Sultana Stares

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While I was at work at Full Sail, I got a text message from Hannah Miller saying she planned to stare at Brian Feldman that afternoon while wearing her wedding dress. Brian and Hannah got married several months ago when Brian put a invite on Facebook saying he would marry any woman that showed up at the Orange County Courthouse. I got off work early and rushed over to Frames Forever & Art Gallery to start the sketch. When I arrived Brian was relaxing with his head bowed after having just stared down Mike McDonnel. I had texted several times prior to my arrival just to let Katie Windish and Brian know that something special might happen involving Hannah. I started a sketch blocking in the big shapes and leaving the participant seat empty.

I began getting text messages from Hannah outlining a series of unfortunate incidents. Her hair had been died the wrong color, she got a ticket for turning left at a spot where left turns are not allowed, then she was helplessly stuck in traffic. She finally gave up and went home for a bit to eat before heading off to work at Pinocchio’s Marionette Theater. My plans to see husband and wife staring off went up in smoke. When it became clear that Hannah wouldn’t make it, I told everyone about the sketch that could have been.

A small crowd had gathered for the final hours of the staring competition. Emma Hughes took the contestant seat and lasted long enough for me to get a decent sketch. Then I begged Sultana to take the seat. She hesitated, but finally relented. I suspected with her triathlon training and a strong will, she would last longer than anyone suspected. I rushed the first sketch thinking she might give up at any time but she held strong. I then started a second sketch and I felt giddy. This was the perfect event for a sketch artist to record. There was a constant penetrating stillness. There was much to read in what went unsaid. Sultanas expression would light up with laughter sometimes as people joked around her but she never lost her gaze. Later her expression turned serious and then sad. I wanted to dash off a series of sketches trying to catch each subtle change but I remained committed to the two sketches I had started. There was something sublime about the time these two locked eyes. The air was electric and I soaked up some of that energy and directed it into the sketch. This was an important moment. Time stood still.

The record for staying seated opposite Brian had been set by Mike Maples two days prior, but Sultana easily cruised by that record by staring at Brian for 1 Hour 59 minutes and 50 seconds. She said that when she broke free of his gaze it was like she was coming up from under a blanket, or surfacing after being underwater for some time. She felt a total sense of seclusion as if in a cocoon. She came to realize that no one had ever looked at her for that length of time before. For a moment after an hour of starting she felt like he was looking straight into her soul. I was ecstatic and felt all the drama in the moment.

For being the person who could stare at Brian the longest, she won a free 4 by 7 inch frame. When she got up she stretched a bit and rubbed her neck. She had to leave right after she was done to get home and work on some homework.

Firehouse Demolition Celebration

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A new firehouse has been built downtown and opened December 2nd 2009 . The Old fire Station 1, (455 South Orange Avenue) is being torn down to make way for the new Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. This new arts Center will just be for The traveling Broadway shows that pass through town. The hall was not set up acoustically for the Orlando Philharmonic. It is possible that no local arts groups will benefit in any way from this new buildings construction.
In the Orlando Weekly I read that there was going to be a Demolition Celebration. I was very curious to see how destruction is celebrated. When I got to the site the first thing I saw was a huge orange flag, much like the flags you might see above a used car lot. Dr. Phillips Arts Center was emblazoned on the flag in white letters. It fluttered quietly in the gentle breeze while across the street creaking moaning and crashing stone and metal could be heard. The fire stations back wall had already been torn down and I could look right through the gutted empty shell. I decided to walk around the block to see the back side of the building where all the demolishing was taking place.
A fire hydrant supplied the water to a hose which was used to water down all the loose dust kicked up b the falling debris. A large green crane was doing all the work by knocking away part of the roof with the large shovel. Periodically a small wildcat would move crumpled metal and place it in a pile. Trees now sporting large X’s framed the scene almost like the mouth of a shark. City hall can be seen in the background. The trees will of course also find no home in the new performing centers plans and they will come down as well. The money to build the arts center still doesn’t exist. What will be left in this spot will be an empty barren lot surrounded by a fence. It could, and probably will stay that way for many years. I have a strange fascination with these empty lots, usually symbols of some developers folly.
I never did see any celebration. Out with the old, forget the new, we can’t afford it.

30 Days of Sand

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A month long sand sculpting festival was held on the space coast. Held at the Radisson Resort, this first time event was intended to help build and sustain a vibrant arts and cultural industry in Brevard County. Money raised is used to support the arts cultural ind historical organizations and to help artists decrease dependency on government funds and corporate sponsorships.
Terry and I drove out to this event one weekend in April. When we got to A1A the main drag in Coco Beach, the traffic got horrendous. Luckily the Resort is on the northern end and we pulled in to park without waiting in traffic too long. We were guided to a spot to park the car in the grass. At the ticket booth the high school kid taking tickets asked Terry if she was a senior citizen. I think it will take Terry some time to get over that one. But wait, if Terry is a senior citizen then I might be as well by association. What the….!
The sand sculpture were already finished which was disappointing to me. I had hoped to see the sculptors at work which would have made for a better sketch. There were eight huge sculptures. The level of detail was astounding. One sculpture of Italinan architecture and monuments used a forced perspective which mad every building look bigger and taller. People milled around the sculptures constantly, stopping once in a while to shoot photos using cell phones and cameras.
I found the only shady spot on the lot which was next to the merchandise tent. Terry agreed that she would wander for a while and then read a book as I sketched.
When I finished I went to get some lunch from a vendor. I was told the crab cakes were really good to I ordered those. The proprietor spoke with a thick Mediterranean accent. He didn’t have any sodas so I went to the High School girls next door for a Coke. It turns out they are cheerleaders raising funds for a competition trip. I bought the Coke but didn’t support the cause.
AS Terry and I ate lunch I spotted Derrick McKenzie and his girlfriend Pamela Vaughn. I worked with Derrick at Disney Feature Animation and we met a few times as I sketched the Singing Christmas Trees since he works for the First Baptist Church. When I saw him he was checking out the sound equipment on the stage. Like me his mind always seems to be in work mode. We joked around for a bit and after lunch Terry and I headed for the beach to experience more sand up close and personal.

The Manifestation

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In 1976, the year of our nation’s bicentennial, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, a convent of Roman Catholic nuns lent some retired habits to a group of men performing their version of “The Sound of Music.” Three years later on Easter Sunday of 1979, those habit showed up on the streets of San Francisco in a form of artistic expression never imagined by the original owners. One sister wore a beard, another carried a toy machine gun and the third wore a face of white clown paint. Over the years the sisterhood grew and the white face paint became a sacred tradition of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. The sisters entertain, educate and raise money for local charities.
The Orlando Sisters Abby of St. Gertrude De Nivelles is one of the newer orders of this organization and I found out they were going to perform a sort of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” rendition of “The Sound of Music,” and I had to see it for myself. I fist saw the sisters at work when I sketched the mural being added to the wall of the Center on Mills Avenue. The sisters stood in the street catching every drivers attention to bring some focus to this cause. I had met Logan Donahoo, (A.K.A. Novice Sister Ambrosia) before. I contacted him and asked if I could sit in as the sisters put on their make up. Thankfully he agreed. Katie Windish had told me about the “Sound of Music” so she came along as well. She asked questions as I sketched allowing me to learn about the order while never turning away form sketching.
Logan explained that he liked to refer to the process of putting on the make up as “Manifesting”. This implies a much more solemn and devotional process. The first step involved disguising the eyebrows by pasting them flat and them the entire face is painted white. Bright color accents are added to symbolize the good work that the group does for the community. Every Sister develops her own unique look. The whole process took about two hours of non stop work. This was the perfect amount of time for me to get a decent sketch. The sisters are not meant to mock nuns, rather they teach inspire and educate through humor.
I went to the “Sound of Music” which was playing at the Universal Cineplex with Mike Maples and Katie Windish. We were all issued paper bags with items we would need during the performance. Each bag had items such as “Edelweiss“, the white flower which the von Trapps sing so lovingly about, glow sticks which the crowd would wave when Julie Andrews sang, Ray, a drop of golden sun, and poppers for the glorious moment when captain Von Trapp and and Julie Andrews finally kiss. There was also a bag of rice for the wedding ceremony and noodles to throw. A whistle was in the bag to blow when Rolph tries to stop the family from escaping to the mountains. To say the least it was a wild and fun show. Everyone in the audience sang along to every song while the Sisters acted out many of the scenes live.
When the moment of the kiss drew close, I grabbed my popper and held it like a champagne bottle. It had a string hanging from it which when pulled would cause the contents to explode. Fumbling with it, it exploded rather hotly in my hand. Katie’s popper wouldn’t work so I grabbed it to help out. Well no one explained which way to aim the darn thing and when I pulled the string, it blasted its contents right at my crotch. I yelled and everyone around me had quite a laugh.

Play in a Day – Suspense

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Eric Pinder wrote a tongue in cheek suspense thriller. The two man cast consisted of John Edward Palmer and Richard Perez. The show was like a film noir detective movie in which the detective would step out of the drama and then offer a dry witty narration about the scene. Having only two actors, Richard Perez got to play many parts including the femme fatale.
As the stage hand Paula was setting up the table and chairs for this show, someone in the audience shouted out, “Get it right Paula.” She responded “I’m trying baby.” The legs of the table gave her some trouble and she said, “Son of a ___.” If it is important to you, the jealous woman was responsible for the murder. When the show was performed, all those empty theater seats were filled. I ended up sketching the detective twice just because it seemed to be the right way to balance out the picture.
My overall impression of “Play in a Day” was that it made for a fun night of unexpected theater. With such a short amount of time to rehearse, the actors had to memorize as best they could and then wing it if a detail slipped by. Having sat through the rehearsals I knew where mistakes had happened before, so I sat on the edge of my seat waiting to see if they made it through come showtime.

Play in a Day – Showtime!

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After a solid day of rehearsing, Beth Marshall called all the writers, actors and directors into the Margeson Theater for a last minute prep talk. Everyone had worked hard all day to to get these six productions up and running. Lindsay Cohen had written a piece about high school girls getting locked in a bathroom during a high school prom. In this piece, Sarah Lockhard played a drugged out youth and she was hilarious. She spun on the floor and used toilet paper to play a game of “He Loves Me, He Loves Me not.” At one point, she put her ear to the floor on one of the colorful circles and started pounding her fist, screaming “Get us out of here!” My favorite line of all the shows was screamed out by Sarah, “ROYGBIV your a beautiful freaking genius!” This was particularly funny because of the colorful 70’s themed “School House Rock!” set.
The night before Lindsay had gone with fellow writer Tod Caviness to the Drunken Monkey Coffee Bar to try and write. The plan backfired when a guy kept hitting on her. He just wouldn’t take the hint that she had work to do. Her play started as a Unabomber dance party, but gradually was reworked into the high school prom bathroom drama we saw. Lindsay wrote all night, and finished at 6:50am and before running over to the Shakes to hand off the script to Laurel Clark, the play’s director.
A production that was like a 70’s sitcom similar to “Sanford and Son”, looked to me like it was going to crash and burn based on the rehearsal I saw. Marty Stonerock, the lead actress in that piece, looked at me while Beth was talking to the assembled group, and she took her scarf and made a gesture like she was being hung, sticking her tongue out comically. In this play, the lead actor, Barry White, craves a drink from his trusted bottle of ripple that he keeps under the desk. Marty had taken the ripple off stage by mistake. As the helpless actor searched for the now missing bottle, Marty finally rolled the bottle into the theater and it got the loudest laugh of the night.

Dare to Stare

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Brian Feldman wants to get to NYC by May 31st to sit across from Marina Abramovic in her performance piece called “The Artist is Present” at The Museum of Modern Art. To help raise funds for the trip, Brian is holding a 30 hour “Staring Contest” at Frames Forever & Art Gallery (941 Orange Avenue Winter Park). Since I hope to go to New York City with Brian to sketch the main event, I wanted to see how his starting contest fundraiser was going. When I entered Katie Windish’s frame store, Mike Maples, a local comedian was sitting across from Brian. Katie said he had been sitting there for more than an hour. I decided to risk his getting up and I rushed my sketch to get him in place. It turns out I didn’t need to rush because he lasted almost another hour staring at Brian. He chuckled a few times but it seems that is allowed in this staring contest. As a matter of fact, there seem to be no rules and there is no way to loose. Afterward Mike said he chuckled every time Brian wiggled his ears.
Sultana Fatima Ali wandered in quickly but was late to her evening’s run up in Sanford, so she dashed off after dropping some money in the paint bucket. A family showed up and the little boy all of perhaps five years old, kept waving at Brian trying to get his attention. Katie kept trying to get a photo of the little boy waving but all the technical gadgets on the camera wouldn’t let her take the shot in time.
I decided I would sit across from Brian and draw. Since this was a starting contest however, I figured I couldn’t look at the page I was working on. I did what is called a blind contour drawing; something I haven’t done since college. There were minor distractions like the sounds of camera shudders, and I knew video footage was being shot which might end up on YouTube someday. This blind contour drawing took about 10 minutes to do. I found it hard to slow down and let the lines flow. I am so used to drawing fast to catch quick moment. I started by drawing Brian’s eyes. I lingered there as long as possible before exploring other features of his face. Nothing lines up exactly but I rather enjoy the penetrating spontaneity of the drawing.
Brian’s expression was consistently sober and serious. I found myself wondering what was running through his mind and it felt like an important moment to me. Much can be communicated by just looking into someone’s eyes.
Should you want to join this staring contest you still have 2 days to try and see how long you can last.
Brian will be staring Sunday May 16th from 10AM to 8PM, and Monday May 17th from 10Am to 8PM.
Donations are accepted by Pay Pal, or in the paint bucket in the store.

Shotgun

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Shotgun, written by John Biguenet, and directed by David Karl Lee, is without a doubt the best play I have seen this year. The play was in the intimate Goldman Theater inside the Lowndes Shakespeare Center as part of PlayFest! The Harriett Lake Festival of New Plays. Dennis Neal, who plays Dexter, gave tickets to Mary Hill, his former wife, and I went along to do a sketch.The play takes place in New Orleans after the devastating effects of Hurricane Katrina. Beau, a white middle class plumber, and his teenage son rent an apartment in a shotgun duplex from Mattie, an African American woman, and her father, Dexter. Dexter is a bit like a black version of Archie Bunker, not liking the idea of renting to white tenants. He is however under his daughters care so he has to toe the line.
The set for this show is fascinating to watch. When a scene switches from the porch to the apartment inside, the walls fold back creating the side walls of the interior room. The first time it happened, I let out an Ooooh, just like I was watching fireworks. This effect became a bit distracting however since the scenes kept switching form the porch to the interior. The most gut-wrenching scene comes about at the end of act one when Beau, played by Rus Blackwell, and Mattie, played by Chantel Jean-Pierre, are sitting at the kitchen table in his apartment sharing a bottle of liquor. Mattie asks him what happened to his wife and he tells the long painful tale of how she died days after the hurricane from injuries she sustained trying to get out of the house from a jagged hole he had cut in the roof using an ax. He sobs uncontrollably since it was his decision to stay in his home. Mattie consoles him. This scene had me in tears.
Love blossoms between Mattie and Beau and this causes racial tensions for both families. Beau’s son Eugene, played by Brandon Peters, suddenly lets out a racial slur when he sees Mattie come out of his dad’s bedroom. Willie blames his dad for his mom’s death and refuses to forgive him. In the end, the racial divide it too great and Beau moves back with his son to the devastated white suburban neighborhood where they start building their life again from scratch. Love does not always triumph.

Happiness Hurts

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Performance artist Brian Feldman put out a call on Facebook for anyone with a video camera to record his performance of Happiness Hurts at the Orlando Museum of Art. I happen to have a video camera, so I sent him a message and he made arrangements to get me into the event. He created this performance for 1st Thursdays at the Museum. 1st Thursdays is a monthly event where artists are asked to exhibit work along a similar theme. I couldn’t make out the theme by looking at the art hanging on the walls. Then Tisse Mallon finally realized that they must all relate to happiness. Brian’s performance piece was the key to the puzzle. I spent some time getting the camera ready and there was some panic that the cord to the projector might not be long enough. At the last minute a longer cord was found.

Brian began to smile and the museum slowly filled up. Some people got the idea of the performance right away. I overheard one woman saying, “Smiling that long must hurt.” I was the sketch artist and cameraman. I turned the LCD display so Brian could see his closely cropped face in the viewfinder. This allowed him to focus and remain perfectly still. I set my watch timer to go off in an hour and at that time I would have to replace the tape.

While I was working Sultana Fatima Ali introduced herself to me. She had helped organize a bicycle giveaway program called “Wheels for Kids” that I had sketched. On that day, she had seen me working and she asked a policeman who I was. He told her about my blog and she started reading. She has started following Brian’s performances so she has started to appear in my sketches. As I sketched, I kept meeting people I know. I don’t disappear into the woodwork the way I used to. I am slowly learning to balance the work with the socializing.

On the wall, Brian’s smile was quivering; he was having trouble keeping his smile consistent. He had to keep smiling for three straight hours. With my sketch complete, I wandered around a bit and looked at some of the art. I had to leave early to go sketch another event, so I asked Tisse if she would pack up my camera and tripod and she agreed.

Tanqueray’s

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Leslie Lormann, her cousin “Bane”, Dina Peterson and I met at at Ceviche for Tapas Tuesday’s. Ceviche is at Church Street Station. The servings were small and varied. A light salad with beans asparagus and tomatoes was wonderful. A baked salmon was delicious with it’s light sauce. The Mojitos were really tasty and I drank 2. I was surprised to discover both Dina and Leslie had been inside Disney character costumes in the past. I wonder how many other locals share this dark yet fun past.

Dina Peterson introduced me to Tanqueray’s (100 South Orange Avenue) where Damon, Warsing and Wynn were going to play. Tanqueray’s is located around the block from Church Street. The historic building houses the Mercantile Bank and the bar is located in the basement. In the corner of the room where the band was to play, the old bank vault could be seen behind an iron grate. We met Dina’s sister, Kristin Lippens before heading downstairs. The place wasn’t very crowded when we go there. The Orlando Magic was playing at the Amway Arena and the band wasn’t going to start playing till the game was over. The Magic was ahead by like 40 points so it wasn’t a game worth watching though it was on the big screen TV. After the game was over, the bar started to fill up. A table right in front of the band was available so we all ordered drinks and sat down. When the band took their places I got up and sat at another table so I could find an angle where I could fit them all on the page.

This sketch was created over the course of 2 sets and 3 beers. I had sketched Thomas Wynn before at Enzian Theater. He had played for the Florida Film Festival’s opening night party with Thomas Wynn and the Believers. Tonight half of that group was playing. The players were Thomas Wynn, Todd Warsing and Thom Damon. The music was loud, vibrant and exciting. “On Cripple Creek” had my head bobbing. Thomas Wynn was smoking most of the time and the smoke would billow out of his nose highlighted by the blue stage lights. They were as lost in the music as everyone else in the room was. A young couple sat in front of Dina’s table and started talking loudly. Dina got them an extra chair and let them know there was a much quieter table at the back of the room. The couple took her advice and were making out later that evening.
Dina worked on an Independent film called “The Ah of Life” and she hopes that “The Believers” will contribute a song for the sound track. Rick Lane, and old time friend of Dina’s, sat at the front table and was constantly moving to the beat. Later that evening he was invited to accompany the band on his harmonica.

When my sketch was finished I put it away and just enjoyed the good music. At a break Thomas asked to see the sketch and it was passed around for everyone to see. Others asked to see my work as I was sketching and I gave them the sketchbook I wasn’t using to flip through. I managed to spill a bottle of Becks on one of my sketchbooks when I came back from a bathroom break. I saved it and the beer before the pages got to soaked. Thomas really seemed to like what I am doing and he asked me to stay for the last set. I agreed. I wandered out of downtown at 2AM feeling great, smelling of smoke and proud to have been introduced to a true Orlando Dive.