of the Month for November 2023 Divina Bungard smiles with her painting “Earnest.” Not only is it the name of the painting,
but it’s the name of the turtle in the painting, too.
PHOTO COURTESY WEST VOLUSIA ARTISTS
BY SANDY BERTRAM
The West Volusia Artists are focusing on one of our new members, Divina Bungard, for the month of November. Her piece Earnest is a beautiful oil painting of a turtle on canvas.
Bungard reflected on why she chose to paint and name the turtle Earnest: “It reminded me of the struggles in his life. From birth, to abandonment and life in the ocean with predators, I admired his grace and beauty to survive.”
This artwork will be on display at the Wayne G. Sanborn Activity Center in DeLand during November.
Born in New York City, Bungard lived in Spain and Argentina before settling in Miami to marry her high-school sweetheart and raise a family. The family moved about in Florida before settling in DeLand.
After retiring from Stetson University, she began painting seriously when her mother passed away and her children were out on their own. She has been painting now for eight years. Her first serious project was a series she called Postcards of Life, based on her travels to Tuscany, Greece, Spain, Costa Rica and Cancun, and memories of having lived in Miami.
Bungard’s children encouraged her to take classes. She has studied at the Crealdé School of Art in Winter Park, the Maitland Art Center and the Artist Workshop Studios at the Marine Discovery Center in New Smyrna Beach.
When not creating art, she and her husband are plotting trips for their new RV. They plan to visit all the national parks and collect the stamps in their “America the Beautiful” Passport.
Bungard was introduced to the West Volusia Artists by a friend at the Art Guild of the Museum of Art – DeLand.
“I am so grateful to have found a great group of like-minded artists with a wealth of ideas on how to improve artistic skills with monthly challenges and promote our works of art at our local community shows,” she said.
The West Volusia Artists meet 9 a.m.-noon on the first and third Friday of the month, at the Sanborn Center, 815 S. Alabama Ave. in DeLand. Group activities include plein-air events, museum trips, art demos and monthly challenges. The next plein-air event is Friday, Dec. 8, at the Historic Volusia County Courthouse in Downtown DeLand. Come and check us out.
For more information, call President Melinda Ellis Cummings at 386- 846-3330.
