Bill and Ann Lorraine Honored with Golden Mango Award for the Arts

Ann Lorraine was raised in Kennett, Missouri. She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Memphis Academy of Art. Her first book of drawings, “An American Artist Looks at Taiwan” was published after living in the Far East for several years. She has lived in Key West since 1974. She is well-known in Key West for her award-winning Fantasy Fest costumes and giant animated floats and for her work as window designer for Fast Buck Freddie’s department store on Duval Street.

Her paintings and drawings have been exhibited in galleries and shows in Taiwan, Laos, Thailand and the United States. Her first Key West one-woman show was at East Martello Museum in 1975, featuring her art from the Orient. Her last one-woman show was at the Studios of Key West in 2012, “Window Wonderlands & Fantasy Floats – 23 years of legendary floats, windows and exotic creations.”

Since then, she has completed a large mural, installed in the Key West Firehouse Museum and created the “Wonderwomen of Womankind” float and windows. Lately, she has been working on paintings and drawings on one of her 3 new art themes – the “Coffee Mill Dancers,” “Sleeping,” and “Rainforest.”

Ann’s 2 illustrated books and her art are available at her home studio on Catherine Street in Key West. She has been married to musician – writer – sculptor Bill Lorraine for 30 years.

Bill Lorraine arrived in Key West in 1976 and has been involved in the Key West arts community as a musician and composer, writer and sculptor. He was born in Miami, raised in Charlotte, North Carolina and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maryland.MUSIC:

Bill Lorraine was solo piano player for Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in Europe for 3 months each summer for 10 years, starting in 1998. He has also performed in Paris, France, Munich, Germany and many restaurants and clubs in Key West.

Lorraine’s music compositions have been performed by the Key West Symphony Orchestra, the Old Havana Symphony Orchestra and the Keys Chorale. He has produced 4 CDs of original music for piano, pop band, orchestra and choir. His Orchestral Suite, “The Hemingway Suite,” was performed and recorded by the Charlotte Civic Orchestra and by the Old Havana Symphony Orchestra in 2014. A documentary film about the performance in Cuba, “90 Miles of Blue,” is in the works.

Bill is currently working on his 4^th Symphony.

WRITING:

Bill was editor and publisher of a quarterly art magazine, “The Key West Arts Review” in the 1980s. He was assistant managing editor for the Key West Citizen newspaper for 2 years. He worked as a freelance writer for many Keys newspapers and magazines.

Lorraine has published one novel, “The Heat,” one book of poetry, “From the Balconies of Key West” (illustrated by his wife, Ann Lorraine)

and one book of short stories, “Waiting for Something to Happen.” His 4^th book, “Working Vacations,” will be published later this year.

SCULPTURE:

As a stone sculptor, Bill uses the old cornerstones from the Victorian-style houses in Key West. The stone is called Miami Oolite, an indigenous stone from south Florida. Bill’s sculptures can be seen at the sculpture garden at the East Martello Museum, at the West Martello Fort, home of the Key West Garden Club, and in his studio on Catherine Street.