Interview at Maxine’s

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JB Webb and the Reverend produce a podcast about the Orlando Arts and Culture scene called The JB Rev Show. I recently did some art work for this show which depicted this dynamic duo as if on the cover of a comic book. It was fun working with JB to make that happen.

I was called in to Maxine’s on Shine for an interview on the show. The production was staged in the red room in the back corner of the restaurant. Before the place became the restaurant it is today this room was used to stage weddings. Now it’s walls are blood red and it has plenty of romantic and erotic art.

The JB REV Show is quirky and fast paced. I put on the headphones and joined in for the ride and it was over before I knew what hit me. Honestly I am not sure if I got a word into the mix. I was so mesmerized by the quirky hosts. I then settled in to sketch the production as they interviewed their next guest, Tony Mauss who was the husband of Billy Maines.

My life is measured by the pages in my sketchbooks. Just 15 pages prior to this sketch, I had sketched Billy Maines as he talked about his experiences after the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. Shortly after doing that sketch I found out that Billy had been let go from Watermark where he was the editor and chief, and shortly after, he died on Friday, July 21, 2017 at the age of 45. It was a real shock since he seemed in good health the day we spoke with him. He did joke about a persistent cough.

In a statement to the Orlando Weekly, Tony said, “My husband, Billy Manes, passed away peacefully on Friday afternoon
surrounded by his family of friends. He had been ill for a couple of
weeks with what turned out to be pneumonia, and by the time we sought
medical attention, it was too far advanced. He died due to complications
of his condition leading to organ failure.”

Mauss continued, “Billy Manes was a walking fucking miracle, a man who
fought ferociously to create a world where justice, equality and respect
were the cornerstones of his community. He loved Orlando. He knew what
was possible here in this sprawling mass of ex-pats, misfits,
introverts, seekers, party people, bookworms, performers, makers,
artists and friends. His driving force was love. He loved you, Orlando,
and he knew of your love for him. He fed off it; it sustained him. He
would have fought proudly for each and every one of you forever.
Unfortunately, his body had other plans.

“So … grieve, Orlando, grieve, but don’t forget to laugh, create joy, and love each other wildly. That would honor him.”

Though the JB Rev Show makes a point of being irreverent, they toned down the jokes a notch to pay tribute to a man who had spent his life reporting about local politics in the Orlando Weekly and Watermark, making the seemingly boring inner workings of local government entertaining and relevant.

#txtshow returns to Orlando after 10 years.

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I began this daily sketch blog back in 2009. It was on March 3rd of 2009 that I posted a sketch of Brian Feldman‘s performance of #txtshow at the Jack Kerouac House. The room was crowded back then and I squeezed into a corner of the room to catch the crowd as they looked at their smart phone screens in the dark room. Back then not many people used Twitter or txt, so they had to be taught how to get started.

#txtshow is one of Brian Feldman’s most famous performances and the longest running independent production in D.C. theater history – returns to the venue it originated, the Kerouac House (1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804) exactly 10 years to the day.

For this completely interactive performance, all audience members keep their phones “on” – as a mysterious character named txt (pronounced ‘text’) recites anonymous, real-time tweets written by YOU, live and in-person.

Audience members are instructed to bring their smart phones, ideally fully-charged, and actively use them during the show’s 45 minute duration. It is not necessary to have a Twitter account in order to participate, as everyone in attendance is randomly assigned a protected and anonymous account for their use.

Unfortunately for the first  performance in Orlando there wasn’t much of a crowd. Just four of us sat in the seats set up in the Kerouac House living room. It was an absolutely gorgeous day outside, so perhaps most people were out at the beaches or enjoying outdoor activities with their families.

Tisse Malon was there with her sister offering samples of Frutisse – a new, fruit tea infusion beverage made in Orlando with love and without preservatives, high-fructose corn syrup, or coloring. Pam Schwartz had joined me to the show so that meant there were just three people sending txts on their phones since my hands were busy sketching. Even with so few authors, the show as hilarious. A joke about pirates needed to be read twice for the proper delivery. Someone kept sharing animal insights that were also quite humorous. With so few authors, I kind of knew when Pam had written a txt. She was laughing so loud she couldn’t catch her breath and she had to wipe the tears from her eyes. It was a fun afternoon. Brian didn’t hold the even in the evening since the Oscars were going on that night.

There are three more performances of #txtshow remaining.

#txtshow costs  $15 in advance, $20 at the door.

• Monday, February 25 at 7:00 PM

• Tuesday, February 26 at 7:00 PM (10th Anniversary date)

• Wednesday, February 27 at 7:00 PM

• Thursday, February 28 at 7:00 PM

#txtshow is just one of 5 performances in various venues that Brain is bringing back to Orlando to celebrate 15 years of his performance art.

Wawa® Shabbawa will be on Friday, March 1, 2019 at 7:00 PM at:

Wawa Store #5145

11750 University Blvd.

Orlando, FL 32817Cost: Free Admission

All guests must RSVP on OneTable:

https://dinners.onetable.org/events/78972835-ebe8-4027-8baf-c03179dc190e

“Wawa® Shabbawa” – Brian Feldman’s newest hit dinner project – returns to Central Florida, right down the road from the second largest Jewish collegiate population outside of the State of Israel!

Knives Out will be on Sunday, March 3, 2019 at 2:00 PM SHARP at:

The Glass Knife

276 Orlando Ave.

Winter Park, FL 32789

Cost: Free to attend

The public is invited to join Brian and the critics at their table, or at an adjoining patio table, and order anything off the menu of The Glass Knife (food or drink), at their expense.

Knives Out features five current and former critics from Central Florida, each taking a stab at reading 3 reviews they’ve previously written about past Brian Feldman Projects; 15 reviews for the 15th anniversary of Brian Feldman’s performance art career.

Fiddler on the Phone will have 2 performances.

• Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at Sunset (6:28 PM EST)

• Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Sunset (6:29 PM EST)

Depending on your musical number order, Brian Feldman will call you between 6:28 PM – approximately 9:30 PM EST.

The performance will come direct to your Phone (Brian Feldman will call you from a pay phone).

Free (only 16 calls available)

Register for your phone call at brianfeldman.com.

Note: All calls to area codes outside of the U.S. will be made collect.

Taking place entirely over a pay phone, this performance features Brian Feldman singing Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein’s classic Tony Award®-winning 1964 musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” a capella, one song at a time, one phone call at a time.

Specific songs from the show may be requested, and will be fulfilled in the order received. Otherwise, all songs will be allocated randomly. Phone calls will range from approximately 1 to 8 minutes.  

The Feldman Dynamic on March 8, 2019 at 7:30 PM at:

Stardust Video & Coffee

1842 E. Winter Park Rd.

Orlando, FL 32803

Cost: $15 advance, $20 at the door

Free if your last name is “Feldman” (at the door, with valid photo ID). Offer not valid if tickets are sold out prior to the performance.

The original Brian Feldman Project returns to Central Florida for the first time in over five years, and to Orlando for the first time in over 10 years.

An unprecedented reality theater event featuring a family – Brian Feldman’s actual family (Mom, Dad, and sister) – having dinner together live on stage. There’s no script, no rehearsal, and every performance is completely different. It’s not improv. It’s the reality show that will never be on TV.

The Feldman Dynamic is Brian Feldman, Edward Alan Feldman, Adrienne McIntosh, and Marilyn Wattman-Feldman.  

Jack Fields Artist Talk

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Jack Fields gave an artist talk at The Maitland Art Center, (231 W Packwood Ave, Maitland, FL 32751). I first sketched Jack when he was a puppeteer at a Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater up in the Altamonte mall. A grant from United Arts helped Jack produce a short puppetry film. Performance artist Brian Feldman made a short cameo appearance in that film.

One of Jack’s signature puppets is names Godrick. Godrick is a life sized puppet that jack slips inside. He is bulbous  with black drapery that hides any sign of feet. His large head head isn’t on the shoulders but instead juts out of the characters hips area. A hat sits where his head used to be. His articulated mouth is the one element that animates on the huge puppet. I have sketched Godrick in action at several festivals and the kids love him. There is something about his simple bell shapes form that must appeal top them.

On the table were several glittery heads from the film Happy Memories. I can’t say I understand what the film was about, but it was certainly visually stimulating. My happiest memory was seeing Brain Feldman get zapped by mystical light beams and become a cupcake headed guru.

Food Share

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The Saint George  Orthodox Church on Lake Eola (24 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL 32801) holds a a weekly food share in the parking lot behind the church.

I had gone to the Library to sketch a game night event but there was no one there. Instead I sketched the food share from the library window. Behind me was a rainbow of books. It was a rainy day and the clouds loomed steel grey on the horizon.

 Chairs were set up in the parking lot for people coming for food. There was music and a sermon. Hunger seems to be a motivator for saving souls.

The Straight Street program, gives anyone who has interest an opportunity to “get in where you fit in”. They currently host food shares on Tuesdays at 5:30pm and every Sunday at 4pm. The
Tuesday food share takes place in downtown Orlando at the St. George
Orthodox Church parking lot.  The Sunday
event is a Pop Up Food Share that requires a bit more participation from
volunteers.

Food shares were shut down by a city ordinance in Lake Eola Park in 2006. Volunteers from Food Not Bombs were arrested for feeding the 50 to 100 people in the park.  In April of 2011, the Court of Appeals ruled in a unanimous decision to uphold the city limit of twice-yearly food-sharings in public parks. After the decision, food-sharing groups can only serve meals in the
specified parks twice a year. Parties caught without a permit could be
convicted of violating the city ordinance. Individuals or groups could
be fined $500 or spend two months in jail if they continued to
distribute weekly meals.

The St. George
Orthodox Church food shares have stayed strong despite the city ordinance. The Styrofoam food containers tend to be left all over the place in Heritage Square park in front of the Orange County Regional History Center. The History Center and the Library have to do much of the clean up work.

Weekend Top 6 picks for February 23 and 24, 2019

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Saturday February 23, 2019

8am to 1pm Free. Parramore Farmers Market. 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.

10am to 4pm Free. Sanford Farmers Market. First and Magnolia Sanford Fl. 

7pm to 11pm Free. Ybor City Art Walk. 7th Ave Ybor Tampa, Florida 33605.

Featuring a number of arts organizations and artsy businesses, be sure to R.S.V.P. here to get the official map for the walk!

This event will begin at 7pm and end at 11pm (or maybe there will be an after party!)

Here are the participating locations:

The Bricks of Ybor
Bloodline Tattoo
Ybor Arts Colony
Hot Wax
Wandering Eye Art Gallery
Dysfunctional Grace
Moon Over Havana Arts Gallery
Live Arts Labs

Sunday February 24, 2019

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. 

3pm to 5pm $20 Brian Feldman Performance #txtshow. Kerouac House 1418 Clouser Ave, Orlando, FL 32804.

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

Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens

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On a road trip with John Naughton to South Carolina, we were all looking for something to do on a Sunday. We decided to visit Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens (1235 Long Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464). The historic “Avenue of Oaks” leads up to to the house with southern live oaks on either side, originally planted in 1743. In front of the plantation was a butterfly garden. One butterfly rested on Pam’s back for like an hour. While
everyone else toured the inside of the plantation, I sketched outside.
It was a gorgeous day and I sat on a bench under the shade of a large
live oak.

In the
early 18th century, cotton plantations were enormously profitable, and
this stunningly beautiful estate was a giant of Charleston’s low country
cotton farming. Boone Hall is one of the oldest plantations. Instead of
cotton, they now produce peaches, strawberries, tomatoes and pumpkins.
During certain seasons guests are allowed to pick their own food. Boone
Hall has been
featured in several movies. 

The plantation includes a large Colonial Revival
plantation house (completed in 1936) that replaced the lost original
house on the site, a number of slave cabins running parallel with the oak alley which date back to 1790-1810. It was common for owners to display
their slave cabins in the front of the property as a sign of wealth.
Built of brick, the one-story structures are 12 feet by 30 feet with
gabled roofs, have either plank or dirt floors and a simple fireplace
with a brick hearth and no mantle at the rear of each house. The cabins
were in use well into the 20th century, as they were occupied by sharecroppers through the 1940s. Today they display information on slave life. They looked very uncomfortable to live in with dirt floors.

There was an outdoor presentation on the Gullah culture. The Gullah are African Americans who live in the Low Country region of the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina, in both the coastal plain and the Sea Islands. They developed a creole language, the Gullah language, and a culture rich in African influences that makes them distinctive among African Americans.We learned about the culture through stories and song.

Emily’s Tattoo

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Emily Arnold used to be the assistant curator at the Orange County Regional History Center. She decided to get a tattoo on her right bicep of a gorgeous bird. Since she is an artist she was very discerning about who should create the tattoo. She decided that Steve Roberts of The East Tattoos was the man for the job. One of Steve’s major influences is the work of John James Audubon which made him the perfect artist for the job. Her boyfriend who also worked at the History Center kept her company through the long agonizing process.

The East is an appointment-only private tattoo studio located just north of Downtown Orlando in Ivanhoe Village. Overlooking beautiful Lake Ivanhoe, The East offers a completely personalized experience in a relaxed and comfortable space. Each of the artists work independently; scheduling our own appointments, setting our own prices and corresponding with our own clients.

Two of the tattoo artists from The East stopped by as I was working on a mural on Ivanhoe Park  Brewing. They asked how I planned to do the line work on the mural, and I explained that I was debating about using Krink markers or acrylic paint applied with a brush. One of the artists did graffiti and he said the Krink markers fade quickly over time. He had first hand experience from work he had done in the past. Because of that conversation I abandoned the Krink brand and have been doing the line work with a brush. 

Since getting the tattoo, Emily and her boyfriend both left Orlando. The arts in Orlando left their mark.

Dragon Parade and Lunar New Year Festival

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The eighth annual Dragon Parade and Lunar New Year Festival was held in the Mills 50 area. Lunar New Year events are based on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, which
calculates both the motions of Earth around the sun, and the moon
around the Earth.

The parade assembled near Track Shack on Mills Avenue and then went down Thornton Avenue ending at the parking lot behind The Cameo Theater, home of Snap Gallery on Colonial Drive. I was teaching an Urban Sketching class at Crealde School of Art on that morning and considered taking my students to the festivities to sketch, but the timing was off. By the time we would have arrived from class, the parade would have been over. Instead I had my student sketch in Panera’s which is a much calmer setting.

Immediately after class I drove over to the parade. A large red an yellow balloon arch marked the entry to the event. Food and merchandiser tents were lined up in the parking lot and the place was packed. On the main stage a drum chore was setting the tone. I finally decided I had to sketch the arch and the tent where the dragon heads were stored.

Orlando Urban Sketchers had decided to come to parade as well to sketch but I didn’t see anyone at first. After I sat and started sketching I was approached by a sketcher who wanted to watch as I sketched. I explained my thought process a bit as I set up the composition. Once she started sketching as I well I got lost in my process.

For the longest time this seemed like a boring sketch location, but then a group of youths in red tee shirts started getting dressed in bright yellow pants. It turned out I was watching two dragon dancers getting ready to perform. Once the head was put on the dragon came alive and a large crowd gathered all around me. The dragon was rather silly often falling down and always getting in the face of small children. One little Chinese girl was mesmerized and she followed the yellow dragon around grinning the whole time. The dragon looked at the sketch in my lap and so I lifted it up so she could see it right side up. She nodded her head with delight.

This is the year of the pig. I didn’t see any pigs at the festivities but Pam brought out Darcy, her new puppy. The dragon was curious about Darcy and danced in front of the her. The puppies eyes bugged out in amazement. She tried to hide behind Pam’s legs and when the dragon once again approached she darted away as fast and as far as she could. Since she was on a leash she didn’t get to far. For her first social outing Darcy got very over stimulated.

It turned out the Urban Sketchers were at the event. They were apparently gathered in the shade behind the main stage. They had their sketch throw down photo op, but I was still in the midst of my one and only sketch surrounded by dragons, so I didn’t get over to where they met. I made the mistake of wearing a black tee shirt to an event in a black
tar parking lot in the insanely hot Florida sun, but I survived. The dragon parade is definitely a great sketch opportunity and I am glad I made it. After the sketch was done I ordered some Pad Thai and Pam and I watched a yo-yo choreographer doing some major moves to rap music. It might sound strange but it was fun to watch.

Nude Nite 2019

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Nude Nite Orlando was held at the Central Florida Fairgrounds on February 14-16. Pam Schwartz and I went on Valentines day, the opening night. I wanted to go nice and early to sketch before the place got really crowded. A ticket at the door is $35 and I didn’t have that much cash on hand. We had to get cash from a cash machine in the parking lot. Note that the bar a Nude Nite also only accepts cash. I didn’t get a drink since I was sketching the whole time I was there.

Nude Nite feels so much smaller than past years. It was at the fairgrounds last year as well, but I didn’t sketch because I got the dates wrong. My feeling walking around the event was that the event had grown smaller in scale. I have to say however that artists were just setting up for the night. I quickly decided to sketch Mandi Ilene Schiff as she was body painting. She was set up right in the middle of the warehouse which offered easy sketching access. She was painting a tiger face on they model’s chest. The color she added was a greenish glitter paint.

An art installation by Aubry Roemer consisted of a long roll of white paper on the floor. He painted nude models with blue paint and had them lie on the white paper to create body prints. He then also outlined the prints with large blue brush strokes. He also wore a mask although I am not sure why. A coffin with a plastic skeleton was set up. The premise was that guests could write notes on pages from a book and then put them in the coffin.  The notes would be burned after Nude Nite. I suppose that burning negative thoughts could be a form of therapy.

As we were getting ready to leave, one performer, Sarah Jade, languidly hung from the ceiling with an aerial sling. She did splits and spun. When her routine was finished she gracefully floated down to the floor as if weightless. Performances were just beginning.

My favorite art was simple nude sketches on some form of Mylar. They were on sale for only $150. On the far wall behind Mandi was a huge photo mosaic for about $5000. A woman arched her back as if the Pieta. Another similar mosaic had lots of Bambi fawns. I lost interest since performances didn’t get under way until after 9pm. We decided to go out for dinner to finish off the Valentines evening. We went to Phò Vinh (657 N Primrose Drive Orlando Fl 32803) and I had Bún Càri Gà which is a delicious soup with rice vermicelli with chicken in a coconut curry broth. It was sooooo good, the highlight of the evening.

Boris and Marla E Talk Art Shit

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Boris Douglas Garbe and Marla E Artist held an informal talk at The Nook on Robinson, (2432 E Robinson St, Orlando, FL 32803). Boris’s dog Lump slept on the chair behind the hosts. Boris runs the Art Gallery at Mills Park (1650 Mills Ave N, Orlando, FL 32803). He used to gather artists to paint live at the Timucua White House as bands played as well, but he stepped down from that position. Marla E is a staple of the Orlando arts scene creating large textural paintings. She explained that she used to be a faux finish and mural artist and she discovered that she loved painting on very textured surfaces.

Boris is learning as he goes running the gallery. He feels that galleries cater to the same audience over and over. He realized that young people don’t go to galleries and he is trying to reverse that trend. Of course he discovered that when he does get a younger crowd, they don’t spend money. He is passionate about artists that use their art as a platform for change. He also has decided he will exhibit men and women equally. He has gotten some flack for this from women artists who want to just be considered artists, not as a underprivileged demographic that needs charity.

Boris and Marla have teamed up to produce a series of radio broadcasts about the Arts scene in Orlando. They have also just produced their first podcast called “Kiss my Art” which is frankly a fantastic title. Orlando has grown up enough to develop a bit of an edge.

What was most heart warming about their talk was when they talked about their lives. Marla was married to the love of her life, but he died young, leaving her heart broken. She turned to her art and it lifted her from the brink. She started inviting people to visit her studio and over time her art blossomed. Boris’s mom was in the audience which added a personal touch to his life revelations.

There were several trivia questions where people in the bar could win free art prints. Anyone who had posed nude for an artist was invited to collect the prize. The room was silent. I have painted myself nude but I thought that would be bending the rules. Finally a woman went up and described posing nude on a beautiful beach for a friends photo.

Overall this was a fun chance to learn a little more about what makes the Orlando Art scene tick. The Nook has some lovely small painting hanging on the walls right now. None of the paintings are framed square. The images fit in trapezoids and diamond shapes.