2018 Schedule of Events

Winter Park Paint Out kicks off early with a special pre-event demonstration early Saturday morning at the bustling Winter Park Farmer’s Market. Artist Cory Wright will paint at the entrance to the Winter Park History Museum where she will capture the sights, sounds, and color of this local hotspot. The History Museum and Farmer’s Market are both located at 200 W. New England Avenue in Winter Park.

The week-long Winter Park Paint Out plein air festival officially starts with this open house event where artists will be on site painting the picturesque sculpture gardens. Artist Michelle Held will lead registered teams in the “Student Chalk Walk” program by showing visitors and students her chalk design on one of the garden’s sidewalk squares. Students will have just two hours to complete their designs which will be on display through the week-long event. Complimentary plein air watercolor activities appropriate for all ages and skill levels will be available in the gardens throughout the afternoon. E-mail rfrisby@polasek.org to register a team to participate in the chalk walk.

Artist Tom Sadler will demonstrate how to balance geometric man-made architectural elements with the softening effects of foliage, sparkling water, and every plein air painter’s most important tool—sunlight. The subject of this demonstration will be the newest addition to the gardens, the 1915 Albin Polasek sculpture “Butterfly” which sits atop a water feature in a courtyard.

Artist Stacy Barter will create an elegant composition from the Rollins College campus. All visitors and especially college-age art students are encouraged to attend this demo which will celebrate the beauty of our community and introduce attendees to the plein air genre. The demo will be held on the paved patio behind the Cornell Fine Arts Museum located on the Rollins College campus at 1000 Holt Avenue in Winter Park.

The spectacular but familiar subject of the tree is not always recognized as a dominant player in landscape scenery. It is more common for artists to feature trees at the edges of their canvas, sometimes as part of the background or foreground. Artist Natalia Andreeva will highlight the tree as the central element of her composition in this demo. In doing so, she demonstrates perspective, scale, season, and direction of light. The focus of the demo will be on color relationships, form, perspective, and various angles of composition.

This after-work demo will be led by artist Steve Andrews at the modern sculpture gardens located in the courtyard of the Orange County Administration Building. Attendees are welcome to bring blankets, lawn chairs, and picnic baskets to watch this painting demo. Andrews will capture the urban beauty of the city skyline and the contemporary environment of downtown Orlando. The Orange County Administration building and Sculpture Garden is located at 201 South Rosalind Avenue in Orlando with free parking in their visitor lot.  NOTE:  Seating is limited so please bring your own lawn chair or blanket.  Thank you.

Sometimes starting a new painting can feel daunting—fear of the large, white canvas with so much space to fill. Artist Elisabeth Ferber will teach attendees a new strategy for painting success as she illuminates the intimate ways of the small-scale canvas. This demo will show that scale does not indicate importance, but on the contrary, can have the reverse effect of making the subject matter more precious.

Knowing how to stage a still life is an essential tool for all artists and plein air lovers. Experienced workshop educator and artist Kathleen Denis will explore this time-honored subject matter with her unique and vibrant pallet. Attendees will learn to utilize texture and rhythm in the petals of a flower and create harmony through color in the arrangement of carefully placed objects.

Nationally-acclaimed artist Morgan Samuel Price will demonstrate how to expertly paint the palm tree, a quintessential Florida subject matter. Price will tackle several different varieties of palms that can be found in the Polasek gardens, showing attendees what brushes to use, how to layer the fronds, and how to paint the perfect palm with her signature “dappled light” technique. Price’s painting “Washington Bikers” is the 10th anniversary Winter Park Paint Out poster winners.

Two local historic studios, the Albin Polasek Museum and the Jack Kerouac Project, will join forces to present this night of live art. Local poets and winners of the Winter Park Paint Out’s live poetry contest on Allpoetry.com will read their work while artist Thomas Thorspecken, known locally as Thor from Analog Artist Digital World blog, showcase the art of the rapid sketch. Plein air requires the ability to adapt and capture the subject matter quickly while conveying the energy and emotion of the subject. True to Thor’s digital following, the artist’s sketch and progress will be projected onto a large screen so viewers can enjoy the developing picture while they contemplate the diverse poetry selections. Orlando’s first poet laureate, Susan Lilley, will participate in the evening’s poetry reading. A cash wine/beer bar and appetizers will be available for happy hour beginning at 5 p.m.