Nude Nite offers three evenings of sensual art and performance.

Nude Nite swept in to Artegon, (5250 International Dr, Orlando, FL) on February 11th to 13th. Nude
Nite is a dazzling art and entertainment event celebrating the beauty
of the nude. The show brings together hundreds of artists for three
evenings of visual art, performance and a cast of characters both in
costume and out. Show was 21+.

I parked near the Cinemark Theater but when I walked inside, a guard was closing up the mall. H turns out that Nude Nite is on the opposite end of the mall, and I had to walk around on the outside to get there. One small sign on the mall lawn pointed towards “The Art Show”. There was a line near the Nude Nite entrance. I was surprised that the woman at the ticket table knew my name and ushered me in. I was given a NN hand stamp. Why was a hand stamp needed? Perhaps some couples might go out to their car for a quickly, and then return inside for more entertainment.

Art was everywhere. Chairs and umbrellas hung from the high industrial ceilings. Some paintings had been sold. Bernie Martin had a red dot on a nude watercolor selling for $350. A burlesque dancer was performing on the main stage, and the crowd was so dense that I abandoned any notion of sketching any performance on stage. Instead, I explored the outer edges of the venue.

I focused on this sensual dancer who vogued and gyrated all evening.  Her sensual swimsuit was painted on along with her ruffled collar. No pasties hid her nipples. She was popular as a photo opportunity with couples posing near the cage, pursing their lips like Zoolander. A sign advised patrons to respect the performer, and Do Not Touch! That sign was common throughout the venue. The dancer took a break just as I was starting to apply color to the sketch. There is no door to the cage, so she had to squeeze through the bars. That in itself was a sensual act of liberation. I patiently painted the background until she returned.

I was standing near a sculpture that resembled a male phallus with spikes sticking out of it. I kept getting asked if I was the sculptor. A photo of nude women posing and intertwining formed the image of a human skill. A gaping open mouthed facade lead patrons in to a hall of mirrors. Several artists asked about my tablet which seems a liability, because no one ever asked what type of sketchbook I was using.