The Galleries at First Pres will offer an opening reception for the Fall Art Installment on Sunday, October 17, 2021, from 2:00 to 4:00pm. The show will feature the works of local artists Mimmo Amelio, Jean Archibald, and Judith Bairstow. The galleries are located throughout the campus of First Presbyterian Church at 520 Royal Palm Boulevard in Vero Beach. Admission is free.

Domenico “Mimmo” Amelio was born in Naples, Italy in 1949, relocating to the United States in 1966.  Educated in culinary and visual arts, Mimmo has been involved in the hospitality industry for over 40 years while continually pursuing and exploring his passion of art. While he has vested interest and ownership of the popular Scampi Grill Restaurant and Bistro in Vero Beach, Florida, Mimmo has focused much of his energy towards various forms of painting. “I love life. I love human beings and their beauty. I disapprove injustice and hate in any form of manifestation. My paintings vary from cubism, impressionism, expressionism, astroism, or abstract, and are always optimistic with vibrant colors,” says Amelio. His work can be found in his restaurant as well as corporate collections throughout Florida, North & South Carolina, New York, New Jersey, and Kentucky. His work has also been purchased by many private collectors throughout the United States and Europe.

Jean Archibald has been drawing and painting since she was a child. Growing up in New England, Jean always enjoyed all the beauty of nature that surrounded her. She began photographing scenes in Maine and Connecticut, and those images eventually became the focal point of her paintings. Her work in graphite pencil led her to wonder what her work would look like in color, and soon a talented watercolor artist was born. Archibald’s realistic watercolor paintings depict beautiful landscapes, old barns, dilapidated houses, and boats. Of her work, she said, “Being a self-taught artist and having had no formal instruction, my love of watercolor painting has brought me to a level that brings joy to my heart and happiness to the people who love the same and have acquired my works.” Mrs. Archibald is now an instructor at the Sebastian River Art Club and teaches watercolor classes on the first and third Tuesday of each month. For more information on her classes, contact her at keel84@aol.com or at (321) 725-1537.

Judith Bairstow was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and grew up in Toronto, Ontario, and Derby Lane, Vermont. She attended Mt. Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. For most of her career, she worked in Boston. She was married to Robert P. Clark for 29 years until his death at age 54. She married Jeffrey N. Bairstow, and they retired to Sebastian, Florida, in 2009. She inherited a love of photography from her grandfather and father. That was, initially, her main creative outlet. Judith started wanting to manipulate her photographs to satisfy her ideas about design, and found that painting allowed her to create the desired images. Bairstow says, “I began painting when I found colors, images, or design in my photographs and wanted to remove undesirable elements from my pictures, before the advent of photoshopping. Oil painting allowed me to edit the image to my liking. I love natural settings and have photographed many beautiful scenes during my travels. I recently tried portraits and have found them challenging, but I’m learning a lot in the process. Above is the technical reason I paint. The real reason is that I hope to convey to others the beauty I see.” She has been a member of the Sebastian River Art Club for 10 years.

The Galleries at First Pres feature a wide variety of works by local artists, on rotation throughout the year. The Galleries are located throughout the campus of First Presbyterian Church, 520 Royal Palm Boulevard, Vero Beach; they are open for viewing from 12pm to 3pm Monday through Thursday, and on Sunday mornings between church services. Admission is free and open to the community. Unvaccinated individuals are asked to wear a mask and socially distance while on the church campus.

For more information, please contact Ginger Lagemann, Music and Arts Administrator, at (772) 562-9088 or ginger@firstpresvero.org.