When community comes together to make something beautiful, public art takes on new meaning.

At the annual Arctic Outreach fundraising event at Mud City Crab House in Manahawkin last month, “Sketchy Tina” Smith set up a tent in the parking lot to do a seven-hour live painting for charity. Before she knew it, many hands had made their mark and turned her canvas into a masterpiece.

Smith is a self-taught acrylic and watercolor painter who dreams of being a full-time artist. The Manahawkin resident also runs a gift shop called A Tour of Italy in Galloway’s Historic Smithville that she has had for about 14 years. There, she lets her creativity shine through in how she sets it up to be “a little experience when you walk through the door,” she said.

Last year she finally took the oft-heard advice to show and sell her art in the shop.