sylvia skrmetta - painter/bottle crafter

  I have been creating art in one form or another since I was a little girl. However, I never had the opportunity to explore my creative inner child seriously until I retired from Memorial Hospital at Gulfport where I worked as a Registered Nurse for twenty-five years. During those years, I raised three daughters with my husband of fifty-five years, Jimmy Skrmetta. 

            That’s not to say that I didn’t paint and sculpt during those years, because I did manage to show and sell my work at Serenity Gallery in Bay St. Louis, and Galleria Veronese on Royal St. in New Orleans. 

            I also authored my mother’s memoirs, “Giovanna: Angels in Hell,” and with my mother, we were invited to speak to schools and civic groups in three states.

            After I retired from the hospital, I became interested in painting and lighting wine bottles. To my surprise, they have been extremely popular for over ten years, and I have been fortunate to sell close to four thousand bottles.

            During the fall of 2022, I became interested in pastels and sold several of my first attempts. Things just began to tumble along in my “I don’t know what I want to be when I grow-up” mindset. Within ten months, I had produced more paintings in pastels, acrylics, and watercolors than I had in my entire life. My bottles are still selling, and I have designed, printed and sold Pickleball greeting cards and painted stones.

            I can’t say that I’m done learning new art forms, because every morning, while I drink my coffee, I watch art and craft tutorials at “YouTube University!”.