Sterio Type performed at the Fringe Outdoor Stage.

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Stereo Type which hails from Daytona Beach, Florida performed at the Fringe Outdoor Stage. Band members include, Vincent Victor Oath on Guitar and Lead Vocals, Brian Topp on Drums.
Their genre is Punk and Hard Rock. We came across the band performing during the Fringe Sketch Tour. Music sets on the outdoor stage are seldom over an hour long and usually much less, so I rushed to get something on the page. My Sketch Tour protege was a bit tired, having already done about 5 drawings that day. She decided to listen to the music and just watch me work. In a sense this sketch became a demonstration on how to work fast and furious. Hopefully it helped.

The music was also fast and furious as band members banged their heads to the beat. When sketching live performances, the beat and rhythm often work their way into every line and wash on the sketch. After the initial frustrations subside, I often reach a point where I’m no longer drawing things, but a feeling or flow through the scene. It is magic when it happens but I’m to harsh a critic to decide if it worked. I put the sketch aside and start hunting for my next scene to capture.

Tears of a Tyrant performed on the outdoor stage at Fringe.

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On the Fringe Sketch Tour we stopped to sketch Tears of a Tyrant on the outdoor stage. They had a colorful tie-die banner as a backdrop. Danielle Dart was the lead singer with a purple floral garland in her hair. She had a dreamy way of closing her eyes as she sang that was quite endearing. Jester Cordell accompanied her on acoustic guitar. There are usually two other members in the band, but I guess they couldn’t make it out to this pro bono gig. They classify their music as Groovy  Classic Rock and Southern Rock.

To me this adorable couple personified the young Central Florida hipster           . ideal with their flip flops and ultra casual attire.  This casual attire is something I love about Orlando. No matter what event you go to in O-town there will be people in tee shirts and flip flops. If you went to a similar event in NYC, everyone would be dressed in black and wearing designer names in an effort to impress. Orlando has plenty of raw care free talent.

Well perhaps not care free. It is hard to make a living as an artist in Orlando. There is a constant exodus out of this town to other cities that are more supportive of the arts. As the 2015 Tallahassee Legislative Special Session came to a close, the film, TV
and digital media industry was excluded from the budget again this
year. This marks 3 straight years this program has gone without funding.
Additionally the proposed budget includes a staff and budget reduction
to the State Office of Film and Entertainment. This is why many actors and film makers go out of state to create films.

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

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Saturday June 27, 2015

10am to 4pm Free. LibCon. Orlando Public Library 101 E Central Blvd, Orlando, FL. A day-long celebration of books at the Orlando Public Library. Come and check it out for book signings, panel discussion, and writing workshops!

The Author’s Fair in Library Central will feature 26 authors of all genres from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. NYT Bestselling Author and Printz Honor recipient Rick Yancey will give the keynote address at 11 a.m. and sign immediately after his talk. Yancey’s book The 5th Wave is now a major motion picture, releasing 2016. From 12 p.m. to 4 p.m., there will be panel discussions for both readers and aspiring authors.

Attending authors are: R.L. Austin, Kait Ballenger, Vivi Barnes, Stacy Barton, Richard Lee Byers, E.M. Caines, Doug Dillon, Lucienne Diver, James Driggers, Christina Farley, Maria Geraci, Lori Goldstein, Shane Hinton, Nathan Holic, Trisha Leaver, Ethan Long, Tawdra Kandle, Marianne Kirby, David Lapham, Lynne Matson, Amy Christine Parker, H.D. Smith, J.A. Souders, Jeff Strand, Nancy Robards Thompson, Lynne Waddell. (Subject to change.)

11am to 4pm Free. Snap! Orlando presents : ‘Snap! Book Day’ 1013 E Colonial Dr, Orlando, Florida. Enjoy a quiet afternoon mimosa and coffee with art and photo books, Limited Edition European periodicals, magazines and art guides. This is the kick-off to a recurring event held on select Saturdays at Snap! Space.

Collectors are willing to pay steep prices for the world’s finest art and photography books. We’ll be showcasing signed rare editions from the likes of Duane Michals, Gottfried Helnwein, Irwin Olaf, Mei Xian Qiu, Sebastiao Salgado, Tom Chambers, Zun Lee, Viviane Sassen and many more. Sometimes these books have captured an era or a location, sometimes they have helped to coin an artistic trend, most often they are simply the finest work of a particular artist or photographer.

Along with art and photography books, we will showcase the best periodicals in fashion, European magazines, photo magazines and architectural guides. Post and current editions will be on view for your perusing pleasure! Also on view is our current exhibition, ‘LIFE IN REAL TIME.’

Free parking in Snap! Space’s lot on Thornton Ave. behind the building. Snap! Space is the 5,000 sq. ft. indoor/outdoor gallery home of Snap! Orlando, a 501(c) 3 charitable foundation with the mission to celebrate master photographers, and artists, discover and cultivate emerging talent and promote the appreciation of photography and art worldwide. www.snaporlando.com

2pm to 4pm Free. The Warriors Party and Charity Event. Rogue Pub 3076 Curry Ford Rd, Orlando, Florida. Come out and play Saturday, June 27th starting at 2p for a Warriors themed charity event benefiting the Pug Rescue of Florida. Enjoy a Warrior themed draft line-up, costume contest, purchase some Warrior inspired art from local artists and get a chance to meet some of the awesome pups from the Pug Rescue! http://warriorsparty.com/hello-world/

Sunday June 28, 2015

10am to Noon Free. Super Joy Riders. Eastern entrance of the Lake Eola Farmers’ Market. Participants dress as superheroes and ride en masse around the city as they check off their scavenger hunt-like list of Do Gooder Duties; collecting litter, helping senior citizens cross the road, returning shopping carts, basically performing small acts of kindness for an hour and a half of hilarity and love.
The Super Joy Riders: Do Gooder Bike Ride is an exercise in community organizing and active engagement. We hope to use the ride as an opportunity to show how helping people can be simple, fun, and easy, especially while wearing a cape.
http://www.superjoyriders.com/

You + Superhero Costume + Bike = Best Sunday Ever

We are inviting Orlando to come with us on a fun filled bike ride of awesomeness on the last Sunday of the month. Dress like a superhero, hop on a bike, and follow our scavenger hunt list of Good Deeds as we all try to save the world with small acts of kindness.

Look for the capes!

Noon to 2pm Free but get some food. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Isle FL. Every 2nd and 4th Sunday. 

1pm to 3pm Free but get a coffee. Irish Music. Olivia’s Coffee House, 108 N Bay St, Eustis, FL. http://www.oliviascoffeehouse.com/

Grim and Fisher was part mime, part puppetry and pure magic.

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Grim and Fisher produced by Wonderheads from Portland Oregon was in the Silver Venue at this years Orlando International Fringe Festival. They were the creators of last years Fringe hit Loon, so my expectations were high.

Grim and Fisher was an epic showdown between a dour faced Grim Reaper and a lively and determined granny. The set consisted of a simple rocking chair and a side table with a tiny box on top of it. Much of the first act consisted of the Granny messing with a repairman who came to her apartment to repair her TV. When he needed to use the bathroom, he was surprised because every time he touched the door, loud farts would emanate from inside. I guess this established the granny as an “old fart” but when she came out holding a whoopee cushion is also established her as having a sense of humor.

When Grim comes for the old lady, she doesn’t go willingly. When she gives him the tiny box, he is won over when he discovers it is a music box. He forgets his job and shows his more human side for a moment. It reminded me of the food critic’s scene when he tastes the rats sumptuous food for the first time. The granny puts her former husband’s coat on Grim and they dance.

When Grim realizes he has a job to do, the old lady battles for her life. In the end she does walk towards the light perhaps finally reunited with her long lost husband. The show for me wasn’t as magical as Loon. I knew from the start that death always wins. It made the battle to live a little sad.

Serafina’s belly dance at Fringe.

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Although Phantasmagoria didn’t have a stage show, they were listed in the Fringe program as Bring Your Own Venue. On the first day of my Sketch Tour they seemed to be everywhere at once. While we were waiting in line for Grim and Fisher at the Rep Theater, Phantasmagoria swept into the lobby to entertain everyone waiting in line. For those who don’t know, (where have you been) Phantasmagoria is a Gothic Steampunk storytelling group that blends dance, aerial work, fire performance and combat into the mix as they weave their horrific tales.

Serafina Schiano began an exotic belly dance. I agonized about how much time I might need to catch the dance. The line started to inch forward and I kept adding watercolor washes to the sketch as we moved towards the entrance. When Serafina was done, I followed her with my eyes to try and catch details of her costume. This is why some sketches can seem rushed and unfinished, because life and performance rushes by. It is a challenge to catch the flash of a moment. That is what makes sketching on location fun, exciting and challenging. Even if unfinished in my mind, I have to accept what I can accomplish in the time that I have and move on. That is a fair analogy to life in general.

The lobby of the Rep is always full of art by school children during Fringe. Most of the work is tight and struggling towards realism. None of the art seems rushed or hurried. This is the problem I have when painting digitally. Since it is all new to me I’m far to cautious and what results has too much polish. I’ve started carrying my tablet out on location with me but it is seldom used. In a dark theater, its glow would distract others and outside in the Florida sun the screen isn’t bright enough.  I wish the screen were larger but the market trend it towards smaller tablets. It is like carrying a hot brick.

Of course the Kids Fringe had a Unicorn Bounce House.

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On each morning of the Fringe Sketch Tour, we would start at Kids Fringe, warming up by sketching the kids stretching under the supervision of a Voci Dancer. After that, we would start the hunt for another subject. This Unicorn Bounce House was in the shade of a huge Live Oak Tree. There was always a line of parents escorting their children to the entrance. Oddly the Unicorn had a sand bag on her head. At first I thought it might be an icepack since the Unicorn might have partied too hard the night before. If that was the case, then having those children bouncing inside couldn’t have helped her unsettled stomach.

I did this sketch to demonstrate the idea of covering the sketch with as few large washes as possible. The Unicorn and all of the foreground was covered with a blue wash for shadows and the local color of the bounce house.  I encouraged Gay to leave the lightest areas at the window where you see a child bouncing and around the Unicorn’s head. The eye is attracted to the areas where there is the most contrast. I put a yellow band across the middle of the sketch to symbolize bright sunlight. Distant trees were treated with the lightest blue-green wash to imply aerial perspective. I also taught Gay to remove objects that over complicated the scene. For instance there were branches and moss directly behind the unicorn’s head, but I removed those in the sketch to give the Unicorn head a clean silhouette.

Mr. Harley entertained at Kids Fringe.

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On May 23rd, Mr. Harley was the first act at the Kid’s Fringe tent at the Mennello Museum. My mural, “Whose line is it anyway?” was at my back as I sketched. It offered a colorful backdrop and it was nice to see it with so much vibrant activity around it.

Mr. Harley played light hearted music for the kids. This sketch was a quick demo for my student on how to use a few quick blocks of color to cover the whole sketch. The Kids Fringe tent was the perfect spot to start each day’s Sketch Tour since the kids would do early morning stretches to start their morning. While they were stretching it made sense to get sketching. The green lawn of fabulousness in Lock Haven park is very quiet in the morning. This is probably because it rocked so hard the night before.

 Since I was hosting the Sketch Tour, I was able to do far more Fringe Sketches than I usually would. I’ve trained myself to just get one sketch a day at any event I go to so that I can have some kind of home life as well. There are so many free acts at the outdoor stages so you could spend a whole day at the Fringe without paying to go to a theatrical production. The Shakes, Rep,Orlando Museum of Art and the Venue all have air conditioning however, so the temptation to sit inside a cool theater eventually takes hold.

As part of the Sketch Tour package, I offered Fringe buttons so it made sense to eventually introduce the idea of sketching the shows themselves. Sketching in a theater has it’s challenges and I pointed out my tips and tricks to get a sketch even when the house lights go black.

The 11 O’Clock Number presented an Improvised Musical at this year’s Fringe.

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Grindstone Theater from Edmonton Canada presented The 11 O’clock Number at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. They managed to stage a fully improvised musical built around a prompt from the audience. From our audience they decided to use an entertainment lawyer who liked working from the beach. What made it even more funny is that the actress playing the part of the entertainment lawyer really had no idea what an entertainment lawyer actually did. It became an ongoing joke as she guessed about her role.

The plot centered around a spoiled child star and her sister who felt she could be a star as well if she were only given a chance. The villain was a scheming producer who wanted to have the kid sign her life away.  Every song was heart felt and yet hilarious. There is some major talent involved in making up lyrics on the fly. The music must have been established in rehearsals with the piano accompaniment, but the new lyrics were amazing. The result was a solid hour of laughter. This was entertaining improv at it’s best.

Dinner with Friends shakes up the Mad Cow Theater.

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Mad Cow Theater (54 W Church St, Orlando, Fl) presents Donald Margulies‘ Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Dinner
with Friends which travels through space and time to paint two pictures of
contemporary marriage. Gabe (Brian Brightman) and Karen (Ame Livingston) are happily married while their
friends Tom (Cameron Francis) and Beth (Becky Eck) are on the verge of divorce. As Tom and Beth fight
for the support of their seemingly happy counterparts, Gabe and Karen
begin to question the stability of their own relationship. A portrait of
interconnected love and loss, Dinner with Friends
beautifully depicts the burdens we build out of our most intimate
relationships.

In the opening scene, Beth is having dinner with Gabe and Karen who are the consummate hosts. They are undeniably foodies who prepared a delicious Italian dinner. One chair remained mysteriously empty. When they moved to the living room, Beth broke into tears confiding that Tom was going to leave her. Unfortunately I couldn’t see the revelation because it was staged in a corner of the set that I couldn’t see.

Tom was leaving Beth because he met a travel agent and
fell in love. 12 years of marriage and children were a thought of the
past. When a flight is canceled he returned home to Beth and they have a
huge fight. He was furious that Beth told their friends about the looming divorce he wanted to tell them the news as a couple. He never actually believed in Beth’s artistic talents and
he let her know this in his rage. This fight almost escalated to blows
but then, in the midst of their fury, they kissed and fell into bed
while ripping off each others clothes.

The next act flashed back to Martha’s Vinyard where Gabe and Karen introduced Tom to Beth. I identified with Beth since she was an artist. I was rather surprised that she refused to show Tom her sketchbook. Why create art if you aren’t willing to share it? When I was first dating Terry, I showed her my sketches, but when she asked for one to keep, I refused. That surprised her, but I am a professional. You don’t give it away when you know what it is worth.

Beth quickly met another man and is ready for another committed relationship. Karen thinks this is a bad idea, feeling that Beth might be better of taking time to be alone. This results in a fight between friends. Beth feels that Karen always wants her to be an emotional mess. The men have a similar fall out since Gabe can’t understand how Tom could throw away 12 years of marriage. Tom confided that he did a test to see how often Beth touched him. Hy realized he never experienced her touch unless he initiated the embrace. Gabe and Karen start experiencing trouble and examine their own marriage. Karen shares a dream and Gabe doesn’t share enough of himself when they talk about it. “I need you to talk to me!” she shouts at him.

Directed by Denise Gillman, the play is an emotional roller coaster. One couple seemed so much happier when they separate but hope remained that the other couple can remain committed.  They cling to each other as if abandoned in a life raft in a raging sea. As I left the theater I had to wait as a woman hugged all her friend in my row. I was the only person in the row that wasn’t one of her friends. “You want a hug as well?” She asked me. “Sure” I replied, laughing as I opened my arms. I probably flushed as we embraced, but darn it, I needed that hug.

Mad Cow Theater 54 W Church St, Orlando, Fl

Zehngebot-Stonerock Theatre  (Mad Cow Black Box)

Dinner With Friends runs June 19 – July 19
Thursdays – Saturdays at 8:00pm
Sundays at 3:00pm

Special Discount Performances on Saturday, July 4 (6:30pm) and Wednesday, July 15 (8:00pm)

Weekend Top 6 Picks for June 20th and 21st.

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Saturday June 20, 2015

6pm to 8pm Free. Brewery Tour. Orlando Brewing, 1301 Atlanta Ave, Orlando, FL.

8pm to 2am $18. Talib Kweli. Venue 578, 578 North Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL. This will be an indoor event. Presented By: Conscious Mind Records , Venue 578 and Soul of the City. Artist vendors and music.

8pm to Midnight Free but get a drink.  Winter is Coming to The Falcon. The Falcon Bar & Gallery, 819 East Washington Street, Orlando, FL. An Art Show inspired by Game of Thrones: Which noble houses will rule the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms while surviving the rising threat of the impending winter?

So far artists include:

Brandon Geurts. (White Walkers)

Brian Demeter/Josh Geoghagan (House of Greyjoy)

Carlos Aurelio (House of Stark)

Crafty Dork (House of Stark)

David McWhertor (House of Targaryen)

Gina Edmunds (Children of the Forest)

Gina Marie (House of Targaryen)

Jaime Margary (House of Lannister)

Josh Otterbacher Art (White Walkers)

Laura Ashley of Obscuriosity (House of Targaryen)

Nicholas Lane (Sale Sword)

The Art of Plinio Pinto (House of Lannister)

Rick Kamla (House of Clegane)

The Black Abbey (House of Stark)

Troix Manning (House Stark)

Sunday June 21, 2015 Father’s Day

4pm to 6pm  Free. Jazz Performance Graduate Recital. Pilars Martini 146 W Plant St Suite 120, Winter Garden, Florida. Please join me for my graduate performance recital! This recital fulfills the requirement for the USF MM Jazz Performance concentration.

We will play 75-90 minutes of my original music featuring me and the following musicians:

Dan Jordan-Sax and Flute

Greg Little-Trumpet

Ben Kramer-Acoustic Bass

Greg Parnell-Drums

Special thanks to Becky Roper for offering such a great venue for this performance. Pilar’s will be open for business, so enjoy some craft cocktails with the concert!

5:30pm to ? $8, Bring dad and he gets in Free. Southern Fried Sunday Dad’s Day Edition w/ Sean Holcomb and Friends, Big Shoals, Gaslight Street and Jackson Rodgers. Will’s Pub, 1042 North Mills Avenue, Orlando, FL. June’s Southern Fried Sunday falls on Father’s Day, so we’ve put together a bill most Dad’s, and most everyone, would love featuring: One half of Orlando’s favorite folk/country brothers Sean Holcomb & Friends, the Americana/Rock of Gainseville’s BIG SHOALS, Southern Soul/Roots Rock from Charleston, SC’s Gaslight Street and the Alt-Country Soaked Sounds of Jackson Rodgers kicking it all off!

As always a Free BBQ Dinner will be served to all in attendance courtesy of Sierra Nevada Brewing Company’s Nooner Pilsner, Jack Daniel’s & Poca’s Hottest and chef’d up by the Meat Candy BBQ Pork Master Mykal Williams! Come enjoy good music, good food and good times on a Sunday at Will’s!

9pm to 11pm Free. 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.