Artist, past SOBO director Paul Gerding dies

When the Winter Garden Art Association was getting set up and trying to make a name for itself in the local arts community 10 years ago, Paul Gerding was one of the first artists to show his support. That support never wavered.

For the next decade, he would serve as a founding member, with a one-year stint as board chairman, continuing to promote the arts and talented local artists. His own artwork has appeared in several exhibitions.

Gerding, a Windermere resident for 35 years, died June 10 of complications from a stroke. He was 76.

The Winter Garden Art Association and SOBO Art Gallery remembered Gerding Thursday, Aug. 3, at a reception to celebrate the opening of a new exhibition. Dozens of friends and family members gathered for a special toast for the man known for his keen eye in photography, sense of humor, and love for his wife and family.

“When you start an art gallery … you tend to attract some characters, and I can say that Paul was one of those characters,” Mary Keating, WGAA founder and past chair, said during the toast. “If you knew him, you were his friend. … The thing I remember him saying so enthusiastically is that, ‘I’ve been waiting for this my entire life.’ He was in from the very beginning. … He not only was an artist but he also … would come in and work and he would hang the art with us. … He would be out there painting those murals … Spreading his love and his fun and his enthusiasm for life with everyone he knew.

“We celebrate his life and the fact that we were part of his life,” Keating said.

Many of Gerding’s photographs hung in the gallery. He also liked to experiment with different art forms. His first love was photography, but he also painted many pieces and tried his hand at drawing.

“For many of us, he was like a father figure,” WGAA Executive Director Phil Self said. “I just miss him at the gallery because he was such a positive influence. He was always excited for the future. I think Paul is a consummate artist. He loves art, he loves being around artists. He has an infectious personality that people (are drawn to).”

Gerding’s son, Todd, also spoke during the toast:

“My dad, I know he stole this quote from Andy Warhol, or someone more famous than him, but he was a firm believer in, ‘Art is whatever you can get away with,’” he said. “My dad was always supportive of us being creative. He just loved anybody who made the world more intriguing.

“To see all of y’all here is moving to think that he touched this many lives in art,” he said.

Gerding’s wife of 53 years, Kaye; daughter Margi Orozco; and two grandchildren attended the reception as well.

Gerding was born in 1946. He graduated from Florida State University, where he met his future wife, Kaye. They were married in 1970 and made their home on Lake Butler in Windermere.

Kaye Gerding said she will miss everything about her husband.

“We were married more than 53 years,” she said. “He was amazing. He was the best man, and he ended up being a good caregiver to me before he got sick. I had a brain bleed last summer, and I recovered from it, and I’ve been doing rehab ever since. He did laundry, he learned to cook. He was so good to me.”

He worked consistently as a professional photographer, starting at Walt Disney World when it opened. He later purchased The Photographic Group in Orlando. He also worked for Correct Craft for many years, capturing iconic photos of professional water-skiers and wakeboarders.

He was one of the first photographers to put a tower on another center console and run alongside the boats and get an elevated perspective, his son said.

Kaye Gerding said as her husband got older, he found more time to expand his creativity and enjoyed experimenting with different mediums.

The Gerdings loved traveling and took several trips to Italy.

“He loved our grandchildren, and they adored him,” Kaye Gerding said. “His grandpa name was Gragra. He just was a good man. He was a good husband, father, grandfather. Everybody absolutely loved him.”

“We’re going to really miss him,” Self said. “He’s really special to a lot of people.”