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ARTS + CULTURE THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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SCENE & HEARD

Fiction author Chinelo Okparanta

Hermitage to present female writers summit

Artist Brendan Coudal embodies the Florida lifestyle.

The avid fisherman captures scenes from his everyday life on canvas.

Painting Paradise

The Hermitage Artist Retreat will host a summit this week focusing on the work of female writers in the art and publishing world. At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, at Florida Studio Theatre’s Goldstein Cabaret, the Hermitage will present a talk conducted by playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury, poet Camille Dungy and fiction author Chinelo Okparanta. The three women will talk about their craft, read from their work and discuss the challenges and inspiration they experience every day. The event is free, but reservations are required. To reserve seats, call Sharyn Lonsdale at 475-2098, Ext. 5.

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Photo by Nick Reichert

Like any fisherman, Brendan Coudal is patient. He completes about 12 paintings a year.

t is best described as a Florida fisherman’s paradise. Paintings of majestic tarpons and other exotic game fish grace the walls. Island music from Jimmy Buffett, Bob Marley and The Beach Boys floats through the air. Fishing rods double as decorations, and there is a 17-foot boat parked at the ready in the nearby garage.

But there will be no fishing today.

Overcast and rainy, avid fisherman Brendan Coudal cradles a cup of black coffee and picks up his oil paint and brushes. Dozens of bright Florida visions swim in his head. If Mother Nature won’t let Coudal witness Florida’s natural beauty, he’ll make it himself.

It’s time to paint. PAGE 2

Theater review: ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’ Forget Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original story about a hell hound and ancient family curse. The playwrights use Doyle’s story as a springboard for silliness.

If you need a good laugh at Sherlock Holmes’ expense, this is the scene of the crime.

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

PAINTING PARADISE: Artist captures old Florida FROM PAGE 1

“I like to think that Florida still exists if you just take a minute to look for it. Get off the interstate and ride down an old seashell Florida road.

Everyone bemoans progress and development, but there's still a bunch of old Florida left to be discovered and enjoyed.”

Coudal, 49, can be found most days (when he’s not out on his boat) in his art studio on the lower level of his Nokomis house. Joined by his wife, Nicole, who handles the business side of his online art business, and their two cats, Max and Phoebe, Coudal’s environment is a reflection of the artist himself. His style is relaxed, yet bright and inviting. He is known for retro-inspired paintings of Florida scenes, wildlife and World War II pinup girls that he transfers onto postcards, wooden signs and other nostalgic-feeling conduits.

“I bring a contemporary spin to a mid-century illustrative style,” Coudal says. “I’m not a hyper photo-realist, but I’m a painter for the love of the painting, the brushwork and the medium itself.”

NEW ARTISTIC MODEL

Coudal began his journey on a traditional artistic route. From 2002 to 2005 Coudal ran his own gallery, the Brendan Gallery, out of The Beachcomber Hotel on Casey Key. He sold his fish scenes and Floridascapes to locals and tourists. But Coudal soon realized that mode of distribution wasn’t the best to turn a profit.

“For me, the old model of hanging a painting in a gallery and waiting for it to sell is dead,” says Coudal. “It’s great if you can do it but, for me, if I can license the image, merchandize it, sell it on prints, posters and apparel and then sell the original works as well, then all the better.”

– Brendan Coudal

Coudal is known for retro-inspired paintings of World War II bomberstyle pinup girls that he transfers onto postcards and wooden signs.

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Nick Reichert

Coudal works in his Nokomis art studio.

Coudal, who sells his works on his website, brendancoudal.com, works with Sarasota printers to feature his trademarked designs on postcards, prints and T-shirts.

For his wooden signs featuring his trademark pinup girls, which have been used locally as prizes and event images for the Florida Winefest & Auction and the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament, he has them produced by a woodshop in Atlanta.

Like a true fisherman, Coudal likes to take his time. He usually completes about a dozen paint-

ings a year.

“I try to capture a romanticized notion of Florida, a more innocent and nostalgic Florida,” Coudal says.

DISCOVERING FLORIDA

After graduating high school from the Chicago Performing Arts Academy, at age 18 Coudal helped his grandfather move to Venice. He was only supposed to stay for a few weeks. It turned into a never-ending vacation. Coudal paid the bills by waiting tables, bartending, working in hotels and

condos and eventually becoming the maintenance man for the Island House Motel on Casey Key. But in 2001, after 9/11, Coudal re-evaluated what he wanted to do with his life. His father gave him a watercolor set that sparked his creative juices.

He sold his first commissioned painting in 2001 to the owner of the Island House, which he was managing at the time. The owner paid him $25: He wanted some-

thing in blue to be hung in room No. 10. Coudal, a part-time fishing guide at the time, created a scene from his everyday life: a landscape featuring a fisherman and his guide pointing to the water toward a fish.

“I would describe myself as a contemporary artist painting in a retro style,” says Coudal. “I try to focus on portraying a story of some sort and my perspective on Florida.”

Inspired by iconic early- to mid-20th century illustrators and artists such as John SeereyLester (from whom he took lessons), Thorton Utz, Gil Elvgren, Stanley Meltzoff, and, of course, the authority on American illustration, Norman Rockwell, Coudal sees his work not only as an extension of his perspective on Florida but also reviving a seemingly lost art form.

“I like to think that Florida still exists if you just take a minute to look for it,” he says. “Get off the interstate and ride down an old seashell Florida road. Everyone bemoans progress and development, but there’s still a bunch of old Florida left to be discovered and enjoyed.”

FISH TALE The Coudals embrace marine life head on. They go fishing at least once a week on their 17-foot-long flatboat, Akina 3. Akina, which means "small bite" in Japanese, was where they spent one of their first dates almost 12 years ago. The couple was fishing on the bay and Nicole had just hooked her first tarpon. The 80-pound behemoth was poised to be lifted into the boat, but just as they were reeling it in, a hammerhead shark larger than the boat they were on grabbed onto the tarpon and swam away with their catch.

THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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FAMOUS FANS Since working full-time as an artist for the last five years, Coudal has created commissions for local organizations such as Florida Winefest & Auction, the Sarasota Tarpon Tournament and the Perlman Music Program/ Suncoast.

He’s also received numerous commissions from celebrity fans such as author Stephen King, actress Linda Hamilton from the “Terminator” franchise and local reporter/ voice of “Biography” Jack Perkins.

“It feels really nice and encouraging when Stephen King reaches out to you and says he’s been a big fan of yours for a long time,” says Coudal. “He said, ‘I like the way you’ve captured the essence of Florida.’”

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

STUDIO SPACE: JORGE BLANCO

Although his bright sculptures in primary colors evoke a carefree and whimsical attitude, sculptor Jorge Blanco is all business inside his studio.

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“I worked for several years with architects, and I learned a lot from the architectural language of drawing and drafting.”

between graduating in 1971 and moving to Sarasota in 1999, Blanco studied in Rome at the Academy of Fine Arts and worked as a graphic designer, sculptor, cartoonist and as a creative director at El Museo de los Niños (the Children’s Museum) in Caracas.

“I keep asking myself the same question all the time: Where did I find this style?” says Blanco. “But I think it’s a mix. I was working in illustration, graphic design and at a center for children. I think I just mixed everything in the blender and this is the result.”

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hough Jorge Blanco is known for his bright, vibrant sculptures scattered throughout Sarasota and multiple countries, his studio tells a different story.

Tucked away on Irving Street in the Alta Vista neighborhood, his workspace is like the offspring of an auto body shop and an architect’s office.

Inside, the roar of saws and power tools mingles with the fresh smell of pencil shavings and metal cuttings. This stark space is where he creates colorful images of people on bicycles and roller skates and even schnauzer dogs.

“My passion is creating public art,” says Blanco. “I feel it’s a direct communication with the people. I also just like having more people enjoying and talking about my art. The more people that see my work, the better.”

Blanco fell in love with art when he was just 12 years old in his hometown of Caracas, Venezuela. He was smitten with a painting by French abstract artist Auguste Herbin. It’s clear the painter’s geometric and colorful design influenced Blanco.

He went on to study at the Neumann Institute of Design in Caracas under such influential European artists and designers as Gego and Cornelis Zitman. In

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“I love to do this kind of handy work.

I love to work with the tools and the machines.

I enjoy the ability to create.”

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

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“I build models before every commission. I construct the larger pieces on commission from various cities or for private collectors.

I build them in different and larger workshops in the Sarasota area.”

“Sometimes I prefer to do something abstract in color or form. The principle is the same — the geometric form. You can still recognize a human being or an animal, but it’s a combination of circles, triangles and squares.”

“Of course, sometimes it’s easy to sketch and it’s very comfortable in the air conditioning.

But the larger-scale pieces are fun because they’re big. I enjoy every step, and every step is important."

“I use warm colors because my goal is to communicate feelings of happiness and joy.

It’s more happy with the bright colors, especially for the kids.

They’re like toys, and I always use the same blue, red and yellow.”

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

REVIEWS

DEFINING ABSTRACTION July 10–August 5, 2015 Selby Galleries I & II

A group exhibition of the recent work of 30 artists whose work deals with the issue of abstraction.

Opening Reception: Friday, July 10, 5-7 pm Curator Tour: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 11:30 am Paid for in part by Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues.

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Gary Sweetman Photography

Larry Alexander, Gary Marachek and Don Walker star in “ART.”

‘ART’ is on display at Banyan Theater IF YOU GO

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“ART” runs through July 12, at the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, 5555 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Call 351-2808 or visit banyantheatercompany.com for more information.

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Yasmina Reza’s Tony Awardwinning “ART” is now on exhibit in the Banyan Theater’s first production this summer. The play concerns three friends: the wealthy Serge (Don Walker), the slightly less successful Marc (Gary Marachek) and Yvan (Larry Alexander), an aging class clown stuck in a job he hates. These guys are more like The Three Stooges than The Three Musketeers. Serge and Marc would both claim to be Moe — the alpha Stooge. But Serge upsets the natural order when he makes a gutsy, impulsive decision that Marc doesn’t approve of.

Serge buys a trendy minimalist painting that’s basically all white except for three nearly imperceptible parallel lines. Serge asks Marc, “How do you like the painting?” His friend replies with Hampton’s translation of “merde” and gets a big laugh.

Marc thinks it’s a lousy painting. He can deal with bad art, but not expensive bad art. And this baby has a hefty price tag: 200,000 francs.

Marc and Serge lock horns — and their culture war is on.

You think you see where this is going. The blank canvas is the emperor’s new art. Art snobs think they see something, thanks to their herd mentality. Art slobs see through that. A near-blank canvas is an easy target. But for Sizzle ad it’s Obsv.pdf 5/18/15 point.

2:07:28 PM Reza, just a starting

Standing in Sartre’s sandals, she’s obsessed with the mind’s distorting mirror. Serge doesn’t mind that Marc thinks the painting is crap; what bugs him is the implied superiority. Marc is irritated for the same reason.

They’re both upset by what they think the other guy is thinking; their failed mutual telepathy boils over into mutual hostility.

Existentialism aside, who’s top dog is the real question. Yvan, the beta-dog peacemaker, tries to smooth things over — and Serge and Marc sink their teeth into him.

An extended dog fight would be hard to take, and an extended philosophy lesson would be deadly dull. But Reza’s deft farce is never predictable. Her characters bob and weave, duck and feint. Despite the heavy issues, her play is funny from start to finish.

Julian Olf’s direction gets it exactly right. He makes Reza’s artifice seem natural — and that makes the comedy work.

As Marc, Marachek is great at seething hostility. The unflappable, bland smugness of Walker’s Serge is what’s driving him crazy.

But Alexander steals the show when he breathlessly relates the manipulative machinations of his fiancee, stepmother, mother and future mother in-law. It’s a funny scene in a funny play.

Even if you don’t know much about “ART,” you’ll be laughing all the way home.

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Tuesday, June 30, at Sarasota Yacht Club Benefiting Suncoast Charities for Children

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THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2015

P EO P LE W IT H PUR POSE BRITT RINER AGE: 29 OCCUPATION: President and CEO of Liber Consulting ORGANIZATIONS INVOLVED WITH: Junior League of Sarasota, Honor Flight and Southwest Virtual Florida Charter School Board

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we have and I want to make that time count.

THE JUNIOR LEAGUE recently

Heather Merriman

HEATHER MERRIMAN BLACK TIE EDITOR

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aised in Sarasota, Britt Riner has learned a lot about giving back from her parents: Her father served as a green beret in the Vietnam War and her mother was a public school teacher in Sarasota County for 34 years.

Riner discusses how her background has inspired her volunteerism and her passions for education, veterans and getting women involved in the community.

I THINK that age-old adage “to those whom much is given, much is expected” holds true with me. Growing up in Sarasota County and getting to go to these incredible schools and being a daughter of people with such missioned careers has profoundly shaped me. I want to pay it back, and I don’t want to wait to do that because we don’t know how much time

adopted Pineapple and Palm avenues, and we do a quarterly cleanup. We had our first cleanup about a month ago and we were wearing these bright neon yellow shirts for safety reasons, had on our latex gloves and we picked up trash all morning.

I think this generation of women is more about caring women who come together to assist their community not just through fundraisers and events, but with their own hands and feet.

I REMEMBER a business trip

when a colleague told me about Honor Flight and that there was a movie about it. I was on business in Seattle and it was rainy and gray, so I watched it.

My life was changed that night.

I took it home to my husband and said this is a fundraiser that sends veterans from local communities to see their me-

morials in Washington, D.C. Both of our grandfathers had served in WWII, but they had already passed so it was too late for them.

This was an opportunity to serve other people’s grandfathers as well as a way for me to live out a little bit of my mission about not forgetting the generations that served before the present one. We started by sending two guys to go in place of our grandfathers.

THERE WAS a gentleman on this last Honor Flight trip who was telling me that every time he drives by the Unconditional Surrender statue, it means so much to him. He had prepared the field for the Enola Gay to take off — this guy had surveyed the field for the plane that essentially ended the war to take off. I was thinking he must have this deep, profound thought every time he drives by the statue, so I asked. He sat back in his chair and said “what a lucky guy that was.”

It was a realization that one of the secrets to a long life is a sense of humor.

I’VE LEARNED how hard it is to

do the work. You have to give things time to take root and grow. Anything worth doing is going to be hard, but it’s worth it. We live in such an immediate gratification generation that we expect things to come quickly, and they aren’t always going to.

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