Coming in April

The Heart of Florida Paint Out

Sponsored by the Artist Alliance of North Florida and the City of McIntosh.

More information soon...

The Second Annual

Wekiva Invitational Paint Out

Wekiva State Park

March 3-8, 2008

Stay tuned for more info...

Friends,
I did manage to sell one painting at the Forgotten Coast Paint Out, which sold after I left. It certainly does not change my opinion unfortunately.

Here I am at the opening for the Apalachicola Museum



Mary Jane Volkmann



Charles Dickinson, Debbie Boon and patron



My friends Mitch Kolbe and Tom Sadler




Oyster Boat
8x10 inches
oil on panel


Final Report on Forgotten Coast Paint Out


I would like to be more positive about this paint out but I am afraid there were major problems with it, at least for me. Number one being no sales. Last year I sold 5 paintings from 650.00-1000.00 This year I sold nothing as of Sunday morning.

There is a problem with one of the promoters who actively works to sell a certain few painter's works. This happened last year and it was shocking.This year was no different. Certain painters are given better hanging spaces and promoted heavily. This person has great influence in the community and so naturally people take his/her suggestions to heart when making purchases.

In the Apalachicola museum my work was separated in small sections and was all in the dark with no lighting. To add insult, they were behind the doors going to the bar, so people did not even notice them. Those who did look, saw them in the dark. One other artist was treated to the same terrible hanging space and it is no surprise that neither of us sold at the museum.

Last year the paint out was supported by a major corporation who graciously purchased at lest one painting from each artist. This year their new representative chose a select few artists and guess who they were? Yes, the favored painters by the promoter who advised the representative on who to select.

There was no wet room set up so that immediate sales were not possible. The only way to purchase and take home immediately was to come to the two openings, where one had to pay 25.00 and 100.00 respectively to attend. I spoke to many people in the communities who refused to pay to see art. They resented this restriction though they could well afford the tickets.

Some artists were allowed to turn work in a various times but the rest of us were not allowed to.

After giving my hosts the required painting of 650.00 value and spending about 200.00 in gas and food expenses for the event I am minus 850.00. I cannot call this event successful. I had a reasonable expectation that I would match or better my sales from last year but instead sold nothing.

On the good side, there are wonderful people who support this event. My thanks to Joe, Kim, Sandy,Jo, Carrie, Leslie, and others who worked so very hard to make it successful. It was successful for many artists, especially those who were favored.

Thanks to the many people who hosted meals for us and invited us to their homes.


Here are my suggestions for improvement, though they will probably not be considered:

A real Wet Room

By this I mean a building where artist can daily bring in framed work and patrons can purchase immediately every day of the paint out.

Patron lunches instead of any coctail parties or openings. There should be an agent for purchases at each patron's home for these lunch time picnics each day and artist could display their work during the lunches and sell.

All money spent for parties and openings should be instead channeled into print ads in Panama City, Tallahasee, and Dothan Alabama, the closest major cities to the Forgotten Coast. There must be an infusion of larger markets for this paint out or it will slowly die. There is not enough of a local market to sustain sales.

Any corporate purchases should be decided on only by the representative and not by the promoter. Promoter should not be allowed to have undue influence on patrons and should not be allowed to promote his/her favorites. This kind of behavior is completely unprofessional. This promoter is essentially acting as an agent for some artists and actually steering patrons away from other artist toward his few. I witnessed this myself last year and was told it happened again this year by other artists.


Communication is very poor between promoters and artists prior to the paint out and during, with many changes which are not shared with the artists.

A clear statement of what the proceeds benefit should be displayed at all events.

With all of the above, I do believe the wet room is the major issue along with the unlevel playing field. A few artist left early in anger over their treatment this year and I can't blame them. People need to realize that we are professionals in our field and deserve equal treatment and fairness. Without he reasonable expectation of sales and good marketing, we cannot continue to come.


I will be looked down on for airing dirty laundry here but I feel that it is my duty to be honest in my posts about the paint outs I do.

I enjoyed the painting time so much, and my host and others were wonderful.

Here is a brief report from the forgotten coast paint out in Port St Joe Florida.

I had a wonderful time painting for 6 days with 31 other artists. It was my second year for this event. We painted from Apalachicola to Cape San Blas and I got 16 paintings. It is always wonderful to see old friends and make new ones.

I'm heading out on Thursday for Apalachicola Florida to participate in the second annual Forgotten Coast Paint Out. This will be a great pleasure for me because that area of Florida is one of my favorites for painting. I will be painting with lots of friends there. I think I know about 20 out of the 30 artists who will be there. They will have a wetroom set up this year to display our paintings each day and a patron party on May 16th at the Apalach museum. You can purchase the paintings that evening at the Museum. I will not be able to stay for the ten day duration. I have to leave on the 17th. I am teaching two workshops in North Carolina. I'll upload some pictures of the area and from the paint out in June when I get home. I hope to see you there.

Bridge
Oil on panel
Dominic Avant





Rose and Crown UK Pavilion
Watercolor
Linda Pence





Trellis at the UK Pavilion
8x10 inches
Acrylic on panel
Linda Blondheim




Epcot painters on the Boardwalk.




Barbara Perrotti, L Diane Johnson and Durinda Cheek enjoy the banquet.



As you can see, we had a wonderful time at Epcot Center painting during the International Flower and Garden Festival. The crowds were huge, the fireworks spectacular and the food and lodging first class all the way. Disney really knows how to treat artists. We are treated with the utmost respect and honor each year. It is a privilege to go and be a part of the Flower and Garden Festival.

Our next paint Out will be at Epcot Center for the " Artists In The Garden" event as part of the annual Epcot Flower and Garden Festival.



Event Dates:April 5, 2007 – June 3, 2007
Don't miss the fourteenth annual Epcot® International Flower & Garden Festival, which branches out for two full months to commemorate Disney Pirates and Princesses! This seasonal celebration full of fun for families and garden enthusiasts blooms with Disney magic! Visit our new Garden Odyssey Festival Center, meet top horticulturists and enjoy an enchanting evening "under the stars" at the Flower Power Concert Series. And Mom will love our scrumptious "Mother's Day Brunch" on May 13th, so make your reservations early!


Art in the Garden Weekend
April 20-22
Get a unique look at nature through the eyes of "Plein Air" artists and see one-of-a-kind works by Art in the Garden artists. Don't miss the fun of the colorful "Kid's Paint Out" event.

The Highwaymen – New!
April 20-22



We will be painting in the World Showcase at Epcot Center on April 20-22 2007.



This will be our fourth year at the Garden Festival and we are all very excited to be there. I will post pictures and stories after the event.

The following artists will participate in the Epcot plein air event:

Dominic Avant- Sarasota
Linda Blondheim- Gainesville
Durinda Cheek- Riggold GA
Charles Dickinson- St Augustine
Cynthia Edmonds-Winter Park
Elisabeth Ferber-Orlando
Dorothy Gardiner- St Petersburg
Karen Hedges- Orlando
L Diane Johnson- Carey NC
Stewart Jones- Winter Park
Linda Pence- Gainesville
Charles Schaefer- St Augustine
Joe Taylor- St Augustine
Mary Jane Volkmann- Gainesville
Kathleen Wobie- Micanopy

The Wekiva Paint Out
March 5-10, 2007




Wet Room display of framed paintings.

Prevatt Lake by Elisabeth Ferber


12x24 inches


oil on canvas





















Elisabeth Ferber from Orlando said:







As for the event!! Well I couldn’t ask for a more fun week with such great and talented artists! It was a new experience to be able to camp out and interact with each other in the evenings and meet new people. It was a nice mix of wildlife and landscape artists with various styles from abstract to realism. The Tippits, Bill and Rachel were very interactive hosts who supported us in every way. The Wekiva area has a host of places to paint from aka vistas, lakes, springs, forests, trails, wildlife etc. There is no shortage of artistic inspiration. The Patrons event was well attended and most of the artists had sales. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of an annual event.

Lake Prevatt Oaks
12x16 inches
oil on panel

Linda Blondheim

Linda Blondheim said:




This was my favorite paint out of all. I have done many over the last 15 years but this one was unique in that it allowed the painters to paint together and live in the same place for 6 days. Strong bonds of friendship form in this kind of environment. We worked all day and then socialized in the evenings over a camp fire, and in the dining hall and cabins. It was like being a child again and going back to summer camp.

We were treated lavishly to catered meals and a gala opening. Staying in the same place for a week and having the opportunity to spend long hours each day painting was a real treat. The parking lot became a gallery and meeting place each day, as painters came and went for meals.

The weather was perfection, with no rain the entire week. I have many happy memories of this event and so many laughs about the antics of the "Boys" in our camp.

I am very grateful to the following:

William and Rachel Tippit who made the event possible. They own Air Flora, Inc. These are the kindest most generous people I've met in some time. Their dedication and support of artists is so wonderful. Thanks to Leslie and Jana as well, who took care of all our needs and checked in our work each day. The park rangers could not have been nicer. I enjoyed talking with them and their families.



The Friends of Wekiva www.friendsofwekiva.org

Wekiva Wilderness Trust, Inc. www.home.earthlink.net/~w.w.t/index.html

Air Flora, Inc.

Albertsons- Apopka, Florida

Captain and the Cowboy

Catfish Place Restaurant

Chic-fil-A Hunt Club

Dunkin Donuts- Apopka, Florida

FastSigns- Apopka, Florida

Fredlund Gallery

Harris Harris Bauerle & Sharma

Porkies Barbeque- Apopka, Florida

Sun Trust Bank- Hunt Club

Urban Think Book Store

Wekiva Paint Out


Next years paint out is scheduled for March 3-8, 2008. I hope you will plan to come if you missed it this year.

The Wekiva Paint Out March 5-10, 2007

Top Photo are Rachel and Bill, our superb and wonderful hosts. Thank you both so much!!!!

Next photo are some of the guys I painted with. They are so much fun and fabulous painters every one. Larry, Tom, Kevin, Mitch, and Charles left to right.

Middle photos of Youth Camp cabins where we lived.

Bottom photo is a group photo of some of the artists and friends who participated. It was a wonderful experience in every way. We are so greatful to Bill and Rachel, and Leslie and Jana for this wonderful event.