June 14, 2010

Anyone who has seen the artwork of Leoma Lovegrove knows that her canvases are full of vibrant colors. But during a visit to The Bridge Youth Center in Fort Myers recently, something changed. As Leoma painted a fish on an oversize canvas, she suddenly asked Bridge Executive Director Melissa Terry if she had any black paint. Melissa hauled out a five gallon bucket. Leoma has never used black paint before and had shared that with the teens during her closing statement to them during the Downtown Art Walk. After praying with the youth about the oil spill and its effects on wildlife, she used the black paint to finish the art. “It was like dipping my hands into a bucket of OIL,” Leoma said. “I cried as I finished the art, because all I could envision were the images I had seen earlier that day on the news and in the newspapers of the oil drenched fish, dolphins, and birds.” It is obvious from the attached photo how passionate Leoma was during the painting. She considers it her best work to date. The painting, valued at $120,000, will remain on display at the The Bridge Youth Center located at 2336 Cleveland Avenue, Fort Myers, Florida and will be featured for sale on http://www.leomalovegrove.com. Proceeds will go to The Bridge to enable it to continue its mission of working with local youth.