At the Scottish Highland Games I noticed some people wandering around with these placid quiet cattle on a tether. I didn’t get too close since the horns looked very sharp. At the crest of a hill beneath a huge Oak tree, I found this small enclosure with several adults and quite a few calfs. Even though there was plenty of hay to eat in the enclosure the cattle would always approach anyone who held a handfull of hay for them to eat. They kept sticking their wet noses through the bars near me and looking at me with their sad eyes. I guess they thought I had some tender morsel hidden in my sketch pad. Karen Cali, a fellow urban sketcher, was also at the Highland Games and when I told her I had sketched the cattle, she said, “They are hairy and horny just like most men I have known.”
Later near the games fields, I was walking over to the food booths, one of which featured a picture of one of these cattle, and the sign said this was the finest, most tender beef you would ever eat. They were selling Highland Beef burgers, but I didn’t have the heart to try one. As I got closer to the burger stand, I almost stepped in a large pile of dung. I wondered aloud, “They must have been bringing over one of the cattle on a tether and he read the sign and realized his fate.”
Carousel of Progress 35th Anniversary
To commemorate the Carousel of Progress’ 35th anniversary at the Magic Kingdom, Brian Feldman decided to experience the ride, his favorite, for as long as the park was open that day – 11 hours straight. In order for me to sketch Brian’s performance, I had to arrange some way to get into the park without paying a fortune. I put out a request via Facebook, and Lon Smart, a former Disney Feature Animation colleague, offered to get me in. As I was driving down World Drive toward the Magic Kingdom, Brian Feldman gave me a call and explained that he had arranged for a travel agency to supply him with a ticket. When he got to the Disney World will call ticket booth, he was asked for his ID or drivers license. It was only then that he realized he had forgotten his license, at home: it was sitting on the kitchen table. Brian’s performance had been on the news that morning, yet the Cast Member stood fast and refused to give him the ticket.
I called Lon who was converging on the Magic Kingdom on his motorcycle, trying to explain the situation, but our connection was cut off. When I met Brian at the Monorail, I told him Lon might be able to save the day and get both of us in. As we waited at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom, Brian and I both noticed a man holding a black box with a yellow cord hanging from it that looked suspiciously like a fuse. I was standing near a trash can and the man approached me and dropped something inside the can. Needless to say,I backed away from the trash can quickly. The man later handed the black box to someone else who walked away with it. We never did find out what was in the black box.
Lon arrived and was happy to get both Brian and myself into the park. As we walked down Main Street, U.S.A., Lon explained to us that the Carousel of Progress is slated to be disassembled and moved to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. He knows what will replace the attraction, but is sworn to secrecy.
There was no line to get on the Carousel of Progress. Brian and I entered the theater the first time with six or seven other people. A Cast Member announced, “Please no eating, drinking, video or photography.” They did not say anthing about sketching, so I immediately set up my portable stool so I could look down the front row of the theater with Brian in the foreground, and started to sketch. The Carousel tells the story of the evolution of technology in 20th century America. According to the show introduction, “The Carousel of Progress has had more performances than any other stage show in the history of American theater”. With robots.
After the first performance of the Carousel was over, Brian and I remained seated and waited for the next audience. A few people trickled in and the show began again. A Carousel Cast Member approached me and asked, “Is that Fred?” I responded, “No.” He then said, “I heard that someone named Fred was going to ride the attraction all day”. I then introduced him to Brian. Brian was not pleased that I had blown his cover. I had placed the entire mission in jeopardy. As I sketched, I noticed video cameras positioned in the corners of the attraction to watch the audience. After the next performance of the Carousel was over, two more gentlemen approached us and said they were there to help us. My sketch was not finished yet, and I was suspicious. “May I help you?” usually means quite the opposite. They said we could get on the ride all day, but we would have to exit each time and then re-enter. They told us we could stand at a roped off area so we didn’t have to get to the back of the line each time. But really, come on… “what line?” This was the Carousel of Progress, not Space Mountain!
With the next performance, the ride broke down, and the audience was treated to the same performance by the same animatronics a second time. Over the PA system, a woman who sounded like a flight attendant, asked everyone to quietly and calmly exit the theater. We found ourselves on the backlot and had to walk around to get back in the park.
We didn’t know how long the ride would be down, so I started a sketch of Brian as he checked his iPhone and talked to the friendly Cast Member informing gusts of the ride’s temporary closure. Before I finished the sketch the ride began again, so it took a little less than two hours for it to be fixed. All during that time, people had to be turned away. Buttons were being handed out in the park announcing the ride’s 35th anniversary, so some people were curious.
It took me a while to find Brian again since there are five different theaters, each letting the audience exit in different spots. I experienced the ride a few more times to finish the sketch. It broke down once again, this time in the living room of tomorrow. In this scene, the oven is programed to work via voice activation, and as the family of tomorrow jokes about a high score on a video game, the oven raises the temperature to match the game score, burning the dinner. Smoke billows out of the oven. We had to sit through the same scenario several times, each time having more smoke fill the theater. One woman rushed past me saying, “I’m getting out of here!” When I got out of the theater, I decided my sketch was finished. Brian continued to ride the attraction for the rest of the day. This might be the most daring and dangerous performance he has ever done.
“There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day. There’s a great, big, beautiful tomorrow, just a dream away!”
Fresh Rehearsal
Jessica Mariko invited me to sit in on rehearsals for Fresh which is starting February fourth at the Cameo Theater (1013 East C0lonial Drive). Rehearsals were held at the new Drip Warehouse on Old Winter Garden Road. I got hopelessly lost the first time I tried to find the place but Christie Miga, one of the amazing Drip Art Directors finally gave me some landmarks to help me find the place.
Fresh promises to offer a Willy Wonka like edible environment where guests get to experience culinary performances all revolving around the theme of love. There will be an art and candy market in which you will be able to see my work as well as photos from Tisse Mallon. This is an amazing event that will appeal to all of your senses. Everyone at the event will be dressed in their bohemian best along with colorful hippie accents and beatnik flair.
At this rehearsal Tin Tin was leading the dancers as they rehearsed a piece around a new hand made silk screen printing press. In previous performances they had rented a printing press but for this show a hand crafted press was created using PVC, wood, and lots of creativity. Now the press looks like a glorious lotus flower. The music for this piece is driving and rhythmic. At first he dancers move like zombies who are discovering their body movements for the first time. They stretched and reached out in staccato violent moves. They shivered and shook until they discovered the press and through it they developed a sensuality and vitality to their movements. As they created, every movement became more vibrant.
The warehouse where the rehearsal was taking place was littered with all of the creative elements that are being assembled for the set. Christie asked me for any junk I might have lying around my garage, and I bought in an old Computer monitor, a VCR and a broken down air conditioner. There were disassembled and incorporated into organic creations. I saw VCR wires hanging from a flower made from plastic bottles and the computer monitor was painted white. I joked that if these set designers had been given the task of fixing the Lake Eola Fountain they could recreate and get it working it with found objects, old PVC, duck tape and a whole lot of creativity.
Art for Haiti at Stardust Video and Coffee
A fundraiser was held at Stardust Video and Coffee called Art for Haiti. A call for artists went up on Facebook and the response was amazing! I matted a sketch and headed to Stardust to drop it off. Greg Leibowitz was on hand to accept the work and then figure out how to hang it all. By the time I arrived, most of the wall space was covered and some work had to be propped up on chairs. After I dropped of my sketch, I lingered since I didn’t have to be at another sketch location for a couple of hours. I sat back and started to draw the patrons who spend many hours working at laptops and holding long discussions about art and life. The group of men right in front of me were discussing their band and how much work still was needed to finish the album they were working on. The woman seated behind them was knitting a purple and pink scarf with diagonal bands. Others sat reading or writing for the entire time I sketched. A black and white high contrast film noir thriller was playing the whole time on the flat screen TV above the bar.
I ordered some food and watched as some final pieces were hung. Nails were hammered and a drill was used to try and anchor some photos but the wall cement refused to give in to the drill bit. I had to be somewhere else during the actual auction, but I found a photo online that shows my sketch of the broken down Lake Eola Fountain being held up, and a person in the crowd with his hand up, so I feel good knowing it must have sold. Proceeds from all the sales went to the following organizations: Doctors Without Borders, Yele Haiti, and Partners in Health. According to Greg Leibowitz, who organized the event, over $3,500 was raised thanks to the auction. It is inspiring to have been part of an event where so many artists gave so freely to help those in need. Should you still want to contribute a donation contact Greg Leibowitz.
Florida Super Balloon Jam
Paula Large gave me a tip on an Event called a Balloon Jam that was taking place at the Courtyard Orlando Lake Buena Vista in the Marriott Village down by Disney. The event got started at 7 AM, so I rose bright and early to get there. As usual, I got a bit lost looking for the place and when I arrived there were a handful of people setting up tables and putting out brochures. I sat quietly, and waited, to let things get underway. People sat around and talked and I didn’t see a single balloon, so I started to get nervous since I had to get to another event later that day to sketch. Finally a group gathered some chairs and sat around in a circle. They started inflating balloons with an automated inflating device and things got going. Other small groups formed and they taught each other how to make unexpected and strange balloon creatures. The room began to fill with the sounds of balloon squeaks and plenty of conversation.
I spoke with Paul Belanger, one of the organizers of the event, and he explained how balloon twisting has become something of an international phenomenon. He traveled to China and wanted to start an event called a balloon fashion show. People tried to explain to him that the Chinese didn’t like balloons but that didn’t discourage him. He organized the show anyway and now similar events are sprouting up all over China. He unfortunately does not make any money off of these knockoff shows.
One conversation cropped up when a twister asked everyone, “What was the biggest tip you ever got for twisting a balloon?” Answers varied from $20, to a bottle of wine to an airplane ticket. It was agreed that the ticket was the best tip. As I was sketching this group twisting their little bears and snakes, I noticed in the corner of the room something big being built. Instead of using the thin long balloons, they were using fat chunky balloons and chaining them together to form large cylinder shapes. The Great Wandini, Sheree Brown-Rosner, explained that they wanted to use these fatter balloons so the manufacturer would continue making that line of balloons. All the balloons were bright yellow, and for the duration of the sketch, I never figured out what they were building. It wasn’t until I saw a youtube video taken at the event that I discovered what they were up to. Twisting balloons is a whole subculture I was never aware of. Balloon Jams are certainly a fun bizarre experience. I hope I get to experience a jam again when they are in town. Next time I would want to show up later after hundreds of balloon sculptures litter the floor.
The Scottish Highland Games – Beer Tent
Wandering around the Scottish Highland Games, I soon discovered the place that had the most activity. This was the center of the hive where the hordes gathered to collect their nectar. Beer was on tap in a large trailer and the three men who were filling pitchers and cups could barely keep up with the demand. Whenever a keg would run dry, a cry would rise up from the crowd.
Doing this sketch was a real challenge. I found a small spot to place my chair and then leaned back against the ropes that support the tent. With any gust of wind, my backrest would lurch just as if a child was sitting behind me in a movie theater and kicking my chair. I was in front of the spot where people could pick up refills and, more often than not, drunk patrons would trip over my feet as they made their way back to get more brew.
The girl in the pink shirt would wave to the people in line trying to get them to come to her table. Either people didn’t see her or they thought she was waving to a friend because very few people got the hint that she had beer to offer. The scene was constant and never ending chaos. I discovered a much quieter beer tent on the opposite side of the event and ordered a peach and apricot beer that was sweet and delicious. The Dundin Brewery did a fine job of keeping the crowd satiated, inebriated, and happy.
The Broken Lake Eola Fountain
The Lake Eola Fountain was struck dead by a bolt of lightning way back in August of last year. Inside the structure there is broken glass, melted metal and a fried motor. Mayor Buddy Dyer has vowed to fix the fountain for a price tag of 2.3 million dollars. At a party, one person joked that he could easily fix the fountain by dragging his lawn hose out there and setting it on top of the structure. He said he could then pocket the 2.3 million and call it a day.
On the day I did this sketch, I visited Amanda Norvell of the Orlando Broadway Series. We discussed the possibility of my sketching each of the Broadway Series as they load in and perform at the Bob Carr. The first show I will likely sketch is The Phantom of the Opera. At a City Council Meeting I sketched back in November, the Phantom entered the proceedings and offered to help fix the fountain. The Phantom will be donating $5 from each ticket sold to help restore the fountain to its former glory. Should you want to see The Phantom of the Opera, running from January 20th to February 14th, call 1-800-982-2787 to get tickets! The city had also set up a place where concerned citizens can donate to the cause. I hope that whatever sketches I do of the Phantom will bring more people out to the show, which in turn will help fix the fountain. As I was doing this sketch a man approached me and said, “Great sketch, it’s a shame the fountain isn’t on, your sketch would be much more beautiful.”
It turns out that on the day I did this sketch, Brian Feldman was also having a meeting with Terry Olson of the Orange County Arts & Cultural Affairs office, in the first of his Swan Boat Talks. Brian will be meeting with ten different Orlando artists with whom he would like to collaborate in 2010. I may rent a swan boat for one of these talks and try and sketch a meeting up close.
United Arts Professional Development Grants
I assumed that attending the United Arts Professional Development Grants Panel meeting, at the Enzian Theater, would be a boring experience. Sketching this process was quite the opposite. I arrived a bit late, and embarrassed, sat at the table closest to the entry door. I agonized for a moment thinking maybe I should move up closer to the panel table to get a better view. Then I noticed that Aradhana Tiwari and Zac Alfson were sitting at the table in front of me, and Beth Marshall, Dewey Chaffee and Douglas McGeoch were seated at the table to my right. I was surrounded by friends and decided an overall view of the room full of artists was the correct vantage point for my sketch.
After I started blocking in the sketch, one of the first orders of business was Michael Poley talking about how he wanted to produce a half hour documentary about an artist who explores Orlando, sketching every aspect of the arts scene. Several panelists didn’t know what he meant by sketches, were these theatrical sketches, poems or moments in time? Some panelists who knew of my work started praising what I am doing. This was something akin to sitting in on my own eulogy. None of the panelists knew I was in the room sketching. I finally decided to march up to the panel and hand over my most recent sketchbook as people’s exhibit A. Michael said this stunt helped him gain some points, and I certainly hope he gets the $1000 grant: which, if he does, will still have him investing over four thousand dollars of his own money into the project. This is humbling. I hope my sketches and stories do not let him down.
Artists who were submitting applications for grants had to defend their positions, often being asked how the grant money would help them grow as artists rather than focusing on the techniques of their craft. Dewey Chaffee has just taken a huge plunge by not renewing his contract to work at Disney. He certainly could use the boost a grant would offer now, but the panel seemed convinced that his character Wayburn Sassy was fully developed with no room for growth. One panelist seemed to think Wayburn just offers shock value, but Dewey explained that the character gives people a way to laugh at bigotry and narrow-mindedness. Orlando, in my mind, certainly needs Wayburn Sassy.
When Hannah Miller was asked to discuss her puppetry show called “Thunder Hag“, one of the panelists leaned back too far and broke their chair. There was an awkward pause, and Hannah asked if he was alright. Aradhana Tiwari put in a grant to study Viewpoints with the SITI Company and its artistic director Anne Bogart in NYC. Aradhana walked up to the panel and sat as close as possible. She was poised, confident and eloquent. She discussed “Project F” at some length and from the panelists responses, it sounds like she is sure to get the grant. As one panelist remarked,”You are up and coming, go to New York and make it happen.”
After the panel discussion broke for lunch, a small group of artists remained standing around the snack table, eating the free pretzels. For me, this was lunch before I went to the next location to sketch. Brian Feldman remarked, “All the real artists in the room are still here.” It was fun joking around with these artists, all of them friends, and discovering how they felt about the process. For some, it was like facing the Spanish Inquisition, but there was also comedy and unlimited human potential to be discovered in the room that day.
The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?
Play The Moment Productions is staging a reading of Edward Albee’s, “The Goat, or Who is Silvia?” This one time reading is happening TONIGHT at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center (812 East Rollins Street) in the Goldman Theater at 8PM. There will be free wine and free admission. Any donations made will go towards a new stage production titled “Project F” which is being created and directed by Aradhana Tiwari and produced by Matt McGrath.
I went to the first table-read of the play by the cast at Matt’s home in College Park. When we all arrived, Matt offered several options on places to do the reading, and we all agreed that it was such a nice day we should sit out on the sun porch. I went into the reading cold, knowing nothing about the play. The play starts out with Martin, a successful architect, played by Frank McClain, joking around with his wife, Stevie, played by Marty Stonerock. Their intellectual and playful banter sets the stage for a long-standing loving marriage. Later, Martin is talking to his best friend, Ross, played by Mark Baratelli. Martin goes on about how great his marriage has been, about how good his sex life has been with his wife, how they always know how to please each other. He says he might have been groped a few times at parties, but he has always been faithful. Then he talks about how his wife wanted to get a place out in the country. On a trip to the country, his life was turned upside down when he saw Sylvia. This was love at first sight and could not be ignored. Ross ends up telling Martin’s wife about the affair.
What follows is an argument that challenges all of our societies’ moral values. The affair cuts deep and causes a rift which cannot be repaired. All of this hard-hitting drama is laced with bitter humor and I was laughing out loud uncontrollably. This reading will certainly make you think. It makes me wonder what might lurk in the hearts of any happily married couple.
I had two cups of white wine while doing this sketch and listening to the reading. If any lines are wobbly or a likeness skewed I blame the wine. When I got home that night, issues bought up in the play still haunted me. I also heard that my stepmom’s health had slipped. I went on a bender, drinking a bottle and a half of white wine and watching an old black and white Spencer Tracy film. At the height of my stupor, I went online writing messages on Facebook. A chat window popped up, announcing itself with a chiming noise. It turns out the person on the other end of the chat had a bit too much to drink as well, so they will remain anonymous. I am usually put off by the chat window, thinking I am not typing fast enough, but this time around it was fun and effortless. This chat refocused my attention and bought me down to earth with humor and understanding. I am writing this extra detail because “Project F” is about social networking as seen through the lens of facebook; about how this new group dialogue affects every aspect of our life. Even statuses that are not read, affect us subliminally. Facebook has done so much to fuel this blog, and now I find that newly discovered friends offer light when my mood turns dark. Terry called me from Miami concerned about me as well. Perhaps there is no such thing as drinking alone anymore.
If you know nothing about The Goat, you will be shocked, stunned and amazed. This is an evening that you should not miss. Prepare to be challenged, your moral codes shaken and stripped bare. Just go. Then send me a message on Facebook and let me know how it affected you.
MOOM at Blank Space
MOOM stands for Meeting of the Orlando Minds. I attended the sixth MOOM hosted by Mark Baratelli’s TheDailyCity.com at Blank Space (201 East Central Boulevard). Eighteen people were present. Jeff Wirth called the meeting to order and we all started by introducing ourselves around the table. Once the introductions were out of the way, Jeff asked us all to break up into groups of four or five people, with each person expected to quickly outline what they might need in the following year to help in the creative work they were doing. I was skeptical. I have never been one to specifically ask for assistance, and yet people have found me over the course of the last year and assisted in ways I never would have imagined. Well when it came my turn to talk about this blog, I said I just needed people who could assist me in trying to locate interesting cultural events at which I could sketch. To my amazement, the young woman seated next to me named Amber Mundinger said that she could help me on all counts. She is the Marketing and Special Events Coordinator for Downtown Orlando. My jaw dropped. She is as excited as I am to discover Orlando through sketches. It is a New Year’s resolution to finally contact her at her office and discuss how we can help each other reveal to the world Orlando’s growing cultural community.
My other humble request was to find out if anyone knew a web designer who might be able to help me update and improve Analog Artist Digital World as it rolls into 2010. To my right was seated Arianne Pemberton, and she said she knows an artist named John who could easily assist me. I am so excited. The arts community is proactively gaining strength from within its ranks and we all benefit.
Brian Feldman was with my group as well, and discussed how he might need help with a project he is planning with the Orlando Public Library. The project promotes literacy and I hope it can happen in 2010. Ambers humble request was for some timers, so that a lights display at Lake Eola Park could turn off automatically each night . I had two timers at home, but they were both in use and I felt bad not having any to lend to her.
I am reflecting on the supportive atmosphere that I felt at MOOM, as I face a whole new year with a rededication to post one sketch a day documenting Orlando and its art scene.