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Arts and Entertainment: Revealing Hidden Beauty with Wood Turner Don Duden
August 13th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: "Twelve Artists" Celebration and Exhibit
August 1st, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Satire or Documentary?
July 27th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Invitation to the World of Artist Mike Segal
July 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: The Bold Imagery of Artist Willie Smith
July 1st, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: From Tree to Classic Chair - the Craftsmanship of H. F. Wells
June 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: New Inspirations - Gernhardt Raku Pottery Exhibit
June 5th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Illuminating Life with Brush and Pen - the Artistry of Peggy Herrick
May 27th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Capturing Joy - the Art of Joan Morgan
May 15th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: "Downtown Cedar Key" Exhibit Opens at Arts Center
May 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Island Hotel Hosts Art Exhibit
May 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Multi-artist Exhibit Opens at Arts Center Gallery
April 4th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Double Your Pleasure at Arts Center Exhibit
March 7th, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Enchanted Worlds - the Art of Joyce Patti
March 2nd, 2004

Arts and Entertainment: Thinking in Three Dimensions - the Art of Chick Schwartz
February 22nd, 2004

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A View Under the Ocean with Artist Alda Leffew

A View Under the Ocean with Artist Alda Leffew

Maureen Landress

There are artists who imbue their work with hidden meanings, who bare their souls on canvas with swirls of shadowed darkness that leave us feeling somehow diminished. Then there are also those rare few whose work is so filled with the joy of life, that our own lives are enriched by having viewed it. Alda Leffew's work is infused with that kind of warmth and wonder, the kind that brings a smile to your face each time you see it.


Reticent to talk about herself and her work, she lets her creations speak for her, and they speak volumes. If you have never had the pleasure of seeing Alda's work, then stop by the Cedar Key Market and ask if you can visit their restroom. No, you have not misread that last line. When Tina Hooper, the market's owner, wanted to spruce up the restroom, Alda offered to paint a mural on the walls. What she created is an incredible view from beneath the ocean that covers the entire room from floor to ceiling.

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Floor and walls cleverly combine in a delicate coral reef.

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The room's floor transformed into the ocean bottom.

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The ceiling becomes a bird filled sky.

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A friendly octopus waves hello.


Working in her spare time, it took several months to complete the project. Everyone who witnessed the room's transformation got caught up in the creative energy, so Alda hung a piece of paper on the wall and asked them to jot down their ideas. The result is an unbelievably intricate mural depicting the creatures that live above and below the sea. Everywhere you look there is something wondrous and delightful to behold, like the octopus whose arms drape down from the wall, the small crab crawling up from the floor, or the sharp-eyed gull swooping overhead. The scene is so cleverly rendered that one can barely tell where the floor ends and the walls begin. It is like standing under the ocean, eye-to-eye with the denizens of the deep. It is the essence of joy, life, and laughter.

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