MELBOURNE, Fla. — A Melbourne Beach grandmother continues to excel in clay pottery, ever since discovering the art form as a teen.

Central Floridians can see her work in person at the 40th annual Melbourne Art Festival on April 26 and 27.

Gail Snively has been a part of the art fest for nearly two decades.

She got stuck on pottery during an art class when she was 15.

“I was like, ‘Whoa!’” she laughed, saying she even bought a potter’s wheel before she bought a car.

Snively is one of the artists accepted into the upcoming festival at Wickham Park in Melbourne. Some of her pieces will be on display for people to observe, and some will be available for purchase.

“I learned (pottery) mostly from books,” she said. “I always want to surprise myself, too.”

The Melbourne Art Festival is a fully-volunteer staffed, nationally recognized event, held each year on the fourth weekend of April. There will be more than 200 artist booths, live music, kids’ activities, and more.

The event is from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and parking and admission are free.