The Mango Vol 1 Issue 6

path to being a wildlife artist, but a very different wildlife artist.” In 1992, thanks to her creative penchant for wildlife and tropical art, she got a job at Harlequin Nature Graphics to paint wildlife designs for screen printing on apparel. She packed up her jeep and drove from Connecticut to Ft. Meyers, Fla., with her contemptuous, foul-mouthed parrot, Franko. It was a pivotal moment. By happenstance, the founder of Harlequin, Michael LaTona, had recently befriended Jimmy Buffett while the two occupied the same bird blind on Sanibel Island. They went on to join forces professionally and spearheaded the company that would eventually evolve into Margaritaville Merchandising. They liked Blauers because of her aforementioned gift at macaw illustrations; however, it was actually her wood carving of macaws that cinched the job offer. The efforts she made in college to distinguish herself were paying off. “I was at the helm of creating art for the stores and the venues. I designed everything from tee shirts to glassware, jackets for Jimmy’s pilots , tavern signs, sculptures, ceramics. Whatever they were looking for.” Chances are, if you’ve ever visited a Margaritaville restaurant or attended a Jimmy Buffett concert, you have enjoyed Blauer’s work. When the pandemic hit, after years of creating for someone else’s bottom line, Blauers decided to take a chance and go 100% freelance. “I wanted to start painting and sculpting as a fine artist again,” Blauers explains. Her work is animated, playful, multi- dimensional and vastly diverse.

The Mango

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N o v / D e c

2021