art Museum) and adds them to the paintings, usually with hot glue or liquid nails, giving the pieces a three dimensional effect. She uses just about anything in her paintings, from silverware to cut-up dollar bills. Sizes of the pieces run from a foot or so in height to her enormous and impressive doors.
Through her art, Mary has found peace with her past, and a mission in life. She enjoys having visitors to her Museum and enthusiastically guides tours through the compound. There you can see her tower of bicycles (much like Howard Finster's) and several buildings overflowing with paintings and sculptures. I particularly enjoyed her Hall of Presidents, in which she's made a life-size replica of every single U.S. President out of cut-up Coke cans, complete with a history and a quote from each one.
Mary is also very interested in Black history and has done pieces honoring important figures like Zora Neale Hurston. In fact, Mary has had a wonderful exhibit at the Zora Neale Hurston Museum in Hurston's hometown of Eatonville, Florida.
Mary's Museum is very easy to get to in Tallahassee. The sight of this energetic woman all dressed up and running a chain saw in the yard is worth a visit by itself.
Read this wonderful story at Bitter Southerner: The Life and Art of Missionary Mary Proctor
Photo: The Bitter Southerner
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