Vera Scheibner, Rainbow Over Salt Creek, St. Augustine. Oil on canvas, 11 by 18 inches.
Originally from New Hope, Pennsylvania and Lambertville, New Jersey, Vera Scheibner moved to St. Augustine in 1921. In 1928, representing St. Augustine’s Galleon Art Club, Scheibner was a delegate to the 1st Annual Convention and Exhibition of the Florida Federation of Art in Gainesville. The Gainesville Sun noted, “The artist from the Ancient City has an interesting studio at No. 20 Aviles Street in one of the original buildings for which St. Augustine is noted.”
The St. Augustine Sunday Record, April 30, 1933, “Many Drawn to Docks for Showing by Local Artist. The annual colorful marine exhibition held on Thursday on the first dock to the left, just across the West King Street bridge, showing the paintings of Vera Scheibner, local artist who specializes in shrimp boat scenes, attracted a great deal of attention at 10 o’clock and it was not closed until 5, despite the rain which developed during the afternoon, so popular did it prove with local residents and visitors in the city.”
Scheibner had on exhibit thirty-seven paintings, including Washday, a scene of a fisherman beside a shrimp boat washing his clothes. “At three o’clock three negro musicians with violin and two guitars sang and played for over an hour. Old familiar tunes and popular favorites were included in the musicians’ repertoire and this feature, which had been planned by Mrs. Scheibner, was greatly enjoyed. Mrs. Scheibner expects to continue this showing of her work on other docks….”
Died: 1956, St. Augustine.
Education: Cleveland School of Art; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts; with Robert Spencer, John F. Carlson and Charles Rosen.
Membership: Florida Federation of Art; Galleon Art Club, St. Augustine.
Exhibited: Pennsylvania Academy of The Fine Arts, 1925-1932; National Association of Women Artists, 1927-1932; Tampa Art Institute, 5th Annual, Tampa City Hall, March 1926, Old Hotel; Gainesville Association of Fine Art, January 1931, one woman exhibit, The Balcony, Twins, The Old Oak, Marsh at Sunset, Shipwrecked Schooner, Shadows, Cloudy Day, Morning Light, Afternoon on Anastasia, The White Awning.
