Banner Art In The Air

One of our local Innkeepers and Mount Dora Artist, Barry with the Captain's Inn, is participating in a exhibit called "Art In The Air," a local outdoor art exhibit taking place on the main entrance and road into town. Here, Barry talks about his inspiration and his technique. I've taken some photos, but they don't quite do it justice. If you're in town, stop by and check out Art In The Air. --Rachelle

"Being part of the "Art in the Air" is fantastic. Think about it, Donnelly Street is now an art gallery and as time goes by this event will not only grow, but will inspire and create more great Mount Dora artists.

Mount Dora is a great inspiration for getting creative. It is like a Norman Rockwell painting no matter where you look, it is art to the eyes. For the Banner, I have chose 2 pieces from my new suite, "Fall In Love With Mount Dora." One is, In The Village, a picture of the Donnelly House and the other is, Mount Dora Nostalgia, an inspiration of time long ago.

The process I use for painting this Banner Art in the Air is a mix media. First capturing the image through film then transferring the image onto canvas through modern techniques. I then highlight the picture, which is not that different from highlighting your hair. It entails painting tiny bright dots of paint on the picture to give it more texture and luminescence. For instance, a little more pink on the rose bushes, a little more green on the trees. Everything changes then ... the sky changes, life changes. Take a brush and dip into green paint and then with quick short strokes, dapple the underside of a tree, just a touch, but the tree will suddenly stand out from the other trees and it will seem newly bright and full. Truly one-of-a-kind. That's my method of painting these banners, it's all about painting life." --Captain Barry, The Captain's Inn