Have you ever been fascinated by a work of art and wondered … “How did they do that? I wish I could do that!” Have you ever looked out across Western Lake or one of the beaches along 30A and thought … “Gosh, I wish I could paint that scene!” If so, it’s never too late to learn where to start.
Local 30A artist, Aaron Sutton has developed a very simple method to help you enjoy painting and take out most of the guesswork. Once you have spent one afternoon with Aaron, you will not only return home with your very own original painting, but also a “recipe” that you can use to enjoy creating artwork for years.
“Once I discovered this method for myself, I truly began to enjoy painting. It removed stress and allowed me to be creative with the paint.”
Aaron, who is both red/green and blue/violet colorblind, believes that anyone can enjoy painting with his simple method. Even with severe colorblindness, using this technique, Aaron can paint just about anything you put in front of him.
Contact the gallery today to sign up for the next painting adventure with Aaron. You don’t need to bring anything but a positive attitude, water and sunscreen! Most of the classes will be Thursday afternoons from 2:00 – 5:00. Cost is $200 per person, paid in full at time of sign-up. For more details and to sign-up, call The Blue Giraffe at 850.231.5112.
Published in The Walton Sun on April 20, 2011, by Deborah Wheeler
Aaron Sutton says he has been an artist since he was a little kid and spent his time drawing pictures of his classmates. That little kid is now 30 and makes his living as an artist along the beaches of South Walton. When he is not doing graphic design for a local real estate company, Sutton can probably be found outdoors – on the beaches of one of the state parks or in one of the local resort’s parks doing what he loves to do – paint. What he paints is whatever he sees, whether it’s people, thee beach, the gulf, the local wildlife, or Seaside Chapel.movie box download
Suttons ability to pick up on his surroundings is astounding, unless you consider, as he says, “When you have a disability, your other senses are heightened.” Sutton’s disability is that he is color blind. When asked how he knows what colors to put on is canvases, he jokes, “The names of the colors are on the tubes.”
“ I learned to work with it – and to my advantage. Some people are overly concerned about color. But people see color combinations in my paintings they wouldn’t have expected but that turned out cool,” he said.
Surprisingly, however, Sutton’s use of color combinations seems to mesh perfectly, or they appear to have been purposely mis-matched to create an outstanding mesmerizing scene that captures a viewer’s attention. Painting mostly on canvas with acrylics, Sutton stretches the canvas himself. “I build everything that I can myself,” he said.
The artist moved to South Walton 3 and a half years ago from Lubbock, Texas, with no real ties to the area. “My wife and I met at Texas Tech and when we got married we decided to go somewhere different and came here,” he says nonchalantly.
His main goal in choosing the beach was to be inspired and do more painting, he says. Sutton was familiar with the area as he had vacationed here previously, and had even lived here for a summer. In addition, he got engaged here. “I moved here right after college and surfed for a while,” he said.
Sutton’s artwork is carried by The Blue Giraffe at WaterColor, where the artist sometimes does painting demos and paints onsite.
SANTA ROSA BEACH – Giraffes are graceful, gentle animals with extraordinary hearts and exceptionally long necks. One must imagine that blue giraffes are stand-outs even among a unique species.”Blue giraffes are just plain cute,” said Christi Taylor Sheffield, co-owner and artist in residence at The Blue Giraffe at Watercolor Resort, on her Facebook page. She and her mother, Debbie Taylor, run the store.
Just off Scenic 30A in South Walton County, The Blue Giraffe is the place to shop for “fine and funky” art and artful gifts to use, admire, wear or inspire.Bluestacks apk I wandered in one afternoon while exploring Watercolor’s Town Center and found more artists and creations than
I could easily process.
Original art, handcrafted jewelry, pottery, accessories, amusements, sculptures and interior accents cover every surface from floor to ceiling. Prices run from $5 to $4,000, depending on what you’re after. “Most of our artists are local or from the Southeast region,” Sheffield said during a tour of the shop this week. “We like hand-crafted and American. We’re steering away from anything not made in the USA.”
An alcove area called “A Sea of Books” holds a distinctive selection of inspirational books, art and photography books, children’s books, coastal books, journals, puzzle books and more. Taylor has “a passion for the written word,” and she personally chooses the books for the shop. “It’s a nice way to merge my love of arts and her love of books,” Sheffield said.
Browsing through the store, you might find artwork by the Moore Family Folk Art, a unique example of a collaborative family project completed using only found, salvaged and recycled materials. Dad Alan and daughters Isabella and Emma Moore of Crestview use old sheet metal, wood, kitchen utensils, wire and buttons they pick up in a variety of places, including antique stores, Dumpsters and the side of the road.
Another artist you might find at Blue Giraffe is Aaron Sutton, a colorblind artist who paints images of the Gulf, local wildlife, the beaches and architecture of the area. He paints mostly with acrylics on canvas, and he does occasional demos and workshops at the store.
The shop opened in Blue Mountain Beach 2008, and Sheffield and Taylor bought the store from its original owner in 2010, after the inventory had been moved to Watercolor.
“We loved to shop here when we were vacationing,” Sheffield said. “I felt a connection to the artwork and
