Winter Park April 2010 : Page 20“Winter Park is one of the most beautiful towns and off ers the artists such myriad nter Park is one of the most beautiful towns and off ers the artists such myriad Hal Hal Stringer, who is co-chairing the Paint Out with Gary Hollingsworth for a second year. “You can talk to them about their work as they paint, get to know them as people, and learn what inspires them creatively.” A ‘PLEIN-AIR’ PARADISE While plein air – French for “open air” – painting may have gained momentum in California during the past couple of decades or so, Polasek Executive Director Debbie Komanski explains that Florida is considered the home of the plein air renaissance. She said the state “is now becoming known as probably the premier center for plein air painting in the U.S. today,” due, in large part, to a large artistic community, the weather and strong support from the artists’ constituency and people in the region. And, Komanski says, “There’s no other locale where it is done that allows such a diverse range of subjects. Winter Park is one of the most beautiful towns and offers the artists such myriad opportunities” – lakes and parks, a wide variety of architecture and a combination of the two. From her office overlooking the Polasek’s sculpture-dotted and well-sculpted grounds snug on the shores of Lake Osceola, Komanski says in an almost reverential tone, “I so believe in it.” Matthew Cornell is new to the Paint Out. His paintings, which are oil on wood, frequently feature water. BUILDING ON SUCCESS Planning began for the 2010 Paint Out as soon as the lights went out on last year’s event, which was considered a huge success by everyone involved. Every artist sold work during the 2009 Paint Out, and 64 of the 100 scenes captured on canvas sold. “I think the most important thing for 2010 is that this is our second year,” says Stringer, who, as the organizer of seven paint outs in five years, is considered by some to be Mr. Paint Out. “I know that sounds funny, but for a paint out, it’s really important. One of the toughest things about this type of event is educating the public about its purpose, scope, how they can participate, and what a paint out is really all about. Usually that takes years to do. Last year I think we managed to inform and educate folks really well. Given that we have an audience that knows more about the event, we can build on that.” While last year will be hard to top, Stringer says “there’s always room for improvement.” 20 APRIL 2010 | WINTER PARK MAGAZINE Publication List |
