This statue called “Muse of Discovery” in Lake Eola Park survived the rising flood waters as Lake Eola overflowed it’s banks due to the incredible amount of rainfall from Hurricane Ian. The flood water rose right to the base of the small hill in which she is wedged. Unfortunately she could not survive the incredibly stupid and irresponsible parents who allowed their daughter to paint the eyebrows and lips of the stature after the storm waters subsided.
I chose this spot to sketch with my weekend warrior Urban sketching student. Children clamored all over the statue while we sketched and I believe that is what is intended by the artist since the statue is so low to the ground. It is a favorite selfie and family photo spot.
However one dumb ass mom and dad allowed her daughter to start face painting the statue. When I am Urban sketching I tend to ignore areas where people block the view of my intended subject. So while this family was crowded around the face, I was sketching trees and background foliage.
At one point a parks worker approached the family and said, “please don’t let her do that, I will just have to come back and scrub it off.” The dad said something to the daughter and she tried to wipe the lips clean with her elbow. It was only after the family left that I noticed that one eyebrow was bright yellow and the other a faint purple. I had drawn the face prior to the family vandalism and it hadn’t been like that when I first sketched it.
So that became the lesson for the day. If you sit in one place long enough to do a sketch, you often get to witness the dumbest members of society teach their kids to do dumb shit.