Estelle Grengs Named 2026 Walton County Artist of the Year

 

For Estelle Grengs, art should do more than fill a blank wall. It should make you smile.

That philosophy is immediately apparent in the artist’s vibrant paintings, where bold colors, playful details and familiar pieces of the natural world come together with a sense of joy. It is also reflected in the welcoming Freeport studio she has built around creativity and connection.

Now, Grengs has been named the 2026 Walton County Artist of the Year, a recognition she describes as both unexpected and deeply meaningful.

“I was shocked,” Grengs said. “I was elated. It was huge.”

The accolade honors a Walton County artist whose unique artistic expression captures the essence of the destination’s renowned creativity and beauty. Grengs said the recognition offered something every artist occasionally needs: reassurance that the years of creating, teaching and taking chances have mattered.

“It kind of is validation for me,” Grengs said. “You put in the long hours. Sometimes you wonder, ‘Am I doing enough? Is my style something? Is it good enough?’”

For Grengs, those questions have been part of an artistic journey that began long before she ever considered owning a gallery.

Fascination of shapes, colors and the details of the world around her began from an early age. Art classes in high school gave structure to those instincts, teaching her about line, depth, shading and composition. But color remained the thing that captivated her most.

Today, that fascination has become one of the defining elements of her work. Grengs instinctively considers how colors interact, often balancing warm and cool tones or playing complementary hues against one another. The result is a style she describes simply as “happy and fun fine art.”

“I want the art to resonate in a way that makes you happy,” Grengs said. “We’ve got so much going on in our world. If we can look at our walls and it makes us smile, then that’s where it’s at.”

Grengs and her family put down roots in Freeport after years of moving with her husband’s 28-year Air Force career. They had previously been stationed in the area and, when choosing a permanent home, the combination of water, greenery and community drew them back.

For an artist, Walton County’s natural surroundings offered endless subject matter and settings. Sometimes inspiration comes from the sweeping beauty of the landscape. Just as often, though, Grengs said she notices the smaller things: a honeybee, a turtle crossing the road or a heron standing alone near the water.

Her paintings often begin with one of those everyday observations, followed by a question: What if?

“I try to find different elements that I can add into the everyday mundane,” Grengs said. “It’s taking the ‘what is’ and making the ‘what if.’”

That willingness to follow her instincts is something Grengs also encourages from her students at Estelle Studio and Gallery in Freeport.

She opened the 1,800-square-foot space after the COVID-19 pandemic prompted her to reconsider what she wanted from her career. Five years later, the studio has become much more than a place to display her paintings. Grengs hosts painting classes, private lessons, birthday parties, team-building events and more.

In her classes, students may all work from the same lesson, but one will paint delicately and precisely while another makes broad, expressive strokes. Grengs sees those differences not as mistakes to correct, but as innate styles to nurture.

“Just embrace that,” Grengs said. “What makes you stand out is embracing what you’re doing and doing what you love.”

Grengs’ own creative reach continues to grow as she participates in the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County and teaches throughout the region not just at her studio, but also at places like Hotel Effie and Props Brewery. Still, some of Grengs’ favorite moments are much quieter.

She remembers a woman who saw one of her paintings depicting a grandfather and young boy fishing and immediately connected it with her own husband and grandson. The woman’s family later purchased the piece as a retirement gift.

“When a piece connects deeply with somebody, you feel kind of like a vessel,” Grengs said. “You’re connecting with other people and bringing some sort of joy to them.”

That same idea lies at the heart of what she hopes being named Artist of the Year will allow her work to do.

If someone encounters an Estelle Grengs painting for the first time because of the AOY award, she does not need them to analyze every brushstroke or understand every artistic decision. She simply hopes they feel joy.

“I want them to look at it, and it make them smile,” Grengs said. “I hope it makes them forget about all the bad in the world or things going on in their life. It just gives them that moment to look into something that’s bright, happy, fun and joyful.”

Being named Artist of the Year marks a new chapter for Grengs, but her purpose remains the same: to find beauty in the everyday, share it through her work and create art that leaves people feeling a little brighter than before.

To learn more about the Artist of the Year program and past winners, visit waltoncountyfltourism.com/artist-year/.