The Pinecrest Garden Club cordially invites you to their annual fundraiser and new art installation unveiling at Pinecrest Gardens on Sunday, November 5.
Join them on beautiful Lakeview Terrace at the historical “Tower Concession” for refreshing drinks, tasty bites and a view of the most colorful and whimsical mural depicting the beauty of nature found throughout Pinecrest Gardens designed and crafted by Artist Patsy Rodriguez.
Patsy found art as a way to escape the insufferable pain of Multiple Sclerosis. It was the gift of “art-as-therapy” that has kept on giving for over thirty years taking Patsy on an extraordinary journey of inspiration, creativity and healing. Through Patsy’s perseverance along with the encouragement of her teacher, Mary Ruden, she has honed her artistic talents showing her work at such prestigious institutions as the Smithsonian in Washington D.C. and many other venues, both local and regional.
Her unique and colorful works, both mosaics and murals, can be found in many institutions including Sweetwater Elementary, Fairchild Tropical Gardens and an interactive tile mural in Tampa’s Freedom Playground, a commission awarded to Patsy following a statewide competition “call to artists”. She also won an Artist of Merit award in 2015 for her mosaics from the prestigious Arrowmont Tennessee School of Arts and Crafts. Patsy has studios both in Miami and Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Miami-born and raised, Rodriguez’s latest project is a tile mural titled “Tropical Punch”. The materials have been generously underwritten by fellow Pinecrest Garden Club member, Barbara Pareira, allowing Patsy to fulfill a dream of donating this delicious mural earmarked for the Gardens’ Concession Tower. The inspiration for “Tropical Punch” came from Patsy’s vision of lush, tropical fruit trees including orange, mango, papaya and banana. There are also hidden creatures of the Gardens to be found in the whimsical and colorful design, including dragonflies, butterflies, frogs and lizards. Rodriguez thought it would be appropriate to pair the “Tropical Punch” unveiling with annual Garden Club fundraiser. Proceeds from this event will help fund the new Learning Garden at Pinecrest Gardens, an educational, interactive and all-inclusive sensory garden designed to stimulate and educate visitors of all ages and all abilities.
The official unveiling of “Tropical Punch” will take place at the concession stand at Pinecrest Gardens on Sunday, November 5 at 4 p.m. Tempting appetizer bites will be served and you can vote for your favorite fruit punch (we can assure you that in addition to a mouth-watering range of different tropical fruit punches, there will be several among them guaranteed to pack a punch as well). Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by calling Gina Guilford at 305-666-2899 or by going to the Pinecrest Garden Club’s Facebook page.
