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lovely daughter, Grace. Five years ago, Bix retired from banking and began to pursue his passion as a full-time artist. He started by painting portraits of the children of many influential CEO’s with whom he had connected during his banking years. As a credit to his talent, the demand for his work increased. His wife Gretchen— also self-employed—believed that they could live anywhere. She suggested the west coast of Florida. Of choosing Sarasota, Bix has this to say, “We came down for one weekend to find a place. After looking at many places without success we decided to settle on a rental. We were about to leave Sarasota when we stopped by Big Olaf’s Ice Cream shop on St Armands and met a man named Paul Temmer, who changed our lives. In the true spirit of Sarasota and its friendly inhabitants, he told us about The Landings, and even provided us with a real estate contact! One look at the tree houses and we
Upon opening it, her husband chuckled to himself and declared: “We can hang it next to the original upstairs!” From that point on, my Grandmother became my major patron. All through my youth I continued to win praises from the Mainline art community.” Bix Mannion was to go on to the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, as his father before him had done. He then attended Middlebury College in Vermont. Throughout his school years, his focus was on art. Leery of the financial instability inherent in becoming an artist, Bix followed the example of his family and entered the more prudent field of finance. He stayed in that field for 25 years as a mortgage banker at Bryn Mawr Trust. While there, he met his wife, Gretchen, whose profession is in the field of Interior Design. Her signature interiors mix contemporary with both rustic and vintage accessories. (www. gretchenmannioninteriors.com) Together the couple shares a
knew we were home. And to boot, Paul is now one of our dearest friends!” The Mannions packed up their belongings, said goodbye to Bill and Sam— two grown sons well rooted in Philadelphia—and headed for Sarasota with no intention of ever moving back. They moved into their tree house and enrolled their daughter, Grace, at Out of Door Academy, and watched her flourish taking violin and Chinese on her own. Today Bix revels in his new life. He does most of his painting in his tree house, and both he and Gretchen find the setting inspirational. “I teach at the Sarasota Art Center, and I love it. As a mortgage banker, I was assigned to teach the ropes to low-income first-time buyers on the subject of buying a house. I loved simplifying what most people think of as a complex subject. I feel the same way about art. If you look at a lot of paintings, you see that many artists are
intimidated by faces and just leave them out. As I did with mortgages, I simplify the process and teach it in a systematic way. My students are often amazed by how well they do.” On October 24, Bix Mannion
will be part of a live exhibition, Artists at Work, at Art Center Sarasota. The talented Peppi Elona will be partnering with him. Plan is that Bix is going to paint, while Peppi will incorporate fabric and other found objects into their creation. The pair will be one of ten teams of local artists who will create original works of art right before the onlooker’s eyes. The theme of the soiree is An Evening in Paris. In November, at the Grand Opening of the new Saks at University Town Center, Bix will team up with acclaimed fashion illustrator Bill Donovan. Both men will be composing quick works of art using the Saks runway models as their subjects. Bill Donovan is a phenomenal artist who uses primarily black ink. Bix is more into color. The 20-minute portraits promise to be fascinating! To see more of Bix Mannion’s work, go to www.bixmannion. com.
Meaningful Days. Inspiring Care. A Validus Memory Care Community
here for you
to support you on your journey. Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s or dementia? At InspiredLivingSMat Sarasota, we are committed to offering the education, information and guidance families need as their loved ones travel on their journey. Please join us for this educational lunch and learn with Kevin Pillion, a VA accredited Elder Law Attorney and CPA, and James E. Stivers, CW5, US Army Ret., who most recently served as a Veterans Service Officer with the Sarasota County Veterans Service Unit. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn about important VA benefits available to you!
✪ 7 Things to Know About VA Benefits ✪
Thursday, October 16
•
11:00 am
Seating is limited! RSVP by October 14th InspiredLivingSMat Hidden Lakes InspiredLivingHiddenLakes.com | 941-254-7990
InspiredLivingSarasota.com
InspiredLiving at Ivy Ridge InspiredLivingIvyRidge.com | 727-490-3233
1900 Phillippi Shores Dr. | Sarasota, FL 34231
1200 54th Ave. West | Bradenton, FL 34207 ALF #12337 SM
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Accredited Attorney Elder Law Attorney Certified Public Accountant
A light lunch will be served.
InspiredLiving at Sarasota SM
Kevin Pillion, Esq.
7179 40th Ave. North | St. Petersburg, FL 33709 ALF #12224
James E. Stivers Veterans Benefit Specialist CW5, US Army Ret.
941-357-2189
Florida InspiredLivingSM communities coming soon: InspiredLivingSMat InspiredLivingSMat InspiredLivingSMat InspiredLivingSMat
Sun City Center Palm Bay Tampa Lakewood Ranch
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