Pictured: Blowing in the Wind, diptych by Marleen De Waele-De Bock. Photo by Phil Lederer.

With the holiday season well underway, the galleries of Palm Avenue are putting up a strong argument for local art as the go-to gift that can’t be found on Amazon. From large-scale abstractions and expressionist florals to strange stone sculptures and even a solo exhibition of new work from assemblage artist Melanie Carlstein, it’s a walkable portrait of the weird and wonderful that is the Sarasota art scene.

At Burns Gallery on Palm, the “Whispers of Nature” exhibition features the work of artists Gary Borse, Kathe Fraga, Marleen De Waele-De Bock, and Laura Varich. From Varich’s blooms, all broad strokes and near abstraction, to detailed arboreal diptychs from De Waele-De Bock, mixed-media frescoes from Fraga and slightly psychedelic landscapes from Borse, each pays tribute to the natural world in their own way.

In MARA Art Studio + Gallery, new sculptures from Puerto Rican artist Julio Rivera are on display, as well as a series of still life paintings from Elise Gold Sewall, demonstrating the artist’s mastery of light, glass and reflection. For fans of the abstract, find large-scale works from Mara Torres González, neutral and understated, and for fans of the mysterious, ponder the curious curves of stone sculpture by Bruce Robertson.

A couple doors down at Define Art Gallery and Studio, the walls are as electric and eclectic as ever, highlighting the wide diversity of its member artists. Stand in the center and spin in a circle to find everything from pop art and photography to Janet Mishner’s sheep series and a painting by Evelyn McCorristin Peters that looks equal parts punk rock and playground. And step into the corner gallery to enter the mad mind of Melanie Carlstein with Inspiration Found, a solo exhibition dedicated to the artist’s sculptures and found art creations.

“Melanie Carlstein’s assemblage sculptures beautifully blend her South African roots with the art of repurposing,” says Deena King, owner and curator of Define Art Gallery, “creating powerful narrative that celebrate uniqueness, identity, and the unexpected.”

And it wouldn’t be an artwalk down Palm Avenue without stopping in at Palm Avenue Fine Art, where the gallery is celebrating the season with a special show of small works that make one-of-a-kind gifts.

Pictured: Blowing in the Wind, diptych by Marleen De Waele-De Bock. Photo by Phil Lederer.

To read more from SRQ about assemblage artist Melanie Carlstein, click here.