Pineapple Picasso was born from love, loss, and a mission to create a place where creativity brings people together. Today, we’re a vibrant art studio and creative home serving Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and all of Southwest Florida.

From Heartbreak to Healing Through Art

OUR STORY

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Our Story

A JOURNEY OF LOVE, LOSS & PURPOSE

Pineapple Picasso was born from grief, love, and the unbreakable bond I shared with my younger sister. In 2018, at just 47 years old, she lost her battle with Multiple Myeloma. Her passing changed me in ways I never could have prepared for. In the middle of that grief, I found my way to art. Not as a career. Not as a business. But as a way to breathe.

I began creating resin pieces, pouring my sadness, love, and memories into every color, every stroke, and every piece I made. Art became my therapy. It became the place where I could feel close to her again.

During that season of searching, I even met with a medium. I was skeptical, but I was also grieving and desperate to feel connected to my sister. I asked, “What does my sister think about my art?”

The medium paused, looked up, and said, “She said make it bigger.”

That was all I needed to hear.

I began entering craft shows. Then my pieces were accepted into local stores. I spent four years volunteering at Cape Coral re:Made, a nonprofit that supported local artists and entrepreneurs. It was there that I began learning what it would take to build and run a business. I also enrolled in a Goodwill Industries business course, where I quickly realized how much more I still needed to learn, especially about finances. But I kept going.

Then tragedy struck again.

Hurricane Ian, a Category 5 hurricane, destroyed Cape Coral re:Made, the very place where I and so many other artists had shared our work.

For 30 years, I worked as a public school teacher and teaching had always been my calling. I gave my heart to it. But I began to feel disconnected from the classroom in a way I could no longer ignore. At age 54, I realized it was time to follow a different path. One that honored my sister, honored my own healing, and created space for others to experience the comfort, joy, and connection that creativity had given me.

Pineapple Picasso could not remain just my dream. It needed to become a safe, creative home for our community.

On June 20, 2023, I opened the doors to Pineapple Picasso.

MORE THAN AN ART STUDIO

Pineapple Picasso is a place for healing, connection, celebration, and creativity. We welcome beginners, families, friends, and local artists to come create, laugh, and belong.