Something Fishy Seafood Restaurant.

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Pam Schwartz and I went to a media tasting at Something Fishy (2107 E Semorian Blvd, Apopka, Fl 32703) organized by Ilene Lieber of Passion PR. This small restaurant is a family affair organized by the team of chef Terence Phillips and his wife Patrice Phillips. Their niece created the logo and handles the marketing. The chef grew up in New York and used to travel often to the Hampton’s and Montauk where he got the idea for the theme for the restaurant. The restaurant is celebrating its two year anniversary and the staff that started on day one is still helping the restaurant grow today. There will be a block party at the restaurant this weekend Saturday, February 24th from noon to 4PM in celebration and all are welcome!

The evening started off with a cup of red wine as we waited for the appetizer to arrive. The opening course was a light and subtle Lobster Bisque. There were a few chunks of lobster on top. I happen to be a fan of bisque so I sampled it as I started the sketch. Patrice kindly offered Pam a vegetarian taco since she is not a fan of sea food or cilantro (both prevalent in the menu). The second course was a fried fish slider with cilantro mayo, hush puppies, and fries. The sandwich was light and crispy. The hush puppies were sweet and delicious with actual sweet corn inside, some of the best Pam said she had ever had. I let Pam eat most of the hush puppies and fries since her main course hadn’t come out yet.

The next course was a pan seared shrimp taco with house slaw, back beans, corn salsa and avocado aioli. This was my favorite item from the night. I sampled a couple of the shrimp separately and they were delicious. Tthen I ate the soft shell taco as it should be eaten and the flavors blended nicely. The next item was a mini crab cake with slaw. They offered wasabi slaw but I didn’t want the heat, so they substituted a more tame slaw. The crab cake was sweet and flavorful. Pam’s spicy cauliflower taco with aleppo pepper arrived and she let me have the avocado slices that were on top. This was her favorite item from the night. The cauliflower tasted perfectly spicy, adding a nice warm crunch to the taco.

The one item that I didn’t manage to finish eating was a seared Ahi tuna bowl over a bed of jasmine cilantro lime rice. The tuna was spicier than I can handle so I let the dish sit. The evening was capped off with cupcakes which came in carrot, vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. I sampled the carrot and got a surprise when I bit into it. The center was hollowed out and filled with a light cool frosting. Apparently there were, in fact, carrots and even raisins in the cupcake, but I ate it so fast I didn’t see them.

The bottom line is that Something Fishy is a restaurant that I would return to.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 24th and 25th.

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Saturday February 24, 2018

8 AM to 1 PM Free. Parramore Farmers Market. the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across from City View. The Parramore Farmers Market will be open every Saturday from 8
a.m. to 1 p.m., on the east side of the Orlando City Stadium, across
from City View.Purchase quality, fresh and healthy food grown in your
own neighborhood by local farmers, including Fleet Farming, Growing
Orlando, and other community growers.

11 AM to 5 PM Free. Sanford Porch Fest. Sanford Residential Historic District.

Sanford PorchFest is a grassroots festival built to unify
neighbors and friends through music. Set up within walking, biking or
golf cart distance, six porches throughout the Sanford residential
historic district will transform into stages and front yards take on the
meaning of “concert lawn seating”.
A diverse mix of bands and
artists will perform. Load up your bikes, pack a picnic, and join us as we
transform the historic district into an artistic gathering space!
SCHEDULE AND MAP COMING SOON! Make sure to like our Facebook page (Sanford Porchfest) to keep up to date on all festival information.

7 PM to 10 PM Free. Vanishing Points: A Glitch Art Show. Digital Collective 1225-B N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804. GLITCH ART // DIGITAL PRINTS // IMMERSIVE VISUALS and SOUND // PROJECTION MAPPING.

Sunday February 25, 2018

11 AM to 4 PM Free. Dragon Parade. starts at the corner of N Thornton Ave and Oregon St and will end at N. Thornton Ave and Colonial Drive.

Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival in Orlando to celebrate the Year of the Dog on February 25, 2018

The Year of the Dog marks the 7th annual Central Florida
Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival held in Orlando, Florida. This
event has received overwhelming response from local and distant
communities alike.

The festival parade starts at
the corner of N Thornton Ave and Oregon St and will end at N. Thornton
Ave and Colonial Drive. The parade will be followed by five hours of the
Lunar Festival that will take place at 728 N. Thornton Ave., Orlando,
FL 32803. The Lunar New Year Festival will feature Asian entertainment
including Dragon dancing, Lion Dancing, cultural dances, martial arts,
taiko drummers, arts and crafts and Asian food. In 2017, over 8,500
patrons attended the event. We would like to invite you or your
organization to be part of this community event by becoming a sponsor, a
vendor, or a participant. Join businesses like Amerasia Bank, Florida
Hospital, Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC), Payas Payas Payas LLP,
Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce Greater Orlando, City of Orlando Families,
Parks and Recreation and Universal Orlando and become one of our event
sponsors.

Unity and Harmony – Celebration of Diversity

For more vendor and parade information, please visit http://www.centralfloridadragonparade.org

2:30 PM to 4:30 PM Winter Barlympics.  The Other Bar 18 Wall St, Orlando, Florida 32801. Do you and your drinking crew think that you have what it
takes to win the 6th Annual Winter BARLYMICS? Join us Sunday, February
25th as we crown the champions of the ultimate winter drinking party!
Registration starts at 12:30pm day of. The games kick off at 2:30pm.
Teams of 4 are $40. Cash and prizes for 1st place: $500. Drink specials
and more! Sign up now, contact chandler.theotherbar@gmail.com

7:30 PM to 9:30 PM Free. Georgio Valentino. Timucua Arts Foundation 2000 S Summerlin Ave, Orlando, Florida 32806. Final live performance by nomadic art-rock singer.
www.georgiothedovevalentino.com 

Ghost and Funeral Party at ME Theater.

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Producer Jeremy Seghers presents Ghost and Funeral Party which are two one act plays by Ashleigh Ann Gardner.  When the audience enters the theater,  Petra (Monica Mulder) is asleep on her couch while music fills the space. She woke and started to tidy up her art studio until she finally started working on a  painting. I admired all the sketchbooks, and the loose references strewn about the studio. For me it was a familiar scene. Monica confided to me before the show that the painting on the easel was by her mother and the photos around the studio are her own. Her quiet moment of creation is interrupted by a loud knock on her door which caused her to spill coffee all over her blouse. A
strange coincidence of fate brought neurotic postal courier Lyle (Ricardo Soltero-Brown) to her
apartment door.

In the awkward exchange that followed, it became clear that these two knew each other. It turned out that they had been friends who had had a spontaneous sexual encounter in a closet at a wedding, though Petra was engaged to be married to Lyle’s friend. After that Petra ghosted Lyle. Ghosting wasn’t a term I was familiar with, but it means leading somebody on before cutting off all contact rather than explaining why the relationship might not work. Lyle stayed to demand an
apology from Petra, using every avenue available to him, including relating their story to a
male model named Sebastian (Jamie Roy). Sebastian turned out to be a self-indulgent prick, dignity is lost, and
Lyle and Petra find themselves wondering if two impossibly flawed people
might actually be good together. I of course felt a warm glow hoping that an artist might actually find happiness in this flawed world.

The second play, Funeral Party, actually starred the playwright, Ashleigh Ann Gardner as Gwen. She and Trip (Jon Robert Kress) sneak into a crematorium to mourn the death of their best friend, Clay (Jamie Roy on the gurney.) Clay’s
sudden suicide has Trip reeling with guilt, but has left Gwen detached
and distracted. What was meant as a playful night’s adventure turned into a night of personal regrets and revelations. 

They turn to a list they’ve compiled to keep them on
track for the evening: drinks, Chinese food, dancing, coffee. To  lighten the mood, the two put on birthday caps and even put a cap on the lifeless Clay. When Gwen becomes
reluctant to proceed with the evening’s planned events, a dark secret
about her relationship with Clay is brought to light.

This play was hard hitting and unexpected. When Gwen was forced by Trip to touch the lifeless body, she broke down with such a wail of sorrow that cut me to the core. She fell to the floor. I have heard so many stories of the sorrow that filled the Beardall Center after families were told of the loss of sons and daughters after the Pulse Nightclub massacre. Ashley’s performance brought that flood of sorrow back. Guilt always follows a suicide but Gwen’s guilt had deeper roots. In an emotional exchange Gwen confessed that she loved Trip and that offered some hope and solace in their darkest hour.


I left the theater feeling a sense of pride and joy at getting to see these two plays by a talented local playwright. The second play truly struck me to the core and the first gave me the voyeuristic satisfaction of seeing an artist open herself to find happiness.


Ghost and Funeral Party runs:

February 22-24, 8:00 p.m.
February 25, 3 p.m.
at ME Theatre
1300 La Quinta Dr #3, Orlando, FL 32809

Tickets are $18

The Lieutenant of Inishmore.

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The Lieutenant of Inishmore by Martin McDonagh is definitely not for the faint of heart. This is the 15th and final production by Beth Marshal Presents at the Winter Garden Theater (160 W Plant St, Winter Garden, FL 34787.) The play is a very dark comedy about extreme Irish nationalists who are willing to spill blood for the smallest cause. The playwright said of this play, “I was trying to write a play that would get me killed.” The program lists a blood specialist and a blood director, so I knew going in that things might get messy.

Padraic (Zack Lane) was a street smart and violent Lieutenant of the Irish Republican Army. His one love in life is his black cat named Wee Thomas. The cat was in the care of Davey (Joseph Fabian) and Donny (Don Fowler), two innocent well meaning fools who open act one as they inspect the mangled body of a dead black cat. Davey brought the cat back to their place on his bicycle and they both realize they are in very big trouble because of Padraic’s violent temper. In the next scene Padraic is torturing a suspected drug dealer so his ill temper is confirmed. It was quite uncomfortable watching an actor hang upside down while he is threatened with having a nipple cut off.

Davey and Donny try and gloss over the issue of the dead cat by finding another cat and using boot black to try and make the cat black. On his return, Padraic is met by Mairead (Rachel Comeau) who attracts him by being as violent and crazy as he is. When they argue he aims a gun at her and she aims her air gun right at his privates at close range. The stand off garners respect.

Davey and Donny are blindfolded and bound ready for execution by Padraic as they kneel on the living room floor. Violence is interrupted by more bloody violence. Three “splinter group” IRA foot soldiers are blinded and then shot in the head at point blank range. This was incredibly uncomfortable to watch especially after the recent high school shooting in Parkland Florida. I found myself lurching with each blast of the theatrical guns. It was surprising that many in the audience would laugh as someones brains were blown out. The death of the cat resulted in four other senseless murders. The loss of a pet is a harsh reminder of our mortality. In the last act Davey and Donny discover that Wee Tommy, was actually alive. They both point their guns at the cat ready to kill it after all the violence they had just witnessed. They can’t pull the triggers and they give Wee Thomas a nice big bowl of cat food.

The play clearly points to the futility and pointlessness of violence and killing. Yet its comedic tone is confusing. Change the Irish accents to southern drawls and the play could be set in our backyard. Perhaps only in America can we laugh at staged violence a week after 17 children are murdered in a south Florida school. The pointless violence in Ireland has been going on for decades and it is a harsh mirror to look in as we see how violent America is. Our love of guns is a joke to other nations of the world. The play resulted in a long discussion on the drive home followed by a radio broadcast about the gun legislation that died a senseless death. Among the bills that died were ones that would have banned assault weapons sales and expanded background checks.

The play runs through February 25, 2018.

Indie Folk Festival at the Mennello Museum.

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Flynn Dobbs invited me to exhibit a few of my painting along with three other artists at the annual family-and pet-friendly event, the Indie Folk Festival on February 10, 2018. The fourth annual Indie-Folkfest was presented by PLR Florida at the Mennello Museum of American Art. Pam Schwartz and I got there around 11:30 AM to get set up. Flynn had the tent ready and there was just enough room for my 6 framed paintings. Sprout, who is Pam’s scruffy pup was excited to experience all the new smells.

The event showcased local, national and regional art, music and culinary talent.

Last past February, in 2017,  the event welcomed nearly 5,000 guests to the museum grounds. Guests enjoyed beautiful weather, local music, food, beverages and art.

This annual free event serves as a gift from the Museum’s City-Appointed Board of Trustees in an effort to promote local art and community. A portion of all proceeds benefit the Mennello Museum of American Art’s education and family-friendly programs.

Each artist in our tent was active painting at some point during the day. I sketched our tent to document the day. Loren Berry set up a table and started doing some marbling. She poured multiple colors on the panel and let the colors swim together as she rotated the panel letting the paint flow across the surface. Then she lay the panel flat and used her gloved fingers to create pointed divots in the flow. This was followed by blowing the paint to create even more pattern. It was a fun process to watch and I sketched frantically. Her results, resemble the cloud formations on the planet Jupiter.

Terri Binion opened up the main stage with her unique folk music styling. She was followed by Beemo who got the folks gathered on the lawn warmed up to dance away the afternoon. The musical afternoon was capped off by Eugene Snowden who brought the crowd to his moving gospel of song and a crowd gathered in front of the stage to dance.

Cypress Tree.

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On rare occasions, I take time off from sketching events to seek out natural forms that are pleasing to my eye. This Cypress tree sweeps upward from the shore of Lake Virginia in Winter Park. Some of the branches are not round but instead shaped like streamlines surf boards. One of my Sketch Tours students, Louis Degni, recognized me and stopped to say hello.He had a painters easel under his arm and was off to sketch some scene lakeside as well.

The challenge in this sketch was to capture all the subtle warm greys and cool grays in the bark of the tree. Other than light pencil, I let go of any line work.

Out on the dock just beyond the tree I was painting was a musician just performing with no need for an audience. With my sketch done, I waded out into the water and enjoyed the unexpected concert. As often happens, I couldn’t stop from swaying to the beat. it was cloudy while I was painting the tree, but as the sun set to my right, the lake captured the orange golden glow and fractured it. Blue grey Spanish moss swayed in the breeze. Some bald cypress trees can grow to be up to one thousand years old. That makes my hot flash of a life seem rather short in comparison. That means I need to kick off my shoes more often and slow down to enjoy the natural beauty that is often ignored. I understand the attraction to working plein air, just finding natural beauty with no concern for mad rush of humanity, but I still find myself always drawn to crowds.

Red Bull Wings At Work: Outdoor Workspace.

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The Red Bull Wings At Work: Outdoor Workspace was held at Seneff Arts Plaza at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Downtown workers were invited to grab their laptops and sunglasses for a day of collaboration, inspiration and creativity. This was an opportunity for downtown workers to break out of their everyday routine and work in an unique outdoor location that fostered creativity and productivity. The day included speakers, reverse pitch groups, networking opportunities as well as a relaxing space to get work done.

The Wings At Work pop up workspace was built from scratch. Red Bull brought in a stage and seating for an area to host a Creative Mornings Orlando lecture session as well as additional speakers throughout the day. Red Bull partnered with Factur and Vudoo Wood by John Vu to build out the space with conference tables, seating areas and “living office space” where consumers can host a meeting, work on a project or brainstorm with others.

I settled in on my portable art stool making sure i was in the shade of a large orange umbrella. All the blue umbrellas on the central lawn had Red Bull logos on them. The event was well attended. It would be nice if downtown workers always had the choice to work outside. I kind of suspect the relaxed atmosphere prompted more socializing that work. The gentleman in front of me  however was diligently typing away at his laptop computer.

Blue Box 8.

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27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. I  set up the Blue Box Initiative to get talented Orlando artists from all creative fields to occupy a blue box while I sketch.

To date, I have completed 16 sketches. I have about 9 more sketches to complete. If you know a talented local performer who might want to share their talents on a street corner for a couple of hours, please let me know. Originally the city ordinance only allowed busking in the blue boxes during day light hours, but now the ordinance was changed to allow their use at night.

Blue Box 8 is located near the Lynx bus station downtown. Local film makers Jen Vargas and Jay De Los Santos occupied the box as a form of protest for how the city discourages film production in Orlando. Most southern films are created up in Georgia since there are tax incentives up that way. It was a blistering hot May day with little to no shade when I  completed this sketch.

A space-themed film titled “Hidden Figures,” is about three African-American mathematicians who overcome racial and
gender bias to help launch American into space in the early 1960s from Florida’s Space Coast. But the irony is that no scenes from the film were shot at Kennedy Space Center, or
anywhere else on the Space Coast, for that matter, except for historic
stock footage.

Space Coast Film Commissioner Bonnie King said people
connected with the film had contacted her to talk about locations for
filming on the Space Coast. But, largely because Florida no longer
offers incentives for film and television productions, “the higher-ups
decided not to film here.”

Instead, much of “Hidden Figures” was shot in Atlanta and other locations in Georgia, a state
that has “fantastic film incentives” that make it attractive to shoot
movies there, King said. Those incentives include transferable tax
credits for the film productions. Film
Florida estimates that Brevard County‘s economy lost $10 million
because the film was shot in Georgia, rather than the Space
Coast. It seems like Florida was on the verge of amazing change in the 1960’s but today the state falls back on a lazy status quo as if we are just fine with our heads in the sand.

WeekendTop 6 Picks for February 17th and 18th.

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Saturday February 17, 2018

4 PM to 9 PM Free. 4th Annual Sanford Mardi Gras. West End Trading Co. 202 S Sanford Ave, Sanford, Florida 32771. 4th Annual Mardi Gras benefiting Meals on Wheels, Etc. at West End Trading Co. Sashay (walking, golf cart, biking parade) at 4pm sharp at the corner of
6th and Sanford Ave. March down to the 2nd and Palmetto Ave where the
party begins! Kid Dutch
and his brass Perseverance Band will take the stage directly after the
sashay, followed by local bands. Emcee work from everyone’s favorite local
Michael Nall of Park and Seventh!!! Check out all the vendors and attractions like face painters, stilt walkers and more! Food trucks provided Kona Food Truck Luaus, so plenty of choices!! Party sponsored by Magic Hat Brewing Company!!

6 PM to  Midnight. Saturday and Sunday. Nude Nite Orlando.  Warehouse – Central Florida Fairgrounds 4603 W Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL 32808-8158. America’s Largest Nude Art Exhibition is more than an art show.
It is an annual art and entertainment event showing over 200 juried art
works for sale, world class body painters, national burlesque acts,
interactive installations, performance art, cirque performers and a cast
of strolling characters both in costume and out…. 21+

7 PM to 9 PM Free.  UCF Symphony Orchestra. Rising Star a Local Legend. Saint Luke’s Lutheran Church (2021 West SR 426 Oviedo FL.)  UCF Symphony Orchestra. Rising Star a Local Legend – Chung Park Director with guest composer Stella Young.

Sunday February 18, 2018

Noon to 3 PM Donation based. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. 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.

7:30 PM to 9:30 PM Free. Concert.  Winter Park’s Central Park Main Stage. Park Avenue.

Celebrating 10 seasons of Winter park Institute.
Bob James Jazz Trio
Chip Weston and the Gazebos
Will Patrick
Rich Walker
Shannon Caine
Rollins student will play City of Winter Park Fanfare by Dr. John Sinclair.

10 PM to Midnight. Free. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Things Come Apart at the History Center.

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What makes a watch tick? How does a sewing machine stitch? Where does an iPod get its shuffle? For those who have ever asked questions like these, Things Come Apart is a revelation. The Orange County Regional History Center (65 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32801) is home for this Traveling Smithsonian Exhibit until May 6, 2018.

Through extraordinary photographs, disassembled objects and fascinating videos, Things Come Apart reveals the inner workings of common, everyday possessions. Images of dozens of objects explore how things are designed and made and how technology has evolved over time. For example, the individual components of a record player, a Walkman, and an iPod illustrate the technical changes in sound reproduction over the years, and images of the parts of a mechanical and digital watch demonstrate different approaches to timepiece engineering.

After photographer Todd McLellan disassembles each object, he spends hours arranging its components in the order in which they were taken apart to achieve a cohesive photograph. With the eye of an artist and the precision of a scientist, he then captures a moment in time of the components falling to the ground. Things Come Apart includes four disassembled objects permanently mounted in acrylic for display in cases to be provided by exhibitor, in addition to short videos documenting Todd’s artistic process.

The History Center added it’s own Central Florida items to the exhibit such as a Disney World Singing Cockatoo animatronic from the Tiki Room. A vintage video from Walt Disney himself introduces the inner working of the mechanical bird. The staff also disassembled a Beefy King sandwich to highlight the inner workings of the local flavor sensation. The youngest person at the VIP opening was particularly absorbed in the Tiki Bird and a slow motion video of a piano being dropped to the pavement.

Things Come Apart strikingly reveals the design and engineering behind some of our most common, useful, and prized possessions.