“Waterscapes”
Noted area artist has 17 oil and acrylic paintings on display at the Ocala International Airport.
Artist Marjorie Dodrill of The Villages talks about how she received special permission to paint this scene of “Pebble Beach Icon,” an oil on canvas, at the Ocala International Airport terminal in Ocala, Fla. on Friday, July 17, 2026. Her Waterscapes gallery of paintings is on display at the airport through the Ocala Cultural Arts division. [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2026.
To say that Marjorie Dodrill’s artworks “jump right off the walls” is an understatement. After all, what else can be said about the vibrant “Jump For Joy” oil painting of a gleeful dolphin leaping in midair, with a vividly painted oceanic background.
Dodrill’s “Waterscapes” exhibit of 17 oil and acrylic paintings is on display through Dec. 22 at the Ocala International Airport, located at 1770 SW 60th Ave. It is part of the city of Ocala Cultural Arts program, Art in City Spaces.
Dodrill is an award-winning artist whose works are inspired in part by living in various places in the U.S. and England and traveling throughout the states and Europe.
“The bonus to this life was visiting numerous renown art galleries, museums and the world’s landscapes, which inflamed my interest in art. After graduating from California State University, Sacramento, I continually honed my art skills in self-study, classes and workshops,” she wrote on her website.
Over more than two decades, Dodrill has exhibited works in galleries throughout Northern California and Central Florida. Her artistic expressions include seascapes, scenes of waterways and national parks, floral “portraits” and more.
“Waterscapes” includes paintings of scenes from Florida, Wyoming, Hawaii and Italy.
“Manarola/Cinque Terra, Italy” and “Vernazza/Cinque Terra, Italy,” both oil on canvas, bring the viewer right into seaside villages with terraced hillsides covered with multi-hued dwellings and fronted by waters so brilliantly depicted you want to dive right in.
There is a string of five ancient fishing villages on the Italian Riviera just south of Genoa in northwest Italy, according to cinqueterre.eu.com. Two of those are shown in the paintings mentioned above.
“When you walk across all the little edges of the rocks, they have this pathway you can go for miles and miles. Sometimes it’s smooth, like in this town,” Dodrill said, pointing to an area in her “Manarola/Cinque Terra, Italy” painting.
Dodrill, a resident of The Villages, said she often snaps photographs of places she has been and then paints from those images. That was what she did with the Pebble Beach golf course’s famed iconic Lone Cypress, not knowing that such an activity is frowned upon.
“This is their icon. I had painted it and didn’t realize they had these rules, so I called them and asked to talk to the person in charge of it at the golf course. I said, ‘I painted this painting of your beautiful scene’ and he said, ‘Well send me a picture. Let me see what it looks like.’ So, I did and he said, “Yes you have approval,’ so I have a letter in writing from him,” Dodrill said.
Standing in front of a triptych of the Grand Tetons, with each painting melding around the side of the adjacent canvas, which gives a three-dimensional effect, Dodrill offered, “God lives there. It is so gorgeous.”
Motioning to a beautiful swampy coastal scene, Dodrill suggests that it might be a waterway on either of Florida’s coast, or in the Everglades, or South Georgia or even Louisiana.
In addition to her waterscapes and landscapes, Dodrill also produces what she calls floral “portraits,” which are large close-ups of beautiful blossoms, such as orchids and roses. She has had solo art exhibits at the California State Capitol, Leesburg Center for the Arts, CityArts in Orlando and now at the Ocala International Airport. She is a member of the Marion Cultural Alliance and has had works on exhibit at the Brick City Center for the Arts in Ocala.
The city of Ocala Cultural Arts Division oversees the Art in City Spaces program. According to Jamie Antonetti, Cultural Arts Coordinator for Public Art, Growth Management, the program “highlights work by local and regional artists in public facilities throughout the city, bringing visual art directly into the community. Exhibitions rotate every four to six months across five indoor city galleries, offering fresh experiences year‑round.”
Local and regional artists are encouraged to apply at no cost for consideration in the program. Staff work with each gallery to review applications and artist portfolios, taking into account scheduling, artwork medium, themes and site appropriateness. All artwork displayed at city galleries must be family friendly and original, with no copyright infringement or branded content. Exhibitions may be scheduled up to two years in advance, Antonetti explained.
The other current program exhibitions are:
- “Through the Looking Glass,” by Linda Bourassa, on display until Dec. 16 at the Eighth Avenue Adult Activity Center, 830 NE Eighth Ave.
- “Creative Voices,” by Arts in Health Ocala Metro, on display until Dec. 17 at the Mary Sue Rich Community Center at Reed Place, 1821 NW 21st Ave.
- Landscapes by Nancy Bowden, on display until Dec. 2 at the Clerk’s Office inside City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave.
- “Stillness in Motion,” by Gwen Morrison, on display until Dec. 3 at Ocala City Hall, 110 SE Watula Ave.
All exhibitions are free and open to the public during each facility’s regular business hours.
For more information, go to ocalafl.gov/artincityspaces
To learn more about Dodrill, visit marjoriedodrill.com
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