“Flora” Art Exhibit

PHOTOS BY JORDAN KADY

Chloe Harris, a local artist born and raised in Panama City, is currently a sophomore at Gulf Coast State College. When not in class earning her graphic design degree or working at the new Panama City Centre for the Arts, she turns her artistic eye towards illustration-based practice. The series includes imagined and improvised flowers as well as studies from life drawn in Oaks by the Bay Park.

“Flora,” Chloe’s first solo exhibition, is a tribute to intricate detail. The exhibit consists of a series of intricate floral pen and ink drawings arranged in antique frames that were culled from shops in the Historic St. Andrews and downtown areas.

“The series started when I made a Christmas present for my mom. She’s my inspiration for anything and everything,” says Chloe. The idea to expand the project into a series came on a recent road trip to Canada where Chloe was able to view this nation’s biodiversity as she hiked trails along the eastern United States.

Also on exhibit are collaborative pieces following the surrealist tradition of the “Exquisite Corpse,” a drawing game in which multiple artists complete the same picture, each not knowing what the previous artist contributed.

Starting on November 7, the works will be exhibited on the wire wall at Amavida Coffee and Tea with an opening to be held that night. Chloe herself is a regular at the shop and many of the flowers that populate the series were sketched over coffee, conversation, and her favorite cinnamon rolls. She can often be found sitting in the shop’s bay window sketching away. The series has even served as inspiration for other locals. Tanner Barnes, a friend of Chloe’s and patron of the shop, wrote the poem “Four Flowers” based on “Flora” and will be exhibiting it with Chloe’s drawings.

Location: Amavida Coffee and Tea, Historic St. Andrews, 2997 W 10th St, Panama City

See the work and read the full poem at the opening of “Flora” Saturday, November 7th, 6pm – 8pm. The work will be on display through November 30th.

More of Chloe’s work can be seen on Facebook and Instragram by searching @chlomich.

Find out more about the venue by visiting Amavida Coffee and Tea on Facebook or by searching @amavidacoffee on Instagram and Twitter.