Paint Out in the Park adds color to Homecoming

 

By SUE SUCHYTA

Times-Herald Newspapers

DEARBORN – Paint Out in the Park at Homecoming added color and creativity to the city’s August celebration, held this year on the grounds of the Ford Community & Performing Arts Center. 

Artists painted outdoors at their own pace during the three-day juried event, which also recognized veteran participants and emerging artists. 

Judges Bob Curtis, Matthew Dietz and Chris Bennet awarded first place to Kyle Kitchen, second place to Noelle Dahl, and honorable mentions to Jason Kimble, Midwest Anthony and Brandon Camp. 

Lauren Boyce was recognized as the top emerging artist, with honorable mentions awarded to up-and-coming artists Lenora Cutright, Jackie Soliel and Danya Jamalaldin.

Artist Chloe Rahal received the People’s Choice Award for her urban landscape. 

Four artists were recognized as veteran contributors for participating in all four years of Paint Out in the Park: Sanda Cook, Kevin Furgerson, Luke MacGilvray and Amber Roy. 

Trish Howell of Detroit, whose painting was inspired by the nearby carnival rides, said she was enjoying meeting the people who came by to watch them paint. 

“It’s been three days, and it’s been really, really hot, so I have been taking advantage of getting under the tree and painting as long as I can,” she said. 

Howell said she was using acrylic paint, paint pens and Sharpie markers. 

“I am using all of the colors that are here from the carnival,” she said. “Once I got all the colors that I needed from the carnival, I just started freestyling with the best parts of it.”

Howell said the children watching her paint are quicker than the adults to realize that she is capturing the carnival on her canvas. 

‘I will be doing this and they are like, ‘Mom, it’s that! It’s that!’ and they are like ‘Huh?’ and they look and they start to piece together the tower and the Ferris wheel and then they are like, ‘You’re painting this,’” she said with a grin. “So, I am right in the middle of the bees (ride).” 

Howell said she enjoyed the atmosphere of artists meeting other artists.

Fellow artist Cutright of Detroit, who was working nearby, said Paint Out in the Park was a fun experience. 

“This was my first time, and I’m not used to other people seeing my work, because it’s usually just sitting in the house,” she said. 

Cutright said she definitely will return next year. 

Artist Amber Roy of Ypsilanti, who has participated in all four Paint Out in the Park events, said the people watching and visiting with the artists are friendly and sociable. 

“Dearborn’s community is so amazing – that is truly what it is,” she said.

Roy said she enjoyed the Saturday night fireworks as well. 

She said her painting, which combined elements of mushrooms and crystals, sparked conversations. 

“I just want to do something fun and light-hearted, and everyone that paints need to sign up for this,” Roy said. “It is so fun, and you meet other like-minded artists, meet some new friends, have a good time and get your work out there.”  

Sasha Corder, curator of Dearborn’s Padzieski Gallery and event coordinator, said they had a record 54 artists participating in this year’s Paint Out in the Park.

“We usually end up with about 45 or 50, and this year everybody who signed up came and enjoyed themselves,” she said. “It’s definitely a hot one, and we made sure to have water and kept everybody hydrated.”

Corder said the painters worked at their own pace, and they could go get food and beverages whenever they wished, and could go inside the COMPAC when needed to cool off, as well as to check out the work in the gallery and other artists’ works in progress. 

“We have a very diverse group of artists,” she said. “We have studio artists, street artists, airbrush artists. So a lot of the time, when you are a studio practicing artist, you don’t get the chance to really communicate about your process with passers-by, so this is a really fun opportunity for them to relay their processes and ideas to people who may not know what they are doing,” she said. 

Corder said their location on the lawn south of the COMPAC has integrated them more into the Homecoming festival. 

“At Ford Field Park, we are kind of up on the kids’ hill, and there were a lot of people that didn’t know that we were there, because they didn’t know that there was anything going on up on hill,” she said. “We got a lot of ‘Oh, I didn’t know this happened before,’ but this is our fourth year.”

Corder said it was much easier logistically to have Paint Out in the Park at the COMPAC. 

She said this year, they switched from wood panels to canvas, and she thinks they will keep that change, since it was easier to move each work of art.

Corder said many of the works of art will be for sale, and all will be on display soon, perhaps as early as September, in the Henry Ford Centennial Library rotunda.