Smallest Gallery in Orlando

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Trevor Fraser, an entertainment reporter for the Orlando Sentinel put out a call for artists on Facebook for what he called the Smallest Gallery in Orlando. The gallery consisted of a small strip of wall between two doors. I decided to incorporate my 12th Night Orlando Shakespeare Theater sketch to fill the space and my submission was approved.

Trevor and his wife Lindsay Fraser decided to host a party where guests could paint in the sketch. I arrived about an hour early and projected my sketch on the wall and then painted in the dark line work. I Did a bit of painting on the central Shakespearean actor and then relaxed along with Pam and watched as people finished the painting. f course everyone had their own style so the disparate areas didn’t entirely tie in together but that is part of the charm.

All the food served was part of a “Beet Off” between he and Lauren Delgato. Everything had beets in it, Beet hummus, beet salad, beet cupcakes. It is amazing the variety of tastes you can get from a humble beet. It was a fun afternoon.

This little mural wasn’t quite finished by the end of the party, so I am not sure if it ever was completed. There was some talk of using this sketch in the Orlando Sentinel for an article about the gallery, but there was no budget so I saved it for this site. The Noor Salman trial was just beginning and unfortunately the Sentinel also didn’t buy any of the 70 or so courtroom sketches I did for that trial. Only CNN, Channel 9 and Channel 6 and the Orlando Weekly used some of those sketches. March was a crazy month.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 1 and 2, 2018

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Saturday December 1, 2018

10am to Noon Free. Orlando Shakes Volunteer Orientation. Orlando Shakes 812 E Rollins St, Orlando, Florida 32803. Please join us for Orlando Shakes’ Volunteer Orientation – a perfect way
to learn more about volunteering. Returning volunteers will brush-up on
the basics and changing policies; new volunteers will learn what they
need to know to join the team.

During this free orientation, all
our volunteers will learn how to get involved, take a brief tour of the
Theater, receive an overview of benefits and policies, and enjoy some
light breakfast food and drinks!

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

Breakfast & Check-In: 10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Orientation: 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM

Questions: 11:00 AM – 11:15 AM

8pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts.  Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. 1st Saturday of every month.

10:30pm to 12:30am Free but get food and or drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL.



Sunday December 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. George Weremchuk and the Hippocrene Saxophone Quartet. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Members of the public are invited to visit the historic home museum, listen to live music and take a tour
of our historic home museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by
trained docents.

2pm to 4pm. Museum admission applies. Adults $10,  Seniors (60+) $8, College Students with ID $8, Students (K-12) $3, Members and children 4 and under are free. Meet and Greet Jan Kaláb. Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens, 633 Osceola Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Contemporary Prague artist Jan Kaláb is known internationally for his
innovative 3-D graffiti. Born in Czechoslovakia in 1978 at a time when
graffiti was a form of protest in Eastern Europe, he made a name for
himself in the 1990s as the country was opening itself up to Western
influences. Kaláb later became known across Europe as “Cakes” and took
his art to New York in 2000, making an impression while painting train
cars alongside other well-known graffiti artists. Since 2007 Kaláb has
experimented with abstractions on canvas, earning him solo exhibitions
in Argentina, Germany, Paris, London, New York, and Miami. The Polasek
Museum exhibit will include sculptures, 3-D canvases, select new works,
and an original installation.

Corsets and Cuties Holiday Kick-off at the Venue

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Pam Schwartz and I went to a dress rehearsal for Corsets and Cuties at The Venue (511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803). With all the development in Ivanhoe Village, the Venue’s days are numbered. It will soon be demolished to make way for more development. This rehearsal was for a Christmas Holiday Kick-off. This Burlesque Cabaret troupe is not for the faint of heart, but for those with a sense of humor and adventure.

The Christmas tree was fluffed and decorated with care and the Cuties marquee was hung by the boys. An opening number featured Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. All the dancers wore red antlers and pranced with innocent charm. Rudolf came with a glowing red nose until it too was stripped and left to the wayside to allow for some flowing gyrations.

Lady Jaimz explained that they had bought some Disney Costumes at a Lake Howell High School sale, so everyone had matching green holiday garb for the final number. A dancer wasn’t at the rehearsal, so We didn’t see every act but what ensued was the usual chaos and fun anarchy.

The December 1st performance promises a chance to start the season with some fun and teasing with Corsets and Cuties.
Doors and bar open at 9pm.
Showtime 10pm.
Special gifts from sponsor Premier Couples Superstore.

Tickets are $18 by pre-order or at the door. 

Stetson Mansion for the Holidays

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I arranged to sketch the Stetson Mansion (1031 Camphor Lane, DeLand, FL 32720) because they decorate the place for the Christmas Holiday Season. The Stetson Mansion built in 1886 is part of Florida’s First Luxury Estate and the
grandest home ever built in Florida before the 20th century. Built for famed hat maker and philanthropist
John B. Stetson, this winter retreat is Florida’s only richly detailed
mansion actually built in the “Gilded Age” which ended in 1899.

The
eclectic and unusual “High Victorian” architectural design not only had
the most advanced technology of its day, it also includes a variety of
complicated interior carvings, 16 patterns of the nation’s most rare and
intricate parquet wood floors and 10,000 panes of original leaded glass
windows. The understated decorations on the exterior are meant to just allow the architecture to shine. Inside is an entirely different story.

The 8th Annual Christmas Spectacular has the interior is ornately decorated for the holidays and has to be seen to be believed.  Holiday Home Tours continue through January 15th and need to be reserved online. I only had time for one sketch, so I didn’t sketch inside. Being part of tour would mean I wouldn’t have time to sketch in any one room anyway.

I started sketching as the last tour of the day went inside. I was told I had 90 minutes before the tour let out. I worked hard to catch the fading light. After the sun set I discovered that my iPad attracted mosquitoes. They swarmed around my hands as I sketched and tapped against the illuminate glass screen. When they started buzzing in my ears, I lost patience and had to run for the car to escape. A few got inside the car with me and I punched at the windshield to crush them. I am sure I got the last one out as I opened the car window as I was driving and he got sucked outside. That didn’t stop me from itching on the entire drive back.

Brian Feldman’s William Shakespeare’s Macbeth

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It is a tale

Told by an idiot,

full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

I went to sketch a one man performance of Macbeth at the Walt Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola Park (99 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801). Several smart phones were set up on tripods to live stream the performance. The program came complete with a set of ear plugs which was a mystery at first. Brian Feldman took to the band shell stage covered in protective gear, another mystery. He held a script and was about to perform the play solo acting out every part. Brian made his acting debut in 1991 in Macbeth on the Lake Eola stage as a child actor.

Actors consider it bad luck to say Macbeth in a theater. Neil Barnes from Essex explained it this way, “Theatrical folklore has it
that, as revenge for Shakespeare’s inclusion of a number of accurate
spells within the play, a coven of witches cursed it for all eternity.
Whether or not you believe this rationale is irrelevant, though, because
the ill-fortune associated with the play is backed up by numerous
examples over its four hundred year history
Initially, King James banned the play for five years because he had such
a dislike for it, but there are also more bloody examples: there was an
unpleasant and lethal riot after one showing in nineteenth century New
York and one Lady Macbeth fell off the front of the stage while
sleepwalking, dropping nearly twenty feet. Even Olivier wasn’t free from
the curse, as one of his performances was enlivened by a falling stage
weight which landed only inches from him mid-performance.
Given the weight of evidence, it’s not surprising that actors are given
to indulge in a little superstition.” Others explained that if tickets for a particular play were not selling well, the theater owners would end the run and replace it with the ever popular Macbeth. Either way, you will never hear an actor utter “Macbeth” inside a theater.

Granted the Lake Eola Band Shell is outside, but years ago this is where Shakespeare plays were performed before the Shakes moved into the theater in Lock Haven Park. I saw a production here when I first moved to Orlando back in 1994.

Brian began his performance. The first word he uttered was, “Macbeth” followed by “Macbeth” and then “Macbeth”. He held the full script in his hands and read the entire play replacing each word with “Macbeth” and trying to maintain the emotion and relevance of each line. He was tempting fate with each word he uttered. At times Macbeths got tangled together as he trued to say them in quick succession. Now the ear plugs made sense. Hearing this endless litany of Macbeths could drive a person mad. I might have missed a few of the plot twists as I focused on my sketch.

The play in all runs about 69 minutes and I was chucking to myself the entire time despite the tragedy being acted out on stage. Irene Pynn produced and directed the production. As she said in the program, “The process was more conceptual than straightforward. Less ‘Give me a stronger emphasis on the third line’ and more, ‘How many people will curse us for doing this?'”

Pop Up Gallery at Nora’s Sugar Shack

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I went to Nora’s Sugar Shack (636 Virginia Drive Orlando
FL) to sketch the opening of a
Pop up gallery show for photographer Robert “Kap” Kaplinger. This was the debut
of a monthly series of shows at Nora’s. The shows are a collaboration between
Nora Booker and Frankie Messina of Apartment E. These pop up exhibits happen
every second Tuesday of each month.

Nora’s Sugar Shack is a quirky little white clapboard
bungalow with a red door, although the entrance is actually around back. The
place offers wine, beer and cigars. The gallery was in a small room maybe 10 by
15 feet in size. Frankie Messina set up his analog record DJ station at one end
of the room and I sat down beside him for my view of the event. The opening was
well attended. Nora stood behind the bar.

The photos were black and white featuring native Florida flora and fauna.
The crowd got so dense that they spilled out onto the patio which is where a
few puffed on cigars. One guy wore the same hat as Heisenberg in Breaking Bad,
so I ended up sketching him several times. Nora’s has the vibe of an antique
shop with fun nick knacks and vintage lighting. A small table in the corner
had some bottles of wine and some information about the photographer.

Spring Pops, The Race for Space

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The City of Winter Park
hosted the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra led by conductor Dean Whiteside as
they presented Spring Pops in Winter Park’s Central Park main stage. Patrons set up on the grass lawn
with blankets and lawn chairs. Some folks came really prepared with wine
candles and a full spread. Everyone was ready for a relaxing evening of music
under the stars. The sun set behind the stage as I sketched creating a warm
glow behind the performers. I squinted as I starred straight into the sunset.

The evening featured music by composer John Williams along
with other space themed music. Guest vocalists for the night were Natalie
Cordone and Shawn Kilgore. I was set up and sketching before the performer got
on stage. I was fascinated with the cello player that had a wheel on the bottom
of his instrument so he could roll it around like a wheel barrel. By the end of
the performance the stage s lit by two stage spot lights that had been set up
stage left and right.

It is so nice to enjoy an outdoor concert as the northern
states are still experiencing cold temperatures. As I write this I am at my
Sister’s home in Port Charlotte Florida.
She is looking up photos of the snow covered landscapes in the northern towns
where out other brothers and sisters live. There is nothing so rewarding as
seeing cold weather while basking in the Florida
sun.

Fundraiser and Sneak Peek: Female 12th Night

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Roque  Pub  (3076  Curry Ford Road  Orlando,  FL 32806) hosted a fundraiser for the Female 12th Night. The Orlando Shakes presented the show back in February and March.

A pair of shipwrecked twins set into motion a tale of mistaken identity,
eccentricity, and unlikely love. Separated from her brother Sebastian,
quick-thinking Viola adopts a male disguise and enters the service of
the handsome Duke Orsino – only to find herself in the middle of a love
triangle. When Viola’s new boss sends her to win his unrequited love,
the Countess Olivia, her disguise proves too effective and the Countess
falls for the young girl dressed as a boy instead.

The show features  endless gender swapping and was presented at first with an all male cast. That show was then followed by several performances by an all female cast. I saw the all male cast and it was laugh out loud funny. I unfortunately never saw the whole female performance of the same show but at this Roque Fundraiser, I got to see several excerpts. I sketched the event organizers as things got started.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for November 24 and 25, 2018

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Saturday November 24, 2018

9am to 5pm Free. Coastal Christmas Market. Downtown New Smyrna Beach Canal Street and Sam Avenue . Outdoor Holiday Market.

Noon to 5pm Free. FusionFest. Seneff Arts Plaza Dr Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. 

FusionFest is a free two-day celebration in Downtown Orlando
that features a kaleidoscopic fusion of aromas, sights, sounds, tastes,
textures and fascinating short films that represent the diverse origins
and heritages of our community. 

Presented
by Dr. Phillips Center, FusionFest is a project of the Downtown Arts
District with support from Orange County Government, the City of
Orlando/Downtown Development Board and a growing grassroots movement.

4:30pm to 7pm $12. Light Up Mount Dora. Historic Donnelly House 535 N Donnelly Street Mount Dora. Dinner in the Historic home before Mount Dora lights up for the holidays.

Sunday November 25, 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.

11am to 5pm Free. Holiday Makers Market. Casa Feliz The Pines at Windermere, 3409 Maguire Road Windermere FL.  Meet local artists and purchase their one of a kind creations.

3pm to 5pm Free. Handles Massiah. Bob Carr Theatre 401 W. Livingston Street  Orlando, Florida. Messia Choral Society celebrating 46 years is Olando’s Longest running free cultural arts performance.

Cemetaries as Museums

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Pam Schwartz and I went to the Osceola County Welcome Center and History Museum (4155 W Vine St, Kissimmee, Florida 34741)to listen to guest speaker Kevin Gidusko from the Florida Public Archaeology Network as he spoke about the preservation of historic cemeteries.

His talk covered, the archaeological process in cemeteries, the use iconography and headstone styles to date sites, and preservation and dating techniques. Cemeteries are a rather recent phenomenon when compared to the entire history of the world.  Cemeteries have had an important place in our culture since the beginning of recorded time. Taking special care to honor our ancestors and have a proper final resting place for them is one of the things that makes us uniquely human.

Many cemeteries are now being documented online on Find a Grave making finding distant relatives for genealogy increasingly easy. Any cemetery is a  place where we can see the people who helped shape our history. Weathering, vandalism, neglect, and encroachment by development and plant growth threaten the fate of historic cemeteries. Because of this it is important to systematically survey and document these historic sites before they are forever lost.

The intricate carvings on headstones can tell much about the beliefs of the person buried. Common designs in the 19th and early 20 centuries included urns, Latin crosses, willow trees, doves, lambs, hands bibles, flowers and vines. For instance the symbol of a weeping willow reflected the interest in the United States in ancient Greece. The most obvious meaning is the “Weeping” or mourning for the loss of a loved one. A willow is a fast growing tree that is easy to grow from cuttings and often is the first tree to grow on a disturbed site. Thus the tree is known as healing. In many cultures the willow tree is a symbol for immortality.

Kevin let us know that there are many opportunities to volunteer should we want to take part in the preservation of cemeteries.

The event was sponsored in part by Gatorland.