In a city with more than its share of artists per capita, Don Sondag is one of the best-known and most respected. You’re likely already familiar with his portraits of prominent Central Floridians—including the iconic image of Fred Rogers (Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood) that hangs in the lobby of Tiedtke Concert Hall on the campus of Rollins College.
But Sondag also loves to paint outdoors scenes, especially those he finds around his verdant hometown. He’s a favorite, not surprisingly, at the Winter Park Paint Out, sponsored by the Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens.
Two issues in 2024 featured covers by Sondag: Rowers in the summer issue and Park Avenue in the fall issue. That was the first time we used images from the same artist twice in one year, and on the covers of consecutive issues.
“I enjoy the challenge of capturing the outdoors and color,” says Sondag, a native of Winter Park. “I like the work of plein air painters and photorealists. My large-scale landscapes combine both these techniques.” Speaking of which, the artist has long been fascinated by the picturesque canals that connect the Winter Park Chain of Lakes.
In April 2020, the Polasek staged an exhibition called Venetian Canals of Winter Park: The Art of Don Sondag. Because of COVID-19, the oil-on-canvas creations had to be viewed online. One of the works, however, won raves when it appeared on the cover of our summer issue that year.
Still, Sondag isn’t finished with the canals quite yet. So this issue’s cover is a brand-new painting, Venetian Canal: From Lake Osceola to Lake Maitland, seen here for the first time. We’d be amazed if this one doesn’t inspire you to view the scene for yourself on the Scenic Boat Tour. It’ll be (almost) like seeing it for the first time.
Sondag, with a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, also studied painting and portraiture at the National Academy of Design and the Art Students League in New York City. Early in his career he did portrait illustrations for Harcourt School Publishers.
In addition to painting, Sondag teaches at the Crealdé School of Art, where he joined the faculty in 1990. He has also taught at Seminole State College, Walt Disney Imagineering and Walt Disney Animation Studios.
He has been associated with McRae Art Studios—a shared exhibition and display space for about 20 of the region’s most prominent artists—for 28 years.
Sondag has accepted portrait commissions from the Dr. P. Phillips Foundation, Tupperware Brands Corporation and the University of Central Florida, among many other institutional clients. His work has also been featured on posters for the Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum and the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival.
To see more of Sondag’s work, including this painting, visit Arts on Douglas, 123 Douglas Street, New Smyrna Beach. You can also call the gallery at 386-428-1133 or visit its website, artsondouglas.net, for more information.
THE LEGACY OF OUR CANALS
In the late 19th century, the area now known as Winter Park was a patchwork of isolated lakes separated by dense marshland and cypress forests. Beginning around 1870, logging companies widened the clogged and narrow waterways to float harvested logs to sawmills.
The citrus industry also improved the canals, allowing shallow-draft steamboats to navigate between groves and the South Florida Railroad, turning the lakes into a commercial highway for growers. But as Winter Park grew into a sophisticated resort destination, the purpose of the waterways shifted from commerce to leisure.
The Winter Park Land Company, primary developers of the area, expanded the dredging to connect Lake Virginia, Lake Mizell, Lake Berry, Lake Osceola and Lake Maitland for recreational boating in what was dubbed “The Venice of Florida.”
During the 1930s and 1940s, Federal Emergency Relief Administration projects helped rebuild and reinforce the cypress barrier walls of the canals. Their ascent into local lore was assured in 1938 with the (literal and figurative) launch of what is today the state’s oldest continually operating tourist attraction—the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour.
You owe it to yourself to take the tour, which features six pontoon boats that embark every hour from Lake Osceola, on 312 East Morse Boulevard. Call for reservations at 407-644-4056 or visit scenicboattours.com.