Featured Artists
OCTOBER 2026
DONNA COLE, Teacher
Artist's Statement
Donna Lee Cole, originally from upstate NY and has lived in Cape Coral for 40 years. She retired from the Lee County School district in 2019. She was a special education teacher for 36 years.
The arts/crafts she enjoys are scrapbooking, card making, mixed media, counted cross stitch, photograpy, Zentagle® and quilting.
Donna took her first Zentagle® class in 2013 and fell in love with it and has been doing it ever since. She became a Certified Zentagle® Teacher (CZT) in 2021. Many have never heard of Zentagle®. It is an easy, relaxing drawing concept that anyone can enjoy one stroke at a time. It is a wonderful, meditative art form suitable for both beginners and experienced artists. Zentagle® will help increase focus and relax the mind. This art form can easily be incorporated in card making, journals, scrapbooking, mixed media, or most other art projects.
I hope you enjoy her eclectic displays here and will sometime give Zentagle® a try.
JACK COLLINS, Teacher
Artist's Statement
Jack Collins graduated from Miami U, in Oxford, Ohio, in 1965 with a BFA. He taught in Newark, NJ Public Schools from 1965 to 1967 as an art teacher. After the riots, he moved into the art department of Prudential and then moved back to Ohio to be with family, where he spent most of the rest of his working life in Sales and Marketing for a number of companies, Xerox and Norton to name a few. Jack was successful there and helped buy a medical manufacturing plant, he retired from there in 2005.
After coming to Ft. Myers to live, he resumed his artistic life and has been teaching drawing at two venues in Ft. Meyers and Cape Coral since 2009.
Jack creates in Acrylic, pastel, charcoal and ink. Jack starts with pencil and teaches that as a basic medium to all students.
Phone # 330-618-3570 Email: mtvcollins1943@gmail.com
HUI CONTI, East Wall
Artist's Statement
Hui Conti often finds inspiration for her artwork in nature. She’s always loved being outdoors, from climbing mountains in South Korea as a child, to now running ultramarathons, hiking, and kayaking. Hui immigrated to Philadelphia, PA in the 1970s and began her career as a fashion designer and owned a boutique dress shop. She then transitioned into a successful government career that spanned 37 years with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security. Hui has a lifetime love for learning; she earned an MS from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from Eastern University. Hui moved to Cape Coral, FL in 2022 where she found her passion for painting, thanks to Mr. Dennis Morton’s guidance and inspiration. Although Hui may be retired, she’s constantly working to fulfill her passions for art, running, kayaking and spending time with her family and friends!
Gayle S. McGrath, West Wall
Artist's Statement
Gayle is a longtime resident of Southwest Florida, where she lives in Cape Coral with her husband of more than 50 years. Together, they have traveled for both work and pleasure, experiences that have greatly influenced her creative journey.
A graduate with a degree in commercial art, Gayle has applied her artistic skills in both their family business and her personal artistic pursuits. For over 40 years, she and her husband operated a concession business that brought them to fairs and festivals across the country. During the 1980s and ’90s, she also traveled throughout the Midwest, showcasing and selling her scrimshaw work—a historic art form she mastered with distinction. Her custom pieces were highly sought after by knife makers, earning her awards and recognition.
Gayle stepped back from art for several years. Now retired, she has embraced her passion once again, exploring new artistic mediums. Zentangle, watercolor, and stained glass are a few of the mediums she has explored. Her Zentangle pieces, which blend intricate black-and-white designs with imaginative subject matter, are a natural extension of her scrimshaw background. In addition, Gayle has discovered a love for stained glass. Rather than creating traditional grand windows, she gravitates toward whimsical, playful designs that bring smiles.