Base Orlando Pin Ups Pose with Hot Rods.

Posted on by Thor

After sketching all the body painters and models inside the Majestic Event Center (801 North John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL) I walked outside and ordered a hot dog from the food truck and settled in to sketch the hot rods on display. I was then rewarded as the models came outside to pose next to the cars. Rosie the riveter was the first, and she showed off her biceps. Her  tattoo on her muscular arm read, “We Can Do It!” The model with the heart shaped glasses had a yellow bikini painted on. She feigned surprise as she pursed her lips as if to say oooh!

Mandi Ilene Schiff the Base Orlando organizer has volunteered to be part of the Blue Box Initiative next Monday. She will setup a body painting station in one of the side walk boxes and work for several hours. Her blue box is near the Bob Carr Theater. That entire block is under construction, so there is little foot traffic except for UCF Center of Emerging Media Students. Body Painting on the streets of downtown Orlando should push the limits of what is considered to expression in the City Beautiful. To date, I haven’t seen a single police cruiser while doing a blue box sketch. Perhaps this will finally be a case that catches an officer’s attention.

Mark your Calendars! The next Base Orlando event is Pop-Art themed and is tonight, on March 3, from 8pm to 11pm at the Majestic Event Center (801 North John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL). Tickets are $10 to $25.

Base Orlando: Hot Rods and Pin Ups

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I love sketching body painters at work. Majestic Event Center (801 North John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL) opens early to let the painters get a head start on their creations before the public arrives. B.A.S.E. stands for Body Art Showcase and Exhibit. This time around they were body painting Hot Rod and Pin Up themed models. More than a dozen body painted models got transformed into works of art. Local artists were selling their goods, hot rod cars were be on display for photos, burlesque dancers showcased their talents, a food truck was vending outside, the bar served specials all night.

Some models were transformed into pin-striped hot rods, while others became World War II pin ups. As the sun set, the venue filled up. Once the sketch was done, I went outside to get d hot dog, and check out the muscle cars.

Entertainment by:

Corsets and Cuties

Balachandra Belly Dance

Team Rush

Mark your Calendars! The next Base Orlando event is Pop-Art themed on March 3, from 8pm to 11pm at the Majestic Event Center (801 North John Young Parkway, Orlando, FL). Tickets are $10 to $25.

Bottoms Up. A Celebration of the Life of Matt McGrath.

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A memorial was held for Matt McGrath at the Harp and Celt (25 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL).  Matt was just 48 when he died suddenly from cancer. Few people realized he was even sick. Perhaps he wanted everyone to remember him as the vibrant and active person he always was.  He played ice hockey regularly at the RDV Ice Den. His hot Irish blood was perfect for the heat of competitive sports. Matt’s home was the birth place of so many local theater productions. Often the first readings of a script would happen on his back patio. During the day he was an accountant but in the evening, he became a theatrical producer. Rather than having friends remember him in a stodgy funeral home he insisted that they all get drunk and tell stories at his favorite Irish pub in downtown Orlando.

Matt was a bit of an enigma. This is how he described himself online, “Open minded, fun and outgoing guy, who has a very diverse set of
interests. I like to stay busy and participate in many activities from
softball and hockey, to theater and art.” His home which was just a block from an Irish pub in College Park was the home base for many independent theatrical productions. I sketched in his “man cave“, a personal pub complete with a stripper pole and rubber boobies hanging on the wall, on many occasions. Matt had friends in many circles. I bumped into one of his long time work colleges at the bar and at the front door of the bar I ran into the magnificent Irish musicians, Vicki Gish, Scott Vocca, and Kathleen Cavinagh, who perform at Claddagh Cottage Irish Pub (4308 Curry Ford Rd., Orlando, FL) on every other Wednesday. I never knew that Matt I loved their music. Odd that our paths didn’t cross at that pub.

Someone got up to speak about Matt’s love of Irish Music. Anyone with an instrument can join in and play at the Claddagh Cottage music sessions. Matt wanted to join in so much, that he brought a triangle. Someone shouted out that the reason he needed a triangle, was because he broke so man glasses by hitting them with a spoon. Now a triangle is no more of a traditional Irish instrument than say a cow bell. The regular Irish musicians humored him and performed traditional pieces that in theory could incorporate the triangle. Matt joined in, but he kept missing the beats, much to the amusement of everyone in the bar. It got so bad that someone stole the triangle to keep him quiet. The person telling the story had purchased a new triangle in Matt’s honor, along with a fancy triangle stand. He got choked up as he explained that it will be framed and hung in the bar in Matt’s honor. Brian Sikorsky told me that Patty Sheehan
said she was going to make a bar stool in his honor. The Orlando Fringe will be renaming the beer tent, “The Matt McGrath Beer Tent” in his memory..

Brian told me of the day five beautiful actresses flew in from London for the Orlando International Fringe Festival. They were from Haste Theater Company and the play they were presenting was called Oyster Boy. Anyway Brian called them to see if they had landed OK. It turned out the they were already at Matt’s house enjoying drinks. Brian laughed. Matt never met a beautiful woman that he didn’t love. A slide flickered on the screen, showing Matt in a red T-Shirt that said, “You’ll do.”

The slide show was projected on a screen above the door for the duration of the memorial. Matt as a toddler who had just learned to walk, held beer bottle. Most of the photos showed Matt in the company of beautiful women, On an airplane, he had beautiful stewardess in each arm. So many of Orlando’ beautiful actresses, dancers and models were draw to Matt like moths to a flame. One actress spoke about how Matt helped her with homework in exchange for his getting to see her breasts. An older woman with raspy voice got up to the microphone an shouted, “Matt was that rare bread of a man, he was a nice guy! Around Christmas, he shared the multiple presents he got for all of his girlfriends. He wanted to be democratic. Like I said, He was a nice guy.”

Slides showed Matt jumping out of an airplane, on a zip line, swilling beer with busty German bar maids and traveling the world. He has “been to 5 of the 7 continents. Was lucky enough to see the great wall and the Spinx.” He lived large and loved life. He mixed with different groups of people, that didn’t tend to mingle together. Some of my dearest friends posed beside him. Even friends who preferred anonymity blossomed in his company. Some of Orlando’s most beautiful women entered the bar in honor of a man who knew how to make them feel special. My favorite slide showed three men and a woman in a woman’s bathroom with McGrath written across their bums. He wrote his name across so many hearts and asses. At the bar, some people couldn’t stop crying. Others shaved stories and couldn’t stop laughing. As the Irish musicians performed, Matt got his wish as we ate and drank in his honor, tapping our feet to the Irish music. Seize the day and love every moment, because our time is limited. Perhaps we can’t live forever, but we can try to create something that will.

The Whale surfaces at the Winter Garden Theater.

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On June 22, 2015, I went to the Winter Garden Theater (160 W Plant St, Winter Garden, FL) to sketch auditions for “The Whale.” March 18th will be the Central Florida Regional Premiere of this play written by Samuel D. Hunter and staged by Beth Marshal Presents. I love sketching auditions, I get to witness so many talented actors that all bring their own creative take to the characters. This isn’t a story about a great white whale, but instead an intimate look at a father daughter relationship. 

On the outskirts of
Mormon Country, Idaho, a six-hundred-pound recluse hides away in his
apartment eating himself to death. Desperate to reconnect with his
long-estranged daughter, he reaches out to her, only to find a viciously
sharp-tongued and wildly unhappy teen. In this gripping and big-hearted
drama, The Whale tells the story of a man’s last chance at redemption,
and of finding beauty in the most unexpected places. This play was
nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding New
Off-Broadway Play. It won a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Play and won a
Drama Desk Special Award for Significant Contribution to Theatre.

Cast
Charlie – Michael Wanzie
Ellie – Rachel Comeau
Liz – Jamie Middleton
Elder Thomas – Anthony Pyatt Jr.
Mary – Beth Marshall

Production Team
Rob Winn Anderson – Director
Anastasia Kurtiak – Stage Manager
David Merchant – Assistant Stage Manager
Tom Mangeri – Set Design
Amy Hadley – Light Design
J.G. Lantiqua – Sound Design
Marcy Singhaus – Costume Design

Dates:  March 18 to April 3, 2016
Thursday 8pm, Friday 8pm, Saturday 2pm (April 2) & 8pm, Sunday 2pm
Industry Night: Monday, March 28 

Tickets: $21 – $28
Special pricing for opening night, Thursday performances, seniors and students.

This show contains adult language and scenes. Recommended for mature audiences.

Dancers Improvise in Blue Box #5.

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27 Blue Boxes are painted on sidewalks in Downtown Orlando. These boxes were put in place for panhandlers and buskers. Busking is possible only during day light hours. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

These Boxes represent the only places downtown where theoretically there is freedom of expression.

On February 22nd, Corinne Mele from Red Right Return Dance Company encouraged a group of dancers to utilize Blue Box # 5 as their stage. They had just rolled off of a performance of Guard Down at the Orange Studio on February 20th. They had also rehearsed the night before, but that didn’t dampen their enthusiasm to perform on the streets of Orlando.

I was the first to arrive and anxiously searched for the box with map in hand. The last one had been spray washed away but this one was pristine, looking like it had been painted yesterday. I got a text from Corinne. Construction had blocked access to this street from the East. I redirected her to let her know that the street was still approachable from the West from Parramore. Soon dancers started to arrive. Corinne drove a cute little car that was covered in an ad for hint which I believe makes flavored waters. The dancers came prepared, with water and sunscreen.

They were concerned that this was a rather small stage. All movement had to be linear and having two dancers abreast, limited what they could do. Corinne walked the blue dotted line like a circus high wire performer. She did a pirouette and when she spun out of the box, she abruptly stopped and walked like a pedestrian to re-enter the box from a new location. Dancers soon realized that their extensions would most certainly cut outside the plane established by the blue box stage but with one foot planted inside the box they decided they were within the letter of the law. The dancers had two collection bowls set out. There was however no foot traffic on the sidewalk. We were one block away from the UCF Center of Emerging Media and the Bob Carr Theater. Construction effectively cut off all vehicular traffic. The only hope for a tip might come from a student. Towards the end of the dance company’s improve session, a single pedestrian approached on our side of the sidewalk, Corinne bet the he would cross over to the other side of the street to avoid coming to close to the art. Sure enough twenty yards from us, he crossed over to steer clear. In a town where art is seldom experienced in public, it can be intimidating for the uninitiated. There is no fourth wall to protect the audience. Art in public is a rare beast that must be caged in blue boxes.

Heidi Busher and Corinne were the first dancers to perform a duet on the tight painted stage. They supported can other and negotiated the tight squeeze past each other. Paige Maxwell bent over backwards like a sheet of paper folded in half. Her goal was to grab her own ankles. She grabbed one but the second eluded her. I was absolutely astonished by her flexibility. Kim Matovina displayed incredible feats of strength and balance usually reserved for gymnasts. She balanced on one hand and folded in her limbs balancing with her face inches from the pavement. She then did a headstand using her forearms for support. All five dancers got in the box and tried to duplicate the move for a photo. Not everyone had the strength, but for the flash of an instant they all held the pose.

After several hours of dancing, everyone was sweaty and tired. Paige was unexpectedly hit in the face when another dancer spun with her leg extended, effectively doing a back kick. I heard the smack as if it were a sound effect in a Japanese Kung Fu movie. Paige’s eyes watered and she held her nose. Luckily there was no blood. On a larger stage the dancers would not need to be so dangerously close.

Though no tips went into the tip jars, and not a single pedestrian walked by, it was a beautiful day and I’m so thankful that these beautiful dancers shared their talents to help point out that art should not be boxed in. Winter Park will never experience such a spontaneous outburst of creativity expressed on a sidewalk in public. These aren’t criminals, but highly educated and trained professionals who love their craft and share it openly. Such joyous outbursts of creativity might happen more often if Orlando City Commissioners didn’t create ordinances that effectively treat artists, dancers and performers as panhandlers that need to be boxed in.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 27th and 28th.

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Saturday February 27, 2016 

10am to 4pm Free. Sanford Farmers Market. First and Magnolia in Sanford FL. An intimate farmer’s market.

7pm to 9pm $20 suggested donation. Living Room Theater. Diana Rodriguez Portillo Home 1316 Portland Ave. Orlando, FL. Tisse Mallon, Banks Helfrich and Jack Graham present an experiential, exclusive, invite only performance in a living room.

This unique 70 minute show consists of short segments focused on fun, connection and authenticity. From the funny to the serious, from the commonplace to the absurd, these original works take the audience on an emotional journey.

A few things for you to know:

– Due to the intimate nature of the show, no late arrivals can be accommodated.

– While not lewd or vulgar, this show is recommended for ages 18 and up.

– The show lasts approx. 70 minutes.

– There will be time for discussion afterward.

NOTE: Due to limited space, we can only accommodate a certain number of people. If you have a plus one, please let your host know they can insure there is space for everyone!

8:30pm to 10:30pm Free. Open Mic. The Geek Easy 114 S. Semoran Blvd Suite #6, Winter Park, Florida. Amy Watkins and Superhero Poetry. Open to all: Musicians-Lyricists-Artists-and Poets of all kinds. Bring out the cape and have some fun.

Sunday February 28, 2016

Noon to 2pm Free, but grab a bite to eat. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday.

2pm to 4pm Free but get a coffee. Irish Music. Olivia’s Coffee House, 108 N Bay St, Eustis, FL.

10pm to Midnight. Free but get coffee. Solo Acoustic Spoken Word. Natura Coffee & Tea, 12078 Collegiate Way, Orlando, FL. 407 482-5000

Doug Rhodehamel builds the Star Wars Universe.

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Doug Rhodehamel is a big fan of Star Wars. He also makes things from junk. He is combining these two passions of his into one big galactic sized project. He has begun building 15 Star Wars vehicles from trash and surplus at 1/10 scale. That’s big. Bigger than any toys you grew up with, but what’s better, they will light up, have sound effects and play music and sound bites… LOUD! But to do so I need to hire electronics nerds and well as machinists. That cost some cash.

To finish this collection I will need your help.

Doug talked about growing up on Star Wars. He is an avid collector, of Star Wars Action figures and models, but they tended to lack quality construction and any sense of a grand scale. He first imagined one of the Imperial Walkers being six feet tall, so that a viewer would be eye to eye with the cockpit. This hasn’t been built yet. Instead he is focusing his efforts on completing the first of three X-Wing Fighters. The photon torpedo tubes will illuminate with sound effects, and the re are lasers at the ends of the wings. Large speakers will be mounted inside the fuselage of the model and the wings will animate open using an actuator.  All of this is being constructed out of plastic corrugated political sighs. Eventually the ships will be painted to hide the politicians names. Finally, here is a great as to up-cycle all these abandon political signs after each election.

Tonight, Friday February 26th at Stardust Video and Coffee (1842 Winter Park Rd, Orlando, FL) Doug will be showing off the progress on the X-Wing Fighter and the Tai-Fighter with lots of buttons for
you to press. This is a Fundraiser. Any funds you can donate will help finish this project. It
will be more than amazing and well worth it!

See you there and May The Force Be With You!

Drip Art Nights are full surprises.

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Drip Local Art Night features visual artists, Performance artists, burlesque troupes, body painters, dancers, belly dancers, and art installations. I love sketching this monthly event because I always find something new and exciting to draw. Drip is Orlando’s grunge version of the Moulan Rouge. I arrived as artists were setting up their booths and focused on the bar. One Drippy was getting her T-shirt cutting station set up. She cuts up the whip Drip T-shirts and bees the fabric creating a unique pattern of flesh and brilliant day glow blue.

A drip dancer Roxanne Faye LeBlanc had just died her hair a deep red in purple. She dances the part of the lusty Red in the Drip show. I sketched he as she filled out paperwork a the bar and again when she did something a the left end of the bar. I do this quite often, populating a sketch with one person’s activities. I do believe the guys seated at the bar were on person at different times as well. Soon enough however, the place was so packed that you couldn’t even s the bar. The main Drip Show is no longer performed on Art Night, which means The re is more room for artists to set up their wares.

Set-up for artists started at 6:30 and the doors opened at 8 PM. My favorite performance was by BalaChandra Belly Dance. I run into these dancers a love town. I have to learn to sketch faster to catch their fast moving hips and fluid motions. Since I function at a much slower pace when I sketch, I sometimes miss some acts as I rush to complete a sketch that was started.

Mark Your Calendar! The next Drip Local Art Night is Thursday, March 24 with the doors opening at 8pm. If yo u haven’t been to Drip then what are yo u waiting for. Get out and experience some local art.
8747 International Dr Suite 102 (Behind Denny’s and Senor Frogs) Orlando Florida. Art nights are every other month. 

50,000 mile check up.

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I brought my Prius in to the Toyota of Orlando Dealership for its 50,000 mile all points check up. Because of the Holidays and m procrastination, the car was quite over due based on my odometer. I like to wait at the dealership while the work is done because there are always people waiting around to draw. They chat on the is phones, conducts business or finger their phone surfing social media. A large screen TV behind me was blaring some program that claimed that they have pertinent evidence in unsolved murders. A young college girl was murder and they had audio that apparently was from the killers cell phone. She shouted the killers name and cried for help. The show host then played | audio for the devastated parents to hear so the camera co get their reaction. I didn’t look. I tried to block it out.

My tires were well worn. I knew this from the last time, I had the car in for an oil change. There was z sale, buy three tires and get the fourth tire free. The damage was still over $500.  I ended up having t wait an extra hour and a half. Since I was sketching, the time flew buy. My car is probably in better shape and healthier than I am. It is time to think about getting a tune up myself. I’ve put in quite a few miles since I saw a doctor last.

My Journey into Mindful Meditation.

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I attended a weekly Study Group that meets at Peter Carlson’s house (1818 Carrigan Ave., Winter Park FL) on Wednesday evenings from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM. After 45 minutes of meditation, various aspects of Buddhist teachings are discussed. The study group is open to anyone who has completed a meditation retreat or taken a course on Buddhist meditation or psychology. My goal of course was to sketch, which I consider my own form of meditation. I now realize that I was under qualified to attend since I have never attended a retreat. I got to the home about 15 minutes early since I was told that at 7pm the doors close and no one else can enter until the meditation was complete.  I thought I would need my art stool, since I assumed, quite correctly, that people would be seated on the floor. The meditation occurs in a tiny retreat behind the home. There however was a chain link fence blocking access to the meditation retreat. Walking in the dark, I felt I might be trespassing. I knocked on the front door and Peter assured me that I could go out back.

The small building was dark a empty. I was the first to arrive. I found a light switch and made my way to the meditation room which had dozens of chairs along three of the walls. I didn’t expect chairs. I settled into a corner chair and lightly penciled in the overall composition as I waited for people to arrive. I placed all my pencils and pens in a row on the floor, because I didn’t want to be searching for things during the meditation which would be noisy. Peter had a comfortable looking mattress throne with an adjustable desk set up for his computer. A sculpted goddess head looked out in all directions. Two participants sat on the floor with pillows to cushion their spines. Others sat in chairs, out of the view of my sketch. Peter said, “lets begin.” and the room became completely silent.

45 minutes seems like a short period of time to complete sketch since most of my sketches take two hours to complete. My first lines were rushed but I started to notice that the fast pen strokes seemed quite loud in the silence. A calm washed over me and the pen began to explore with quiet deliberation. Even so, the pens journey made a sound quite louder the my own breath. the line slowed down even more to a snails speed and each line became more deliberate and more confidently observed. True observation takes quiet deliberation. The line work completed itself with time to spare. I resisted the temptation to reach for other tools since bending over would have created loud rustling noises. This forced me to focus on one deliberate task without interruption.

A Buddhist prayer bowl quietly sounded announcing the end of meditation. Everyone took a five minute break and then returned for the discussion. Peter was just getting over a harsh cold that developed at his last retreat. He spoke of his mindful awareness and acceptance as symptoms developed. People who meditate often have the inner strength to heal quickly. As we were leaving, I realized that everyone but me had left their shoes at the from door. I also realized when I got home that I had left my art stool in the meditation hall. Clearly that was a sign that I needed to return.

The next week I returned with no sketchbook in hand. I wanted to experience meditation first hand without the distractions of sketching. I’ve never been comfortable sitting cross legged on a floor, but I figured if I found just the right pillow I could pull it off.  I had observed the perfect posture of friends and wanted to see if I could quiet my mind the same way. I wedged two pillows under my knees for extra support. I closed my eyes and relaxed rocking my butt side to side to settle into the pillow. I rolled my neck snapping cartilage. The room was completely silent except for the sound of a ceiling fan. Blue and green orbs danced and flowed together on the insides of my eyelids. My breathing seemed loud. My lower back ached so I breathed deeper which straightened my spine.  Why do I keep having to swallow? I focused on my breath again and relaxed. I began imagining the room in the green and blue patterns swimming in my eyelids. As I imagined this new world of swimming forms the prayer bowl quietly sounded. Wow. Time had flown by. Had I meditated? I’m not sure. The fact that I sketch daily means that I already quiet my mind to achieve a sure focus. Perhaps that is good training for this looking inward.

The talk was about five precepts or commitments needed for awakening. Peter discussed how harmony and compassion were not important to early hominids. Charles Darwin‘s theory of the fang and claw pointed out that only the most aggressive of a species survives. If that were true, then loving kindness would be seen as weakness. But daily mindfulness offers strength. The second commitment is be mindful of how desire affects our choices. This relates to our compulsive and addictive tendencies relating to social media. I rely on social media in my quest to find new sketch opportunities. I need to realize when this becomes a form of distraction.  A third commitment is to avoid aggression and hostility. This can be in every social interaction. A more modern commitment is towards the ecology of the planet. For early man this wasn’t a concern but today careless abuse of our resources can have lasting impacts for future generations.

It was reassuring to be in a room full of people seeking compassion and an increased interpersonal trust. I haven’t decided if extended meditations are for me. I like the idea of doing a quiet 60 breath meditation each time I leave the studio to go on location to sketch. Life is ever changing. For me this study group answered my yearning to “Eat, Pray and Trust.”