September 26th, our 31st Mural Painting Session

(c)2011 Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill, Christine Thomas

 NOTE: The Vero Beach Mural Project is being Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club, and created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella (http://www.burgarellaart.com/)  Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas (www.innerspacesandouterplaces.com).   Examples of artists' work can be found on www.verobeachartclub.org/) The Mural consistes 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.

Got to the Community Center bright and early, Dunkin' in hand, and after setting up Dawn and I discussed my second panel, and what types of ecosystems we should depict.  By this time I have accumulated 2 file boxes full of reference material, all neatly categorized according to flora and fauna ID's.  All three of us continuously find new images and information to add to our roster of research, and I am realizing that more and more of my time is spent just "thinking" about the mural, and what to put in it.  Because we didn't really have a detailed "plan" our creative selves tend to imagine new and exciting things to put into our canvases.  So today, after a weekend's rest (and research), we seemed to all come to the canvases with new ideas and a fresh insight. 

We hope to add another day, or partial day--Tuesdays 8:00 to 1:00--to our roster whenever we can, as we begin to get busier with in-season commitments and we will sometimes miss our regular painting sessions.  Dawn will be teaching classes some of the days, Christine has "paying" jobs to do, and I have show commitments.  My work "European Doorways" will be featured in the Artists Guild Gallery for the Month of October, with an opening reception October 7th, 5-8 pm (shameless plug for me!)

Today we mostly moved off of the "comfort zone" sections of our panels, and worked on more blank areas (a scary thing for sure!)  Christine worked on stingrays on panel #4, and one I've wrestled with myself--man can they sting! Christine is also working on the layout for panel #6, the ocean/reef panel. There is a lot of preparation that goes into the planning of each panel.

Below is pictured some children that Dawn is working on on her Panel #5.  This panel will be alive with people having fun and critters going about the business of their everyday lives.

Panel #5 - Dawn Mill adds children and sea birds to her canvas

Below is a detail of my Panel #2, with cattle ranch, hammocks, orange groves in distance.  I have repainted and reshaped the blocked-in  sandpaths, plant and grassy areas to better make room for the critters that will be painted in after all the growth has been painted.

Panel #2 - Judy Burgarella fine-tunes horizon elements

For a fresh look at the progress of the whole Vero Beach Mural Project, below I have connected all for you to see.  Kindly overlook the color variation and match-up, as it is quite a feat to match them up electronically.


Panels #1 through #6 - side-by-side completed as of September 26th

 Well, that's all folks.  Dawn is painting at the mural on Tuesday ... I wonder what she's painting?  We'll see on Friday, so stay tuned for more postings!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

September 23rd, our 30th Mural Painting Session

c)2011 Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill, Christine Thomas

 NOTE: The Vero Beach Mural Project is being Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club, and created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella (http://www.burgarellaart.com/)  Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.   Examples of artists' work can be found on www.verobeachartclub.org/) The Mural consistes of six tretched 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 was devoted to production of the video interview dialogue for the Vero Beach Mural Project, and by the time I arrived at about 9:00, Bob Barbour (videographer http://www.bobbarbourphotography.com/ ) was already in the process of setting his equipment up.  He was assisted by Sue Webb, a professional photorapher, and Coley Coleman, who is an experienced videographer and an artist in his own right, having a portfolio filled with exquisitely rendered sculptures in stone and marble.

We didn't expect to not paint today, but the equipment setup and intereview sessions took most of the day.  Sue Dinenno was the moderator, and she had drafted a dozen or so questions for me, Christine and Dawn and had sent them to us earlier in the week to study.  While we waited for Bob to set up we rehearsed and discussed our answers and what important information we wanted to impart to the public.

It was the first time we were at the murals without paint on our clothes, faces and hands.  We had lots of makeup on, our hair combed, clothes not rumpled or splotched ... we really cleaned up nice.  But oh, when we saw the results of our interviews on the prompter it was rather shocking.  All those chins and wrinkles weren't in the mirror this morning, so what in the world happened between leaving our houses this morning and arriving at the Community Center?  What's worse is that nothing can be "Adobied" out.  We can only hope that Bob Barbour is a kind editor and does right by all of us.  However we laughed and joked about it all, and mused at our discomfort in front of all those lights and camera angles.  Bob even had an "Action" movie clapboard which was so corny but fun.

"Action" Clapper

While the camera people were setting up, Jay Kramer, mayor of Vero Beach, and his wife Olive stopped by to see my rendition of his portrait on Panel #1.  I was delighted to finally meet him, and they were happy with the outcome of the mural so far.  We chatted for a while, and then got on with the business of making this video.

Mayor Jay Kramer looking at himself in the Mural

Pictured below are the videographers making plans for lighting, set-up and background.  We artists were impressed at how professional Bob made the whole process, and it was interesting, enjoyable and challenging for all of us.  Challenging for us in that we tried to present our answers in a casual yet thoughtful way, conveying confidence, enthusiasm and eloquence in spite of the "posed" questions and a room full of cables, wires, lights and cameras, and many eyes watching us intently.

Production Assistants Susan Webb, Coley Coleman, and Videographer Bob Barbour planning angles, lights, etc.

Finally, the interview process, and pictured below is the actual recording session with Sue Dinenno posing questions to Christine Thomas.  Christine has work experience in the radio industry, and so was fairly comfortable in front of the camera.


Rolling the cameras with Christine Thomas's interview



Below is the interview session with Dawn Mill.  We all were posed different questions, with runthrough twice, and it will be interesting to see how Bob edits all the different answers and camera angles.  It's surprising how you can be posed the same question twice, and the second time a completely different answer comes out!

Rolling the camera with Dawn Mill's interview

Since we had a lot of down time, we discussed the difficulty in getting a good block of time to paint due to he buiding being used by so many other organizations.  At this rate we will be giving up our Mondays and Fridays for a long time.  Although we enjoy the project and are having a blast together, we need to find another location with some empty space for us to go on weekends and full days to get this job done.  It is sometimes frustrating for us to stop, clean up, pack up, and then cart the huge panels into an awkward (and fairly vulnerable) storage area.  If we had a place where we could leave our panels, tools and supplies at the ready and available whenever we have spare time to work, it would go so much faster.  The setup and breakdown alone takes about 1-1/2 hours out of our workday.  Anyone have any suggestions or offers out there?  If so, please call me at 772-581-8281 in Sebastian.

In any case, we will get the job done, as we are committed professionals, and we are anxious to get this work out there for everyone's enjoyment ... especially the children.  Stay tuned!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

September 19th, Our 29th Mural Painting Session

 c)2011 Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill, Christine Thomas

 NOTE: The Vero Beach Mural Project is being Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club, and created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella (http://www.burgarellaart.com/)  Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.   Examples of artists' work can be found on www.verobeachartclub.org/) The Mural consistes of six tretched 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.


When I arrived at the mural late today (with Munchkins in hand), the video meeting was already in progress.  Our videographer, Bob Barbour, was discussing the interview process which will commence Friday.  Sue Dinenno will be the interviewer, and she was there rehearsing her questions with us.  It was an interesting exchange of opinions, information and observations.  Not to sound trite, but we three--myself, Christine and Dawn--get along fabulously, our painting styles are similar enough that our designs and brushstrokes flow flawlessly into each other's panels, and we just have a good time all day painting.  In fact, we lament when it's time to go, and wish we could paint into the night once we get our "mojo" going.  And what in the world are we going to do with all that extra time when it's over?  (A-HA! PAINT!)  There will be a new mural project starting up soon on the corner of 60 eastbound and Route #1, (also sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club) and I hope they enjoy their painting and comaraderie as much as we do.

Now on to the mural.  Since the meeting took so long, and we had some visitors, and setup takes 45 minutes or so, we got very little accomplished in the morning.  Then it was lunch, so we hopped in my car and cruised Old Dixie looking for someplace to eat, then we came upon Kountry Kitchen at 1749 Old Dixie Highway.  Cozy breakfast/lunch-type place, very casual dining but good wholesome food.  Christine had the chimmychanga which was delicious, and Dawn and I had the double-decker BLT, one of the best I've had.  So now we are food critics. 

My friends (and next-door neighbors) Julianne and Mike Konopacky stopped by to check the progress of the mural.  They offered to take some photos that I can use in the mural, which was very generous of them.  Barry Shapiro, owner of Lighthouse Art and Framing http://www.lighthouseartandframing.com/ stopped by and marveled at the progress and beauty of what had been completed so far.  Besides his busy life as a business owner, he volunteers generously for the Vero Beach Art Club, and is a staunch supporter of the arts.

I digress again.  So Christine spent some time looking at research images (as did I), and finally found herself a cute little crab, which she is working on below with Panel #6.  She was not happy with her rendering, which is common for her--she is her own worst critic and has no need to be.  Her panel is absolutely delightful, and proof of the fact is that the children who saw it today as we were closing up, said they liked the manatees best.  Children are drawn to the mural like a magnet, and we hope to have the finished product very child-friendly, amusing and educational.  There will be a legend binder that will contain all kinds of information on the animals and vegetation pictured within the mural.  Once the mural is completed we will work on the legend.  As you can see below, Christine's palette and apron is a MESS!  But then, so are mine and Dawns.  In fact, we almost always have paint on our hands and clothes, and since this project I have accumulated a closet full of clothes with odd color splotches on them.  Ah, the life of an artist!


Christine Thomas working on her cute little Crab on Panel #4



Dawn is moving right along on her panel #7, roughly mapping in some greenery, seagull, and layering in children building a sandcastle.  She will be painting in some turtles and other creatures found in and around beach dunes, and adding many people enjoying the exquisite vacation-like environment that is our beautiful shoreline.

Dawn Mill working on her Panel #5

Below is my panel #1, which seeing it again seems almost like watching paint dry.  You can hardly tell what I did on it today, with all those interruptions and it being a short day too because of having to pack up for the room's next occupant.  But if you look really close you'll see that I've moved the street on the left (21st Street) farther from the edge of the canvas to make room for the Alma Lee Loy Chamber of Commerce building near the tracks.  I've scumbled in some roofs and buildings just above what will be Route 1, painted in a window with green awning, Added rooftops to the buildings, and narrowed down Route 1.


Panel #1, Downtown Vero Beach by Judy Burgarella

 My mind was distracted today though, after having received a fresh picture last night of my 2-month-old granddaughter Salem, who lives in California with her mom and dad.  Our first grandchild, and probably the most beautiful baby I've ever seen.   Below is roughly scumbled in renderings of Rita Ziegler, my buddy and the president of the Vero Beach Art Club, and myself on the right, pictured thinking about my adorable granddaughter so far away.  (I just had to figure out a way to get her into this blog.  Now to figure out a way to get her into the mural!)
 

Detail of Panel #1 Downtown Vero Beach. "Judy thinks about her granddaughter, Salem"

Dawn will be painting again tomorrow, and I just may join her, depending on how ambitious I feel in the morning.  Perhaps I'll just stay home and use the time to map out my panel #2, western Vero woodlands.  If not, check back on Friday when I will surely post that day's progress.  Hopefully Panel #2 will be pretty well mapped out.  Stay tuned!
Regards,
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project



September 16th, our 28th Mural Painting Session

(c)2011 Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill, Christine Thomas


 NOTE: The Vero Beach Mural Project is being Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club (http://www.verobeachartclub.org/ ).  Created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella (http://www.burgarellaart.com/)  Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.   Consistes of six tretched canvas panels, 36' long by 8' high, each panel 8' x 6'.  Created in and for the Community Center, in their "Florida Room."  Visitors welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
Our buddy Dawn is finally back from vacation, and we're rarin' to go!  By the time I arrived she was already with paintbrush in hand, working on Panel #5, Dunes and Beachside.  I spent some of the morning organizing my reference material, gathering all my photos of the Theatre Building, which will be one of the focal points of Panel #1.  Christine reworked her otters and other fishies, making them even more luminescent. 

Early in the day, Bob Barbour, our videographer, (http://www.bobbarbour.photoshelter.com/  and
www.eyesforlight.com set up complicated and voluminous video equipment and began rolling tape on us.  he even brought in his video track and boom.  He's really working hard, and is volunteering his time and talent for this project on behalf of the Vero Beach Art Club.  The public should know that the VBAC members and its volunteers are constantly looking for ways to use their creative resources for public good and for the enjoyment of the community, in addition to satisfying the creative needs of their membership.  Yes, it is good to be a part of a body of people busying themselves with delightful projects and meaningful endeavors.  Enough of this dribble, now to get back to the business of the blog:

Photographer Ed Drondoski came by to take pictures for Indian River Magazine, at the behest of Willi Miller who writes for that magazine and other publications, in addition to covering the arts in "Arts Spotlight" for WQCS radio.  Ed was excited at the colorful panels, and how photogenic they are and will probably look fabulous in the magazine with all that color.  After he left we walked over to Tea and Chi (http://www.teaandchi.com/) and had a wonderful lunch--tasty pork sandwich, fabulous salad and really good blueberry pie.  Owner Maria Sparsis walked back with us to see the mural and was very impressed, which always makes us feel good.  I will be putting a bit of "Tea and Chi" in panel #1.

Below is Dawn working on Panel #5.  She sketched in some children making a sandcastle, and will be putting lots of other people and critters in this panel, along with a nice abbreviation of the backside of Ocean Drive.


Dawn Mill painting on Canvas #5


And below is the whole of Dawn's Panel #5.  She has added more greenery, and you can just about see a white tent which will be representing the Vero Beach Art Club's "Art in the Park" shows that are held monthly during season.  If you look closely you may recognize the back of Gloria Estefan's elegant Costa d'Este and the the ever popular Driftwood Inn.

Dawn Mill's Panel #5, Dunes and Beach

 Pictured below is Christine Thomas working on her very lifelike and colorful fishies again.  She is becoming very knowledgeable of the ecosystems she is painting.

Christine Thomas working on her fishes on Panel #4

Pictured below is me working on the Theatre Building arches and foyer.  Today I finished up Mayor Jay Kramer's (in photograph taped to panel) suit, shirt and tie, and at the insistence of Christine I enhanced his cleft chin!
 

Judy Burgarella working on the Theatre Building archways

Pictured below is Recreation Director Rob Slezak, carrying one of our panels over to his office on the other side of the building.  Because the Florida Room is constantly being let out to other groups, we must put them out of harm's way, which is what Rob has to do for all six panels every Friday.  Other days we tuck them into an alcove and keep our fingers crossed that no harm will come to them during group activities. 

Rob Slezak, Recreation Director, carrying panels to safety

 The three of us are making progress, albeit a little slower than we'd planned, but we hope to have some opportunities to step it up a bit and squeeze some extra time in here and there.  Next week I will get serious about mapping out Panel #2, so stay tuned!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

September 12th, Our 27th Painting Session

Vero Beach Mural Project Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club (http://www.verobeachartclub.org/ )  Created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.  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 welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
Got there nice and early today, however setting up, chatting with Christine and Rob Slezak (Recreation Director) and brainstorming about the mural took some time off the day, but finally got serious about 9:30.  Dawn is back from vacation, but unfortunately she picked up a bug onboard the cruise ship and was too sick to paint today.  We were so looking forward to hearing about her trip to Alaska, but it will have to wait until Friday.

Last Friday I had taken photos of Sue Dinenno (past president of VB Art Club) and her dog Phoebe, to put in the mural, and that I did today.  Almost finished, just a few little tweaks, but it looks a bit like Sue and Phoebe.  Did a few other tweaks, and finished the "Arts District" sign (which at this time does not exist but we're hoping for one, after all, it IS the Arts District!).  Need to rework the monument sign, and plan to put a large hibiscus near it with a hummingbird.  It's so much fun thinking up things to put in this mural.  Somebody's got to stop me!  Dawn and Christine have had so much fun with their critters, I can't wait to do some on mine.

Selection of Panel #1 by Judy Burgarella. Pictured is Sue Dinenno and Phoebe



Selection of Panel #1 by Judy Burgarella



Panel #1 by Judy Burgarella, "Downtown Vero Beach"

Christine was having fun today working on new fishies she'd found on the internet and fine-tuning the Manatee sign. Her panel looks as if you can just walk into the water and shake hands--er, fins--with all those cute little (and big) critters.  She is an excellent faux painter too, as I visited an establishment where she faux finished the terazzo floor with marble and a tile-looking Celtic symbol--outstanding!  So below is her panel, #4, and following that are close-ups of what she worked on today.



Christine Thomas's Panel #4, Indian River Lagoon




Selection of Christine's Panel #4, with Red Snapper and friends

 

Selection of Christine's Panel #4, cute little yellow-ish fishies!

 

Selection of Christine's Panel #4, Manatee sign



We had to pack up at 3:30, and lamented about how much we wanted to stay longer.  Are we getting addicted to this mural?  Something's happening, because once we start painting we don't want to stop.  As we get farther along, it is taking on a life of its own and we are connected personally with each element of our creations.  Well, I guess there are worse things to be addicted to.  Visit our "addiction" again on Friday for more news of what's new, and especially whatever Dawn has painted on hers!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

September 9th, our 26th Painting Session

Vero Beach Mural Project Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club (http://www.verobeachartclub.org/ )  Created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.  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 welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.Today there was just Christine and myself, as Dawn is still on vacation.  There was a tremendous downpour in the afternoon and we were glad to not be a part of that.  By the time we left at 5:00 it had stopped.

We got set up and discussed elements of the mural, then got busy.  Christine painted in a couple of extra divers then changed her mind and painted them out.  This is a common occurrance with this project, one doesn't always know what will work out or not, and sometimes we have to repaint.  I'm finding that with acrylic many times it has to be painted over 3 coats in order to get the opacity and depth of color needed.  However it depends on the pigment, as some have more opacity than others, and if you mix the right ones together you may only have to paint it one time.

Al Gustav and his wife Mary stopped by so that I could take photos of his beautiful handmade wooden chair and bowls for insertion into a Vero Beach Magazine ad for the Artists Guild Gallery.  Doug Bruce of Vero Beach Magazine stopped by also for a moment.  Willi Miller, writer and radio personality, stopped by to see the mural again.  She is an ardent supporter of the arts, and that is her "beat."  Rob Slezak, Director of Recreation Department, whose office is in the Community Center, stopped in periodically and marveled at the newest elements of the mural.  Although it seems like progress is slow, each newly painted element helps to bring the mural to life, and adds to its enchantment.

Sue Dinnenno and her friend Theresa stopped by with her cute little white dog Phoebe, so that I could photograph her walking her dog and paint her into the mural. A very fitting tribute to one who is the past president of the Vero Beach Art Club, and has always been so vital and dedicated to the art community of Vero Beach.  We lunched together at Beach Bum Bagel (Yumm!) and then got back to work.




Christine Thomas showing Panel #4 to Theresa and Sue, Pheobe (dog) looking on

Below is Christine's Panel #4, which she has been "tweaking," and now is working on the Manatee Zone sign.  Christine had been a sign-maker in her worklife, along with other interesting occupations.

Shown below is the lower left portion of Panel #1.  Today I enhanced the little tree, fixed Judge Stikelether's neck, hair and hand, positioned Alma Lee Loy on the grass, painted a tree trunk into the edge (leaves lightly scumbled in), and painted a hibiscus (sort of floating in the air ... but hey, it's just a mural!).  Actually this panel is a continuation of the large mural painted in 2001, which pictured a hibiscus at its edge, so this is a continuation at exactly the same height. Other enhancements were accomplished also.  Next time I will move the street in front of the train to make enough room to paint the new Alma Lee Loy Chamber of Commerce building.


Lower left side of Panel #1 detail, by Judy Burgarella



Not sure if Dawn returns Monday, but we will.  Wonder what we wll accomplish that day?  Visit this blog Monday night (er, ah, maybe Tuesday) and see!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club 

September 7th, our 25th Painting Session

Vero Beach Mural Project Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club (http://www.verobeachartclub.org/ )  Created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.  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 welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
Monday was Labor Day, so the Community Center was closed.  Tuesday and Wednesday I worked on the mural alone, as Dawn is on vacation and Chris had to work on another painting project.  Since the Florida Room of the Community Center had been reserved by someone else at 1:30 for both days, I had to pack up and be out by 1:00, which was OK with me as it freed me up to paint my "European Doorways." 

Monday Rita and George Ziegler stopped by to check on the progress of the murals.  Rita is president of the Vero Beach Art Club, and she and George are old friends of ours from Connecticut.  My husband Bob stopped by also, and the four of us chatted untill I escorted them out before my paints dried up.  Although it was a short day (8:30-1:00), I got quite a lot done on Judge Stikelether's robe (pictured in the southwest corner of Panel #1), and a few other elements.

The story behind this beautiful robe is that it was made in the early 1980's by Mrs. Leona Smith, of the Brighton Seminole Nation in Okeechobee, Florida, and was custom made for Judge Graham W. Stikelether, Jr. to wear as he presided on the Bench as Indian River County Judge.  The robe was made by hand with over 5,000 individual pieces of fabric.  The color purple in the robe symbolizes Law and Justce.  Judge Stikelether presided over the Bench from 1972 to 1984.

Here is the finished robe.  Knowing the importance of symbols in Indian culture, I am curious as to what these beeautiful patterns mean.  A research project for another day.



Judge Stikelether's Seminole Robe, created by Mrs. Leona Smith, of the Brighton Seminole Nation



A gathering of important people of Vero Beach, from left to right:
"First Lady of Vero Beach" Alma Lee Loy; Mayor Jay Karmer; Judge Stikelether in his famous Seminole Robe; Highwayman artist Ray McClendon



Panel #1 as of September 7th by Judy Burgarella



 I still have some finishing touches to do with that clutch of people, i.e., hands, shoes, highlights, etc.  But next session is Friday, and we'll paint for the whole day which should allow me to completely finish the gathering and get Sue Dinneno started on walking her dog.  Perhaps I'll have time to work on mine and Rita's faces.  Christine should be finished with her project and join me in painting by then.  Stay tuned!

Judy Burgarella

Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club

September 2nd, our 24th Painting Session

Vero Beach Mural Project Sponsored by the Vero Beach Art Club (http://www.verobeachartclub.org/ )  Created by Artist Volunteers Judy Burgarella, Dawn Mill and Christine Thomas.  Stretched canvas panels, 36' long by 8' high, each panel 8' x 6'.  Created in and for the Community Center.  Visitors welcome to watch the artists paint between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Mondays and Fridays.
     Today there was only Christine and myself painting at the Community Center, as Dawn is on vacation.  A rather short painting day, as we arrived a little late and had to leave early because of another group using the room.  Bob Barbour, videographer, set his equipment up and ran some video of us painting.  Below is Chris, Bob Barbour and a colleague who helped him out.

Bob Barbour fixing video equipment

At noontime Christine and I shared what food we had brought, and were joined by Sue Dinenno, who is going to be in the mural with her cute little dog Phoebe (she will be the gal in panel #1 walking her dog).  We ate and chatted a while then went back to the canvas.  Inbeween painting, Bob Barbour posed us and rechecked color and lighting and ran more video.  Peni Baker, friend and colleague from the Sebastian River Art Club, stopped by with her friend to catch up on the mural's progress.  I hope to work on a mural with her for the Sebastian club in the future.


Peni Baker and "friends"

Although there were a lot of happy interruptions, I managed to knock out the lamppost, a tree, some storefronts and palm islands, and spiffed up the archways which still are in need of more work.  Problem with architecture is that details are important on such a large work, or everything gets thrown off kilter, and reference photos are essential.  Many times I end up leaving the canvas to walk down the street with my camera to shoot more photos as reference, or just to examine a portion of downtown's detail. 




Canvas #1 by Judy Burgarella

  Below is Christine at the canvas.  She is working on her dolphins and the pelican on the sign, and doing touch-ups here and there.  Oops--that's not a paintbrush in her hands, it's an Ipod!  Christine is very techno-savvy, and brings in her laptop which is a tremendously handy visual tool--makes it quick and easy to locate images of plants and animals, etc.  It's on my "must-get" list.  Many people are using laptops to set up near their easels so that painting from photos is much easier, and details can be zoomed in upon.

We are eager to see the end-game of this project, so Christine and I discussed coming in Tuesday and perhaps Wednesday, as we are losing Monday due to Labor Day.  So we probably will come in one or both of those days to work on the mural.


Christine Thomas working on Canvas #4, Lagoon


  We had to pack up early due to another group needing the room.  We both lamented that we could have painted another few hours, after just getting our "mojo" going.  Once we get unpacked, set up, mix our paints, figure out which elements to work on, it really is a pleasure plying our craft and chatting inbetween.  We missed our buddy Dawn's quips and comments though, and hope she is having a terrific time in Alaska.  Here's hoping we get lots done before Dawn gets back, and surprise her with some progress.  Stay tuned for more next week.
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project