Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 13th and 14th.

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Saturday February 13, 2016

10am to 5pm $125. Orlando Sketch Tour offers visitors and local artists a chance to slow down, see and sketch the true Orlando. Thor from Analog Artist Digital World and Kelly Medford a plein air painter from Rome Italy will be your guides for this full day sketching tour around the Mennello Museum of Art. We will meet at 10am at a small gazebo just to the east of the Mennello museum on the lake shore.

The Indie-Folkfest happening on the 13th puts a twist on the traditional Orlando Folk Festival turning it into a Valentine’s Day-themed family folk picnic that features local music, art and food. They partnered with East End Market for food, Joseph Martens for the music lineup, as well as local bars to throw a fun-filled picnic in the beautiful Sculpture Garden of The Mennello Museum of American Art. Approximately 3,000 guests – including plenty of dogs and kids – spread out picnic blankets, make Valentine cards and enjoy a daylong lineup of music against the backdrop of Lake Formosa in the winter sunshine.

The sketch tour will be part of a day dedicated to Music + Art + Picnic + Love. At 10am before the Folkfest gets started, Kelly Medford will give a lesson in composing landscape scenes. Her insights in to light, color and environment should get everyone accustomed to the pastoral lakeside setting. After we all finish our first sketch, we’ll break for lunch and then Thor will give tips on how to populate your sketches. The focus will be on adding multiple figures into to scene to add depth and tell a story. We will then spend the afternoon creating multiple sketches of performers on the stage, or patrons enjoying the festival. The sketch opportunities are limitless. Kelly and Thor will circulate to offer tips and suggestions.

All skill levels are welcome you can be a full time artist or a weekend dabber and you will sill pick up something to help spark the rewarding trend of documenting your life with sketches.

Each student gets a complete Urban Sketching Kit that includes:

hardbound sketchbook,

travel sized watercolor palette,

pencil and eraser,

micron pen,

Pentel water brush

all enclosed in a zippered carrying case.

6pm to Midnight $22 Nude Nite. Artegon 5250 International Dr, Orlando, FL.Nude
Nite is a dazzling art and entertainment event celebrating the beauty
of the nude. Nude Nite brings together hundreds of artists for three
evenings of visual art, performance and a cast of characters both in
costume and out…  Open to the public, tickets can be purchased at the
door. Show is 21+. 

8pm to 11:30pm Now That’s What I Call The 90s! The Abbey 100 S Eola Dr, Orlando, Florida. Don’t be clueless! Grab your LA Gear and get jiggy #atTheAbbey as we celebrate all things 90s! Dance to the music and videos you love while enjoying drink specials all night long! No cover
21+

Sunday February 14, 2016 Valentines Day 

11am to 5pm Free. The 2016 Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival. Orlando Fashion Square, 3201 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, FL. The 2016 Dragon Parade Lunar New Year Festival will take place on Sunday, February 14 from 11am until 5pm at Fashion Square Mall.
Sponsors include Bright House Networks, Fashion Square Mall, Florida Hospital and Walgreen’s.
For sponsor, vendor and parade information:
www.centralfloridadragonparade.org 

9am to 5pm $200. Nude Couples Portraits. Couples reserve a two hour time slot and Thor executes an intimate couples portrait. Couples are reclined in bed and settle into a relaxed embrace. The couple then gets to keep their favorite sketch. 

1pm to 4pm Donations. Fur, Fun and Folk Art. Jeanine Taylor Folk Art, 211 E. 1st St., Sanford, FL. Have your precious pet captured forever in the charming folk art style by internationally acclaimed folk artist, Theresa Disney. Bring your pet in person or a photo and for a donation, Theresa will paint them on canvas in her inimitable style. Talk about a unique Valentines Day gift for that special someone and a real family treasure.

Pepper’s Ghost appeared at Nerd Nite Orlando XXVIII.

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Nerd Nite Orlando is an evening of entertaining yet thought-provoking talks across many disciplines, all while the audience drinks along in a casual bar atmosphere. Speakers present for 15-20 minutes each on a fascinating subject of their choice, often in an uncanny and unconventional way. Following each presentation is a brief question and answer session with the audience. The event happens at The Geek Easy 114 S Semoran Blvd Suite 6, Winter Park, Florida.

The most fascinating talk was by Travis Winkler about Pepper’s ghost which is an illusion technique used in theater, amusement parks, museums, television, and concerts. In 1862, inventor Henry Dircks developed the Dircksian Phantasmagoria, his version of the long-established phantasmagoria performances. This technique was used to make a ghost appear on-stage. He tried
unsuccessfully to sell his idea to theaters. It required that theaters
be completely rebuilt to support the effect, which they found too costly
to consider. Later in the year, Dircks set up a booth at the Royal
Polytechnic, where it was seen by John Pepper.

Pepper realized that the method could be modified to make it easy to
incorporate into existing theatres. Pepper first showed the effect
during a scene of Charles Dickens‘s The Haunted Man,
to great success. Pepper’s implementation of the effect tied his name
to it permanently. Dircks eventually signed over to Pepper all financial
rights in their joint patent. Though Pepper tried many times to give
credit to Dircks, the title “Pepper’s ghost” endured.

Theaters have had reasons to stage the appearances of ghosts for centuries. Early attempts at making ghosts appear involved trap doors, ramps and dollies that could make a figure appear to weightlessly appear in a scene. The Pepper’s Ghost technique does away with all the rope, pulleys and trap doors. The audience views a stage or room with various objects in it. On
command, ghostly objects appear to fade in or out of existence in the
room, or objects in the room magically transform into different objects. The effect is achieved with a carefully angle sheet of glass.

The basic trick involves a stage that is specially arranged into two
rooms, one that people can see into or the stage as a whole, and a
second that is hidden to the side, the “blue room”. The plate of glass (or Plexiglas
or plastic film) is placed somewhere in the main room at an angle that
reflects the view of the blue room towards the audience. Generally this
is arranged with the blue room to one side of the stage, and the plate
on the stage rotated around its vertical axis at 45 degrees. Care must be taken to make the glass as invisible as possible, normally
hiding the lower edge in patterning on the floor and ensuring lights do
not reflect off it. When the lights are bright in the main room and dark in the blue room,
the reflected image cannot be seen. When the lighting in the blue room
is increased, often with the main room lights dimming to make the effect
more pronounced, the reflection becomes visible and the objects within
the blue room seem to appear in thin air.

 Notable examples of the illusion are virtual pop stars and the appearance of “ghosts” at the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. Hidden in the corner of the stage at Nerd Night was a glass box. It was unveiled and the used for a magic trick. Inside the glass box was a light bulb. The light bulb miraculously disappeared using the principles of Pepper’s Ghost. Even knowing how the trick was done, it was impressive given the theatrics of the performance.

The Art of Beer at Artegon.

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Artegon is located where the old Festival Bay Mall used to be, at 5250 International Drivenear all the Outlet Malls. The promoters pitched the venue as an exotic artist’s market. In the first months, quite a few local artists set up shop in cages to sell their art. Robin Van Arsdol, (RV) took over a large gallery space near the movie theater which was prime retail space. He left as did most other artist’s. At a First Thursdays even at The Orlando Museum of art, I asked him why he left Artegon. His response was rather simple, “They lied to me.” I left it at than.

The metal cages have been replaced by walls that give the market a more quaint feeling. The cage ceilings remain. In the large open area at the center of Artegon, a sky trail was set up. In the first few months after Artegon opened, a tourist fell to his death from this attraction. I was told that benches were placed around the body to keep people away. Today there is a six foot open topped box that could be used for the same purpose. Four people could lift the four walled box and place it where it was needed. Only the tallest people could peek inside.

The Art of Beer was hell in this large open area. Free samples of beer were dispensed to the long lines of people. John Jacob Williams performed covers with his guitar. The music was just background noise as people waited for their free beer. Mark your calendar, the Art of Beer happens on the Second Tuesday of every month, at 5 p.m. Don’t climb up into the rafters after you have had a few.

The Dawn Branch Works “Journey” has been posponed.

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I went to a Dawn Branch Works dance rehearsal for “Journey“. The show is describe as a walk through faith. One section of new choreography was being worked out. Dawn sat leaning against the mirrored wall. Dancers gathered as a group and then one was asked to volunteer to fall backwards. When the dancers stood became their spot in the new gelled scene. Cindy Michelle Heen was the dancer who offered the most support when the dancer fell back. This move was rehearsed many times giving me a chance to capture every dancers gesture while studying the staging as a whole. I’m amazed by the trust and faith the dancers have in each other. It was fascinating to watch as chance encounters fell into place as the final choreography. Dancers and the choreographer added their creative input. Another dance felt like laborers working in the field who dreamed of freedom expressed in dance.

Dawn Branch Works was formed after The Center for Contemporary dance
brought choreographer Dawn Branch together with local professional
dancers for a project for the 2012 Olympics. The experience of dancing
together was so rewarding that the group decided to work together after
the project’s conclusion and form a professional company. “A creative
bond was formed among the artists,” says Branch, “Sometimes things just
fall into place, and this was one of those divine moments.” Inaugural
member Lindsey Salfran agrees: “Collaboration between the dancers of DBW
and Dawn Branch is an exciting experience. We are constantly pushed
beyond our perceived imitations–you dance in ways you never thought you
could dance before, and you feel the difference at every rehearsal.”

I was sad to find out that “Journey” the show has been postponed . The new dates will be in the spring to summer season. Previously purchased tickets to the January show will be honored at the upcoming dates.

Emotions Dance Presents Untold Stories.

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Emotions Dance has a new rehearsal space at 105 Melody Lane west. Casselberry, FL. Founder and choreographer, Larissa Humiston,  greeted me in the lobby. Others in the lobby turned out to be members of the Emotions Dance board of directors. They were here to see a full run through of the latest show entitled, UntoId Stories.  This show explores stories of everyday life with a message of
courage and hope. The performance engages audiences with stories about
struggles to inspire dialogue and societal change.

The new rehearsal space is cavernous. Larissa let the board know that she has developed so m mad skills as a light in designer. Indeed each dance piece was colorfully lit, giving the individual piece their own color tone from warm to cool. The first dance had two dancers in black tights who wore white kabuki masks. This gave the dance a rather mysterious and primal feel. I was amazed by how many young new dancers were in the company. I didn’t count but there must have been over a dozen. This allowed some dancers to rest and change costume as of he performed. Several powerful dancers from last year were gone, but I was amazed by the new talent.

The black costuming was replace by white flowing that its in the next dance. Earthy weighted movements turned to a graceful flowing routine. The spark that ignites each performance is always an inner emotion. A dancers face and body gesture can show that emotion and bring it to light. I usually identify with one dancers crisp performance and I follow that one dancer and use line to try and rediscover what they are expressing.

In the notes session after the run through, It became clear that different dancers helped choreograph each piece. In one dance, the performers wore loose men’s stiff collared dress shirts. One dancer was bound in a red ribbon. The choreographer explained that it was a story about diabetes which is an invisible affliction. The ribbon was unfurled and it tied all the dancers together with one crimson line.

Other dances felt familiar, like being reunited with old friends. Larissa’s touch must have been in those routines. Angst, hope, and striving all radiated through in the dances. The modern dance was at times gymnastic as dancers tumbled and supported each other. It takes an amazing amount of trust to know you will be caught when to fall.



Untold Stories

Friday Feb 19 and Saturday Feb 20 at 8pm.

Lowndes Shakespeare Center’s Mandell Theatre (812 E. Rollins St. Orlando).

Pre-sale ticketing will be available until Feb 15 GA $18 and
Students/Seniors are $14. At the door- general audience is $20 and Students/Seniors
(65+) are $15

Art in the Chambers & Sculpture Lighting Party.

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Terry Olson invited guests for light refreshments to celebrate the Judy Albertson–Louis Peterson Galleries Art in the Chambers opening, part of Art Legends of Orange County.  Art Legends is remembrance of distinguished artists and patrons of the arts who made
their mark between 1932 and 1982, critical years in local development of
the visual arts. The chambers show features Judy Albertson and Louise Peterson all year, with others like
Grady Kimsey and Steve Lotz being featured for shorter exhibitions. Later that evening there was a lighting ceremony on the lawn for the Temporary Sculpture Exhibition at 201 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL.

I arrived as the sun was setting and wanted to catch the orange glow on the Christian condominium or retirement home. I found it ironic that the was a red light on top of the cross. Perhaps they were worried it might get hit by a low flying aircraft. In the foreground was a wooden sculpture by Julia Ousley titled Skyline I I. As it grew darker, the lights came on to illuminate the sculptures. One artist, walking y the Chambers Opening joked with me saying ” You could get arrested for doing that.” I laughed, but as a matter of fact he was right. I could be mistake for a panhandle outside my designated blue box. It was a cold night for Orlando, so I had on my wood cap and put up my hood to conserve heat. the tablet processor helped keep my fingers a bit warm.

I never did get inside, since capturing the light in the cold was challenging enough. Gradually people wandered outside to take pictures. Then everything went black for the official lighting ceremony. Banks Helfrich and his wife stopped to say hello. They asked if I as going to SAK Comedy Lab after m sketch, and ironically, I was. I’ve been bumping into them all over town. My plan was to meet Terry for a night out, but she had to work late. The huge blue wind chimes remained silent.

ODD 8 at Ten 10 Brewing.

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The tenth Orlando Drink and Draw (ODD) was held at Ten 10 Brewing (1010 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL) . I arrived a bit early, because I had done one of the 27 Blue Box Initiative sketches earlier in the day and it made no sense to drive all the way back to the studio. When I entered, David Charles, who used to run Blank Space across from the Orlando Public Library, was working on a new brew that was simmering over a burner. He enjoyed how one of my articles shook up Orlando’s arts community. We had a laugh about how some artists get so upset when other artists hit the mainstream. I prefer to celebrate the accomplishment. David had organized a Ten 10 Brewing Art Market, but after a lackluster turn out of interested artists, he has decided to put the market to rest for a bit while he lives his life. When I asked his advice on a new beer to taste he made me a beer sampler with four shot glass sized sips of beer tucked into a wooden stand. 

The beers I tasted as I worked on my sketch were, Dinkey Line, which is an original light brew dedicated to the exercise trail that runs past the Brewery. Westphalia Alt was a German beer which is what I drank for the rest of the evening. Chronically Mismanaged was a coffee flavored dark beer that I rather liked, and Havakow was a dark beer that didn’t suit my taste. 

Colin Boyer was the first artist to arrive, and he joined me in sketching the bar as artists arrived. What I love about ODD is that different artists stop out each time, so I get to meet artists of all types. I do my usual Urban Sketch and then I get to learn from other artists experiences. ODD is half sketching and half social. Tom Schneider and his girlfriend Erin Marie Page were the next to arrive. I like that ODD has become a creative date night experience. Erin went to school for illustration and she appreciated getting her feet wet by sketching again. Tom works security but loves to draw. 

I was very happy when Brendan O’Connor,  who writes for The Bungalower, stopped out with his brother. I had seen pictures of Brendan dressed as a Merman at the Gasperilla Festival in Tampa. Brendan was joined by Godzilla at Gasperilla an he said it was quite the experience. Having huge inflated muscles guarantees that you will be molested all day. When he begged for some time to go to the bathroom, people got insulted. If that is what fame tastes like, he had enough, thank you very much. He had a wonderful Chinese watercolor set with bright vibrant colors. Unfortunately the O’Connors, could only stay for part of the night. They had another party to hit. 

To mix things up and get everyone sketching fast, I suggested we do 5 minute ruthless portraits. Artists faced each other and sketched. Since everyone was sketching there was no one posing. If you wanted to catch someone’s eyes you would have to wait for their quick glances up. I don’t really sketch portraits much, so it is new territory for me. There was a change of the guards as Brendan and his brother left and Rob showed up with his posse of artists. They jumped right into the 5 minute sketches. Artists shuffled around the table to meet someone new and sketch. I asked everyone to pass their sketchbooks around and sign any sketches of themselves.This is a good way for me to learn everyone’s names, but so me of the artsy signatures are hard to decipher.

Afterwards, we all settled in to work on our own projects. Stephanie Kell had a wonderful sketchbook full of exotic demons and creatures. She renders these drawing slowly over time adding infinite detail and an incredible valve range. She had a case of art pens that is truly enviable. The sketchbook had grey paper and she worked the lights and darks from this grey base. Some artists came from a cartoon background while others came from a traditional life drawing background. Colin’s drawings sparked to life during the 5 minute sessions. He accentuated the deep shadows on peoples faces leaving detail to the imagination. Rob talked about his recent divorce and how his art remains a constant as he starts all over again. He filled a page with light blue pencil studies of wooden totems and people. At Universal Studios he helped create a large totem pole that was coated in cement and painted to look like carved wood. The studio wants to bring him in full time but he prefers the freedom of freelance. We talked about finding time to discover a personal style and the inner conflicts that tend to hold artists back. As he said, “We are our own worst enemy.” It is refreshing to share a beer with someone who knows that art isn’t easy.

Mark your Calendar. The next ODD will be March 7th from 6pm to 9pm at The Grand Bohemian Hotel  (325 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida).

Weekend Top 6 Picks for February 6th and 7th.

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Saturday February 6, 2015 

10am to 6pm $11 Melbourne Renaissance Fair. Wickham Park 2500 Parkway Drive Melbourne FL. All weekend. Prepare to step back in time to a simpler way of life and the
festival atmosphere of a charming Olde World Faire day in Renaissance
Europe.

From the glories of William the Conqueror through the Golden Age of
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and beyond. When armored knights traveled
the countryside competing for fortune and fame, these festivals were a
time of celebration, revelry and merriment throughout the countryside.

The lush, tree-filled Shire of Wickham will be a re-creation of a
late 14th Century European Tournament and Market Faire. Think Canterbury
Tales a Knights Tale laden with whimsical characters from lore and
legend thrown in for your entertainment pleasure. The age of romance,
chivalry and adventure will be recreated among the wonders of nature in
this idyllic Brevard County setting. http://brevardrenaissancefair.com/

10am to 5pm Free. Art in the Park- Spring 2016. Mead Gardens 1300 S Denning Dr, Winter Park, Florida. his is the first Art in the Park of the year my friends, Let’s us come together in the spirit of creative expression and gather at Mead Gardens. This is the perfect time to unwind in nature, create art, share, and tap into the creative flow together! Bring your friends, or make new ones!

Let’s create together at art in the park- Any kind of art/craft/music that makes you feel happy.

This isn’t an organization, it’s a group of like-minded artists coming together to create, network and inspire one another in this beautiful, public garden.

We will set up on the other side of the picnic pavilion across the street from the greenhouse. When coming into the front entrance of the gardens, it is to the right of the Pavilion. If that location is not available the day of the event, a new location will be posted on this page. This event is totally free and open to anyone who wants to participate! All forms of artwork are encouraged.

Things to bring- art supplies, picnic supplies, chairs, blankets, musical instruments, friends, snacks, drinks, natural bug spray, cameras, business cards, words of encouragement, and positive energy, Since we are spending time at this park, we are NOT allowed to sell any items but we can meet and mingle and promote upcoming events. Bathrooms are available at the gardens. There are no restaurants on the premises, please bring any snacks you wish to consume. Parking is available on a first come, first serve basis. Please carry out what you carry in and take nothing but photos and leave nothing but footprints.

In the event of rain, the event will be rescheduled.

Call 828-974-1105 if you have any questions.

7pm to 10pm Free. HAROLD GARDE: Last of the Game Changers. Henao Contemporary Center 5601 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, Florida. Since America’s inception our artists tended to copy what was going on in other countries, and though the 18th and 19th centuries saw the US producing masters like John Singleton Copley, Benjamin West, the Peale painters, Frederic Church, Heade, Kensett, Audubon, and so on, the US was always considered second tier to European artists.

However “A new vanguard emerged in the early 1940s, primarily in New York, where a small group of loosely affiliated artists created a stylistically diverse body of work that introduced radical new directions in art—and shifted the art world’s focus… Breaking away from accepted conventions in both technique and subject matter, the artists made monumentally scaled works that stood as reflections of their individual psyches—and in doing so, attempted to tap into universal inner sources. These artists valued spontaneity and improvisation, and they accorded the highest importance to process. Their work resists stylistic categorization, but it can be clustered around two basic inclinations: an emphasis on dynamic, energetic gesture, in contrast to a reflective, cerebral focus on more open fields of color. In either case, the imagery was primarily abstract. Even when depicting images based on visual realities, the Abstract Expressionists favored a highly abstracted mode.” (Met Museum, http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/abex/hd_abex.htm)

Harold Garde, immersed in the New York art world just as Abstract Expressionism was gaining world wide attention, is one of the few true artists who are courageous enough to continue to make no concessions to prettiness or fashion, whose singleness of purpose inspires us all to tell more truth, to examine more deeply and honestly our own lives for what is personally and profoundly human. Garde is the real thing, an artist of passion, integrity and commitment, unafraid of failure, unable to compromise his vision. He personifies the artist archetype, believing totally in the personal and social necessity of art. He gives other artists courage. -Robert Shetterly

Sunday February 7, 2016 

1pm to 4pm Donation. Fur, Fun and Folk Art. Jeanine Taylor Folk Art, 211 E. 1st St., Sanford, FL. Have your precious pet captured forever in the charming folk art style by internationally acclaimed folk artist, Theresa Disney. Bring your pet in person or a photo and for a donation, Theresa will paint them on canvas in her inimitable style. Talk about a unique Valentines Day gift for that special someone and a real family treasure.

2pm to 4pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Near the Red Pagoda. Every week.

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.

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The Blue Box Initiative – Michael Sloan.

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On February 1, I picked up Micihael Sloan from his home and brought him to the Blue Box on Lake Dot on Colonial Drive one block West of the I-4 overpass. It was tricky finding his place so we ended up running about a half hour late. As a quick recap in case you are a new reader, Orlando passed an ordinance back in the 1990s making it illegal to panhandle in Downtown Orlando. 27 blue boxes were painted on the sidewalks as free speech zones. From sunrise to sunset it is legal to panhandle in these blue boxes.

On our drive too to  the  blue  box site,  Micihael explained that he used to perform downtown about 15 years ago and he was told that he must move to a blue. In Orlando performers seem  too be considered panhandlers with talent. I’ve been told to move along by police while sketching downtown but I was never instructed to go to a box. Anyway, I decided to ask performers to come out to each of the 27 boxes so that I can sketch performers at each of the sites. The plan is to do one sketch a week, usually on Mondays. The Blue Box Initiative group page was set up to organize and schedule performances.

As we were setting up, a man in a red shirt who introduced himself as Juju joked around with Micihael. He sat down in the shade and shouted to us, “Hey, come over here in the shade, I want to hear the music.” Micihael shouted back, “We can’t, I have to stay in the blue box.”  It was brutally hot. I realized that I need to bring sunscreen to these blue box sketch outings. The several days of col weather are already a though of the past. Micihael kept his guitar case open, but no one ever dropped any bills inside. It was hard to hear the music over the constant rush of car traffic. I could pick out that he was making up lyrics on the fly about being put in blue boxes. He was singing the blue box blues. Besides singing, Micihael did some Tai Chi which made it look like he was channeling the automotive dissonance. He also had just enough room in the box to do several cart wheels. Cars honked their approval, a loud automotive standing ovation.

There was some foot traffic. Perhaps 20 people wandered by during the performance. A young woman in a black dress walked by with a luggage cart. She reminded me of drug sales reps I have seen in doctors offices. She was actually Jenna Smith, a UCF journalism student who wanted to report on the Blue Box Initiative. She unpacked a tripod and sizable TV news camera. She was the reporter and camera woman all rolled into one. The black dress was a mistake because the sun was unrelenting. She never filmed herself asking the questions, perhaps she did that later.

Juju became infatuated with what I was doing. He stood behind me the whole time doing a play by play announcement of every item I put on the page. I’m usually oblivious to on lookers, but he was hard to ignore. A bicyclist with dreads and a wicker basket stopped for the longest time to listen. He spoke with Jenna about the social divides created by capitalism. Around 1pm a car stopped in front of the box, and a woman asked if we wanted sandwiches. My hands were busy with the sketch so I didn’t accept. Juju however accepted for us all. He gave Micihael some fruit and he offer me a cookie. I tried to refuse but he insisted, so I accepted his offering and put it in my bag. It was from the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and I ate it on the drive home. It was delicious.

Jenna stayed with us right until the sketch was complete. She then interviewed us with beautiful Lake Dot as the back drop. She plans to interview City Commissioners, so she is doing some in depth reporting on the issue. I bumped into City Commissioner Patty Sheehan that night and she was amazed by Winter Parks ordinance that bans artists. She asked me, “Orlando doesn’t do that do they?” It seemed odd that she was asking me. I mentioned the blue boxes which is an ordinance she helped spearhead.  I don’t think she realized the the blue boxes hurt the Orlando arts scene. “Well, if you need anything from me, let me know.” she said as she left.

Cole Nesmith organized a huge one night event called “The Creative City Project.” He got performing arts groups to come together downtown for a solid evening of performances outside on Orange Avenue downtown. I was told that in the beginning, Cole was instructed that the performances would have to be in the Blue Boxes which make for rather small stages. Cole worked closely with politicians to create an amazing event that took over Orange Avenue for five blocks.  But that was for one night only. If Orlando truly embraced creativity downtown then every evening the city streets could come alive. For now outdoor creativity is shoved aside into isolated blue boxes.

A Funeral for the Arts in Winter Park.

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On December 14, 2015, the City of Winter Park passed an Ordinance that essentially states that it is illegal to do anything creative on Park Avenue, New England Avenue and Hannibal Square. Merchants felt that the presence of artists was a conflict with their commercial interests. Apparently one band set up and used a car battery to power their amplifiers. Rather than write an ordinance to ban amplified music the town simply copied an ordinance from Saint Augustine that bans all art. Of course Winter Park sells itself as a town that has a great museum and a few remaining galleries. They like some art, but they don’t want to see it created in their view.

Paul Felker, affectionately known as the Park Avenue Poet used to sit on a public bench on the commercial side of Park Avenue. He uses a 1938 Remington Deluxe Noiseless typewriter to write poems given any prompt. Since the ordinance was written, police now hassle the poet and tell him that he must go to the “First Amendment Zone” which is Central Park. Of course there is far less traffic in Central Park, so Paul writes fewer poems. Donations Paul relieved for his poems were being used to help put him through college. What some find quaint and endearing, the city finds criminal.

Paul organized a Funeral for the Arts in Central Park on January 29, 2016. Angel Jones from Melborne helped make artists around the state aware of the funeral. The funeral was to take place from 10am to 5pm. I arrived at 10am to find the park empty except for a news crew from Chanel 13. I chatted with news anchor Jerry Hume for a bit, and then we walked the length of the Park to look for black clad mourners. When we didn’t find any, I decided to sketch the peacock fountain, in the rose garden. Winter Park seems to worship this colorful bird. A more appropriate bird now would be a black Raven. As I was finishing up my sketch Jerry let me know the mourners had gathered a block away.

I found a Ian Twitch Reents all in black with his face painted white along with a red nose and aviator goggles. He was standing in his mile high rock and roll boots beside a five foot long black coffin lid. A woman noticed him and asked me to shoot a photo of them together. She might never realize she was posing next to a coffin. Paul had run to Old Navy to get a pair of black pants. He didn’t want to buy the pants in over priced Winter Park. When he got back he painted R.I.P. on the lid. Since there were only two protesters, I decided to meet a former co-worker, from my first job at Zip Mail in Tenafly New Jersey from over 30 years ago. She was seeing a free film at the Morse Museum called “Beauty in Art“.  It seemed a fitting subject since art was now banned on the streets of Winter Park. After the film and lunch, we returned to the protest.

Paul had called the police to let them know that he would be setting up in the forbidden zone to write some poems. TV news crews filmed the walk across the street, but police kept their distance, knowing that issuing a citation on TV wouldn’t look good. The penalty for creating in the Forbidden Zones is 60 days in jail and a $500 fine. After sometime Paul passed back over to the park side of the street. To date no citations have been issued. About six artists had joined the protest. I sketched Paul hard at work at his typewriter for the first time. Angel was dressed in a gorgeous black Victoria dress with a lace veil. Curtis Meyer was improvising  beat box poetry on the fly. I had heard that poets planned to walk up and down Park Avenue reciting poetry into their cell phones. Ray Brazen performed with a guitar that had no strings, allowing him to perform “The Sound of Silence“.

A man walked up to Paul and shouted, “What’s in it for me?” He kept repeating this question like an angry toddler. Paul calmly explained his poetry. Perhaps the man had been drinking to heavily at a Park Avenue cafe, then again, perhaps he was just like the city commissioners and merchants who are always looked for the bottom line in their lust for profit in their small town lives. “What is in it for me?” As if a quest for beauty and understanding is not something that can be comprehended. Was art put on this earth just to annoy this white bread Winter Park Scrooge? How many others are out there whose grey dark matter can’t comprehend color, joy and passion. I feel sorry for his loss.