November 28th, Our 49th Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

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 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 I arrived a little late, coming from a planning meeting for the Cultural Council's Plein Air Paintout with the Environmental Learning Center.  Going to be a good one and I'm happy to be a part of it.  I was still setting up when Christine arrived, and after a little chatting we got straight to work.  Dawn has classes again today so will not be joining us.

Christine worked on enhancing some anemones she had previously blocked in, and a few other "jewels" of the sea.  The colors in Panel #6 are so striking.  The more we see, the more we understand why people love diving.  The colors, the creatures, the endless aerobic dance of things floating and swimming within a phthalo world, and in a perfectly choreographed production unmatched by any human efforts.  If only there were room on the canvas panels for Christine to put every exotic and beautiful thing we've seen in photographs of underwater life.  I do believe she has found her forte.

Detail of Chistine Thomas' Panel #6 (purple anemones at bottom)



Christine Thomas' Panel #6

Below are panels #1 and #2 side-by-side, and note the unfinished segue at the bottom.  It will be interesting to figure out what to put in there that is interesting yet purposeful.  And today I added a Florida Panther cub--they are spotted while young, and oh so cute!  Also added a log, supposedly broken from the dead tree, and a scrub jay and blocked in some pigs.  I also blocked in more color in the grassy area and truer sand color throughout.  Next time I'll paint something peeking out from the log.  We, in essence, are creating our own worlds, based on the highlights and habitats of Vero Beach, and it is such an enjoyable process.  There certainly will be a void in our lives when the mural is completed, however it will be nice to have those extra 2 days in a week back again for ourselves.

Judy Burgarella's Panel #1 and Panel #2




 


Panel #2--note the cub and scrub jay

 More animals coming Friday, and more sea-creatures too!  Oh, and Dawn will be joining us to paint all day too--so visit this site again Saturday Morning.  Signing off, I am ...
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

November 25th, our 48th Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

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 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, it being "Black Friday," Christine and I sequestered ourselves alone in the Community Center, blissfully painting without interruption or distraction, almost as long as we wanted to.  Again we were painting without Dawn, but we shall all be painting together again next Friday.  The only interruption we had was Rita Bringing turkey sandwiches for us.  So Rita and George Ziegler (friends, and she's pres of VB Art Club) stayed a few minutes and chatted, checking out the progress on the mural.  Took a picture of Rita to fine tune her image in the first panel.

Rita Ziegler, President of Vero Beach Art Club, and featured in Panel #1, Downtown Vero

Today Christine worked mostly on her parrotfish and the lionfish, which came out beautiful.  She also repositioned her surfer, and changed the sex of her sailboarder to a woman.  We can do things like that so easily with a paintbrush!  She also did some other tweaking here and there during he day.  Below is are some of the fruits of her day:

Lionfish on Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

Detail of Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

Parrotfish on Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

Today I didn't waste any time and got straight to work.  So much foliage to put into Panel #2, and it looks really too green right now, but won't look like that once more detail is in.  But got a good deal of it done, and fine tuned some of the segue onto Panel #1.  Had fun painting the prickly pear nestled among some dried brush, and next time I'll put the prickers on them. 

Panel #2 by Judy Burgarella, segueing onto Panel #1

Notice how vague the seam is getting in places now.  Soon the segue between #1 and #2 will be almost seamless, and make some sense--at least as much sense as I can create with my brush.

Rob Sleezak (Community Center Director) and his wife Mary came in at about 6:00 to put the panels away, so it was pack-up time.  I took pics of them both to put them into the mural.  They will be the bird-watcher and photographer.  Rob's been so cooperative with us, helping to get us extra time on the mural, carting them into his office on weekends (which is not an easy feat), and just seeing to it that they are safe.  Thanks Rob.

Well, I hope everyone had a stuffingly wonderful Thanksgiving ... we did.  Stop by again and see what we've done.

Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

November 21, Our 47th Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

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 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.


Again we are painting without Dawn, as she has classes today.  We hope she is feeling better too.  Christine and I both discussed how difficult it is to get here in the morning, getting out of our snuggly beds.  However, once the brush is dipped in paint everything changes.  We then become creators of life.  Well, maybe not real life, but life on the canvas.  With acrylic, I am learning, painting animals is especially exciting because as you apply each layer you can see the smudges of paint gradually come to life, and in a rather short time.  And if the eyes are painted looking out from the canvas, it is almost as if they are alive.  Once the final touches are applied it is so satisfying to stand back and really see it in the context of the whole panel.  As we paint we are always cognizant of how the children will react to it.  Therefore no animal will have a lower part of the food chain in its mouth or talens.

Today we had about 7-8 people pop in to take a peek, a very nice couple who saw the article about the mural in Indian River Magazine and were amazed at the canvases.  A little girl who pops in whenever she can inbetween her dance lessons at the Community Center.  She loves the manatees.  And her mom, Nicole and her mother (below) who stayed and chatted with us for a while.

Visitors Nicole and her mom

 Christine today enhanced her clownfish and other fishies.  She also continues to fine tune the octopus, applying layer after layer of color.  Those troublesome suction cups on the backside of the octopus' tendrils are so interesting, however painting them is very labor intensive.  Below is a detail of Christine's progress on Panel #6.

Christine Thomas' clownfish on Panel #6

 Below is the whole of Christine's panel #6, coming along beautifully.  We are all learning a lot about the various ecosystems as we do our research, but the underwater world is by far the most colorful, interesting, and unbelievably beautiful of all.  If man were to discover life on another planet, I bet it wouldn't be as bizarre as some of the life right off our shores here in Vero Beach Florida.

Underwater life on Christine Thomas' Panel #6

So for myself, today was an exciting one, having been able to complete two whole critters which now is my favorite thing to do. 

Blue Heron on Judy Burgarella's Panel #2

Detail of Judy Burgarella's Panel #2 - turkey from last week, new is turtle and scrub peninsula.

Below is the complete panel #2.  Newly painted, besides the turtle and heron, is a little patch of pickerel weed and fern at the water's edge, and some scrub bushes and grasses.  Next session I hope to paint that snake hanging on the dead branch ... and have him looking right out at you!

Judy Burgarella's Panel #6

Well, that's all for now.  I wish all of you a happy Thanksgiving ... and remember that bald, bumpy ugly and headless turkey you'll be shoving stuffing into Thanksgiving morning once looked as beautiful as the one in my painting!
Regards,
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

November 18th, our 46th Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

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.


Today Dawn was ill, so it was just Christine and myself painting the mural.  Working hours would be short for me because of a 2-hour interruption due to a meeting I had to attend.  However I think Christine and I made some progress today.

Evelyn from Vero Beach Magazine stopped in today to take a quick peek at the mural so she could mention it in her "Collaboration" essay for the Magazine.  It appeared that the mural exceeded her expectations because she seemed pleasantly surprised at the color, beauty and magnitude of the project.  She was on the run but we managed to quickly explain a little about the mural and its mission. 

My friend Peni Baker stopped by to check out the mural and show us the wonderful toy train she gathered up for the Christmas mural she is creating for the Sebastian River Art Club.  It will be installed November 29th at the Sebastian (North County) Library--another mural worth seeing.  Yours truly painted a Santa portrait for that project.

Christine was determined today to improve upon her painting of an octopus, which is the biggest, most prominent critter in Panel #6, and sure to be the focal point.  By now she is an expert on octopus anatomy, having thoroughly researched this sea creature ... and by golly I think she's got it!   He looks terrific at this point, and truly an amazing and other-worldly-looking animal.  The children will love him, and the colors look like a rainbow of pearls ... an amazing compliment to the rest of the panel.



Christine Thomas painting "Oscar" the Octopus on Panel #6


Although I myself got an early start, it was slow-going at first.  After perusing some of my research and what I had on my laptop, I began plotting the course of what animal life I will put in this panel, and sketched their locations in with vine charcoal.  I tried to include the most common animals seen in the habitats on Panel #2, along with the endangered Florida panther, yet it was a stretch to paint them in so close together.  Including indigenous shrubs, bushes and trees painted in strategic places would help me to accomplish that.

So today I loosely sketched in the locations of various animals, painted in a turkey and a birdwatcher, and finished painting the two palm trees in the foreground.  The turkey will probably have a mate (female) painted in on Monday.  Next are more shrubs, grasses, debris ... and "Deer-armadillos-and hogs---Oh, my!"

Judy Burgarella's Panel #2

So be sure to come back again, we'll be painting on Monday and hope to make some more progress.  And get well soon Dawn ... we need you!
Ciou!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural

November 14th, Our 45th Vero Beach Mural Painting Session

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.


Today turned out pretty good.  There was just myself and Christine painting today, and probably from now on, as Dawn has back-to-back classes now on Mondays.  Had an 8:00 appointment, so I arrived a little late, about 10:00, and Christine was already set up and painting. 

Christine today concentrated on the fan coral and octopus on the southeast corner of Panel #6, and it is sure to be spectacular when done.  She was having some difficulty with the unusual patterns and colors on the octopus, but worked out a system in the end.  The vivid colors in and around Vero Beach's coral reef and its critters are unusual, and difficult to match color-wise to say the least.
 

Panel #6 Detail by Christine Thomas



Panel #6 by Christine Thomas


I finally figured out how to utilize my new (used) laptop for the mural, and it sure made retrieving my images easy for me.  Today I added more branches to the large pine tree in the foreground, enhanced the strangler fig, graced the big oak with Spanish moss and resurrection fern, did some background brush scumbling, created a scrub peninsula, and had such fun painting an owl in flight.  Painting wildlife is such a thrill, as it feels like you're in the act of creating life, especially if the eyes are straight-on, which in this case they were.  The rest of the background brush and scrubs needs to be completed before I paint in critters walking on the ground.  The wildlife seems to be the focal point of each panel, and we all agree that they are the most fun to paint.


Detail of Panel #2 and segue onto Panel #1 by Judy Burgarella



Judy Burgarella's Panel #2, Segueing onto Panel #1

 
Friday we'll all be painting the mural together again, so stop back here and see what we've accomplished!
Ciou!

Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project
Vero Beach Art Club
http://www.verobeachartclub.org/

November 11th (11/11/11!) our 44th Mural Painting Session

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.


Today we were really cookin'!  Got there about 8:30, set up and got straight to work.  Christin, Dawn and I worked pretty steady through the day and I believe we accomplished a lot.  We were glad to be able to work in the Community Center with very little interruption due to it being the day we honor our Veterans. 

It was also the day of the Firemen's Chili Cookoff, and people were busy using the Community Center's industrial-sized kitchen to cook for the event.  Much of the day we were graced with delicisou aromas coming from the kitchen.  Mayor Jay Kramer's wife Alla was one of the cooks, and she and her daughter popped in and took a quick peek at the mural, checking out the portrait on Panel #1 of Mayor Kramer.

We painted almost non-stop all day, even eating our lunch by the murals.  Dawn worked on Panel #5, Christine worked on Panel #6, and I continued working on Panel #2, also tweaking Panel #1 a bit as its pines segued onto #2.

Pictured below is Dawn's Panel #5, in which she has added more lush vegetation, with some commonly-seen railroad vine meandering onto the beach.  She has also blocked in some critters and bathers and tweaked at various places.  Children are so busy with their castle that they don't see that critters are coming to life on the panel and taking all their Oreos!



Dawn Mill's Panel #5, Dunes and Beach along A1A

Following is Christine's Panel #6, which pictures some of the wonderful images that can be seen along Vero's beach and underwater along Vero's spectacular coral reef.  Colors are getting more and more vivid as she layers the paint to bring out the actual brilliance of the beautiful underwater ecosystem.

Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

 Below is an enlargement of the corner of Panel #6 that Christine has been working on all day.  Critters just seem to be having a good ol' time checking out the diver (Mel Fisher) who has just discovered some treasure (which incidentally to all you out there who know nothing about this area ... discovering treasure along the "Treasure Coast" actually still happens--so come visit with your metal detectors, shovels and sifters!)


Detail of Christine Thomas' Panel #5

 Below is my Panel #2 which today I concentrated on the central left side, pine forest mostly, and segued onto Panel #1 the pine tree, partially obscuring the top edge of the Furniture Building on Panel #1.  Also added is the oak tree towards the middle of the panel.  Eventually there will be much more strubbery, palmettos and scsrubs along the pathway and onto panels #1 and #3, with critters meandering their way around the canvas and breaking up all that green.

  




Detail of Panel #2 with segue onto Panel #1

  Together all six panels look fabulous lined up along the Community Center wall, although now we try not to drag the ones out that we are not working on because of their bulk and the risk of too much shuffling them around doing possible damage to the vulnerable canvas covering. 

In depicting the different ecosystems of Vero Beach, the viewer must realize that although the panels segue onto each other for aesthetic appeal, no critical eye must insist on the total sense of it all, as perspective has had to be compromised in order to create the most interest, appeal and inclusion of the plethora of flora an fauna that Vero Beach has in its environment.  Obviously, we have heretofore condensed the various ecosystems of Vero Beach.  In the real world these critters would be having dinner at the expense of each other, and the landscape and seascape elements would not compete so closely.

With the holiday closing in on us, we were hoping the mural would have been completed by now, but fine works of art take time!  We keep moving the deadline along according to our progress, and we are determined not to compromise quality.  This project has been one of discovery for the three of us in that we have discovered the abundance of beauty and diversity in Vero's ecosystems, the interesting and exciting activities for humans to enjoy here, and the teamwork, steadfastness and friendship that we've developed in working so closely and so long on such a worthwhile project for the City and for the Vero Beach Art Club.  Although we are anxious to have our spare time back again and our personal projects and obligations are wanting for attention, the long days of creating life from nothing on a flat woven cloth with some brushes and paint, with friends, has become an integral part of each week for us, and there will be a void in our lives once the mural is completed.


Merana Cadorette, Artist Extraordinaire coming onboard!


NEWS BREAK!  Merana Cadorette, artist extraordinaire, will soon be joining us.  One of the earlier muralists on the year 2001 panels, she will help us by tweaking the older panels which will make them more aesthetically appealing to the eye.  The 2001 mural is spectactular on its own and will not be altered, only the informational insets will be moved to another location in the room and new insets will be painted by Merana to better complete the theme of those panels.  We are so-o-o-o grateful for her help on this, and who better to do it than the original artist?

Well, that's all for now, keep an eye on this blog because it's going to be filled with surprises and excitement!

Regards,
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project
Vero Beach Art Club
http://www.verobeachartclub.org/

November 7th, our 43rd Mural Painting Session

 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.

Today there were only Christine and myself painting at the Community Center.  Dawn has class obligations, and will probably be working Tuesdays instead for a while, along with Fridays with us.  We missed her painting with us, but we quickly got busy on our canvases. 


 At mid-day we had a very special visitor, the Vero Beach icon, Alma Lee Loy.  I ran into her on Saturday and mentioned she was painted into our mural, and so invited her to come take a look.  Well, she was very pleased at the rendering of her image, and marveled at the good work we had done for the town on behalf of the Vero Beach Art Club.  We enjoyed talking to her, and explained different aspects of the mural, along with our basic mission for accomplishing such a big work.  We are honored to have her represented in the mural, a fitting tribute to a lady who has done so much for the City of Vero Beach and its people.


Vero Beach's own Alma Lee Loy, gazing at her image in the mural.

So now on to the day's accomplishments.  On Panel #6 Christine added some interesting brain coral and fan coral, and enhanced the octopus and added a couple more tentacles to him.  Vero's coral reef which she is currently working on is sure to end up looking like a beautiful magical kingdom which the children will love.  Christine also tweaked other elements of her Panel #6.  "Tweaking" is a compulsion that hits all three of us inbetween actively creating new elements.  It urges us to take a quick few minutes to improve upon something previously painted.  Sometimes it's not just "tweaking," as we discover we've finished painting something that is completely out of perspective or off-color, forcing us to re-examine and repaint.

Christine Thomas' Panel #6

 Panel #2 of mine posed some compositional problems, however by the end of the day I was satisfied with my progress, although it's never quite as good as I hoped it would be.  Painted in today was the eagles' eggs, a couple of new hammocks with palms and pines, lots of bushes and scrub, and began narrowing the sandy pathways.  Lots more shrubs, vines and palmettos will soon be added.

Judy Burgarella's Panel #2

At 4:20 we packed up, carried the panels into the Florida Room where Dawn will be painting on Tuesday.  Next painting session for Christine and I will be Friday, so visit this blog after that to see what progress we've made.
Ciou!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project

November 4th, our 42nd Mural Painting Session

 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.

In mine and Dawn's absence, Christine Thomas has gained on us, although Dawn was away some of the time also.  After over a week off the canvas due to family visiting, it was good to pick up the brush again at the mural.  Left critical files behind at home though so was hampered in my progress.  Christine accomplished a lot on her last panel, creating very exciting elements and life slithering, swimming and crawling around her final canvas, below:


Panel #6 by Christine Thomas

Dawn's panel #5 has really come together, with only a few more elements to go.  Looks like you could just walk right into the panel and jump in the water!  Fabulous job with all that architecture too.



Dawn Mill working on panel #5

Pictured below is our work space, with plenty of ceiling room for us to raise the panels up in order to work on lower areas of the mural.  Pictured in the background is the 2001 mural Dawn Mill worked on with several other artists for the Vero Beach Art Club.  This photo shows Dawn sitting back from the mural, sizing up perspective, color and composition, a process which occurs constantly while we are painting.  Due to the largeness of it all, it is very easy to lose track of perspective, and we need to always keep in mind that each panel must segue onto and match the others.



Christine Thomas and Dawn Mill discussing composition (old mural pictured in background)

And finally, below is my panel #2, with the Sexton Farm tweaked a bit more, the eagle family painted in, and other background scumbled on. 


Judy Burgarella's Panel #2


Monday we will be back to the panels, so check back late Monday night and you may find some new life on the canvas.
Ciou!
Judy Burgarella
Blogger for the Vero Beach Mural Project