The 5th annual CBCSRE BBQ gathered over 200 clients, friends, media, and local and state officials for the unveiling of this special, commissioned painting. The fifth painting in the commissioned series, Peace River Woodies, was presented and guests were treated to a peek at the in-progress 2010 commissioned painting. The 2009 painting, created by naturalist artist Thomas Brooks (www.thomasbrooks.com), joins four other Brooks' paintings in the collection. “As a 6th-generation Floridian, I appreciate the beauty of the land and have worked with Florida land for decades, either with conservation legislative work or in real estate. It is important to capture those images to share the natural beauty of our State with others.”Brooks’ work is recognized nationally and is selected, among other commissions, by the Florida National Wild Turkey Federation to create a five-year series of paintings for the sponsor Print of the Year from 2007–2011. Thomas was chosen to exhibit as the featured artist at the 2009 Southeastern Wildlife Exposition in Charleston, South Carolina, as well as to create the Florida Christmas ornament for the White House tree in 2009. The works of Thomas Brooks appear in many corporate, public, and private collections, and in many publications.
State and local officials attending were:
• Grady Judd, Polk County Sheriff
• Ed Smith, Polk County Commission
• Randy Wilkinson, Polk County Commission
• Sam Johnson, Polk County Commission, Representative
• James Clements, Bartow City Commission, Former Mayor of Bartow
• Jean Reed, Polk County Commission
• Sally Myers, School Board
• Kelli Stargel, Florida House of Representatives, represented by Rachel Barnes
