In The Media

Published: Tuesday, February 12, 2013 at 16:39 PM.

You want your art work small? Check. You want your art work large? Check. You want it to cover the side of a three story building?  Check. You want a portrait of you and the dog done in pastels?  Sure.  You want a painting of your favorite wine bottle and glass done in wax?  Can do! How about acrylic or oil?  Not a problem.

This amazing lady has long golden brown hair, usually pulled up and clipped in the back, charming smile and lovely blue eyes that glint with just a touch of habanera.  Cecilia Haught is a talented Destin artist, art teacher and muralist married to Bruce Haught with their son, Will.

Now living in Destin but growing up in Valparaiso in an artistic family, she fondly remembers dabbling into paint as far back as she can remember.

I went to Florida State and graduated with a degree in finance and management.  At FSU I had the only two formal painting classes of my life; Art Class One and Art Class Two. Other than that small taste of professional training, my art talent is a mixture of a natural gift and being mostly self taught, Cecilia states.

One of her earlier murals was done along the side of a pool within a condo complex in Panama City. Close to the pool side was this huge, four-story tall building that made you feel so closed in. She was chosen to render her trompe l’oeil mural of tall palms on each side, painting an opening in the middle that made you feel like you could see forever into the distance. I wondered if any groggy visitor ever turned down into the avenue and splat!  Just wondering, that’s all.

One of the first murals that I saw in Destin was in the home of Tom and Linda Lee.  Entering their front door, you look across their great room, through a wall of glass and outside across the pool, your eyes float immediately to the unbelievable mural of a peaceful garden with stepping stones, blue jays coming in for a landing at the birdbath and their shaggy Old English Sheep dog, Sr. Bentley, sitting quietly in the garden.  Half of what you see is real, the other half is mural. Can you tell the difference?

In Cecili’s Sole Series she paints bare feet soles which capture the happiness of the moment or a location which one will never forget.  This may sound a bit unusual to you, but it’s incredibly unique and each painting is a one of a kind. The details, the mastery of light and shadow will impress.  The personal touch comes from your feet along with your child or both of your children’s feet on the beach, at the pool, on a float, in the sunset or on your boat.  You must see it to believe it.

I asked Cecilia what usual mural she had done and after pondering the years of many painting she stated painting a wedding party which covered one entire wall of a room.

You can find Cecilia’s fine artwork displayed at Red Bird Gallery in Seaside or contact her by email at Cecilia@hotmurals.com.

Laura Hall is a longtime gardener and Destin resident. She explores area gardens and other local topics with her cavalier spaniel Annie. If you would like to show off your garden or be profiled in a future column, contact Laura at 837-8720.

The painted half, on the right, used to be the unsightly, plain wall of their garage.

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