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Joanna Coke will debut her new artwork in a show titled Color and Texture: Sunflowers and Abstracts, opening Feb. 6 with a recep- tion from 5 to 7 p.m. at The Women's Resource Center of Sarasota, located at 340 S. Tuttle Ave. in Sarasota. The show will feature "sunflowers infused with vibrant color" as well as highly textured mixed-media works, a news release says. The public is welcome to attend the recep- tion; refreshments will be served. The show will run through March 26. It will be open most weekdays from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 366-1700. Coke "combines brilliant color and strong tex- tures, rendered with layers of mixed media, to create depth and intensity in her work," the release explains. "In her sunflower paint- ings, she approaches each flower as a unique portrait. Starting with thin watercolor washes that produce soft transparent backgrounds, she then applies thick acrylic paints and deli- cate flowers in gold acrylic inks," it continues. "The effect is complex, vibrant and intense." In her abstracts, Coke's approach "is to cre- ate a feeling of deep inner space," the release says. She starts by using highly textured sur- faces and then adds acrylics and substances such as pumice, granular beads and crackle. "The result is the creation of a dream-state atmosphere with touches of realism," the release notes. Coke received an Associate of Arts degree from Harvard University, a Bachelor of Arts in fine art and art education from the University of South Florida at Tampa and a Master of Fine Arts from Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge, the release adds. She studied art and painting in Paris, Venice, Rome and Florence and, in 2009, was invited to partici- pate in a joint Russian-American program that emphasized art and educational exchanges in Russia, where she exhibited and taught art. In 2012, she coordinated and taught art work- shops in Santa Fe, NM, and St. Augustine, the release says. To view her portfolio, visit www.joannacoke. com. COKE TO DEBUT WORK IN WOMEN'S RESOURCE CENTER SHOW Free Style Sister is a mixed-media work by Joanna Coke. Contributed image Sarasota News Leader January 31, 2014 Page 108