Comedy Open Mic at The Other Bar

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Each Monday starting around 9pm there is a Comedy Open Mic at The Other Bar, (18 Wall St, Orlando, FL 32801). Pam Schwartz and I arrived a bit early and I started the sketch before anyone got on stage. A great feature of The Other Bar is that there is free popcorn when you order a beer. I had a Blue Moon. Unfortunately the bar didn’t have orange slices. The bartender offered to pout in some orange juice but I skipped that option thinking it could be a tragedy. Karen Tschida was the artist who painted the busty woman on the wall behind the stage. I found it fascinating that the woman’s eyes were cut off by a ceiling joist.

Ken Miller was the first comic up ion the stage. He was the most narrative comic of the evening, chatting with the audience in a friendly familiar way. He was a comic in his element comfortable in a crowd of his colleagues. I thought he was the host, so I sketched him fast. At the end of his set however he introduced Akim who was the actual host for the night. Akim was a bit more brash and confrontational with the audience. I didn’t consider the notion that sitting at the front table with a sketch pad might draw attention to myself. Akim wanted to see what I was sketching so I handed him the sketchbook. “Damn, That’s dope!” He said. “I was going to rag on you, but that is amazing.” Of course the audience couldn’t see what he was looking at, so it didn’t work visually on stage. He asked me to draw him on a stallion with long flowing hair.

Hennessy Williams  had a great routine about how Donald Trump will not allow hurricanes to be named after Mexicans. I hadn’t realized that such an idiotic policy was being considered. Hennessy proposed that hurricanes should have black names instead. His premise was that a black names hurricane would take its time getting to where it was going giving everyone time to get to shelter.

The theme of racism rippled throughout the evening. Whites now buy Koren children since they cant buy slaves. Since The Other Bar is a small venue, the comics would often latch on to someone in the audience or new material. Several comics announced form the stage that they are looking for work. Being in that same boat, I can identify.

Pam and I slipped out before the night was over. It is kind of hard to slip away unnoticed when seated front and center. As we walked out Akim shouted out, “I am going to be pissed if I don’t see that sketch I asked for!” Outside Ken Miller wanted to see the sketch I had done of him at the mic. He seemed pleased.

Sunburst Convention Kick Off Party

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Pam Schwartz, who looks a bit like Julia Roberts, and I went to Lafayette’s at Point Orlando (9101 International Dr Suite 2220 Orlando, Florida) for the 16th Annual Sunburst Celebrity Impersonator Convention kick off party. The room was filled with impersonators! The host and convention producer, Greg Thompson, was introducing each celebrity impersonator in turn and then giving them just a few lines to lay out their shtick. There were two Marilyn Monroes, yet surprisingly one Donald Trump whose introduction I decided to sketch in the minute or so available. Trump kept his bottom lip protruded and spoke with his didactic simplicity.

Dr. Evil took the stage after Trump. His views seemed tame considering today’s political climate. But he loves to dance as does Austin Powers. The troika of Evil, Trump and Powers were dancing throughout the night occasionally joined by pop stars and pirates. Paula Deen offered up meals drenched in butter and the Queen of England offered the crowd a feeble wave.

Huey Lewis with his pencil thin black tie, took to the stage and started a set. All of the celebrities dances in the aisles. Some folks in the venue had probably just wanted to go to Lafayette’s for some fried Chicken Tenders, beef sliders or Voodoo Chicken Wings, but they got so much more than expected.It was great to see the celebrity impersonators relax dance and just enjoy each others company.

The public is welcome to attend the remaining Celebrity Impersonator Showcase tonight Saturday September 1, 2018 at the Florida Hotel and Conference Center (located in the Florida Mall 1500 Sand Lake Rd, Orlando, FL 32809). The Showcase is from 1pm-4:30pm where
impersonators will perform, delight and entertain the masses, including a
special Sunburst edition of “The Tonight Show”.  Plus, guests can get
their picture taken with their favorite “celebrity” during intermission
and following the showcases.  Showcase tickets are $25 per person at the
door and $20 online. 

Each
year, over 100 of the world’s best professional celebrity
impersonators, lookalikes and tribute artists fly, drive and cruise into
Orlando for Sunburst to gather, mingle, network, educate themselves and
have an unforgettable time.  They are joined by numerous talent buyers,
talent agents, producers and meeting planners from all over the country
who are invited to watch the imitators perform live and make a lasting
impression.  Sunburst features performance showcases, themed parties, an
awards banquet, promotional room and tons of photo opportunities.  The
general public is invited to attend the talent showcases and rub elbows
with the “Just About Famous” stars, and with this special public access
again this year, now even more spectators can enjoy the unique, fun and
one-of-a-kind entertainment Sunburst has to offer.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for September 1 and 2, 2018

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Saturday September 1, 2018

1pm to 4:30pm $20 16th
Annual Sunburst Showcase of Celebrity Impersonators  The Showcases are TODAY (Friday) and Saturday! The Florida Hotel and Conference
Center located at The Florida Mall 1500 Sand Lake Road, Orlando,
32809.  impersonators
will perform, delight and entertain the masses, including a special
Sunburst edition of “The Tonight Show”.  Plus, guests can get their
picture taken with their favorite “celebrity” during intermission and
following the showcases. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.SunburstShowcase.com.

3pm to 1am Free. 7th Annual ‘Great Irish Hooley’. Raglan Road Orlando Disney Springs™ The Landing, 1640 East Buena Vista Drive, Lake Buena Vista Florida. Raglan Road Orlando will host its 7th Annual ‘Great Irish Hooley’

celebrating
Irish song, dance, food and drink and kicks off with performances
beginning at 3 p.m. Friday, August 31 and continues each day and night
through late Monday, Sept. 3 until 1 a.m.

A traditional Irish
social celebration, the “Hooley” combines music ranging from trad to
rock tunes with entertainment and fun for the whole family with no cover
charge. The Hooley also will feature Celtic face-painting Saturday
through Monday.

8:30pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts at 800 Delaney Ave on the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun!

Sunday September 2, 2018

10am to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

Noon to 3pm Donation based. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Guitarist, Singer, Songwriter Rev. Shawn Garvey. Members of the public are invited to visit our historic home museum on a
Sunday afternoon from 12 to 3 pm, listen to live music and take a tour
of our historic home museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by
trained docents.

10pm to Midnight Free but get a coffee. “Comedy Open Mic”. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out & laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Charity Benefit for Pulse

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I went to Gods and Monsters (5250 International Dr, Orlando, FL 32819) to sketch a charity benefit for Pulse. The tragic attack on Pulse on June 12th  deeply affected our city and our lives. The families of the victims need help, the survivors need help and the staff of Pulse need help as well. We are holding a charity event to raise funds to be donated directly to the GLBT Center of Orlando who in turn will pass these funds on to anyone affected by this tragedy who is in need of assistance.

100% of proceeds from the art auction and raffles goes to the fundraising efforts for the Pulse victims and their families being organized by Hope and Help Center  and the GLBT Center of Orlando. Donations were accepted for water and dry goods and toiletries to donate to the blood donation centers and various counseling sites. Donations were also currently being accepted.

Gods and Monsters also accepted donated items and art for the auction benefit for the victims and their families. Donations could be dropped off at Gods and Monsters anytime during normal hours. There would be raffles, auctions, music and entertainment held throughout the day, starting at 4pm. After 9pm the lounge became 18+ as some entertainment may be more mature in content. Also, 25% of sales all day from both the store and bar are going to be split between the funds for the victims and their families through Hope and Help, the GLBT Center of Orlando, and the Pulse Employee Recovery Fund.

I didn’t notice any signs of the benefit happening while I sketched. I imagine any charitable work happened quietly behind the scenes. A few people sat at the Off World Barhaving drinks. At least 25% of liquor sales went to the  causes. A reporter was also supposed to meet me at the venue to do an interview, but they never showed up. It was a small town response to a monstrous event the reach of which was still rippling around the world.

Tiffany Chapel

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The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, (445 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) Was open to the public for free on Christmas Eve. Guards in the museum seemed more relaxed. The guard in the Tiffany Chapel expressed how mush she liked seeing me work on the sketch.

In 1893 Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibited the chapel interior at the World’s
Colombian Exposition in Chicago that brought him international acclaim
few American artists enjoyed at the time. The chapel demonstrated the firm’s artistry and craftsmanship in
producing ecclesiastical goods ranging from clerical vestments and
furnishings to mosaics and leaded-glass windows. It so moved visitors at the time, that men removed their hats in
response. The woman seated in front of me kept her bonnet on for the duration.

The ornate chapel is Byzantine in design, built up from simple
classical forms, columns, and arches, which are huge in size relative to
the chapel’s intimate space (1,082 square feet). When the World’s Fair was over, the chapel was brought to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in NYC. It was kept  is a squat basement crypt and was then ignored when the choir was completed upstairs. Unchecked water damage took it’s toll, and in 1916 Tiffany offered to remove the chapel at his own expense. It was reinstalled and restored at Tiffany’s own Lauriston Hall Estate.

Tiffany died on January 17, 1933. In 1957, Tiffany’s abandoned estate was ravaged by fire. Hugh and Jeannette McKean of Winter Park, Florida, were notified by a
Tiffany daughter that some of his most important leaded-glass windows
were still intact. They visited the devastated Laurelton Hall site, and Jeannette
decided they should buy all of the mansion’s then-unwanted windows and
architectural fragments. Two years later the McKeans purchased the
components of the chapel that remained at Laurelton Hall.

A team of architecture, art, and conservation experts were assembled to begin
the more than two-year project of reassembling the chapel. The chapel
opened to the public in April 1999, the first time since it was open at
the 1893 Colombian Exposition in Chicago. It is a rare gem in the heart of Winter Park.

Catherine Hineman wrote: This year, because Christmas Eve falls on a Monday, we will have a
holiday weekend open house just prior to Christmas Eve. That’s two days
of free admission
to the one and there will be live music on Sunday. This only happens
every seven years or so, but it is always confusing to a few who have
made the December 24 open house a tradition.

Air Bag Recall

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I got a notice in the mail that the the passenger side airbag on my Prius was recalled. It would be replaced for free but I  would have to take it in. The Toyota Dealership is state of the art with a lounge and indoor cafe which makes the wait less painful. Having to  wait also of course is a perfect opportunity to get a sketch done. While most customers used their cell phones, I was busy putting lines and washes on the page.

Now, more than a year later, my rear back tire has a slow leak and I am long overdue for an oil change. Chances are this month or next, I will be going in for another sketch opportunity. I can’t vouch for how well the new air bags work, I haven’t had a chance to test them out.

Wall Street Cantina

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Sometimes I just need to get a chimichanga for lunch. Wall Street Cantina (19 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32801) might not have the best Mexican food in Downtown Orlando but I was once again passing by and felt the urge for a chimi while  staring at Mexican wrestlers wearing masks. Don’t judge me. This was also a fine chance for some lunchtime people watching and sketching. This place  really gets hopping when sports games are playing on the weekends. During the week it is a bit quieter inside.

ODD on the Eve of 49 Portraits being Exhibited at Gatlin

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On the Eve of the opening of 49 Pulse Portraits at The Gatlin Creative, (4940 South Orange Avenue Unit D, Orlando, FL 32806), artists gathered for drinks and a chance to sketch and chat. The Orlando weekly had listed the event in their event calendar and I was pleased that a couple stopped out as a date night. On the walls were the original portraits created by 16 local artists of the victims of the Pulse Nightclub massacre. All the portraits were done in one night just as all the lives had been taken in just one night.

Approaching Gatlin Creative, there was a gorgeous sunset to the west. Interrupting the skyline was a billboard that announced the upcoming gun show at the Central Florida Fairgrounds. It was Odd to host this event in the shadow of that billboard. We live in the Gunshine State.

The Gatlin Creative, is an art
production house and creative space. Its creators, Tiffany Windsor and Ralph Ballentine
have made a
second home. Both working independently and also as partners in the film
industry, they base all projects out of their studio here. The Gatlin
offers other individuals and groups a place to create art, to teach, to
learn and to build; a place for people who wish to make things happen.
 

It’s
comprised of both personal studio space but also incorporates an
additional 1,000 sq ft of space to rent. Whether it be art classes,
crafty courses, small photo shoots or a
place to meet and work; The Gatlin has much to offer.

As a way to meet each artist who attends ODD, I like to have artists face off and sketch each other with a five minute time limit. All of my sketches were done in that short time window. I like the rush of trying to block in the sketch and get just enough information on the page so that the person might be recognized. I get to take chances and let go a bit and the results aren’t very pretty but they are interesting. Part of the challenge of doing sketches every day is to be able to accept whatever is created. There is no time for erasing or second guessing.

Artist Colin Boyer regularly attended ODD events. He went on to be a portrait artist at Disney World and he did some amazing work there. His digital illustrations are stunning. It kind of makes me want to slow down and spend more time on paintings myself. he recently had a beautiful child, so there might not be enough time for these sketch outings for him. I still hoist these ODD events each month. If artists show up that is great but if I am on my own, I still sketch, sample the drinks and food and write up the experience. It is my chance to become a foodie once a month.

World of Beer

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I went to World of Beer located in the Marketplace at Dr Phillips (7800 Dr Phillips Blvd, Orlando, FL 32819) to meet a friend and chat. Any time I arrive someplace first I get the sketchbook out to sketch while I wait for waiters or the person I am meeting. This is a mad dash sketch which I knew I would probably not complete. That didn’t stop me from trying. The bar has a wide assortment of beers and it fills up as people file in after work.

Besides the wide assortment of beers there is also pub grub like German Pretzels, Tater tots chicken wings, burgers and flat breads. I ordered tots to go with my brew. Later that evening I was sketching a rehearsal, so this was my dinner. Like most sports bars there is a phalanx of TV screens so that you are starting into a tube no matter which direction you look.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 25 and 26, 2018

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Saturday August 25, 2018

10 a.m. to Noon. Free. FusionFest Open House, Preview and Sign-up. City Beautiful, 1220 Alden Road, Orlando, FL 32803. Do you like to share the culture of your heritage, or perhaps you know
someone who does? Or perhaps you would like to be inspired to create a
song or dance or prepare a new dish using elements from different
influences? Or maybe you would like to volunteer for an exciting new
festival designed to bring people together?

We are hosting a
FusionFest Open House, Preview and Sign-up event on Saturday, August
25, from 10 a.m.-noon. Please stop by to learn more about FusionFest,
and then pass this invitation on to anyone else who might be curious
about this celebration of diversity planned for November 24 and 25 in
downtown Orlando.

7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free. New Musical Discovery Series – The United States of Us. The MEZZ 100 S Eola Dr Ste 200, Orlando, Florida 32801. Florida Theatrical Association presents a workshop of THE UNITED STATE
OF US, one of the winners selected from more than 40 entries in the
Second Annual New Musical Discovery Series.

Book & Lyrics by Alan Gordon

Music by Joy Son

Staged Reading Directed by Michael Wanzie

Synopsis:
Set in Brooklyn in 1998, Ken, a single gay man, agrees to marry Esme, a
Colombian student, when she finds herself pregnant and on the verge of
deportation. When the prospect of same-sex marriage comes to New York, a
surprising threat is presented to this unusual family unit.

10:30 p.m. to Midnight. Free but get food and drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded flamenco dancing set to acoustic guitar.

Sunday August 26, 2018

9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $255 members, $275 non-members. Urban Sketching Course. First of 6 weekly sessions. Crealde 600 St. Andrews Blvd Winter Park FL Class 1B. Beginning of each class involves classroom sketch assignments followed by a session of sketching outside the classroom in the neighborhood. Goal at the end of 6 weeks is to produce finished sketched within two hours.

10 a.m.to Noon. Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. $10-$20 suggested donation. Helena. Helena is an ensemble of Central Florida’s most dauntless singers. The
group made their debut at Timucua in 2016 and quickly established
themselves by performing adventurous and ambitious repertoire by and
about women. Don’t miss this Orlando treasure. Please bring food or wine to share.