Hannibal Square wasn’t always a trendy hangout. But the ambiance began to change in the ’90s as redevelopment took hold. Today the commercial district is jumping with offices, boutiques and such popular restaurants as Pepe’s Cantina on West New England Avenue.
“I’m drawn to outdoor café scenes,” says Heather Nagy, this issue’s cover artist, who was drawn to the vibe at Pepe’s. “I love the idea of spending time with friends and family with good food and fun scenery. I love how lights at night change a scene—bringing a new view, enhancing colors and giving it an intimate and mysterious air.”
Nagy, who was born in Michigan, earned a BFA from Western Michigan University and eventually wound up in Central Florida, where she worked as a graphic designer before devoting herself to a career in fine art beginning in 2018. Since then, she has participated in numerous festivals and solo gallery shows around the country. (The cover image, Winter Park Nightlife, was displayed in the 2024 Winter Park Autumn Art Festival.)
She enjoys using acrylics, her current medium of choice, to create impressionistic landscapes and urban scenes. Adds Nagy: “I’ve painted a variety of Winter Park scenes over the years. I’m always looking for new spots that locals will recognize and appreciate.”
Nagy—who in her spare time enjoys hiking, playing board games, exploring the region and visiting national parks with her husband, Mike, and their two children—says that she views the world as “a place of inexhaustible complexity, variety, detail and beauty that extends infinitely beyond function.” To see more of Nagy’s work, visit heathernagyart.com.