Hal McIntosh was born in 1927 in Highland Park, Mich. Today he shares his time between Winter Park and North Truro, Mass. Sixty years of experience as a working artist – along with his love for the natural world – find expression in his masterful works. A peaceful quality is evident in all of his paintings. Line, color and form combine with natural abstract patterns of ponds, fish, flowers, sea and sky to draw you into his personal realm. In addition to other art education, he received a master’s in painting and design from the University of Michigan. He has served as director of the Lynchburg Fine Arts Center in Virginia and as artistic director for the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park. In addition, he taught art at many schools, including the University of Michigan, the Orlando Museum of Art and the McIntosh School in Winter Park. He designed the poster for the 1992 Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival and the poster for the 1998  International Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. He has exhibited in 37 one-man shows and many galleries in Florida and the Northeast. His paintings hang in numerous U.S. and European corporate and private collections, including those of Liberace, Jose Ferrer and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan. “A sense of calm and restfulness is hopefully in most of my work,” McIntosh says. “An influence of the Oriental is highly desired. I live in a Japanese-style house [in Winter Park] surrounded by bamboo, with two koi ponds in the backyard. I like peaceful surroundings and peaceful paintings.”

Who inspires and influences you? When I was young Edgar Degas was my inspiration. I admired his exquisite craftsmanship and design. In later years the list of favorites grew to include William Turner, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet and Chen Chi, among others. Every artist of note has a contribution to offer other artists, and they are influential in our growth.

When and where do you work? I’ve never been an 8-to-5 painter. I am most productive in the afternoons for some reason. During all the years I was teaching, I had to paint when I could since so much of my time was devoted to my students. I have enjoyed my second-story “tree-top” studio near downtown Winter Park for many years. My summer beach home in Cape Cod is right on the water but has too much glare to paint there. Since 1965, I have had a studio in town in a barn that dates from 1740. Cape Cod light is very beautiful and draws many artists there. I was fortunate to know Edward Hopper and can see his house from my home on the shore.

What are your favorite subjects and why? I can only say that I paint subjects that I love, and there are many. I thrive on variety and hope that people can recognize my touch on whatever I choose to paint. I have done more than 1,500 portraits, along with landscapes, seascapes, waterlillies, florals and abstracts. I have tried to avoid getting into a rut. Variety energizes me.

What mediums do you use? My portraits are always in oil paint. For my other work, I mostly use acrylic paint, which dries fast and allows me to work continuously till a painting is done. Many of my works have papers and gold leaf applied to enhance textures because acrylics tend to dry flat.

On The Web: paintingsbymcintosh.com