8th Annual Night of Fire at Crealde School of Art

Each year, Crealde School of Art (600 Saint Andrews Blvd Winter Park, FL) opens its campus at night for guests to explore during the Night of Fire. Coming straight from teaching at Elite Animation Academy, I arrived late. I quickly wandered around searching for a subject to sketch. The outdoor kiln was glowing hot. In the courtyard there was a Raku and horse hair firing in progress in a much smaller kiln. Outdoor torch cutting and blacksmith demonstrations were going on, but there was a line to get in, so I skipped those options.

From the small foot bridge, I saw the light and fire painting demonstration on the lake. A small row boat was in the middle of the lake and someone stood and twirled a sparkler. It was quickly released and flew off into the water sizzling out. It wasn’t much of a sight but the point was that people could take open exposures and the light would create a pattern on the final shot.

Cats in the House Band was performing on the back patio. I decided to sketch them. Pam was going to meet me there, so I sent a photo her way via messenger so she knew where to find me. Before I got a line on the sketch the band took a break. Rather than hope they might start playing again, I wandered off again and settled on sketching the fire pit. Some people sat here to eat their Peruvian Food truck fair.

A storyteller sat and told tales around the fire. When Pam arrived she sat close and listened. One story was about a magical blank book that was given to a couple which could be used to record each day’s good memories and bad memories. I assumed the blank book might be a sketchbook. The couple recorded their memories diligently at first but then got lazy and started to skip days. Soon, they were skipping weeks at a time letting memories slip by because to the stress of everyday life. At the end of the year they opened the book and relished in seeing their memories relived. The good memories were vibrant and fresh. They wished they had been better about keeping them alive. The bad memories however slipped away on their own, becoming distant and faint.

The fire snapped and crackled with embers floating up into the night sky. Some people recognized me and we joked as I kept sketching. As I worked to finish, I realized that people had left, and the event was winding down. Pam and the storyteller spoke about how oral histories help to keep stories alive. They exchanged cards. Their core missions seemed much aligned. With the fire embers smoldering we walked out to the parking lot and decided to get some groceries at the Publix supermarket next door.

Night of Fire lights up Crealdé School of Art.

The fourth annual Night of Fire at Crealdé School of Art, (600 Saint Andrews Boulevard, Winter Park, FL) offered a chance to see artists at work in each of the studios. I settled in to Painting and Drawing Studio 1A where Crealde faculty Robert Ross and Barbara Tiffany were painting a still life with some eggs in a bowl and a letter. Marie Orban was also drawing from a model, although the model as on a break in the time I was sketching.

The whole campus comes alive after dark for  A Night of Fire. There was live music, refreshments and storytelling around the fire. Other workshops and demonstrations including a bronze pour, a gas kiln firing and raku firing. After finishing my sketch I warmed up with a cup of hot spiced wine and walked toward the lake to wait for a light-painting photography display. A dark silhouette of a boat on the lake could faintly be seen. I speculated with another patron to try and figure out what the light painting was all about. Small fireworks and sprinklers began dancing over the water. A camera with it’s shutter open recorded all the action compiling all the light motion into one image. I lost interest and wandered off to a warm fire pit.

The evening also served as the opening reception for the “Director’s Choice V” exhibition of works by Crealde’s youth faculty.

The Alice and William Jenkins Gallery had paintings by Bill Jenkins, the school’s founder in honor of the school’s 40th Anniversary. The Front Office was open to register for classes. All the activities were free.