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Local artist Patty Kane brings coastal 'seapour' watercolors to Sanford City Hall
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Summary
Artist Patty Kane displayed a series of coastal watercolors and 'seapour' works at Sanford City Hall during the Public Art Commission's 'Art in Chambers' program, explaining her ocean-based technique and the local places that inspired individual pieces.
Patty Kane, a coastal watercolor artist, spoke to the City of Sanford Public Art Commission on Jan. 16 as part of the commission's "Art in Chambers" exhibit at Sanford City Hall. Kane described a series of seapour and watercolor pieces inspired by Florida coasts and nearby estuaries and noted how the ocean itself contributes to each work's texture and form.
Kane opened by saying, "My name's Patty Kane, and I am proud to have my coastal work here at City Hall of City of Sanford." She walked the commission and attendees through several works, beginning with "Sunset on Sanibel," a piece she described as a "dream day" created by pouring diluted watercolor with "very little brushwork" after traveling across the state to see sunrise and sunset in one day.
Much of Kane's presentation focused on her seapour technique: she tosses watercolor paper into surf, lets tides and sand mark the paper, then pours diluted paint on the dried sheet. "I call it my collaboration with Mother Nature," Kane said, describing one sheet that, after drying, resembled a "flock of seagulls." She pointed to other seapour pieces — including works she said represent Lake Jessup, Back Bay estuaries and Destin palm vistas — and emphasized the textures and colors that sea water and pouring produce.
Kane also discussed pieces that depart from pure seapour work: "The Wave" is an acrylic she sketched over a year and completed in a day, and she noted a traditional watercolor called "2 Boys on the Beach." She said she completed a series of 21 palm-tree paintings and reflected on artistic persistence: "If you want palm trees, then go for the palm trees." Kane attributed long practice and on-site observation to finishing more representational and larger-scale works.
Virginia Poe, chair of the City of Sanford Public Art Commission, thanked Kane for "beautifying the chamber," encouraged residents to view the work in the commission chambers, and noted that if a piece were sold Kane had agreed to replace it with another painting. Poe closed the presentation by saying, "art enriches everyone." The exhibit remains on display in the City Commission Chambers at Sanford City Hall.
