Tuesday, December 6, 2011

December 5th, Our 51st Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

 NOTE: The Vero Beach Mural Project is being Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club as a gift to the City.  The artist members of the Vero Beach Art Club who are volunteering their time and talents are Judy Burgarella (http://www.burgarellaart.com/)  Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas (www.innerspacesandouterplaces.com).   Examples of artists' work can also be found on www.verobeachartclub.org/) The Mural consists of six stretched canvas panels, 36' long by 8' high, each panel 8' x 6'.  Created in and for the Community Center, in their "Florida Room."  Visitors are welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.

Today, as all Mondays lately, we painted in the south meeting room of the Community Center, as the Florida Room is used on Mondays.  Although logistically it is a bit less convenient, the light is better, especially when we lift them onto chairs and place them against the dividing wall opposite the windows.  Less stress on the back too when painting the lower area of the panels. 

Got there at 8:30, and by 9:15 I was painting.  Was anxious to paint from the wonderful array of critters that I had spnt hours downloading onto my laptop yesterday.  Spent quite a while trying to get them up before I finally realized that my portable storage device was dead. Since getting the laptop on Craig's List it has saved me from carting a pile of heavy books in as reference.  So I painted today from my head, and in spite of that was able to complete the transition from Panel #1 to Panel #2, and refine the dead log and painting a skunk's rear-end sticking out of it, which I will refine later, painting in more foliage at water's edge and putting the final touches and patches of grass on the scrub pathway.  Getting pretty close to finishing this panel.  Stop back on Friday and se baby skunks skipping out of the other end of the log.

Detail of Judy Burgarella's Panel #2
Pilar Turner, Vero Beach's new Mayor stopped by with a tray of cookies for us.  Thank you Mayor Turner, it was such a treat--we made tea and had a break after you left.  I climbed onto the counter and took photos of her in various positions from above, trying to get the right angle to paint her into the city on panel #1 as our current mayor.  It was nice of her to stay and chat a while and say such positive things about the mural.
Panel #1 - Positioning Mayor Pilar Turner on mural
 Jeff Matthews, Manager of the City of Vero Beach's Leisure Square, stopped by to see the mural and was very impressed.  Having had experience with a paintbrush himself, he was appreciative of the size of the project and the time and talent we've invested in it.  Enjoyed our chat with him and hearing about his little girl, who sounds adorable.  Took a photo of him in the position of leaning on a rail, and perhaps Dawn can paint him in on the deck of the Driftwood, looking out at the ocean.


Jeff Matthews enjoying the view of Panels #2 and #3
Christine made some headway today on her coral pieces, straining her eyes to paint the nuances of color which glisten in that other-worldly place.  Christine is doing a fine job of creating an environment depicting the neighborhood digs of unerwater critters, and in the process putting in as many endangered and beautiful representations she can in the limited space.  It was a great idea on her part to paint in he famous Mel Fisher, finder of fabulous treasure here on the Treasure Coast.

Christine Thomas' Panel #6, Ocean Reef

Coral Reef detail of Christine Thomas' Panel #6
Stop back on this blog on Friday (or Saturday) and I'll have posted all three of our progress to that point, as we will all be painting together again.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

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