{"id":323039,"date":"2026-06-29T06:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/323039\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T06:16:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T06:16:20","slug":"lovegrove-everlasting-florida-weekly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/323039\/","title":{"rendered":"Lovegrove everlasting – Florida Weekly"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Leoma Lovegrove has left a legacy in South Florida through her creative artworks and impact on the community. -LEOMA LOVEGROVE STUDIOS \/ COURTESY PHOTO<\/p>\n

Stepping foot into the studios of Leoma Lovegrove, your eyes have a hard time picking a spot to land on.\n<\/p>\n

Common items \u2014 from brightly colored instruments painted and strung up on the walls, to pieces of roof tiles, wooden boards and various other objects \u2014 have been turned into masterpieces.\n<\/p>\n

Even now, more than a year after her passing, Lovegrove continues to leave a legacy.\n<\/p>\n

The artist had two studios, one in Matlacha and one in downtown Fort Myers, where her artwork continues to be displayed \u2014 and is still being sold.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was an extremely large name,\u201d Lovegrove Studios Vice President Sarah Cushman said. \u201cI mean, we still have people coming in all the time that don\u2019t even know that she passed away, and \u2026 people come in here, and they automatically know who this is just by looking at it (the artwork).\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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The gallery interior embodies Leoma\u2019s whimsical reflection with color filling every space as high as the eye can see. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

Cushman believes that Lovegrove\u2019s artwork is an extension of the bold creativity and unforgettable personality she met 10 years ago.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI had just moved back down here from Florida, and I was driving a school bus and had no art background whatsoever, and somebody told me, you know, there was this lady out on the island looking for some part-time help, and I answered an ad on Facebook, and I met her,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cI thought she was the weirdest person I had ever met, and she just kind of took me under her wing, and we just clicked.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Lovegrove became more than just a boss to Cushman; she was a friend and inspired her to live in the moment.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were like best friends, we were like two little peas in a pod, and someday she would come in, and she\u2019d be like, \u2018Sarah, we\u2019re going fishing, you\u2019re not working,\u2019 and we would end up out on a boat in the middle of Pine Island Sound fishing instead of working,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cFor eight-and-a-half years, we were just together almost every day.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Lovegrove\u2019s affinity for art began at a young age, inspired by her mother, a painter. Even as she battled stage-four breast cancer at 72, she continued to bring positivity and dedication to the studio.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cShe absolutely loved what she did, and she did it every day. She painted every day, and you would hardly ever even know she was sick,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cShe just had a passion, and she had an eye for what she did. I mean, she could make something out of nothing.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Beyond the brush<\/p>\n

Visitors to her gallery witnessed firsthand Lovegrove\u2019s connection to the community and her talent for turning an ordinary object into artwork.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cShe was just so spontaneous. You would come in here, and if she were here, she would come up to you and say, \u2018Hey, can I paint on your ball cap?\u2019 or just things like that. She was very generous with her talent and herself,\u201d gallery associate Diane Lake said. \u201cPeople just warmed up to her because her art is much like her personality: colorful, flamboyant and outgoing.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the same time, people feel when they come in here the kind of joy and cheeriness and those other types of emotional things that her art brings.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

While Lake didn\u2019t have the chance to know Lovegrove for more than a few months, she said she learned a lot from her time with the artist and the light she brought to the Southwest Florida community.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t know Leoma, unfortunately, that long, while I knew of her, I never had the good fortune to be out at Matlacha. It was always someplace I really wanted to go, take people and experience,\u201d Lake said. \u201cWhen I saw that they were going to open a downtown location. I kept watching for it and watching for it, and then, sitting across the street, saw the notice about it coming soon.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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Gallery Associate Diane Lake and Vice President of Leoma Lovegrove Studio Sarah Cushman. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

Lake jumped at the opportunity to work with Lovegrove. After convincing Cushman to bring her on, she came to understand the artist\u2019s characteristics and the impact she had within the community.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sorry I didn\u2019t have a longer time to really know her personally, but I was also moved by her philanthropy, her goodwill,\u201d Lake said. \u201cNot only does she paint, but she also did other events, other things for people and organizations. She was willing to be someone who shared her talent, and not always expecting necessarily to be paid for something, but she would contribute her time.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

After her passing, the team at Lovegrove Studios continues to witness the community come into both locations to admire the artwork and gain inspiration to create their own.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that artists are attracted to looking at other art,\u201d Lake said, \u201cand so it\u2019s appealing to them to come in and see what this person has done or is doing that you might motivate them.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tLovegrove paints a number of different subject matters from Florida landscapes and animals to faith-based figures and pop-culture icons. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tViews of assorted works from inside Leoma Lovegrove Studio in Downtown Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY
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Art that lives on<\/p>\n

Lovegrove Studios continues to expand, showcasing the artist\u2019s works, and has plans to spread the collection to wider audiences beyond its two studio locations.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hoping to expand the product as far as clothing and stuff like that, outside of just canvas and stuff like that. We\u2019re already up to two studios,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been in a lot of airports, and we were talking the other day, it would be neat to have Leoma Lovegrove stores in an airport.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Cushman and Lake have dedicated their time to informing the community about Lovegrove and her artwork, and want to highlight the various pieces she created.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just got done with an exhibit in Venice of her Beatles artwork, and we had an exhibit set up in the front here for about four months of all her French stuff with her Monet and Van Gogh pieces,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to keep doing stuff like that in the future, because we have a ton of original stuff to bring out and show people things that they\u2019ve never seen, more than just the Florida vibrant stuff. She did a lot of French pieces, landscapes and other subjects. So, we\u2019re going to keep bringing it out and putting it on display.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tLeoma Lovegrove specializes in creating impressionist-expressionist works, featuring vivid colorful brushstrokes and whimsical subjects that burst with energy. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tViews of assorted landscape and animal-based works alongside a vivid custom painted trailer -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY
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Cushman and her team have also been participating in art walks in both Matlacha and downtown Fort Myers to spotlight the late artist\u2019s work. The team has plans to rebuild after the damage the Matlacha studio suffered from hurricanes.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cJennifer Bennett in Matlacha was heading up the art walk out there, and she was asking us to come out for art walks, so we started packing up every second Friday of the month and going out there,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cPeople were just coming out there in droves, and we couldn\u2019t believe the hard work packing up and going out there, and then packing up and bringing it back. So, we started opening four days a week out there, and now we\u2019re open six days a week, and we\u2019re about to refurbish the gardens, fix the dock and everything and get that open by next season.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tArtistic gifts for purchase such as these mini canvases can be seen throughout the Lovegrove studio. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\tA closeup of a smallscale piece showcasing Lovegrove\u2019s colorful style. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY
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As the studios continue to develop, Cushman wants to remind the community to visit Lovegrove Studios and take time to soak up the creativity and personality expressed within the gallery.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI come in here just to put myself at ease because I don\u2019t feel as calm anywhere else as I do being in here around her art,\u201d Cushman said. \u201cThat\u2019s kind of, like, my replacement for missing her and not being able to be around her anymore.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cJust come by and see it. I mean, if you\u2019re in a bad mood and you need something to pick you up, just come in and spend some time in here. You don\u2019t even have to spend a dime; you just come in, look around, and you can feel her energy just by being in here.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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An exterior view of the windows looking into the Leoma Lovegrove Studio in downtown Fort Myers. -DAVID WISHTISCHIN \/ FLORIDA WEEKLY<\/p>\n

In The KNOW:\n<\/p>\n

Lovegrove Studios Inc.\n<\/p>\n

Website: leomalovegrove.store<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Email: sales@leomalovegrove.com<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Locations:\n<\/p>\n

Lovegrove Gallery Downtown<\/p>\n

1415 Dean St., Unit 102, Fort Myers
\n239-938-5655
\nOpen 11 a.m.-6 p.m. seven days a week<\/p>\n

Lovegrove \u2013 Matlacha<\/p>\n

4637 Pine Island Road N.W., Matlacha
\n239-579-0235
\nOpen 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Leoma Lovegrove has left a legacy in South Florida through her creative artworks and impact on the community.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":323040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-323039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=323039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/323039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=323039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=323039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=323039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}