Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 8th and 9th.

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Saturday August 8, 2015

6:15pm to 10pm $150 Orlando’s Taste of the Nation. Orlando World Center Marriott

8701 World Center Dr., Orlando FL. Orlando’s Taste of the Nation® for No Kid Hungry brings together the
area’s top chefs who donate their time, talent and passion to end
childhood hunger in Central Florida. Along with culinary delights,
guests have the opportunity to sample select wines, cocktails and
premium beers and enjoy silent and live auctions and entertainment.
Every dollar raised fights hunger and homelessness in the Central
Florida. Local beneficiaries include Coalition for the Homeless of
Central Florida and Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Participating Restaurants:

4Rivers Smokehouse and The Coop

A Land Remembered at Rosen Shingle Creek

Artist Point at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge Resort

B Resort and Spa and American Q

B.B. King’s Blues Club

Black Fire Bull

Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine

Cafe Tu Tu Tango

Cala Bella Restaurant at Rosen Shingle Creek

Capa at Four Seasons Resort Orlando

The Capital Grille Orlando and Millenia

Cress Restaurant

Cuba Libre

Dragonfly Robata Sushi & Grill

Emeril’s Tchoup Chop

Empress Sissi Cake & Pastry Specialties

Fresh Point

Fulton’s Crab House, Downtown Disney

Highball and Harvest at Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes

Itta Bena

JJ’s Grille

JW Marriott

K Restaurant and Wine Bar

Lafayette’s Music Room

Marlow’s Tavern

MOOR at Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center

Old Hickory Steakhouse at Gaylord Palms Resort

Opa Orlando

Orlando Airport Marriott Lakeside

Orlando World Center Marriott

Red Wing Restaurant

Renaissance Orlando at SeaWorld

Seasons 52 Fresh Grill

SeaWorld Orlando

Second Harvest Food Bank – Culinary Training Program

Soco Thornton Park

Symphony Pastries

Tapa Toro Tapas Bar

Three2OH Ice Cream

TR Fire Grill

Universal Orlando Resort

Urban Tide Hyatt Regency

The Whiskey

Yak and Yeti Restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

8pm to 2am $10 at the door. The Scene II” Alternative HipHop Music  and Art Festival. Venue 578, 578 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL. “The Scene” is an Awesome Interactive Art and Music event in Downtown Orlando that celebrates ALL elements of alternative Hip Hop. Featuring local bands – MC’s – Spoken Word Artists – B-Boys/Girls and more, all under one roof with many entertaining surprises in between! Witness LIVE graffiti and art demo’s on the patio from some of Central Florida’s best artists! There will be over two dozen vendors and designers throughout the venue! Our goal for ‘The Scene 2015’ is to create consumer awareness in Orlando’s Alternative Hip Hop scene. By connecting local bands and artists with local businesses, we help merge and familiarize each other’s fan bases. Together we are a Cultural Marketplace.

Performances By: Phraydoe Peans and The Family Gang – AmIam – Kallahann The Coolest – Bezz Believe – Chico Money – Trini Elav8 – MC Freak – Afrodeeeshzzz – Twan D – Overlordz – Shaman Treez – Andrew Ramos – Fp The Freshman – Mehsi – Colby Stiltz – Split Soul – International Rob – Rogue Mob – Nosis – Mehsi – Identified Truth – GanK Green Gang – Darkchocolate Blackwell – Crescendo Merc – Infy Nite TraxX – International Rob – Deuce Deuce – Colby Stiltz – Jrue Smith -Red Sky – Lu berra And Josh Dollars – Kerryspace – Pudgeylocs – Quest 4 Life – SIRE – Boogs malone – StillTeamGreen – OG SHINOBI NINJA.

8pm to 10pm Free. Jupiter Groove. The Copper Rocket Pub 106 Lake Ave, Maitland, Florida. Jupiter Groove will be at the all new The Copper Rocket Pub!



Sunday August 9, 2015

10am to 10pm Nerd Fest. Weekend Pass – $50. the biggest and best annual multi-day nerd party!

Part music festival, part family reunion, all fun!

Dates are August 7-10, 2015!

Aug 7 and 10 are FREE and at The Geek Easy

Aug 8 and 9 are ($27 each day or $50 for the weekend) at the Orlando Science Center

All ticket sales go directly to benefit the Orlando Science Center to support science and education!

Noon to 4:30pm Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

9pm 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.

Back to the Toyota Dealership for scheduled maintenance.

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My Prius was due for its 40,000 mile maintenance check up. I got a letter in the mail last week that let me know that a digital title was on file with the Florida department of motor vehicles. The car was finally paid off. I haven’t had a single issue to date, but I figure everything will go haywire once there aren’t any other expenses.

The Toyota dealership is close to my home and the place is brand spanking new. There is a commissary and comfy chairs for people waiting for repairs. One costumer snoozed while his girlfriend surfed the web. I only needed an oil change, but the technicians checked everything.  The sales rep, Jay Morales, let me know that there was some wear and tear on my tires. When I park on the street, I tend to scrape the tire against the curb to get as close to the curb as I can. I’ve scrapped the front passenger side hub cap and scuffed up the rubber quite well. Since all the scrapes are on the passenger side of the car it is easy for me to ignore the damage. They have back-up cameras on some cars now. I need hub cap cameras that show me how close the tires are to the curb.

Judging from my sketch, I’d say that my wait at the dealership was about an hour. My synthetic oil was changed and my tires were rotated along with a multi point inspection. My sales rep saw me sketching and he told me that his girlfriend Melanie Daniels had done a series of paintings called “Movement in Time.” The paintings depict a view of the landscape as it streams by, as if viewed from a fast moving car. I thought I would find her paintings online, but my search only lead me to find that Melanie Daniels was the character Tippi Hendren played in Alfred Hitchcock’s, The Birds.

Purple Pride immediately siezes Orlando.

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I was going to Falcon Bar (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL) or Mystery Sketch Theater which has a cos-play model taking poses for artists once a month. Streets were blocked off and I found myself walking besides runners in a 5K race. Everyone was wearing purple tee shirts. I heard an announcer and walked towards the noise. A finish line was set up on the East side of Lake Eola Park on Washington Street.

A Food Truck Bazaar were set up beyond the finish line and hungry runners lined up for food. I sketched the purple Orlando Soccer truck. Soccer has been promoted with a vengeance and   Orlando City Soccer Club logos, murals and stickers are all over town. Lion heads appear everywhere. The renovated Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium is now packed for every game. I haven’t figured out who to contact yet about sketching a game. I feel I need to report on a team that has quickly become as known as the Orlando Magic basketball team. With the US team doing better in the international soccer competitions, the fan base keeps growing.

Mark Baratelli of the Daily City had organized all the food trucks. He showed me a paper that he now publishes that shows where to find each food truck bazaar all around Central Florida.  I admire the marketing prowess of the Orlando City Soccer Club and Mark’s entrepreneurial spirit. After I finished my sketch I walked over to the Falcon Bar to squeeze a few more sketches into my day.

Meditative Painting Class at the the Crystal Healing Spa

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I asked artist Veronika Rose if I could sketch her meditative painting class at the Crystal Healing Spa (717 Executive Dr, Winter Park, Florida).  Veronica studied meditation with Alex Grey in New York City and she is bringing his visionary meditation practices to Orlando.

The class invitation asked, “Have you always wanted to paint- but didn’t know where to start?”

July 15th was the evening of the new moon, Veronika taught a beginning acrylic and watercolor painting class from 6:30-9pm. Everyone wrote their  intentions of what they want to manifest during
the New Moon. They opened themselves up to receiving their deepest
desires. Veronica had everyone write their intentions on slips of paper which were then folded and placed on the floor. That evening, Veronika promised to burn the slips of paper to release the energy into the universe. A bottle of Florida water was passed around and we sprinkled some on our hands for purification.

The class began with a guided meditation and creativity exercises to help bridge the right and left brain hemispheres.
This relaxed, cozy class began with everyone laying on the floor with pillows and blankets for a
visionary journey. The Shamanic journey began with closed eyes and 7 deep breaths of imagined rainbow light. Everyone imagined an orange ball of energy in their abdomen which was about the size of a golf ball. That light moved up towards their heads and then shot out into the universe. I sketched Veronica as she held that energy in her head. The others were all lying on the floor. On student imagined her hair tangled in the stars. Veronica shook a rattle as she lead the artist on the shaman journey. Her meditative place was a quiet and gorgeous garden. Everyone was silent for 30 minutes as they traveled within. They get into a flow where we tapped into
their creative potential together. The energy of each group is special
and unique and each class will vary depending on the energy of the
group. Veronica did hands on energy work where she placed a hand over each artist’s navel and forehead. This apparently helps release creative energy. I know that I only tap into a fraction of my own creative potential so I’m trying to understand what I observed that day.

They painted to understand their dreams and potential, releasing creative blocks and limiting belief systems. They learned how to get into a creative flow. How to put ideas to canvas. I believe that anytime I sketch, I get lost in a meditative state. All other thought become secondary as I focus on nothing but what appears on the page. Veronica demonstrated a watercolor technique in which she put large moist washes on a page and then she daubed the surface with crumpled cellophane which created an intricate abstract pattern. Afterwards, she looked for shapes and she outlined them, creating fanciful beasts an creatures. Some artists tried this approach with great results while others used acrylic paint on canvas.

The cost of the meditative workshop was $30. Supplies were included. Artists were provided with a 16″x20″ canvas to create upon as well as watercolor paper. Artists didn’t need to have any previous painting experience. Artists brought images or ideas to re-create, a positive attitude and clothes that they didn’t mind getting messy.

Elite Lakeside Sketch Outing.

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My Elite Animation Academy (8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL) class always finds a way to get students sketching out in the community. On this balmy day we made our way to a small lake near the Academy. The goal was for students to sketch the scene and do drawings of the many ducks who call the lake home. We found a spot under a shady tree and got to work.

The ducks were on the far side of the lake but eventually they became curious and they swam towards us. I’m sure they figured that we must have food. We didn’t have any. The days lesson included looking for simple shapes. That is why the hedge across the lake became a perfect circle. I’m always fascinated by south paws. An artist who is a leftie has to twist their wrist in a unique way to see what they are drawing as they put lines on the page.

I can’t always find events for the students to draw although the high school sports field often offers games and practices to sketch. Being an artist is much like training as an athlete. Every day we need to exercise our eye to hand coordination. If one day is missed, the artist quickly becomes rusty. A former Disney colleague named Sam Ewing started a blog called Rusty Pliers and the title is starting to make sense. While working in the bustling studio we were tools with a defined purpose. When the studio closed, it became easy to become rusty. We had to re-invent ourselves to discover a new purpose for our skills. Part of what keeps me productive is to always look forward and never look back.

Maxine’s is a geat place to experience art.

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I met with Maxine Earhart at Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL) to figure out the logistics of mounting a show. We sat at the end of the bar to talk and I stayed for diner and a sketch.

Hanging on the walls was intricate and sensual collages by local artist, Maura Lucchese. Images of lovers and beautiful women were created with thousands of cuttings from magazines. Lettering mingled among the scraps relay hidden meanings to the bold images. Maura was unloading her show along with her friend, Kelly Herzberger on the day that I loaded my show in.

It was fun getting to meet an artist as we attempted to avoid crashing into each other going in and out of the restaurant’s front door.  Maura and Kelly also came to the opening of my show which shows that artists do support each other in Orlando. I was a bit intimidated that Maura sold several pieces in her show. Nothing sold from my show, but Kirt and Maxine ultimately coveted several of my sketches done in their restaurant for their collection.


Maxine’s has great food and there are often live performers as well to compliment the dining experience. Hours are Tuesday to Friday 5pm to 10pm. Saturday 10am to 10pm and Sunday 10am to 10pm. Reservations are a must because this place always gets packed. Come out and enjoy the Max Scene. It is a place where I’m always able to get a fun sketch. I’ve heard that one of my Maxine’s sketches might be used on fashionable women’s scarves. The details haven’t been ironed out yet.

Dog Sees God is at the Parliament House.

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The Peanuts comic strip meets Reality in “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” at the Footlight Theatre

Orlando, Fl. The show is, an “unauthorized parody” written by Bert V. Royal and directed by David Lee, opening at the Footlight Theatre, (410 North Orange Blossom Trail Orlando, Florida). It imagines the characters from Charles M. Schulz’s beloved Peanuts’ characters 10 years later as angst fueled teenagers. But this is no comic strip!

Their names have been altered a bit but all of the characters and back story are easy to identify.

“CB”, aka Charlie Brown, (Christopher Walen) as lost his beloved dog and is struggling with existential questions of life and death and sexual identity. Piano-playing “Schroeder” is now the bullied and ostracized “Beethoven.” (Chris Metz) Matt, the “Pigpen” character, (Campbell Gilliland) is now a homophobic germophobe, “Sally” (Madeleine Elise) has gone goth and “Linus” is a Buddhist stoner (Zachary Lane). Lucy, (Rachel Comeau) once the nickel psychologist, is a feisty pyromaniac who’s been sent off to an institution.

The gang grapples with teenage realities of drug use, suicide, eating disorders, bullying, rebellion, and sexual identity, wrapped in skewered, funny, and poignant twists.

To find the rehearsal at the Parliament house, David Lee told me to walk past the back bar. I spotted an actress taking the same route and I followed her to the stage door. This was going to be a tech rehearsal with a complete run through of the show. It wasn’t a dress rehearsal, but Margaret and David showed me a publicity shot which hinted at the final costumes.  I did make a few clothing changes in the sketch. A scene where Sally performed a one woman show was funny and powerful at the same time. She was a caterpillar who dreamed not of becoming, not a butterfly, but a platypus. Her high energy was infectious. Her brother “CB” was the one high school student who didn’t fit in with any clicks yet didn’t mind being different. He questioned the meaning of life after loosing his beloved Snoopy whose red dog house sat center stage during the pre-show. The inside of the dog house glowed red as did the Plexiglas cubes which functioned as tables, chairs and platforms as needed.

I always thought that Peppermint Patty, Aka Trish (Julianne Snyder) might be a lesbian. Her valley girl mannerisms and sexy boisterousness performance left open the possibility that she and Marcy (Veronika Kelly) might hook up. They were open to sharing a guy in a threesome and it would just make sense to leave the guy out of the equation eventually. Every scene stays true to the original characters while addressing the insane and difficult world of the high school social structure. It is was like “The Breakfast Club” with Charles Schultz’s pubescent characters. When Sally gives her brother a letter from a pen pal “CS” the cast turned towards a screen with a photo of Charles Schultz. The letter reminded CB to stay true to himself despite all odds. I found myself getting choked up at this imagined gesture from a cartoonist whose time here on earth had passed. The show presented characters that I fell in love with all over again. There was loss, sorrow as well as rebellious joy. It packed an emotional punch. Good grief, so don’t miss it.

WHAT:
“Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead” is directed by David Lee, assistant directed by Gabriella Juliet Beals and produced by Kangagirl Productions-Margaret Nolan. Graphics and photography by Jocelynn White, sound design by Rachel Comeau, set design by David Lee, and costume assistance by Kyla Swanberg.

WHEN:
Saturdays- August 1, 8, 15 and 22 @7:30PM | Industry Night- Monday, August 24 @7:30PM

WHERE:
The Footlight Theatre, Parliament House 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail | Orlando, FL 32805

TICKETS:
$10 Advance | $15 at the door | Admission to the Parliament House.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 1st and 2nd.

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Saturday August 1, 2015

11am to 4pm Free. Family Day. Maitland Art Center 231 E Packwood Ave, Maitland, FL. Guests can enjoy free admission to the Maitland Art Center that day along with hands-on activities. Celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions at the Art and History’s Maitland Art Center with free admission on Saturday, August 1, and creative hand-on activities for the entire family. Paper Cuts: André Smith Collages and Color Theory both feature works from the permanent collection and will be displayed August 1 to September 20, 2015. The museum is currently featuring Cabinet of Curiosities, which looks deeper in to the A&H’s permanent collection of historical archives.
Regular admission to both museums is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors and children, free for children less than three years old and free for Art and History members. August also kicks off the final two weeks of the A&H’s Summer Culture Camps.

11am to 2pm Free. Third Annual Open House. Orlando Shakespeare Theater, 812 East Rollins Street, Orlando, FL. The popular free event promises an afternoon of fun for the entire family. Orlando Shakespeare Theater in Partnership with UCF kicks off its 27th Season with an Open House on Saturday, August 1, 2015. The family-friendly event is free to the public with ongoing activities inside the Theater. No RSVP required. Walk-ins welcome.
The third annual celebration includes crafts and coloring for the little ones, story time with costumed characters, creative demonstrations from the Theater’s production staff, and an Artistic Q&A Panel with Orlando Shakes artists.

8pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. On the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! 

Sunday August 2, 2015

10am to 12:30pm  $10 Crealde Sketch Class. Crealdé School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL. Life drawing from nude model. No instruction.

Noon to 3pm Free. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 North Park Avenue, Winter Park, FL. Violinist Amy Xaychaleune (Amy X.) received her Masters of Music Performance at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and her Bachelors at Florida State University. After returning from the UK, she has performed with the Evita Broadway Tour, Sting, and Adam Levine. She is currently performing in local orchestras (including Brevard Symphony and Orlando Philharmonic), Disney World (Mo’rockin, Harambe Nights, and Candlelight Processional), Universal Studios as a soloist (Diagon Alley/King’s Cross Station), and with touring acts.

1pm to 3pm Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park, 195 N Rosalind Ave, Orlando, FL. Every week.

The Inaugeral Kerouac Project Open Mic Channeled the Beat Generation.

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On February 27th there was a Kerouac Project Open Mic at the Gallery at Avalon Island (39 South Magnolia Ave, Orlando, Florida). This was the inaugural Kerouac Project Open Mic, with featured poets Frank Messina and Caitlin Doyle, and guest jazz pianist Per Danielsson.

Naomi Butterfield was the host for the evening.  She had on a bright yellow scarf as she read from Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums.  “Happy. Just in my swim shorts, barefooted, wild-haired, in the red fire dark, singing, swigging wine, spitting, jumping, running—that’s the way to live.”

Writers were invited to take that line and run with it! Then bring your best was shared share with the Kerouacians. Others, like me just came to listen to some fine auditory vibes. The open mic sign-up sheet was out by 7:30, and each author had five minutes at the mic.

The pianist improvised as a poet read which gave the reading an added cinematic feel.  If only we had a soundtrack for the everyday moments of our lives. Listening to pop music while driving doesn’t count as an inspired sound track. The Kerouac Project crowd are creative people who aren’t afraid to live out loud.

The Writer’s Block Bookstore features local talent in Winter Park.

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The Writer’s Block Bookstore, 124 Welbourne Avenue, Winter Park FL, was founded by Lauren Zimmerman. Lauren came to the opening of my exhibit at Winter Parks City Chambers, 401 South Park Avenue Winter Park, which  is still open to the public. At the opening she asked me to hang a piece in her bookstore. I had one framed print still in the studio, so I dropped that off at the bookstore. Lauren likes to sketch herself so she likes my quick sketches from life. I haven’t been back to the bookstore since I dropped off the print. If anyone goes to the bookstore, let me know where the print is hung and how it looks in the space.

I was recently at a book signing and reading by Stacy Barton for her new novella, Lilly Harp at the Writer’s Block Bookstore. Mark Your Calendar, on August 20th,  there will be Wine and Conversation with some of Central Florida’s best authors from Borrow Press from 6pm to 8pm. Vanessa Blakeslee released Train Shots, released in 2014 by Borrow Press. The book won the IPPY Gold Metal in short fiction. In 2013 Vanessa won the Individual Artist Fellowship in Literature from the Florida Department of Cultural affairs.  Her debut novel Juventud is being released by Curbside Splendor Publishing in October of 2015. Other authors to meet that evening include Nathan Holic, author of the novel American Fraternity Man, and Pat Ruskin author of the feature length screenplay, The Zero Theorem which was directed by Terry Gilliam.