Cover Artist Announced

The Wood and Swink Preservation Society is pleased to announce the cover artist for the 2011 Evinston Paint Out: Charles Dickinson of St. Augustine, FL.

Charles painted the image below on the last day of the 2010 Evinston Paint Out and it is the interior of the Wood & Swink Post Office and Old Store from the back door looking in. It is an elaborate and unique piece and will be reproduced in Limited Edition prints for the Wood & Swink to sell. 100% of the proceeds from print sales will go directly to the Wood & Swink. Only a small number will be printed so don't miss out on the opportunity to get yours! They will be for sale starting the first day of the Paint Out.

See the photo directly below this post! The detail Charles captured is amazing!

2011 Evinston Artists Announced

The 2011 Evinston Paint Out artists have been invited and the following have confirmed:

Kate Barnes, Trish Beckham, Cathy Berse, Eleanor Blair, Linda Blondheim, Thom Buttner, Christophe Cardot, Peter Carolin, Grayson Conroy, Katie Dobson Cundiff, Charles Dickinson, Stefan Duncan, Elisabeth Ferber, Scott Hiestand, Nancy Moskovitz, Berto Ortega, Barbara Perrotti, Robin Popp, Morgan Samuel Price, Jackie Schindehette, Robert Simone, Regina Stahl-Briskey, Mary Jane Volkmann, Robert Wince, John Yeackle.

Visit the links (below left side bar) of each artist to preview some of their paintings.

Don't miss out on the opportunity to see original paintings by these fabulous artists! Save the date and plan to come during the week and watch them paint the beautiful scenery in and around Evinston!

A thank you to people who do good...

THIS IS AN EXCERPT BY COVER ARTIST, LINDA BLONDHEIM, TAKEN FROM HER BLOG. I echo her sentiments and give a heartfelt thank you to all the patrons, supporters, donors, etc. that make it possible for us to host these kinds of events. Sincerely, Leslie Long, Event Director.

Photo: Linda and Henry, AKA: Studio Dog in January 2010

"I want to thank all of the good folk who work so tirelessly in their communities to make art events happen. The Evinston and Winter Park paint outs are around the corner and I know of the behind the scenes work that is going on to make them possible. Yes, the people directly involved are committed to this effort and they will benefit from it with the causes they represent. There are others though who get absolutely nothing for their troubles except a sense of community and satisfaction. These are the unsung heroes. The farmers and ranchers who will open their farms to strangers, offering transportation, refreshments and their beautiful lands. The businesses who step up to offer in kind equipment and donations of catering, supplies and promotional materials. The amazing people who open their own homes and vacation homes to strangers, and the friends who volunteer countless hours to make these events possible. Then there are the patrons who purchase yet another painting this year to help their favorite artist and support the worthy cause. They are the biggest heroes because without their support, all of the work is for naught.

We as artists are entirely dependent on the support of patrons. Art is not a widget or a household item. It is to us a vital part of our life and our souls, but to non artists often of questionable value. We are provided a living by those good souls who feel love for the magic of painting. Not for a moment do I ever take that gift for granted. My patrons are precious to me in every way. They are the superstars of my world. They make my bohemian lifestyle possible and I am utterly awed by them.

What could we all achieve together if we did one kind thing today?"

Community Spotlight on TV20 Gainesville

Go take a look at the short spot that was done by TV20 Host Bob Williams for the Community Spotlight. He does a short interview with Busy Kislig Shires-Byerly, the Executive Director for the Conservation Trust for Florida, discussing the Evinston Paintout and the Patron's Gala. Great job Busy! Click HERE to watch the video.

EVINSTON PAINTOUT POSTER

Here is the Evinston Paintout Poster. Please feel free to print a copy and place on your bulletin board at work or copy and send it to your entire address book to help us promote this wonderful event! If you click on the poster, it will open it in another window, allowing you to use the "magnifying glass" to see the small print. Or, you can click on the name of the blog post "EVINSTON PAINTOUT POSTER" and it will take you to download it.

PAINT OUT LOCATION & SCHEDULE

Come join us for the 2011 Evinston Paintout hosted by the Wood & Swink Preservation Society, a non-profit 501 (c) 3 organization dedicated to preserving this national landmark.

The Paintout wetroom/gallery will be at the Wood & Swink Old Store and Post Office, 18320 County Road 225 in Evinston, FL.

Directions from I-75 North or South: take exit 368 to Irvine/Orange Lake, turn right on CR 318. Your first big intersection is a traffic light at SR 441, turn left toward McIntosh. Pass thru McIntosh and then after 3 or 4 miles, you will start to see signs for the Paintout. You need to turn right on SE 185th Avenue. It ends at CR 225 – turn left and you will see the Wood & Swink about a block up on the left.

Directions from Gainesville: SR 441 South and continue as instructed above and follow signs.

Check in at the Wood & Swink during the week of April 11-17, 2011 to find out where the artists are painting. The gallery will be open Monday (4/11) thru Friday(4/15) from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm and on Sat.(4/16) from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm for the first annual HeritageFest.

Each day we will have hayrides from the Wood & Swink to where the artists are painting; and on Sat. there will be local vendors selling their hand-made wares. The Mt. Elliah Baptist church will be making home-cooked country lunches from 11:30 to 3:00 pm ($6 - $10) in case you get hungry.

Patron's Gala at Wood & Swink's Packing House Friday, April 15, 2011 6:30 pm

The Patron’s Gala for the 2011 Evinston Paintout will be held at the Old Packing House next to the Wood & Swink Post Office on Fri., April 15th. The party starts at 6:30 pm and there will be great art, food, beer and wine, entertainment and conversation. This will be an old-fashioned BBQ and will be catered by Pearl Country Store, some of the best BBQ in the area.

The goal of the Patrons' Gala is to sell as many paintings as we can to raise money in support of our cause. All of the artists who have worked so hard during the week of the paintout will be there to meet you and tell you about their art. There will be many scenes you will recognize in their paintings and we hope that at least one of them will inspire you to buy it and take it home. The artists are working hard to paint as much of “old Florida” as they can before it disappears in the name of progress.

Tickets are $20 each in advance or $30 at the door. BONUS: If you buy a piece of art, your ticket price is FULLY REFUNDABLE, making it FREE. You can purchase tickets HERE. Please come out in support of this worthwhile event.

HOUSE AN ARTIST - GET A PAINTING!

SHARE YOUR HOME AND EARN A FREE PAINTING FROM THE ARTIST!
Hi folks. If you live in Evinston, FL or the surrounding area, we are in need of your assistance. We are hosting the Evinston Paintout from April 11 - 16, 2011. We will have approximately 30 artists from around the nation who will need a bed and a bathroom during their stay.

As the host, you are not required to feed or entertain them. They will be painting every day and we will take care of most of their needs. In exchange for your generosity the artist will give you with a painting upon their departure.

So, if you are an art lover and would like to help these artists paint for a worthy cause (to raise money for renovations of the Wood & Swink Old Store & Post Office) then download the HOUSING FORM HERE and sign up.

We appreciate your help and if you have questions or need to speak with someone first, please call Leslie Long, Event Director at 321.890.3652.

SAVE THE DATE...for the Evinston Paintout April 17-24, 2010!

Come and witness an exciting phenomenon known as Plein Air painting in Evinston, FL and surrounding areas (Cross Creek, Orange Lake) from April 17-24, 2010! Approximately 30 of the best national landscape painters will be painting in Evinston for an entire week! These artists paint outside “en plein air,” meaning “in the open air.” Most Plein Air painters are nature lovers, using the great outdoors as their primary studio, trying to capture our rapidly vanishing landscape to preserve it for future generations. They learn to adapt quickly to changes in light and weather, capturing shadows before the sun inevitably shifts, literally trying to harness the natural light and colors of a specific moment in nature, and transfer it directly onto the canvas. This style of painting allows the public to interact with the artists while they paint and offers a great opportunity to purchase an original work of art from a well known artist at a very reasonable price.

The artists will be painting daily, Saturday, April 17^th thru Saturday, April 24^th. Most will begin at first light and continue painting until sunset. The finished artwork will be available to view and purchase in the Wetroom/Art Gallery at the Wood & Swink Country Store & Post Office, open Saturday thru Thursday from 10:00-6:00 and 10:00-4:00 on Saturday, April 24th. Each year the artists produce around 300 paintings during the week, all of which are for sale as soon as they are hung. The Wood & Swink is located at18320 Southeast County Road 225, Evinston FL 32633.

The most exciting part of this event is that the a portion of the proceeds from art sales will be donated to the preservation and restoration of Florida’s oldest post office, the Wood & Swink Country Store & Post Office For more information about this organization and its’ supporters, please visit www.conserveflorida.org or To find out more about the artists schedule and view their work, visit www.evinstonpaintout.org Send an email to the Event Director thru the CONTACT link on the website if you need additional information.

2010 Evinston Paintout COVER ARTIST, Linda Blondheim

The 2010 Program Cover Artist is Award winning painter, Linda Blondheim. She lives in Gainesville, Florida and works primarily in acrylics and oils. Linda is a listed artist with Art Price, Ask Art, The American Blue Book and Marquis Who's Who in American Art. She has museum history in Alabama, Georgia, and Florida and is also gallery represented in Florida and Georgia.

Blondheim's work is often described as painterly or representational painting. Sometimes she is referred to as a representational expressionist or American impressionist. She enjoys plein air painting almost year round because of the mild Florida climate, but enjoys traveling throughout the south to capture the beauty found in each state. Some of Linda's work is done en plein air, but she does enjoy working from plein air studies and photographs to complete larger works in the studio. She can be seen regularly in and around Evinston with Henry, AKA: Studio Dog, painting in a field or scouting for new scenes. Her paintings are found in private and corporate collections throughout the United States. "North Florida Sky" was chosen for this year's program because it epitomizes the Evinston area which has both lovely sabal palms in the same field as 200 year old oaks. It is the quintessential north Florida scenic vista.

Linda earned a BFA from the University of Tampa, studied post Bac at University of South Florida and has been painting for 33 years. She is co-founder and member of Plein Air Florida, , an invitational member of both Plein Air Georgia and Plein Air Alabama and Fresh Air.