The Winter Park Paint Out is a wrap

SOLD

On one day of the Winter Park Paint Out each artist is asked to paint on the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens so that visiting patrons could see the artists at work. I decided to paint the bright Van Gogh yellow building which is the heart of the paint out. Albin Polasek sculptures from the are all over the property. In the entry court yard artist Cynthia Edmonds was painting the sculpture of a woman playing a harp called the Emily Fountain. Water trickled from the harp to create the strings she plucked. Cynthia came over to say hello and see what I was working on. I then realized that she was the face on the Paint Out banner waving in the breeze in front of the museum.

I consider myself a bit of an outlier at this week long event. I am not a traditional plein air painter in that I do not work on canvas with oils. My approach is much more linear, intending to document a moment every day. Most of my work is created indoors in theaters and rehearsal spaces, so it is a change of pace to capture the intense Florida sun. I definitely learned plenty by getting to rub shoulders with so many talented artists. I also learned that I must bump up my schmoozing skills. I am so used to documenting events that it is hard to go into sales mode. This is my blind spot, my kryptonite.

Several other artists joined the ranks this year who added some variety to the mix of work created. Orit Reuben works in pastels and the intense color she can get definitely can result in some vibrant work. John Gilbert is another watercolor artist so I am no longer on my own tacking that medium at the paint out.

49 Globes.

The City of Winter Park responded to the Pulse nightclub shooting but hanging 49 globes in Central Park around the Albin Polasek, “Emily Fountain.” These illuminated globes usually are hunk up and down Park Avenue during the Christmas holidays. This mini memorial garnered plenty of attention. During the course of doing this sketch people kept dropping at the fountain to take cell phone photos. Every color of the rainbow was used. It was a small visual hint of hope in the face of tragedy. Despite the cities over controlling and unconstitutional ordinances that limit free speech, they do know how to honor and cherish the memory of lives lost.

When walking home from a quick sketch competition in Central Park, I saw a chalk outline of a human body on the sidewalk. On October 15, 2016  Roger Thomé Trindade a Brazilian transfer student at a Winter Park school was beaten to death by 3 youths. One of the three bragged about delivering the fatal knockout punch.  Two of the youths, Simon Hall, 15, and Jesse Sutherland, 15, were released on bail in February 2017 pending the trial. They were under house arrest. Authorities say Simon Hall threw the first punch and spit on Roger when he was down. The State attorney did report that Jaggar Guorda, 14, one of the three youths accused in the homicide, will receive his sentence on June 12, 2017. Gourda is accused of initiating the sequence of events that lead to the attack by spraying teens with spunk spray. He is also accused of threatening a middle school girl, saying if she mentioned the fight, she would pay. As of April 6th, 2017 there still was no sentencing in the trial of the three youths.

Quick Draw Competition

Artists in the competition had only two hours to complete their work. During this time, all registered participants set up their supplies and painted or drew in downtown Winter Park. Blank canvases were be stamped the morning of the event to ensure that all paintings are created during the limited time frame.

I decided to sketch Renee Lammers who painted the Albin PolasekEmily Fountain“. Prior to the whistle announcing the start of the competition, she did a thumbnail drawing in a small tin which just held tiny sheets of paper and a pencil. She saw me starting to sketch and came over. She was concerned that I was sketching Emily’s butt. She suggested I come over to her bench which had a better view of Emily and her harp in profile. the second the whistle sounded she stood and used the thumbnail sketch to block in her painting. A Winter Park resident looked over Renee’s shoulder watching every brush stroke. I almost sketched the resident and then thought better of it.

I walked the park counting the artists and watching their progress. About 19 artists competed with most remaining in Central Park. Several artists ventured to the farmers market which is usually illegal to paint. Another artist ventured as far as Casa Feliz. The air horn used to start and stop the competition was eco-friendly being just a soda bottle with 80 pounds of air pressure.

After the paintings were completed, they were displayed on the artists’ easels in Central Park for an Art Stroll from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. The public voted for their favorite piece to win the People’s Choice Award. Prizes were awarded in the following categories: First Prize – $250 went to Mike Pintar; Second Prize – $150 went to Matthew Cornell; Third Prize – $75 went to Arielle Study; People’s Choice – $100, sponsored by the City of Winter Park went to John Nadeau.

 The
Earth Day Quick Draw Competition is a lead-up event to the Albin
Polasek Museum’s signature annual event, the Winter Park Paint Out plein
air festival
. The 9th Annual Winter Park Paint out will be held from
April 23 to 29, 2017, with an entire week of free programming and
events. Visit winterparkpaintout.org for more information and a schedule of events.