The Central Florida Storytellers Guild.
A friend advised me to sketch the Central Florida Storytellers Guild which meets each month in the Community Room of the Winter Park Library. I was very glad I went. It was a welcoming group, and if I we to ever share my own stories, I thin this would be a relaxed and encouraging group encouraging group to share stories with. Each storyteller pick a name from a hat to decide who is next to go on stage. Madeline Pots saw that I was new to the group, so she sat down and chatted with me for a bit. I had heard her tell a story once before at the Abbey. Her voice is distinctive with a soothing melodic flow. The Store told at the Abby was about how she let her artist husband do a full body cast of her. He had to step a way and the plaster began to seep into the air holes. The story was both terrify in and funny sin she lived to tell the tale. We all go to crazy lengths for love.
I sketched Madeline as she told a very funny story about how she had to wear green bloomers in gym class. Although not life threatening, the story involved the embarrassment of being dressed different than everyone else. Her adolescent desire was to conform, but as an adult to conform, but as an adult, I think she realized. the being unique has its advantages.
The fellow in the red shirt told a story about his boyhood idol, Gene Autry. He would watch Gene every chance he could get on TV. At a huge event at Madison Square Garden, tie finally got to see his idol in person. When Gene took off his cowboy hat, his hair piece came off with the hat. Even idols put on their pants one leg at a time. of course, my brash summaries are nothing compared to the actual tales, so you need to experience them for yourself.
Each story was unique and heart felt. It is hard to imagine that people willingly sit at home watching tr all night, when they could be out enjoying each others company and share in the is own great stories. Mark your calendar! Storytellers guild meeting are on the first Tuesday of each month at 7pm in the communist room in the win the Park Public Library (460 E New England Ave, Winter Park, FL). The next meeting is September 6th.
Tonight August 8th Pete Abdulla is the featured storyteller at the Windsor Rose Restaurant and British Tea Room (142 W 4th Ave, Mt Dora, FL Mount Dora). He begins his tale at about 1:30p.m.
Finger on the Pulse.
At Pints for Pulse, The City Song Players performed Finger on the Pulse for the first time since it had been recorded a week before. Shadow Pearson was on piano, and Eugine Snowden got on stage to help with vocals. The song has been picked up by a subsidiary of Sony and paperwork is still be in filled out. The song is just two minutes and forty seven seconds as Shadow explained, it is we radio friendly. All sales of the song are now be in donated to onepulsefoundation.org.
A news camera was trained on the stage, and on c again, I felt like I us witness to history. All the beer tents were far away, so no one was crowded up to the stage. There was no refuge from the sun. I sketched fast hoping not to burn to the complexion of a lobster. Before I knew it, the song was sung and the beer soaked crowd cheered its approval. Even as we numbed ourselves with beer, art can still punch through reminding us of what cause we are drinking for. Actually, I didn’t drink a sip. My cause was to witness and sketch this performance.
Pints for Pulse
Pints for Pulse was a community event that featured beer, art, and music at Festival Park (2911 E. Robinson St., Orlando, Florida). It happened to line up with Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD), so I made it the month’s drink on and draw in destination. Tickets however were $50 and I don’t think any artists of he than myself showed up. This was a craft beer community event that raised money to help the pulse nightclub victims. There were 80+ breweries, food trucks, food tents, burlesque shows, drag shows, and more, all to help raise funds for those affected by the pulse night club tragedy.
When I arrived, I quickly walked around the entire event. Beer vendors were serving shot glass sized servings of beer. I didn’t get a wrist band since I didn’t plan to drink, just sketch. I stopped as soon as I saw these redefine artists hard at work on a collaborative piece of art. They were paint in on square wooden panels and each artist seemed to be in charge of their own panel. Some panels interlocked. For instance the swan engulfed for of the panels along with a lizard. At the end of the day, the entire painting was going to be given to the winner of a raffle drawing. These artists sweated the in butts off to complete This group mural, So whoever won, was getting an amazing painting for next to nothing.
Steve Parker pulled off his panel, so he didn’t have to work shoulder to shoulder the whole day.
Peace, Love, Pulse. All proceeds from this event went to OneOrlando.
Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 6th and 7th.
Saturday August 6, 2016
6pm to Midnight Free but get beer! Craft Beer Carnival. The Copper Rocket Pub 106 Lake Ave, Maitland, Florida. Come one, come all to the greatest prost on earth! The first ever Craft Beer Carnival at the Copper Rocket Pub in Maitland. Join us for what will surely be an EPIC night of craft beer fueled fun and excitement. Watch as sword swallowers, fire dancers, body painters, stilt walkers and more party it up with you in celebration of Eli Brooks and Jeremy Wood’s birthdays! Beer tents will rise up, bands will lay it down and the party will carry on! Come thirsty and bring friends, we’ll need your help to float the event exclusive KEG OF PRARIE’S BIRTHDAY BOMB! Simply mention Beer Snob Society and recieve *20% OFF* of your tab for being part of the coolest beer club around! (Discount also applies to your guests)!!!
9pm to 11pm Free but get a drink. Disarm Hate.The Falcon 819 E Washington St, Orlando, Florida. Participating Artists (so far):
Brandi Monard
Carmen Berfield
Cristina Glynn
Holly Tharp
Josie Pedragoza
Korri Lacalamita
Laura Ashley
Melissa Doskoyz
Michelle Irizarry
Morgan Wilson
Plinio Pinto
Tina Thomas
Also the 49 Portraits created on the evening of July 3 will be on display.
Cory James Connell www.gofundme.com/295tskk
Jean Carlos Nieves Rodriguez www.gofundme.com/29g76x8
Javier Jorge-ReyesReyes and Jean C. Nives Rodriguez www.pulseoforlando.org
10pm to the next morning. Free. Creative Sleep Over. Defined Enterprises 279 Douglas Ave, Altamonte Springs, Florida. You ever wondered what would happen if a buch of creatives got together and slept under one roof? No need to imagine anymore, every second saturday Defined Enterprises opens it’s doors for all the creatives to spend one night out of the month together. Feel free to bring your own set of tools that allow you to create. Bring your own pillows and blankets. Food and bevarages will be served through out the night.
Creatives, artist, dancers, directors, photographers, musicians, engineers, gamers, techies, models and innovators, you guys are all welcomed.
EVERY SECOND SATURDAY!!!!!
BRING BOARD GAMES AND THINGS THAT WILL HELP US COLLECT MEMORIES!!!!
Sunday August 7, 2016
10am to 4pm Free. Lake Eola Farmers Market. South East Corner of Lake Eola Park. Produce, flowers, gifts and the unexpected.
Noon to 3pm Free or donation. Music at the Casa. Mini parlor concert every Sunday.
2pm to 4pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Near the Red Pagoda.
Drip Art Nights
I went to DRIP (8747 International Dr #102, Orlando, FL 32819) to sketch their local Art Night. The event features Visual Artists, Performance Artists, Burlesque troupes, Body Painters, Dancers, Belly Dancers, and Art Installations. It is an all ages event.
Set-up for artists began at 6:30 and the doors opened to the public at 8
PM. Artists brought in tables, walls and other ways to display their
art. I decided to sketch artist German Lemus as he worked on a painting. of course painting at a crowded event like this means having to break away from the creative process quite often to answer questions of prospective clients.
As always the DRIP art night was action packed with plenty of dance and music. The usual DRIP performance is no longer staged on Art Nights, which means the main performance space can be opened up to artist vendors. Mark Your Calendar! The next DRIP Local Art Night is September 22.
Pulse.
While driving down Orange Avenue to hang the 49 Pulse Portraits at the Cardboard Art Festival, I passed Pulse for the first time since the horrific shooting. I parked in the SODO Shopping Center where the Cardboard Art Festival is located, an then walked back north to Pulse, three blocks away.
Pulse has become a destination where people from around the world, come to leave an offering and pay their respects. Personally I find the Mylar balloon with hearts for eyes and a smile disturbing. There was a constant stream of people taking photos and reading the names of those lost. A banner had a painting of the Dali Lama that said, “my religion is kindness.” I positioned my set in the only spot with shade from the black fabric that obstructed a direct view of the building. A wooden skid had color paint swatches arranged in a rainbow with the names of the fallen on each swatch. Above the skid, was a tear in the fence’s fabric. People tended to stay clear of me, perhaps thinking I was an attendant, but a few walked up to the tear to peak inside. There was a cooler opposite me show people get thirsty. On the ground, candles were arranged in a pulse pattern. The candles closest to me were flattened from being stepped on. When people first arrive they approach, the skid to red the names. Twice I watch people step on the candles. One girl couldn’t get the hot wax off of her sandals. A sign announced that the Orlando History Center collects Pulse memorabilia for their archives. The decaying scene is constantly changing and the regular afternoon thunderstorms speed up the process. Paper and cardboard signs quickly fall apart.
An hour into doing this sketch, I swear I began to smell death and decay. In my old home, rats would occasionally get caught in the walls, and the smell is quite distinct. Perhaps I was smelling mold on the teddy bears or the smell of wilted flowers, but it definitely smelled like death. Smell is my weakest sense so it must have been pronounced. I have a friend who lives right behind the 7-11 across the street. She said, the bodies were placed behind a fast food establishment, and to transport them, simple everyday vans were used. She remembered the feeling of dread every time a van passed her house. She never counted, but it felt like an endless procession. Fire Station #5 is located one block from Pulse. Some people who were shot, ran to the firehouse, but firefighters couldn’t open the doors until they were given the all clear. With the sound of gunfire, the firefighters could not treat the wounded until police arrived. Once the doors were opened they immediately found bloodied victims hiding from the shooter behind the brick walls of the firehouse. They found a man shot to in the abdomen. They transported him inside firehouse and stabilized him. This relatively calm area soul of downtown Orlando had become a war zone.
Eugene Snowden at One Pulse Sounds of Our City.
One Pulse Sounds of Our City, was an all day benefit concert for victim’s families of the Pulse shooting in Orlando. Held at Orlando Brewing (1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, Florida). Hosted by Shadow Pearson the event featured an incredible line up of local performers.
Eugene Snowden was accompanied by Ben Brown. Eugine kept his set low key to start, but by the end, he was taking the audience to church. He stood and started stomping the stage with his bare feet. It is impossible not to get swept up by the Sheer force of his energy. Even the sketch is influenced by his performance.
It seems like I have been sketching Pulse concerts and vigils for more than a month. The memorials have been removed from Lake Eola and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Signs indicate that the Orlando History Center is archiving some items for posterity. I have to wonder how much is instead shipped of to land fills.
The 49 portraits created on July 3rd, are now at the Cardboard Art Festival. I hung them very high right below the ceiling. They are over a map of Orlando that has a huge heart to show where Pulse is. Visitors can take adhesive hearts and add them to the map to show the home or office. Driving to the festival I drove past Pulse for the first time since the shooting. A makeshift memorial is set up along the blacked out fence that surrounds the building Orange barricades protect the curious from the endless traffic on Orange Avenue.
Broadway for Orlando at Dr. Phillips.
I heard that tickets for this Broadway benefit concert sold out in less than 15 minutes’ It was possible to check in on). be for the tickets were officially be sold and these people, in a virtual line had the first picks. Broadway performers came to the Dr. Phillips Center for Performing Arts to raise money for the Pulse victim families and survivors. It was a Star studded cabaret. The local dance company Varietease gave a mesmerizing dance performance full of playful whimsy. My favorite song was “I will Survive” performed as if sung be Eartha Kitt complete with purrs. Most performances featured uplifting themes of hope.
The idea for the benefit [a when a perform heard the horrible new from Orlando. Rather than eat comfort food, he decided to go for a bike ride to clear his head. He played “What the World Needs Now” on a continuous loop as he biked through the city. He knew by the end of the ride, that he needed to record Broadway performers singing 1 song for Orlando. He mentioned the idea to a friend and it snowballed from there be coming a reality. The grand finale had the entire cast singing “What the World needs now is Love Sweet Love“. A viral You Tube video had been recorded as an homage to Orlando’s loss, so this was a much awaited performance. Actors raised their hands a bore their heads creating a heart shape with their fingertips.
Fun Home
The cast of the New York production of Home Fun presented a stripped-down concert performance of the Tony Award-winning musical as a benefit at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. One hundred percent of the net proceeds of the performance will go to the LGBT nonprofit Equality Florida and the victims of the Pulse shooting. Half of the money raised will be distributed directly to victims and
their families, and half will support Equality Florida’s work to end
discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
“I think that it’s one thing to raise money, which is important,” said “Fun Home” actress Judy Kuhn. “But I think it’s also important to show up and say, ‘We’re here and we’re here supporting you.” During the introduction, the words, “We are so sorry.” brought back the tears. As the cast walked onto the stage, they got a roaring standing oration.
Based on the graphic novel by Alison Bechel, the show is about a lesbian cartoonist named Alison, who looks back at her childhood and her sexual awakening in college. Throughout the play, her adult self holds a sketchpad as she sketched the scenes of her past. It seemed appropriate that one person in the audience should be sketching as well. Three actresses perform as Alison. The youngest dreamed of taking flight, and yearned for her father’s attention. The Tom boyish middle Alison intellectualized her sexual confusion until the right girl, Joan, kissed her. The eldest Alison looked back on her past actions in ever scene often embarrassed by her own diary entries.
The woman seated next to Betsy, was wearing a tuxedo shirt and suspenders. She said, this was the first time she had seen a character on stage who reminded her of herself. The play addresses universal underlying themes of wanting a parent’s acceptance and love only to get their narrow minded ideas of what they consider best. As Alison was discovering she loved women, her father was seeking out young men to have affairs with. As she began to soar, he began to crash. The harsh reality was gut wrenching.
My favorite scene featured young Alison, Gabby Pizzolo, who sees a woman unlike any she had scene before. The woman was masculine and beautiful, no handsome. For the first time she saw a woman who seemed strong and she saw herself. Her father wanted her to wear a dress and keep her hair back with a beret, but she just saw who she could be. I loved her, for finally loving herself. In a talk back after the show the young boy actor, Zell Steele Morrow, summed it up nicely. You can be who you want to be, and love who you want to love. The two women seated in front of me held each other close. In the wake of tragedy, love still finds a way in Orlando.
The GoFundMe to help Pulse victims families has reached over 7.3 million dollars breaking all records for the internet startup. Survivors from other mass shootings have come to Orlando to show their support. Some were in the audience. There is no life outside of the need to connect. Theater like this brings a community together and this shared story, about us all, can help us come together and face what we all must overcome, to rise above hate.