Local artists show off works at Estero festival

ESTERO, Fla.- Birds, flowers, gators and other aspects of nature are what artists like Barbara Groenteman and Dennis Goodman use for inspiration.

“It’s a moment in time, you know when you do capture that picture, you know you may never see it again,” said Goodman.

They’re just two of hundreds of artists that found themselves at the art festival over the weekend.

Giving them not only the chance to make a sale, but to build  relationships with the people who call Southwest Florida home.

“They’re meeting the creator of the work, and if you need some changes, or you want to do a commission or you want something special, you can do that also,” Helayne Stillings, coordinator for the festival.

Groenteman says in Naples alone, there are 400 working artists who sell their work daily.

“We are a small business and sometimes we’re just one person doing everything.”

She hopes festivals like this one will encourage people to not just see artistic creations, but to buy from their own communities.

“Stay local and not buy in the big boxes, but meet the artist and you know, buy a piece of their work and it’s actually buying a piece of their personality,” said Groenteman.