Oakland celebrates citrus history through art

The art center in the town of Oakland is a sea of orange with the opening of its latest exhibition, “Oakland Citrus History.” The walls of the Healthy West Orange Arts and Heritage Center at the Town of Oakland are lined with oil and acrylic paintings paying tribute to Oakland’s origins as a citrus town, but the exhibition includes more than that. There are citrus crate labels, a yarn tapestry, jewelry, old farming photographs and artifacts from the citrus industry.

The centerpiece of the exhibition is a smudge pot, a type of orchard heater that kept the citrus trees warm to avoid frost damage during freezing nights.

There’s even a nod to the Florida Orange Bird, which was the result of a contract between Walt Disney World and the Florida Citrus Commission for a sponsorship of a Magic Kingdom tropical bird show attraction.

Guests can learn about Oakland’s original citrus and vegetable farms, the major players in the industry and contributions to Florida’s agricultural history. And the center’s youngest guests can play at the pint-sized farmers market near the youth art.

Nine youth artists participated: Ellie Baloun, Hazel Bowman, Eden Hawthorne, Luke Hawthorne, Oliver Hawthorne, Story Hawthorne, Bailee Oliver, Finley Richardson and Orion Richardson.

The rest of the center is filled with the work of 31 adult artists: Jordan Barrette, Hope Barton, Jon Burket, Nicole Burnett, Sara Burr, Gary Clark, Tom Eder, Edward Ellerbe, Mike Goodge, Lisa Harris, Deborah Hawthorne, Ralph Kahn, Julia Kalei, Heather Lorenz, Caron Loveless, Cheryl McLean, Violeta Militaru, Dave Minichiello, Melody Oliver, Kelly Vick Pounds, JR Ramoutar, Ann Rank, Sharon Repple, Jennifer Richardson, Ronda Richley, Constance Sartor, Laura Serdiuk, Studio CPL, Hayley Ulloa, Jessica Ulloa and Karen Whitacre.

Ramoutar is a frequent exhibitor in the heritage center art shows and typically creates custom pieces based on the theme. Sometimes, creativity comes in the most unusual forms, including the idea for his oil painting “Crush Soda.”

“I wanted to feature an iconic orange-flavored food item, so I walked up and down the aisles in Publix until the soda caught my eye,” he said. “It was between orange marmalade or soda.”

Ramoutar, an Ocoee resident, has been an artist for one-and-one-half years, and while he kept his creative juices flowing through music production wood-working and martial arts, he found painting to be a natural detour.

“I have always appreciated visual artwork but couldn't afford to purchase any when we bought our home, so I decided I can paint my own,” he said.

He said he always finds time to produce art for the Oakland shows.

“I love that the town funds projects like these because they are so important for the community,” Ramoutar said. “I'd love to see these exhibitions continue to grow in attendance and participation.”

Winter Garden resident Kelly Vick Pounds considers herself a lifelong artist but turned it into a professional gig three years ago. For the Oakland exhibition, she painted “In Gratitude to the Orange Picker” in acrylic impasto on gallery-wrapped canvas after finding a copyright-free historical postcard in the Florida state archives to use as a reference photo.

“It brought up such vivid memories of watching the workers pick our family grove,” Pounds said.

She said she loves bringing stories to life through her art to make people feel good, and she is grateful for the town’s opportunities to share her art.

Deborah Hawthorne, who has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Flagler College, has two pieces in the Oakland exhibition: “Oliver’s Bowl” and “Roper Summer.” Her four children also have pieces on display: Luke, 10, submitted his still-life painting, "Bowl of Oranges," and his print, "Orange Blossom." Oliver, 8, submitted his print, "The Bird and the Branch." Eden, 6, submitted a print, "The Orange Open," and a collage, "The Hall of Oranges." Story, 4, submitted a collage, "Flower Lady."

“I created ‘Oliver's Bowl’ particularly for this exhibition,” Hawthorne said. “I have four kids and we like to create art together. When I heard about this exhibit and that artists of all ages were welcome, I decided to set up a few projects that would help us create art that followed the theme. One of those projects was setting up a still life and all of us sketching and painting together.

"’Oliver's Bowl’ was the result of that process,” she said. “My son Luke also submitted his piece, ‘Bowl of Oranges,’ from that same still life set up.”

Hawthorne said she created “Roper Summer” slowly over the past year with no intention of showing it to anyone.

“During the summer of 2020 we sold our house in Winter Garden and needed to rent a place for the month of July,” she said. “It was a very emotional time, as we sold the house all of our kids were raised in, lost our family dog and were just dealing with the chaos of what was going on in the world around us. Through friends of our family we got the opportunity to rent the Roper property on Lake Butler. Surrounded by beautiful vistas, orange groves and interesting mid-century architecture I felt very inspired. I knew that that place and time was special, even as it was happening. It felt like we got transported back in time. I am forever grateful for that haven we had in the midst of the storm around us. I wanted to create this piece to remember that.”

"Oliver's Bowl" is acrylic on wood panel, and "Roper Summer" is oil on canvas.

Hawthorne, of Windermere, said she was immediately inspired by the exhibition’s theme.

“My husband's family has lived in Orange County for six generations, and his grandfather and father had a company that serviced and maintained orange groves all over Central Florida,” she said.

Her children’s inspiration for their printmaking and collage pieces were old citrus labels.

“I have always thought it a fascinating thing to create something from nothing on a blank piece of paper or canvas,” Hawthorne said. “I feel closer to my Creator when I make art. I love the way making art challenges me to observe closely and to problem solve when things look off. I am very nostalgic and like that art can be used to remember. I also love that art can communicate truth and emotions in a way that words can't.”

Her desire to make art more of a career took a backseat to motherhood for years, but through setting up projects for her children, she has been able to focus on creating again.

Gary Clark, of Maitland, has two pieces on display: “Slices” and “In Shadow of the Oak,” two examples of the many styles of painting he does. He has been an artist his entire life because of his “desire to create.”

“My motivation is purely to create and enjoy my creation,” Clark said. “I love all of my art creations, and those that don’t work for me, I paint over. My preferred genre of paintings is modern art.”

Edward Ellerbe likes being in a collection with other talented artists. The Eustis resident has three acrylic-on-canvas paintings on display: “Coq A Vin” and “Running Rooster,” inspired by the free-range chickens and roosters that hang around town in Oviedo, and “The Farm,” which was inspired by the farm he and his wife lived on in Greenback, Tennessee.

Ellerbe discovered art in the fourth grade, when he started drawing and tracing comic books and album covers. He progressed to different mediums in middle and high school. He has been selling his art since 1993 and has worked for advertisement companies creating signs and painting billboards.