Art Legends of Orange County: The Art of Hal McIntosh
Oral history--United States
Winter Park (Fla.)
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
Art--Southern States
Artists--Florida
Painters--Southern States
Painting--Florida
Hopper, Edward, 1882-1967
Education--Florida
Teachers--Florida
Educators--Florida
Polasek, Albin, 1879-1965
Naples (Fla.)
Maitland (Fla.)
Oral history of Hal McIntosh, conducted by Erin Parke on March 16, 2015. McIntosh is a nationally renowned artist who currently resides in Winter Park, Florida. Born in 1927, Hal McIntosh began his formal studies at the Detroit Art Institute in Detroit, Michigan, and the Toledo Museum of Art in Toledo, Ohio. At age 18, the Art Research Studio (present-day Maitland Art Center) in Maitland, Florida, selected him as the institution’s youngest-ever artist in residence. His talent later earned him the Directorship of the Academy of Fine Arts in Lynchburg, Virginia, where he served as a museum director and teacher for five years. As a resident of Central Florida, McIntosh taught at the Loch Haven Art Center in Orlando and even ran his own institution known as the McIntosh School in Winter Park for 30 years. McIntosh splits his time between his Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and Winter Park studios. <br /><br />With an artistic career lasting over 60 years, Hal McIntosh’s influence on our community is profound. His bold abstractions, tranquil waterscapes, and stirring portraiture, all masterfully painted with a touch of McIntosh’s signature Orientalism, have been widely exhibited in the area and are part of numerous regional collections, both private and public. Deep connections with the people and places of Orange County have allowed McIntosh to join the ranks as one of the greats and to be remembered eternally as an Art Legend. <br /><br />In this oral history interview, McIntosh discusses his early life and education, his teaching philosophy, and where he gets the inspiration and influence for his art. He also mentions his relationship with Albin Polasek and Emily Muska Kubat Polasek. Eric Varty, a close friend of Hal, also contributes briefly to the conversation.
McIntosh, Hal
Parke, Erin
Original 1-hour, 6-minute, and 42-second oral history: McIntosh, Hal. Interviewed by Erin Parke on March 16, 2015. <a href="http://www.polasek.org/" target="_blank">Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens</a>, Winter Park, Florida.
audio/mp3
application/pdf
eng
Sound
Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Winter Park, Florida
Naples, Florida
Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens, Winter Park, Florida
Research Studio, Maitland, Florida
Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper with Sculpture, 1996
Leeper, Doris, 1929-2000
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Painters--Southern States
Painting--Florida
New Smyrna Beach (Fla.)
Doris Marie Leeper in 1996. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida, near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.<br /><br />Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Mitchell, Jack
Original black and white photograph by Jack Mitchell, 1996: <a href="http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org/" target="_blank">Atlantic Center for the Arts</a>, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper, 1956
Leeper, Doris, 1929-2000
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Painters--Southern States
Painting--Florida
New Smyrna Beach (Fla.)
Doris Marie Leeper in her studio in 1956. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida, near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.<br /><br />Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Original black and white photograph, 1956: <a href="http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org/" target="_blank">Atlantic Center for the Arts</a>, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper, 1996
Leeper, Doris, 1929-2000
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Painters--Southern States
Painting--Florida
New Smyrna Beach (Fla.)
Doris Marie Leeper in 1996. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida, near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.<br /><br />Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Mitchell, Jack
Original black and white photograph by Jack Mitchell, 1996: <a href="http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts.org/" target="_blank">Atlantic Center for the Arts</a>, New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Doris Leeper
Art--United States
Painting--Florida
New Smyrna Beach (Fla.)
Known to many as "Doc," Doris Marie Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida, near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.<br /><br />Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Original black and white photograph: <a href="http://artandhistory.org/maitland-history-museum/" target="_blank">Cornell Fine Arts Museum</a>, Winter Park, Florida.
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Eldora, Florida
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Johann Eyfells
Orlando (Fla.)
Art--Southern States
Sculpture--United States
Educators--Florida
Teachers--Florida
Johann Eyfells was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1923. Eyfells works with a variety of media, including metal, wood, paper, plastic, and cloth, in an effort to document the interaction between time, space, and gravity. Many of his sculptures are minimal and non-objective, resembling lava or geological formations. In the 1960s, he developed the concept of Receptualism, the practice of portraying original ideas visually using non-representative and abstract forms. Eyfells considers himself more of an experimental chemist than a sculptor. <br /><br />Eyfells worked as an architect, artist, and teacher in Iceland before relocating to the United States. During his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Eyfells met Kristin Halldorsdottir, a former Icelandic model and dress designer. They married in 1949 and moved to Florida together to complete their studies in 1969. Eyfells finished his degree in architecture in 1953, and in 1964, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts. In 1969, he joined the art department of the Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) and taught there for over 30 years. On retirement, he moved to Fredericksburg, Texas.
Original color photograph: <a href="http://www.orangecountyfl.net/" target="_blank">Orange County Commission Chambers</a>, Orlando, Florida.
image/jpg
Still Image
Reykjavik, Iceland
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Fredericksburg, Texas
Receptualistic Pyramid by Johann Eyfells
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Sculptors--United States
Sculpture--United States
<em>Receptualistic Pyramid</em>, a sculpture by Johann Eyfells. Eyfells was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1923. Eyfells works with a variety of media, including metal, wood, paper, plastic, and cloth, in an effort to document the interaction between time, space, and gravity. Many of his sculptures are minimal and non-objective, resembling lava or geological formations. In the 1960s, he developed the concept of Receptualism, the practice of portraying original ideas visually using non-representative and abstract forms. Eyfells considers himself more of an experimental chemist than a sculptor. <br /><br />Eyfells worked as an architect, artist, and teacher in Iceland before relocating to the United States. During his studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Eyfells met Kristin Halldorsdottir, a former Icelandic model and dress designer. They married in 1949 and moved to Florida together to complete their studies in 1969. Eyfells finished his degree in architecture in 1953, and in 1964, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts. In 1969, he joined the art department of the Florida Technological University (present-day University of Central Florida) and taught there for over 30 years. On retirement, he moved to Fredericksburg, Texas.
Original color photograph: <a href="http://www.crealde.org/" target="_blank">Crealdé School of Art</a>, Winter Park.
image/jpg
Still Image
Reykjavik, Iceland
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Fredericksburg, Texas
The Power of Passage by Johann Eyfells
Orlando (Fla.)
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Sculptors--United States
Sculpture--United States
<em>The Power of Passage</em>, a sculpture created by Johann Eyfells in 1987. Eyfells was born in Reykjavík, Iceland, in 1923. Eyfells works with a variety of media, including metal, wood, paper, plastic, and cloth, in an effort to document the interaction between time, space, and gravity. Many of his sculptures are minimal and non-objective, resembling lava or geological formations. In the 1960s, he developed the concept of Receptualism, the practice of portraying original ideas visually using non-representative and abstract forms. Eyfells considers himself more of an experimental chemist than a sculptor. <br /><br />Eyfells worked as an architect, artist, and teacher in Iceland before relocating to the United States. During his studies at Berkeley, Eyfells met Kristin Halldorsdottir, a former Icelandic model and dress designer. They married in 1949 and moved to Florida together to complete their studies in 1969. Eyfells finished his degree in architecture in 1953, and in 1964, he earned a master’s degree in fine arts. In 1969, he joined the art department of the Florida Technological Institute (present-day University of Central Florida) and taught there for over 30 years. On retirement, he moved to Fredericksburg, Texas.
Original color photograph: <a href="http://www.ucf.edu/">University of Central Florida</a>, Orlando, Florida.
image/jpg
Still Image
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Untitled (Tondo) by Doris "Doc" Marie Leeper
Leeper, Doris, 1929-2000
Artists--Florida
Art--Southern States
Painters--Southern States
Painting--Florida
<em>Untitled (Tondo)</em>, an oil on masonite painting created by Doris Marie Leeper around 1960. Known to many as "Doc," Leeper was a trailblazing abstract painter and sculptor based in Eldora, Florida near New Smyrna Beach. Originally from North Carolina, Leeper found an artistic oasis in Central Florida. The region provided her with the space to buy a house and work in relative isolation, but also augmented her interest in natural preservation. Today, the Doris Leeper Spruce Creek Preserve remains a testament to her environmental dedication. Leeper’s impact on Central Florida also became apparent through her support for institutions; for example, she was a founder of the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach. Leeper’s local legacy manifests itself most profoundly through her artistic production. Her bold lines, strong color palette, and propensity for clean lines aesthetically aligned her with minimalism.<br /><br />Leeper’s painting evolved from representational to non-objective over time. She embraced a language of abstraction more typical of the prevailing New York art world in the 1960 and 1970s, as opposed to the dominant aesthetic in Florida during the same time period. She showed her work locally and regionally with regularity. Her work was celebrated by significant solo exhibitions at the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte, North Carolina. The process of mining local histories yields the legacies of talented artists who have often been discarded from mainstream narratives. When one engages deeper with Leeper’s work, it is not difficult to conclude that her myriad two- and three-dimensional works are worthy of not only a local, but a national story.
Leeper, Doris "Doc" Marie
Original oil painting: Leeper, Doris Marie. <em>Untitled (Tondo)</em>: item 1995.13, <a href="http://artandhistory.org/maitland-history-museum/" target="_blank">Cornell Fine Arts Museum</a>, Winter Park, Florida.
image/jpg
eng
Still Image
Eldora, Florida
New Smyrna Beach, Florida