Collaboration is the name of the game today with the arrival of Storied Paintings, a cross-disciplinary production organized by Florida Studio Theatre, the Hermitage Artist Retreat and Alfstad& Contemporary. As previously reported, FST founder and traveling one-man-show Jon Spelman will be showcasing the art of storytelling at the Keating Theatre, but for fans of the visual arts, acclaimed Spanish artist, Felix de la Concha, will be under the spotlight as well, painting Spelman’s portrait live for the audience.

“He will be talking and moving, so I have to capture whatever I can get,” said de la Concha, who has been at the Hermitage Artist Retreat since January. “I try to be quite accurate and go into detail, but I have to get the proper expression in that particular moment, in his face, in his head.”

It’s a difficult proposition, but not one that de la Concha is altogether unfamiliar with. He’s done similar productions before, with writers and recently with a series of Holocaust survivors, in which de la Concha not only painted his subjects, but conducted interviews with his subjects at the same time. This time de la Concha is spared interview duties, but he has only one hour and he must do it live, in front of the audience’s scrutinizing gaze, every brushstroke magnified on the projection behind him.

“Well it’s different than painting in a private room,” observed de la Concha. “It’s intense, because I have to concentrate on the moment. The painting is going to be finished then – whatever happens in the moment – and the people will be watching.”

But Sarasota’s day with de la Concha doesn’t end there. Following a question and answer session with the audience in Keating Theatre, de la Concha and his painting will travel to the Rosemary District, where Alfstad& Contemporary will be opening a special exhibition of de la Concha’s work from his time at the Hermitage.

“This place is magic,” said de la Concha, of the Hermitage, which not only provided the artist with the freedom to create but inspiration as well. The Hermitage itself, the grounds and the buildings, provided the focus for de la Concha’s latest series, exploring the same building from different angles and at different times of day, with shifting light and shadow. “I was so mesmerized by the architecture and this place. It feels like yesterday I arrived, and I’ve been here two months.”

In addition to the Q&A at Keating, de la Concha also looks forward to meeting the area's artistically inclined at the opening reception at Alfstad&.

"People can tell you things that you weren't conscious of," said de la Concha on the value of exploring his art with others. "You discover things that might be there, but you didn't consciously think about. Feedback is always interesting."

Storied Paintings begins 3pm today at FST and is scheduled to last about 90 minutes, before the artists reconvene at Alfstad& Contemporary. Reservations are recommended for the FST performance, Alfstad& will be open until 8pm.