Cecilia Jonsson-Bisset

Cecilia has made a long journey to find Boca Grande, Florida.

She was born and grew up in Stockholm, Sweden.  Her father was artistic, and helped Cecilia with drawing when she was a child.  Cecilia and her family spent many vacation times outdoors, which instilled in her a love of nature and natural things.

After graduating from high school, she planned a nursing career, but decided to give herself a travel break to visited many European countries.

Cecilia spent a year in Greece.  All the rich history and ancient art rekindled an interest in drawing, so she began to sketch on her travels.  American friends that she met in Greece, persuaded her to visit the states.

At the age of 22, she traveled to New York, then visited Key West.  For the four years she lived in Key West, Cecilia worked as an assistant to a set designer at the Tennessee Williams Performing Arts Center.

Still adventurous, she then bought a sailboat and cruised the west coast of Florida.  Stopping at St. Petersburg, she made friends with another creative artist, Mariana Alzamora, who told her about the wonderful island of Boca Grande.

"I sailed for Boca Grande in 1984 to visit Mariana and never left," explained Cecilia.  She began working at the Pink Elephant where she met her future husband, Terry Bisset, whom she married in 1987.

A commission to paint two large murals at the Gasparilla Inn, and her membership in the Boca Grande Art Alliance, gave her more confidence to make art a career.

Her work is now very popular with her patrons on Boca Grande, and at most exhibits it sells out in a few hours.  Her paintings were featured in “Watercolor”, a national magazine, in the Spring issue of 1997.