Does rain have a color? And if it does, what color is it?
Judging by the exhibition on display now at the Museum of Arts & Sciences in Daytona Beach, “The Color of Rain” is anything the 42 contributing artists want it to be. Their interpretations are shown by the colorfully painted umbrellas hanging from the museum's ceiling and walls.
“The color of rain to me is like a painting,” said NC Hagood, an abstract artist in New Smyrna Beach. “I made each section of the umbrella like a painting, so when you open it up, it’s like a lot of little paintings.”
She said she gets her inspiration from everyday life: “I take whatever I see and I abstract it.”
The show's theme was the brainchild of Lillian (LC) Tobey, the president of the Florida Women’s Art Association.
Several years ago, while she and her husband were visiting Paris, she said, they saw a display of umbrellas in an alley.
“I thought how whimsical that was, and I tucked that away in my memory bank,” she said. Two years ago, when she became president of FLWAA, the idea “popped up.”
“I thought, let me challenge them to an installation,” she said of the organization’s membership. She researched cohesiveness and knew they would all have to use the same umbrella. She presented the idea to the members of FLWAA, and said most were excited about the project, though some were hesitant.
“We decided on the type of umbrella and tried different paints on the umbrella,” she said. “You can’t use oil-based paints on nylon. We made the decision and presented the idea to the curator.
“So here we are, a year later, a year worth of work.”
Her husband cut the handles off all the umbrellas to make them gallery-ready, and Tobey later used the handles for a related art piece.
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The participating artists enjoyed working on the project.
Carson Kapp, of New Smyrna Beach, painted two umbrellas, one by herself and one as a member of a group of five artists who used the same colors to paint their own separate-but-related umbrellas.
“LC’s ideas are one reason I became a member of FLWAA,” Kapp said. “I love to do things that are different. … When I heard we would be doing an umbrella, I said, ‘Sign me up.’ I love a challenge. And they’re fun to paint on.”
But the project wasn't without its stumbling blocks. Elaine D’Amore Tillard, of Ormond Beach, took her time to plan her painting.
“I thought about it and thought about it, what I was going to do,” she said. “My biggest problem was the wrinkles in the umbrella. It’s not easy to paint on a wrinkled umbrella.” Her solution was to iron the umbrella on a “very low setting.”
Her husband spray-painted the umbrella midnight blue, and she dropped muted colors as raindrops on the background.
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One of the artists who submitted an umbrella to the exhibit is not a painter but a photographer, one of two who contributed to the show.
Kathleen Warren, of rural Flagler County and the vice president of FLWAA, said her first reaction was, “I can’t do that. I think I kind of put it at the back of my mind because I couldn’t see it. When it was explained how the umbrella would be displayed, I was really excited. … It’s something really unique in this area and I really wanted to be a part of it.”
Her umbrella featured a photo of an unopened hibiscus bud with a raindrop falling off of it. Because it was photography and not painting, she had the image commercially processed onto the umbrella.
The artists also were excited about Tobey’s hopes to take the show on the road.
“LC has grand ideas, which is what’s wonderful about her,” Kapp said. “She’s going to see if it can become a traveling exhibit.”
“The Color of Rain” opened March 26 and will be on display through May 22.
Location: The Museum of Arts & Sciences is at 352 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach.
Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Information: Call 386-255-0285 or visit moas.org