Artist Spotlight: Bronia Ichel & Sara Wilson
Artist Spotlight: Bronia Ichel & Sara Wilson- The Naples Art District (NAD) showcases member artists every week, highlighting their stories through their series, Artist Spotlight! Each week, different artists are featured to provide an in-depth look into their work. Learn about these creatives, their skills, and the techniques they use to make their art and share it with the community and wider world.
The NAD artists in the spotlight for the first week of 2021 are Bronia Ichel and Sara Wilson. Bronia is a painter and mixed media/collage artist, while Sara is a ceramics and metal artist.
Bronia Ichel was born and raised in Poland until relocating to the United States with her family as a young teenager. She has always had an interest in and love for fine arts and studied it in college and graduate school. Inspired by the artist and person of Henri Matisse, she has been a professional working artist and art teacher, both in public schools and in the community. Bronia’s work has been translated into wearable art as well—you can shop for apparel inspired by her work online, via a link on her website. If you are interested in learning more about painting with acrylics and mixed media, she has weekly classes during which she demonstrates different techniques and provides individualized instruction. She also has created and posted some children’s art lessons on YouTube. When she isn’t biking with her husband or volunteering as a docent at the Baker Museum, you can find Bronia working at her Shirley Street studio and gallery in the Naples Art District.
Sara Wilson has been a working artist for years now, after retiring from her career as a trauma nurse and 911 dispatcher and opening Clay More Ceramics in the Naples Art District in 2013. Working with clay was a stress-relieving hobby for Sara before it became her primary occupation. She creates her pieces both via hand-building and on a potter’s wheel before kiln-firing them. She also creates glass and hammered metal jewelry. If you want to create with clay, there are many opportunities at the Clay More studio on Shirley Street, where Sara and her colleagues offer small group and private courses and workshops focused on wheel throwing, hand building, glazing, and more! And for those who have experience working with clay, Clay More offers “open studio” hours to have what Sara calls “Calgon! Take me away!” moments.
The Naples Art District (NAD) boasts the largest concentration of working artists in Southwest Florida. It provides a place for professional artists like Bronia and Sara to share their talents with one another and visitors. NAD artists work with a wide range of mediums and use a multitude of artistic methods to create their art. Artists exhibit and sell their works of art from their studios and galleries in the District, as well as offering educational opportunities and holding special events for the public. The Artist Spotlight series is an ideal opportunity for NAD artists to shine, while they connect and inspire people through their art. NAD has a calendar of events, classes, and workshops available online for anyone interested in meeting member artists and learning more. Contact the Naples Art District online or by phone at 239-249-1977 for more information.
Sara Wilson
Clay More Ceramics
5660 Shirley St, Unit 8
Jan 4, 2021 – Jan 8, 2021
Bronia Ichel
Bronia Ichel Studio and Gallery
5760 Shirley St, Suite 10
Jan 3, 2021 – Jan 8, 2021