Now that I am instructing an Urban Sketching Class at Crealde School of Art, (600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792) I am always looking for inspiring places to sketch around Winter Park. My students advised me that The Heavy (1152 Harmon Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) might be a fun place to sketch. They were correct. The Heavy located in the old Lombardi’s warehouse is a fantastic coffee shop that also sells gorgeous plants and furnishings. The loading docks have been converted into luminous plant filled oasis’s.
My students scattered about and sketched the unique setting. Several children were playing on a couch which was caught by one of my students. One member of the staff was clearly an artist herself and loved that we were capturing the ambiance with our sketchbooks. If you check their calendar online you will see weekend Home Barista workshops and an open flower bar. It seems you can learn how to make you own home just as much of an oasis.
The Heavy seems such a strange name for a place that exudes a light and calming vibe. For much of the time while I worked on this sketch a man was getting an education in how to care for the house plant he was buying. Of course most of my time is spent giving students ideas on composition and structure. I want to be sure that everyone gets some rough sketches from me. At the beginning of the next class I also give them all the sketches I did for each student since a note give to one student might be helpful for another. I love introducing artists to the life affirming habit of sketching daily.