
An Art Evolution at Easterseals
The Art Initiative Program here at Easterseals Happiness House is a bustling hub of creative activity. New ideas blossom every day with the help, support, and guidance of our talented art instructors, Viktoria Bridgeford and Kathleen Judge. This artistic program took off in 2015 when the adult participants in our Adult Life Skills Development Program were given the opportunity to develop art skills through a series of regularly scheduled classes and optional choice activities. Classes cater to each individual artist’s skill level and interest. Through several years of training and developing their skills with all types of artistic mediums, our artists have stepped into their artistic stride with pride. They’ve enjoyed learning to paint, work with clay, create recycled crafts and so much more!
As the skills, techniques, and confidence of our artists have grown, each artist began to develop their own unique artistic style and preferences. The process of growth has been amazing to witness! Now our artists are enjoying creating artistic treasures that can be sold online, in occasional art gallery exhibits, and at local craft fairs. Each sale helps the individual artist generate much-needed income while also helping to keep our Art Initiative Program sustainable for the future. Keep an eye out for our upcoming craft booth at the Coquina Beach Market starting in April! We will be selling our artwork once a month at this local market. Our first appearance at the Coquina Beach Market will be on Wednesday, April 28th, 2021. Visit our booth for an opportunity to also shop our decorative painted boards and printed T-Shirts from our Board & Abilities and Abili-Tees employment programs. Shop our unique selection or consider commissioning a custom board or T-Shirt.
Our First Essential Oil-Inspired Notecard Set
This year Easterseals Happiness House has partnered with doTERRA essential oils to offer you natural solutions that benefit your life. Every time you purchase products using the Easterseals’ doTERRA link, your purchase helps support our organization. In short, you benefit from a winning partnership that supports the many incredible Easterseals Southwest Florida programs in our local community!
Our adult artists have created a beautiful set of notecards that coordinate with doTERRA’s Introductory Kit. This basic essential oil set includes a bottle of lavender, a bottle of lemon, and a bottle of peppermint essential oil, so our artists painted an elegant watercolor image of a lavender sprig, a peppermint sprig, and a lemon branch. Each card measures 5” x 7” and the set comes with 3 cards and envelopes.
Remember, your purchase of these notecards helps generate much-needed income for these artists so please help us share these on social media. When you send these cards to someone special, they can flip the cards around to learn about the artists who painted the images and about the doTERRA partnership. Contact us to order a notecard set for yourself, with or without essential oils!

About the Artists
Meet Jason
Jason has been coming to Easterseals for many years and has really grown as an artist. He is especially fond of painting sunsets, fish, and ocean scenes and he enjoys painting commissioned pet portraits. Jason likes painting things related to the ocean because they remind him of the beach which is one of his favorite places. In his free time, Jason likes to do woodworking projects with his dad because it helps him feel calm and relaxed. He also enjoys carving and looking at Civil War books. Each morning before he paints, Jason likes to work on crossword puzzles. He’s pretty good at solving the puzzles too!
Jason loves to eat seafood, especially trout, salmon, and lobster. When he’s not creating masterpieces in our art studio, he likes to settle in and watch classic western movies starring John Wayne or old episodes of MacGyver. One of Jason’s favorite places to visit is Disney World but he also enjoys visiting the planetarium and Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium. It’s important to Jason to stay fit so he enjoys working out and walking in the Easterseals organic garden where he spends time smelling the different herbs.
During the pandemic, Jason feels that his artwork has given him an outlet to express himself. Jason is a kind and gentle man who is always happy to lend a hand when anyone is in need. He’d like to tell anyone interested in purchasing the notecard set that he really likes what he’s doing, and he hopes they like the cards.

Meet Wanda
As an artist and a person, Wanda is a ray of sunshine. Her positive outlook on life is infectious! Wanda loves to do anything creative whether it be painting, working with clay, or making holiday craft projects. She finds painting relaxing because it gives her something she can focus and concentrate on. Wanda most loves to paint flowers. She admits that flowers are her favorite painting subject because they smell so nice. Her favorite type of flower to paint is roses.
When Wanda isn’t attending Easterseals, she likes to take walks and visit with friends. Socializing with others and visiting new places fills Wanda with joy. She also likes to watch Wheel of Fortune on TV and work crossword puzzles in her free time. Wanda’s favorite thing to eat is spaghetti and meatballs. She looks forward to visiting the State of Indiana where some of her family resides. She enjoys visiting her family in Indiana when she’s able.
Wanda doesn’t feel like the pandemic has caused too much of a disturbance in her life. She prides herself on being someone who likes to go with the flow and doesn’t let circumstances bother her or cause her to be in a negative mindset. Wanda’s message to anyone purchasing these cards is, “I hope you really like my card and that you enjoy it!”

Meet Ana
Ana is a very active artist and entrepreneur who has been attending Easterseals since 1994. Ana is constantly creating, and she loves to share her artwork and advocate for herself. Ana is proud of herself as an artist. She believes she has a heart for helping people and for building friendships. She is most excited about making people feel happy and it shows in all she does. Ana most loves to paint angels because of their great beauty.
When Ana isn’t painting or selling her artwork, she enjoys drawing pictures and singing country music. She is proud to announce that she knows the words to lots of country music songs! Ana loves eating salad and staying healthy. She enjoys watching reruns of the show Friends and episodes of I Love Lucy on TV. Ana likes to visit her family in Tampa when she has time as well as family living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. For fun, Ana loves to clean! Yes, you heard that right – she’s a cleaning machine.
Ana wants to share her feelings of love with whomever purchases these beautiful cards. She feels grateful for her artwork because it gives her something fun to do. She looks forward to creating artwork that helps the world feel happy for years to come.

Purchasing Your Set of Notecards
Now that you know more about the talented artists behind these inspired watercolor cards, we hope you’ll consider purchasing a set of your own.
Think of the joy you can share by sending one of these beautiful cards to someone special in the mail.
Think of how great it would feel to know your purchase is helping support three amazing individuals and the Easterseals Art Initiative Program.
These are special cards, indeed! Each set costs only $10 and includes 3 large cards with envelopes. Card sets are available for purchase at our main campus, located at 350 Braden Avenue in Sarasota. They will also be available for purchase on the last Wednesday of the month at the Easterseals craft booth at the Coquina Beach Market starting on April 28, 2021. The doTERRA Introductory Kit will be available for purchase along with the cards for an additional $26.00. Anyone purchasing the cards in combination with the kit will receive a surprise gift from our artists. Contact us to place your order or to learn more.
