Spring Swing!

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I was offered an opportunity to show my sketch books at the Spring Swing Ball held in Maitland at the Bahia Shrine Ball room. I took the eighteen sketch books from the last two years and packed them in an egg crate. I also brought along my scanner, printer in case anyone wanted to order a print. When I got to the ballroom, I found that Tracy Burke who is an amazing local artist, already had some of her huge portraits set up and she had an amazing number of large abstracts lying on the table. My tables were a few yards away and I got busy setting up my make shift display. Once everything was arranged, I sat on the table and started sketching. The dancing started slowly at first with a few couples testing out their moves. Tracy told me that the dance floor had talk powder sprinkled on it which gave just the right amount of slip for the dancers shoes.

Within an hour the dance floor was packed. George Gee and his Swing Orchestra from NYC started to play and the place blew up with dancing. Terry was with me but she knew I couldn’t leave the table. I had to watch my work like a hawk because I didn’t want any work dancing away. A woman walked up to me and asked me about my work but then she got to the point, saying, “So you aren’t a dancer?” when I said, “No” she turned on her heal and within minutes was spinning wildly on the dance floor. In the sketch I focused on a blond woman with a large white flower in her hair. I sketched her a second time as she danced with a very talented dancer. Later in the evening after the sketch was done, I left the sketch book open. I was delighted when she lifted the sketch book to look at the work closely. I heard her say, “Hey that is me!” She ordered a print on the spot and I fired up the printer. Tracy Burk’s mom bought a second print of the same sketch. George Gee was awarded a painting by Tracy Burke.

I was told that this dance was just one of many being held this weekend as part of ORLX4 Lindy Exchange. These people had already been dancing all day and now they were dancing into the night. One male dancer had one of those shot sized high energy drinks. He explained to the girl he was with that she should only take a small sit. He sipped his drink all night. A large group of dancers gathered in front of the stage. Using a microphone so everyone could hear, a man asked his girlfriend for her hand in marriage. As he continued talking about how he knew she was the one from the first day they met, she shouted “yes, yes, yes!” Then everyone inside the circle started to dance. There must be a Swing dance tradition of keeping the newly engaged couple apart because different men kept stepping into dance with her and women jumped in to dance with him. It was quite the celebration! I never did get out on the dance floor, but Terry and I did do some slow dancing in front of my display.

Investiture

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The investiture of the honorable Frederic M. Schott as County Court Judge of the 18th Judicial Court of Florida was held at the Lake Mary High School Auditorium. I arrived a bit late but thankfully the many presentations and commentaries left me plenty of time to sketch all the judges lines up on the stage. From everything that was said, Frederick Schott would make a well balanced and impartial judge. Lawyers pointed to the endless research he put into his cases. He was presented with a bible, robe, desk plate and the all important gavel. His wife Deana was the one who helped him into his robe for the first time.The administration of the oath was conducted by the Honorable Mark E. Herr.

The most emotionally charged moments in the ceremony came were when Frederick Schott made remarks on his own behalf. He pointed out that he gained his moral obligation to seek out truth and justice from his father who was a survivor from a Nazi concentration camp. The camp his father was in was notorious for experimenting to find out how much pain a human could endure. His father made sure that his son grew up with a strong sense of right and wrong. I was struck by the warmth of his remarks about his father and amazed that the horrific events of the worst of mans inhumanity to man might temper and inspire good in the next generation.

1st Fridays Art Stroll of Ivanhoe Village

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Every first Friday of the month there is an art stroll in Ivanhoe Village. The exact location differs from month to month usually taking up one city block near Lake Ivanhoe. When I arrived I saw Angela Abrusci as she was setting up spot lights and folding tables. She had sent me a Facebook invite to come out to this months stroll. She was looking quite bohemian with a dark Beret perched rakishly on her head. She was very busy so I didn’t interrupt her. As Executive Director, she seems to be doing an amazing job keeping Ivanhoe Village a vibrant neighborhood. I strolled down the block as artists hustled to get their work set up for display and sale. I bumped into Brad Briggs who told me there was an empty slot if I wanted to display work. I don’t have much patience for sitting behind a table and waiting for people to view my art. Throwing it online is less nerve wracking for me. I was there to sketch. I walked across the street and sat up on a retaining wall for some railroad tracks. It was a chilly night so I sketched fast. The wind kept flapping the pages of my sketchbook.

When I finished the sketch I had to leave immediately. Jeremy Seghers was celebrating his birthday at Ethos down the street. I strolled Ivanhoe Village one more time and looked at all the new artwork that had been set up. This time I greeted Angela and she informed me that Capoera, a Brazilian art form that combines martial arts, sports and music was going to be performing soon right outside Vibe. I have wanted to sketch Capoera before, but they keep eluding me. I had to go. I thanked Angela and walked down the street to Ethos.

2:22 Devising Lab

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Aradhana Tiwari invited a core group of actors to her home to discuss continuing the experimental work they had been doing in a less focused and more playful atmosphere. 2:22 stands for two hours and twenty two minutes of time spent bi-weekly exploring themes and topics that interest the artists, actors, dancers and musicians participating. As an example of a prompt she suggested a word as arbitrary as “stain.” A dance, scene, music or image could all be created using that prompt.

Five actors arrived and sat around the dining room table discussing theater and modern day divas. When the time was right we all went into the studio space which was a room perhaps 15 feet by 20 feet. I joined the actors in doing viewpoints which began simply with everyone walking the room in a grid pattern. As we progressed I became more aware of how the people around me were moving through the space. When we were asked as a group to form either a clump or a line, we began to think as a group. Imitation and repetition had me mimicking dancers moves and at times we all moved as a flock. Two people had never done this exercise before and I had only tried it once, but we all learned fast. The important thing was to get past the notion of right or wrong. What was important, was that the six people involved became an ensemble.

The second half of the evening was more challenging for me and it involved improvising scenes. The more people involved in a scene tended to make it harder to expand and explore the possibilities. What often resulted was an individual facing a crowd. The scenes that flourished when improvised were usually between two people. The number of scenarios explored was mind boggling. We became children, Navy Seals, criminals, campers, shamans… It was fun and playful but put me way outside my usual comfort zone. I am an observer, someone who takes time to quietly sketch. Thus initiating some conflict or dramatic interpersonal exchange isn’t what I am used to. I am certain that by interacting in the experience, I learned much that might not have been gained with a simple sketch.

2:22 is an ongoing theatrical experiment. If you are interested in experiencing the fun, contact Aradhana Tiwari at Play the Moment Productions. There is no cost and you will experience an evening of childlike playful creativity.

Albin Polasek Museum

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On the final day of of Arts Fest, the Albin Polasek museum was open with free admission for a day. I was informed that some plein air panters would be on the property painting that day. The painters were there to help promote the Winter Park Paint Out which will be happening between April 23rd and April 30th. I decided that was my cue to sketch some painters at work. It was a beautiful sunny day and the gardens surrounding the historic building were in full bloom. I walked around hunting for artists at work. There was one artist set up on the large lawn behind the home but as I approached he started to dismantle his easel. Just my luck, he was finished. I walked down to the benehes which sat right on the lake then walked back to the house. When I passed the chapel, and stood in the portico, I noticed that Hal Stringer was set up in the driveway working on a small painting. An Albin Polasek sculpture titled “Mother” stood with its back to me. Something about how the warm light filled in the shadows appealed to me.

Guests of the museum often approached Hal and he was very generous with his feed back. For instance he asked a little girl if she liked to make art. When she said she did, he told her to never stop making art if she enjoyed it. I later discovered that Berto Ortega was working on a painting inside the museum. He stopped out to say hello and unfortunately was called away because of a family emergency. I never got to see the painting he was working on. When I finished my sketch I rushed over to Rollin’s College’s Annie Russel Theater hoping to get into a play that had just started. There were no Arts Fest tickets left so I abandoned the idea of sketching the play.

Fabulous Fringe Fundraiser

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The Fabulous Fringe Fundraiser took place in the Shakespeare Theater patrons room. All around the edge 0f the room tables were set up with silent auction items. More than half the auction items were framed photographs of naked men. Margaret Nolen let me know that I should have sketched the little old ladies who stared at the photos in amazement. I recognized several of the die hard rabid Fringe Fans. I remember that several of these fans try to see every Fringe show during the course of the one week festival. This is a near impossible task requiring requiring split second decisions and serious planning. Everyone attending was asked to dress as if they were going to their high school prom. Bonnie Sprung wore the actual prom dress her mom had made for her. It was light blue with a plunging neck line.

Chase Padgett was playing guitar as people lined up for food. Many people stood outside in the hallway not wanting to stand in front of Chase. Beth Marshall assured them that it was alright to come in. Then Dog Powered Robot and a small army of DPR supporters all entered the room at once. They all wore blue tee shirts with the team DPR logo on it. Chase changed the lyrics to the song he was performing and he sang about Dog Powered Robot’s return. People laughed.

After everyone ate, they began to file into the Goldman Theater to see previews and excerpts from upcoming Fringe shows. I couldn’t stay for the program since I had a hot date with Terry at Paxia.

Fringe Overview

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Producers and directors for this years Orlando Fringe Festival piled into the circular Patron’s Room at the Shakespeare Theater to get a crash course overview of what they could expect from this year’s festival. The meeting lasted for several hours. My ears perked up when Beth Marshall started to discuss the issue of Bloggers. It seems everyone and their mother is a blogger these days. Last year some bloggers wrote scathing reviews and members of the cast wrote back equally scathing comments in return. It seems these “Flame Wars” only manage to discourage people from going to see the show. She instead suggested that producers put a positive spin on any review.

Beth pointed out that Fringe is always a “Fun, lively, hot mess.” This year, Pepe will be promoting shows at the outdoor stage. Brian Feldman will be offering awards picked lottery style. TheDailyCity.com will again have its Audience Choice Awards, and then there are the “Fabies” awarded on the final day of the festival. A show titled “Fringe Abridged” will recap all of what happened, highlighting shows in a break neck spoof. She advised producers to comp fellow artists into the shows as word of mouth will quickly spread if the show is a runaway hit. The second best way to attract an audience is through Facebook. Beth went on in detail about how the city of Orlando would not tolerate any posters or fliers taped on light poles, trees or any form of municipal property. It seems this had been a problem in the past and it resulted in fines.

The 20th Annual Orlando International Fringe Festival will be happening between May 19th and 30th in Lock Haven Park. The Festival is 100% uncensored, 100% Unjuried, 100% accessible, and 1OO%o of ticket sales goes to the artists. I had the best time sketching and experiencing the Fringe with friends last year. It truly highlights the best of what Orlando has to offer.

Dog Powered Robot

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Dog Powered Robot took the Orlando International Fringe Festival by storm last year. It began as a short three minute show as part of the Creative Mind Project. The premise of the Creative Mind Project was to have many different artists interpret the same music. I was there opening night since I had edited a short video using my sketches to the music. A small cardboard city cluttered backstage and when Dog Powered Robot made its appearance the audience went wild! They were laughing, screaming and shouting. I had to stay back stage, but I peaked out through the curtains. Fisher, the dog behind Dog Powered Robot was an instant star.

I went to Evan and Christie Miga’s home where they had set up a mini sweat shop making Dog Powered Robot tee shirts. Doug Berger was dabbing blue silk screen ink on the stencil and using a squeegee to force the ink through the screen onto the shirts. His wife Carla Stanton used a hair dryer to quickly dry the inks and then the shirts were hung from the rafters.In the living room hundreds of buttons were being assembled.

A few days later I returned and the garage had been converted into a robot manufacturing plant. Joey Corcoran was there helping assemble a huge robot. He was using pvc plumbing pipe to create arms which would be maneuvered by the operator like the controls inside a tank. Light flexible tubing hung above the work bench and it blinked brightly with rainbow colors.

The bright pink Lollybot was finished. Her life’s mission is to dispense candy for children. Large blue foam DPR letters stood ready to announce this phenomenon at Fringe. Music is being composed by David Traver for the show with lyrics supplied by Britt Daley. Josh Sales edited the Dog Powered Robot teaser and he is responsible for all the special effects. With the simplest of supplies and plenty of ingenuity, Dog Powered Robot is bound to make a huge splash at Fringe and beyond. A fundraiser is being held at Blank Space (201 East Central Boulevard) on March 10th starting at 8PM. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it.

Mozart

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I went to Rollins College Knowles Chapel to watch a rehearsal of Mozart’s Grand Mass in C minor. The music starts softly at first and then builds in intensity. I imagined a small ship lost at sea caught in a tempest, the waves swelling and the ship tossed about like a cork. A refrain of hope, a ray of light, wove it’s way through the music

I sat in the nose bleed section since I didn’t want the tablet’s glowing screen to distract anyone in the audience. Even the balcony became packed. This Bach Festival rehearsal was open to the public and free to attend. A couple in front of me cuddled the entire performance.

When the chorus joined in, the music became heavenly. At one point a trains whistle sounded repeatedly in the distance. Amazingly the sound fit in perfectly with the performance. The conductor, John V. Sinclair, commented on the accompaniment and the orchestra, chorus and audience laughed. This was different than most performances in that the audience was asked to remain silent. As a working rehearsal, the conductor offered notes and suggestions to the performers. By remaining silent the audience had a chance to learn more about how the conductor viewed the music. When there was a break in the rehearsal, most of the audience left. I remained and continued to play and experiment with color.

Shipyard Emporium

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Shipyard Brewery just opened up January 28th in Winter Park (200 Fairbanks Avenue). I knew about the opening night, but was unable to attend. I was told over twenty five hundreds people were there opening night. What a mob scene that must have been!

A few days after the Grand opening I was going to a free concert at Rollins College. Walking down Fairbanks, I couldn’t resist going inside the brewery to see how everything came together. The young man at the door explained the layout to me. The place is part Deli and gourmet grocery store then there is seating for the restaurant. Finally there is the bar which overlooks the micro brewery where specialty beers are made by brewmaster Ron Raike daily. I sat at the bar and looked at the description s of the wide variety of beers. I decided to try the Alligator Braggot. I was given a small sample to taste and I loved it. It turned out that Ron had just finished brewing this new brew that morning. above the bar there were many rows of blue mugs hanging from the ceiling. They belong to people who joined the mug club. Each time they return they are served their favorite brew in their own personal mug.

I decided to order a grilled Portobello sandwich with zucchini, roasted peppers, herb goat cheese all on a toasted ciabatta. Along with a second beer, the sandwich was fabulous. Seriously this was culinary heaven. Allison Stevens tapped me on the shoulder to say hello. She is responsible for all the back breaking work that helped make this brewery a realty. She offered me a hot chicken wing dip along with pita chips to scoop it up.The dip was hotter than I am used to, but it had the advantage of making me want to sip more beer.

The owner of Shipyard Brewery, Fred Forsley, had flown down from Maine and he was with a video cameraman shooting footage. By the time I left to walk the rest of the way to Rollins College, I was feeling great. Shipyard Brewery offers delicious food, great beer and a chance to talk to the master brewer himself. I know I will find many reasons to return.