The public was invited to come by as Winter Park Paint Out Artists gathered on the shore of Lake Maitland, hosted by the Winter Park Racquet Club (2111 Vía Tuscany Winter Park, FL 32789.) There the artists captured a beautiful Florida sunset from the west-facing shores Lake Maitland. Guests settled in with friends and family as dusk drew near and they watched the magic unfold across canvasses. This was the perfect opportunity for members and non-members of the club to invite guests and check out this one-of-a-kind event. Artists painted along the shoreline as well as throughout the lush and festive grounds. Guests could grab a drink and share the vista and watch as these outstanding artists created a vivid sunset memory on canvas. Artwork was available for sale the night of the event and you can also see the evenings completed artwork in the Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens (633 Osceola Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) “wet room” gallery through April 28, 2018.
I set up in the shade of a bush to sketch the artists working in the shade in front of the mansion that is next to the Racquet club. It turns out I was right next to the admissions tent which is where everyone picked up their cup and a comment card to see which wines were the best. Since I was right at the entrance, quite a few people stopped to look over my shoulder. The multiple conversations were as enlightening and fun as getting the sketch done. I met a water colorist who knew of my work from Instagram. I also ran into Cher Cloude Topps, a former student who was experiencing the paint out for the first time. Robert Willson asked me quite a few questions about the fountain pen I was using. It turns out he hand makes fountain pens and we spoke about having me take one of his pens for a “test drive” and giving him feedback on how the pen works for creating art.
The artist in the red shirt was Don Sontag from Winter Park. He was working on a painting of the admissions tents with the sunset behind them. The other artist I believe was Scott Heistand from Ormond Beach. Unfortunately he left before I got a chance to see his finished painting. By the time this sketch was done, the sun was about to set. I was given a sandwich and some chips, so I stood closer to the water to watch the final moments as the sun hit the horizon. The temperature immediately dropped, so I decided it was time to turn in my wine voucher. The red wine warmed me up a bit as I joked with a few of the artists before I left.