By Giselle Mazur, October 2008
Photo By Zachary Bennett
Karrie A. Lyons-Munkittrick stared at the blank paper in front of her but nothing came. The Largo High School senior’s communication-design assignment was to create a new letter and the sound it made. With her teacher quickly approaching, Lyons-Munkittrick, drew a swirl with a dot at the end.
“And what sound does this make?” her teacher asked. Thinking on her feet, she arbitrarily blurted out “weedot.” Thus WeeDot art, her original form of abstract expression, was born.
Now married with two children, Lyons-Munkittrick has made a name for herself in Gainesville and the surrounding areas. She is a painter, runs her own graphic design company, is the vice president of the Micanopy Community Council for the Arts and was a founding member of the Gallery Under the Oaks in Micanopy, a community art gallery where MCCA members—including Lyons-Munkittrick—can display and sell their work.
She uses a variety of mediums including acrylic paints, ink, colored pencils and has recently been painting on glass, applying intricate designs to champagne flutes and vases.
In the future, she plans to open her own art studio and cooperative gallery, The WeeDot Shop, that will allow members to create and display art.
“I envision it as some place where I and others can enjoy creating art,” she said. “There’s no set date to open it, but in my mind it’s already open. I can see the artists’ works and the open atmosphere already. One day it will become a reality.”