Friday evening the Florida Film Festival kicked off with a fabulous party called “No Grits, No Glory“. When I drove into the Enzian parking lot, an attendant stopped me and made sure I wasn’t there to see the film that was slated for that night. He told me there had been a mistake in one of the ads and he wanted to be sure I was coming to the party. I immediately sat down and started to sketch the marquee which invited guests to the 19th annual Florida Film Festival. A reporter and cameraman set up on the steps and stood around for sometime, perhaps waiting for a live feed. The reporter then delivered his lines quickly and they both drove off in the Channel 6 news van. Lance Turner, a photographer approached me and asked if I would be doing many sketches at the festival and I explained that I intended to sketch as much as possible this year. He then took several pictures as I worked and disappeared into the growing crowd. Later in the evening, Brian Feldman told me that he had personally placed the lettering on the Enzian marquee as practice for an upcoming performance. I later saw him being interviewed by Orlando Live about his 67 Books project.
When I finished my first sketch, I went inside and sat up front near the stage to watch this amazing brother and sister singing team of Thomas and Olivia Wynn. They harmonized beautifully and the songs resonated deeply, leaving me feeling sad and uplifted. Listening to them sing was the highlight of the evening for me and the music made sketching a breeze. This brother and sister team was later joined by the drummer and several guitar players. The group is known as Thomas Wynn and the Believers. I was tapping my foot and swaying side to side the whole time. I became a believer.The theme for the evening’s food was southern and I tried a few samples, but I didn’t want to waste to much time eating when there might be another sketch to be made. A server warned me that the pork was hot and boy was it! I chased it down with some shrimp which soothed my screaming taste buds. I then wandered outside and was shocked at how crowded the Eden Bar had gotten. I wandered elbow to elbow in the crowd for a while but decided after trying some desserts that I didn’t have another sketch in me. I couldn’t find a place to rest my eyes in this ever-changing sea of people. I decided to head home and rest. The Florida Film Festival is like a sketch artists marathon and I have to pace myself.