The Tribune

By Teri Monique Dornell's is a quaint island store located in Governor's Harbor, Eleuthera, a stone's throw away from Cupid's Cay, hailed as The Bahamas' first capital city. From the outside, Dornell's beckons passersby to stop in to have a look around. Once inside the store, a rush of colour comes at you. From the ceiling to the floor, the most interesting souvenirs are displayed on canvas and on reclaimed wood found on Eleuthera's beaches. Almost immediately you feel as though you have been embraced and welcomed into the store with the type of hospitality and love experienced in the islands. The store's artist, Dorothy Neely-Rahming, was not in at the time of my visit, but her warmth and energetic personality spilled from the artwork that lined her shop. Art isn't new to Mrs Neely-Rahming, a retired teacher; she has been dabbling in it for some 25 years. So when the opportunity presented itself to participate in a texture painting class, Mrs Neely-Rahming didn't have to think twice about it, she was immediately on board. For the first half hour of the class it appeared that Mrs Neely-Rahming struggled to get her head around the concepts shared. It was just too easy. As an artist she was used to employing more challenging techniques. After setting her preconceptions aside, however, Mrs Neely-Rahming began creating the most amazing textured designs ever. She got it--not just the technique, but the vision for integrating the new skill into her personal style. Now, Mrs Neely-Rahming's fish, landscapes, houses and flowers will have texture and depth. To walk past her work station and see her work in progress makes you want to reach out and touch her signature hibiscus, which incidentally looks like a large piece of candy just waiting to be bitten into. Because she is a woman of detail and believes in following instructions to a 'T', Mrs Neely-Rahming's beautiful tropical fish now "pop". Asked how the texture painting as impacted her way of creating art, Mrs Neely-Rahming's face lit up. She said she is absolutely delighted with her new skills and cannot wait to experiment on various surfaces. She has always wanted to make her art more dimensional and now she is equipped with the skills to do it. About the Author: Teri M Bethel is a surface designer who specialises in teaching texture painting on fabrics and custom purses. Teri has been involved in manufacturing painted garments, handbags and souvenirs for over two decades. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags, a line of custom art purses for ladies. E-mail: Teri@PaintWithTexture.com or visit her at www.PaintWithTexture.com Tel: 242-676-4474