Eola Slumber

Posted on by Thor

I went to Lake Eola in Orlando Florida to conduct an advanced Urban Sketching workshop with a student. As I was walking around the lake to meet her near the swam boats, would be the only one in the park wearing a face mask. I was wrong. I saw someone on a park bench fast asleep using a face mask to cover their eyes, to keep out the bright Florida sun. I didn’t have time to sketch this person, so I committed it to memory.

It seemed to me a perfect analogy to where we are as a country right now. Most Americans are “done” with the pandemic and have decided to put on blinders to go about life as normal in the midst of the pandemic. We are in a momentary lull. But lulls don’t last in a pandemic. It ain’t over until the fat lady sings.

The White House may decide to back off on the COVID National Emergency status. The public health emergency (PHE) was initially declared by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in late January 2020, pursuant to Section 319 of the Public Health Service Act. A PHE lasts for 90 days and must be renewed to continue; the PHE for COVID-19 has been renewed several times, most recently in April 2022, and is currently scheduled to expire in mid-July 2022. Possibly allowing the PHE to expire isn’t being based on experts or any science but rather on the fact that there are mid term elections coming up and it would be impossible to get re-elected while the country was in the midst of a national emergency. The only solution is to put on the blinders.

Omicron is 6 Months Old

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Omicron is just 6 months old. It appeared as an entirely new strain of the virus not being related to the Alpha or Delta variants of COVID-19. Some researchers believe it may have infected mice and the strain and new variants blossomed in the mouse population before jumping back to infect humans.

The good new is that Omicron is less virulent than Delta which it replaced. Though less virulent, so many people became infected with Omicron all at once during the January spike, that it ultimately resulted in more deaths than from Delta.

Perhaps the fact that so many people have been infected has helped build up immunity. The trouble is that the immunity from infection and vaccination eventually wanes.

There are a lot of cases out there right now. The exact number is impossible to tell since testing sites across the country have been shut down and those who are infected take at home tests which are not counted or they don’t test at all.

Hospitalizations right now are lower than at any other time during the pandemic. Human nature is to say I am done with COVID when there is a perceived lull in cases. We have been here before, many times. However future variants combined with waning immunity may result in the next wave being much worse than what we are experiencing right now. This virus is unpredictable.  Any forecasts done prior to January of 2022 would not have any idea about Omicron. It was a curve ball that came out of nowhere.

We can hope that Omicron continues to become less severe in the future, but hope is not a good foundation for public health policy. The White House has made statements that hint that the worst of the pandemic is behind us, but lets face it a pandemic isn’t great a president’s chances of re-election in mid term elections. On the other  hand the White House warned of 100 million possible cases this fall and winter if the COVID funding package from Congress was not approved. Welcome to the strange world of mixed messaging.

Crealde 2 Point

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At my Crealde Urban Sketching class I worked hard to socially distance my students when we worked in the classroom. I would carry a six foot long staff with me to class to be sure students were more than six feet apart. I would leave the classroom door open to get some cross breeze and I organized the table into a large square positioning each student at a corner.

Masks were required at Crealde at the time but that mandate has been dropped. Thankfully I haven’t been back in the classroom since the masking has been dropped.

This sketch was done as a demo after I introduced students to the idea of using two point perspective in a sketch. They were tasked with including as many other students as they could in their sketch.

As I worked on my sketch I walked around at each phase to show the students how much work was involved with the pencil rough, the inking and the final watercolor. I also offered each student individualized sketch suggestions to incorporate into their sketch.

Most of our work was done outside, but for one class I wanted to convey how to sketch people and place them inside a room.  Much of the challenge comes in getting students to understand how to use horizontal, vertical, parallel and diagonal lines. I am convinced that basic geometry should be a requirement for any student of art. I work my students hard but those who are up to the task start producing some amazing work.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava

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The church building was constructed in 1850-55 and was designed by architect Richard Upjohn in English Gothic Revival style. At the time it was known as Trinity Chapel which was one of several uptown chapels of the Trinity Church parish.

Celebrated American writer Edith Wharton (Jones) married socialite Edward Wharton in 1885 in Trinity Chapel; she was later to immortalize the church in her famous novel of Victorian New York, The Age of Innocence. Trinity Chapel was an active Episcopal Church community for a number of decades until 1915, when the area became commercial and parishioners began to relocate farther north.

The chapel was sold to the Serbian Eastern Orthodox parish in 1942, re-opening as the Cathedral of St. Sava in 1944. The entire church complex with furnishings was purchased in 1942 for $30,000. The Deed, signed on March 15, 1943, did not include a park on the southwest side of the church (present-day parking lot), speculated to have been sold at a later date.

Following the end of World War II, the Cathedral reached out to huge waves of refugees and immigrants from Yugoslavia. It was the only place where Serbs could meet, where they could preserve their faith and national identity, simultaneously a place to learn English and enter into their new, alien society and culture.

In the 1960’s, a powerful explosion from across 26th Street destroyed the original stained glass altar windows, which were subsequently replaced with stained glass windows in a Byzantine style motif. The Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava was declared a national landmark building by the National Register of Historic Places, U.S. Department of the Interior, and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. On April 18, 1968, the New York Landmarks Preservation Commission stated that the Cathedral’s “striking appearance commands special attention,” and that “its special character, historic significance, and aesthetic interest and value of the development, heritage, and cultural characteristics of New York make it irreplaceable”.

Crealde Ventilation

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At my Crealde Urban Sketching class, I had the students sketch the darkened studio next to our classroom.

Black garbage bags and clear plastic were taped together to cover an open doorway to the studio, creating what looked to me like a scene from a horror movie. A small portable AC unit was set up to cool the room.

Part of the reason I had students work in the darkened room was that many student water colors never get dark enough. When water color dries the wash gets a bit lighter. With experience you adjust for this and paint a bit darker.

If you have a pure black on the page next to the pure white of the paper, that become an eye magnet. It is hard not to look at the high contrast. My goal is to get my students to create a full range of values from pure white to pitch black.

I have no idea what this doorway repair work was all about, but it offered a great way to show students how to look for a definite and clear light source in a scene. I usually make a concerted effort to be sure a person is in each sketch, but in this case it was liberating to just set the scene.

Breakthrough Deaths Rise

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ABC News analysis of federal data shows that breakthrough cases comprise an increasing proportion of those who die of COVID-19. In August of 2021, about 18.9% of COVID-19 deaths occurred among the vaccinated. Six months later, in February 2022, that proportional percent of deaths had increased to more than 40%.

In September 2021, just 1.1% of COVID-19 deaths occurred among Americans who had been fully vaccinated and boosted with their first dose. By February 2022, that percentage had increased to about 25%. Experts said the increase in breakthrough deaths is expected as more Americans reach full vaccination status.

“These data should not be interpreted as vaccines not working. In fact, these real-world analyses continue to reaffirm the incredible protection these vaccines afford especially when up to date with boosters,” said Dr. John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Boston Children’s Hospital and an ABC News contributor. Many vulnerable Americans are more than one year out from their primary vaccinations and have yet to receive booster doses. About 91.5 million eligible Americans, about half of those currently eligible, have yet to receive their first booster shot.

The increase in breakthrough deaths comes as a growing proportion of older Americans enter the hospital for COVID-19 related care. Throughout the omicron surge, the average age of those in the hospital with COVID-19 has steadily gotten older again. In recent months, during the omicron surge, 73% of deaths have been among those 65 and older. Vaccines and boosters continue to provide significant protection against severe disease. However, waning immunity re-emphasizes the urgency of boosting older Americans and high-risk Americans with additional doses. The best way to protect the older population is to make sure everyone around them is fully immunized.

Only about 10 million people have received a second booster, which is authorized for people 50 and older. With waning immunity and a coronavirus that seems to become more infectious with each new variant, it’s a good time to get a second booster.

BA2.12.1 Over NYC

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The north east is being attacked by a new and more contagious variant of Omicron.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data released today shows BA.2.12.1, thought to be 30% more infectious than BA.2

Omicron Subvariant BA.2.12.1 will become the dominant variant in the country in the next 7-10 days. It is already driving Covid hospitalizations. New York  Governor Kathy Hochul tested positive for Covid-19 on May 9, 2022. Late night hosts Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel as well as Vice President Kamala Harris have all tested positive for COVID-19. Others include,  Broadway, the actors Matthew Broderick and Daniel Craig, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and at least three members of the New York City Council.

New York City lifted many of its mask and vaccine requirements. It looks like they plan to face this new wave without basic mitigation measures. The prevalence of fevers across the city, which can offer a forewarning of Covid trends, has reached levels last seen at some of the worst points of the pandemic, according to data from internet-connected thermometers.

In the region comprised of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, where the sub-variant was first identified, the variant is already tied to 66% of new cases sequenced. As of the past weekend, hospitalizations and deaths in New York were up 38% and 24%, respectively.

If there is good news in the new data, it’s that the next wave of Omicron variants, called BA.4 and BA.5 which are believed  to be even more transmissible than BA.2.12.1, have not seen the same rate of spread in the U.S. since their arrival here about March 19, 2022.

Lake Eola: Falun Dafa

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I have started working with a new student on location and it is an opportunity to get out of the studio and explore the world with my sketchbook again. We met near the red pagoda at Lake Eola.

I decided to keep masked even though we were outside. My reasoning is that I have no idea when a person might get curious about my sketch and stand close behind me, breaking down my neck. Pam always jokes about some woman resting her huge boobs on my shoulder as she watched me sketch one time. I discovered there is an added benefit to wearing the mask in that people tend to stay clear, perhaps thinking I might be infected.

For the two hour duration of this sketch, I only saw one other person wearing a mask. Lake Eola was packed since the farmers market was in full swing. It would seem Orlando is done with COVID-19 although the virus is not done with Orlando.

There were 59,430 new coronavirus cases recorded over the last two weeks among Florida residents, bringing the cumulative total close to 6 million. With 230 more fatalities on record, 74,060 Florida residents have died so far.  Deaths have been dropping with the new BA.2 variant of COVID but there are reports that long COVID is more common with the new variant. Positivity increased over the past two weeks from 6.1% to 9%. On the risk assessment map of the United States Florida ticked up from yellow to orange today. The state reports only show Florida resident cases and exclude non-residents cases, which are no longer available. The state works hard to promote ignorance. Local NPR reporter Nichole Darden Creston tested positive for COVID-19 this week. The last time I saw her, she handed me a travel pack of free tissues to promote WMFE.

Falun Dafa is an ancient, high-level Chinese cultivation practice which uses gentle movements and meditation to cultivate the body, mind, and spirit. None of the practitioners were masked. It consists of five simple exercises that can be performed by anyone, regardless of age, physical condition, infection status or prior experience. The practice is meant to relieve stress and create harmony, as it cleanses the mind and body, and focuses on increasing wisdom, morality, and promoting spiritual growth. Falun Dafa is guided by the characteristic of the universe: Truthfulness–Benevolence–Forbearance. The practice began in China which is now allowing citizens to stave to death in it’s zero COVID policy lock downs.

As people went through the movements, a sales person handed out pamphlets and offered free COVID shaped plastic flower sculptures. I was offered a flower but don’t really need one right now.

50 Oldest Churches of NYC: Saint George’s Episcopal Church

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St. George’s Episcopal Church is a historic church located at 209 East 16th Street at Rutherford Place, on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan, New York City. It is considered “one of the first and most significant examples of Early Romanesque Revival church architecture in America”, the church exterior was designed by Charles Otto Blesch and the interior by Leopold Eidlitz. It is one of the two sanctuaries of the Calvary-St. George’s Parish.

The original St. George’s was a chapel built in 1752 by Trinity Church on Chapel Street (now Beekman Street) in Lower Manhattan.

In 1811 the congregation became independent, and in 1846–1856 they built this new church uptown, in fashionable Stuyvesant Square. One New Yorker described the location in his diary in 1848 “a howling wilderness.” The spires on each tower of the church were completed almost a decade after the remainder of the building. These masterful, lacy stone spires were deemed unsafe in 1888 and taken down in 1889.

The church was gutted by fire in 1865, everything in the in the interior was lost. The church was rebuilt within the next two years under the supervision of Leopold Eidlitz.

By 1880, the Episcopal church sat in the middle of a neighborhood filled with immigrants, who were largely Catholic and Jewish. The church decided to to downplay doctrinal matters, abolish pew rentals, and offer secular social services programs aimed at helping the poor, including an industrial school, sewing classes, soup kitchens, health programs, boys’ and girls’ clubs, and other educational and recreational initiatives.

In 1976, the parish merged with two others, Calvary Church, which was founded in 1832 and moved to the Gramercy Park area in 1842, and the Church of the Holy Communion, built on Sixth Avenue in 1844—to form the Calvary-St George’s Parish. Calvary Church is still operating, but the Church of the Holy Communion was deconsecrated and sold to pay down the debts of the new combined parish. It was adapted as the Limelight disco. It then operated as a marketplace and from 2017 as a gym.

Saint George’s was among the first of the new Landmarks Preservations Commissions designations, in 1967. The facade received a well-deserved restoration in 1980.

50 Oldest Church of NYC: John Street United Methodist Church

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The John Street United Methodist Church, also known as Old John Street Methodist Episcopal Church, is located at 44 John Street between Nassau and William Streets in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1841 in the Georgian style, with the design attributed to William Hurry and or Philip Embury.

The story of the John Street Church actually begins in Ireland, where Philip Embury, his wife, Barbara Ruckle Heck (Embury’s cousin), and her husband were converted to Methodism. Philip Embury became one of Wesley’s local preachers. In 1760, a number of Irish Methodists, including the Emburys and the Hecks, immigrated to New York City.

The congregation is the oldest Methodist congregation in North America, founded on October 12, 1766 as the Wesleyan Society in America. The Society built its first church, a blue stucco barn called the Wesley Chapel, on this site in 1768; its design was attributed to Barbara Heck.

The second church on this site was built in 1817-18, and the extravagance of the building provoked a secession from the congregation by Rev. William Stillwell. The third church, the current one, was necessitated by the widening of John Street.

The church was designated a New York City Landmark in 1965 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.