The Broken Lake Eola Fountain

The Lake Eola Fountain was struck dead by a bolt of lightning way back in August of last year. Inside the structure there is broken glass, melted metal and a fried motor. Mayor Buddy Dyer has vowed to fix the fountain for a price tag of 2.3 million dollars. At a party, one person joked that he could easily fix the fountain by dragging his lawn hose out there and setting it on top of the structure. He said he could then pocket the 2.3 million and call it a day.

On the day I did this sketch, I visited Amanda Norvell of the Orlando Broadway Series. We discussed the possibility of my sketching each of the Broadway Series as they load in and perform at the Bob Carr. The first show I will likely sketch is The Phantom of the Opera. At a City Council Meeting I sketched back in November, the Phantom entered the proceedings and offered to help fix the fountain. The Phantom will be donating $5 from each ticket sold to help restore the fountain to its former glory. Should you want to see The Phantom of the Opera, running from January 20th to February 14th, call 1-800-982-2787 to get tickets! The city had also set up a place where concerned citizens can donate to the cause. I hope that whatever sketches I do of the Phantom will bring more people out to the show, which in turn will help fix the fountain. As I was doing this sketch a man approached me and said, “Great sketch, it’s a shame the fountain isn’t on, your sketch would be much more beautiful.”

It turns out that on the day I did this sketch, Brian Feldman was also having a meeting with Terry Olson of the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs office, in the first of his Swan Boat Talks. Brian will be meeting with ten different Orlando artists with whom he would like to collaborate in 2010. I may rent a swan boat for one of these talks and try and sketch a meeting up close.