When I left the dolphin feeding area, I couldn’t resist going underground for the underwater experience. There was a constant crowd pressing up against the glass, viewing the dolphins swimming from underwater. Photo flashes would pop and people were constantly pressing forward to get a better view. I chose to sit with my back against a fire extinguisher a bit removed from the throng and I tried to catch the ever changing scene. Some parents lost interest in the underwater view and turned to their phones for entertainment. One tourist walked up to me and asked me if he could take my picture. He said his sister-in-law was an artist and would get a kick out of the work I was doing. I am amazed that everywhere I go I meet someone who has a relative who is an artist.
After this sketch was done, I battled the crowds milling around the park for the first time. I became immediately exhausted with the start and stop nature of trying to move around the park. I approached a men’s room, but the line was so long that I decided to wait. Lunch was out of the question. I didn’t need food that bad. I wandered the park aimlessly searching for my next sketch.
Sea World – Dolphin Encounter
The Dolphin Encounter at Sea World is a very popular attraction. People pay $7 for some fish and are then guided in how to behave around the dolphins by trained parks people. The biggest concern is that people not let the paper tray the fish come in ever get close to the water. If the dolphins saw that tray, they would try and snatch it, potentially choking on the paper. Also Seagulls would flock overhead whenever the feeding started. They had a habit of dive bombing tourists in an attempt to get at the fish.
I stood across from the area where people could stand near the water for free. They would lean over with their hands in the water waiting diligently for the dolphins to come to them. The dolphins were not interested. They only went to the trainers who they knew had food.
I was standing next to a parks person whose job was to watch the tourists and make sure they didn’t have any personal items hanging over the water’s edge. If he saw a tourist with a sweatshirt hanging over or a water bottle he would contact someone on the opposite side via walkie-alkie and let them know what was up. “The tourist with the blue shirt on your right has a sweatshirt hanging over the ledge.” Another parks person would rush through the crown to find the tourist with the sweatshirt and ask him to step back. Some Harley-Davidson bikers also hung out, hoping to touch a dolphin. I’m betting the dolphin’s skin feels much like the worn leather jackets they were wearing.
After a few minutes of feeding the dolphins, the people who had paid would all be asked to leave to that another group of tourists could file in.
Sea World – Entrance
Just before the end of the year, I went to SeaWorld because I had a complimentary ticket that would expire come January first. I got the ticket at IZEAFest, a bloggers conference that was held at SeaWorld. Let’s face it, going to a theme park during the holiday rush isn’t really my idea of a good time, but I could not miss the sketching opportunity. When I got close to the park, traffic backed up for maybe a mile leading into the parking lot. I got sick of waiting and decided to turn off and go down a side street. I found an office complex and parked in its garage. I then hiked the mile or so to the park entrance.
The crowds just kept coming, and I decided to sketch the entrance just in case the park filled up like the Holy Land Experience did several months ago. I was surprised when a Amish Mennonite family walked by. The blue roller coaster in the sketch is new and called the Manta. The turnstile line I decided to stand in ended up breaking down, so I had to force my way into the next line over. My sketch bag was searched and I sighed relief when my ticket actually worked.
I always like seeing the flamingos when I enter the park, but they had been moved to make room for the Manta roller coaster. The flamingos no longer had a nice scenic lagoon to stand in, but were now in a tiny fenced in enclosure. The park was insanely crowded. I stood in a line for a bathroom break once I finished this sketch and then I went to see some dolphins.
Make a Wish
Lucas Anderson, who is just 14 years old was diagnosed with cancer. The Make a Wish Foundation of Central and Northern Florida granted his wish, and on this day he is picked up his English Bulldog puppy for the first time from Petland at 3920 Semoran Boulevard. I arrived about an hour early and started by asking the store employees a few questions. I decided that I would sit down near the cage, which was also a gift to Lucas, along with plenty of dog care supplies. One of the employees crawled inside the cage and artfully arranged all the supplies before tying helium balloons to the it. A red carpet was unrolled in front of the store and Lucas and his family arrived in a white stretch limo. Lucas also had a bunch of his friends with him and they laughed and caroused in the store. The puppy’s name is Tucker and he was very cute, with huge paws and an adorable face. Petland has small cubicles in the middle of the store where the dog and owner can bond. Tucker and Lucas hit it off from the start. Tucker particularly liked it when Lucas would scratch him under the chin. Tucker seemed a bit confused and didn’t know how to act with all the attention he was getting.
Giovanni Ferriolo, the owner of Napolitaly Ristorante next door, bought in some free pizzas. I was seated right next to the table where the pizzas were stacked, but people didn’t mind reaching over me if need be to get a slice. Afterwards, a cake was bought in decorated with the image of a puppy in icing. As Lucas and his mom posed for pictures, she began to tear up and I suddenly realized what an honor it was to be documenting such a moment.
Analog Artist Digital World 2009 Retrospective Opening
The opening for the Analog Artist Digital World 2009 Sketchbook Retrospective was a lively and crowded five hour event at Dandelion Communitea Cafe. The ten sketchbooks created last year were framed in shadow box frames I had built myself. I had Frames Forever frame several assignments I had done for Orlando Home and Leisure as well. The number of pieces framed was just enough to fill out the space, and one sketch wasn’t hung.
On opening night I arrived early to set up a tablet PC, which I hung on the wall to play a flickr slide show of all the drawings posted to the blog in 2009. Patrons who were from the various arts boards were some of the first people to show up right after work. The band called Hymn for Her set up to play alternative folk music for the people arriving later. The cafe is used as an unofficial after party for the people who go to First Thursdays, which is a monthlt themed art event at the Orlando Museum of Art.
Dandelion Communitea Cafe was packed all night. People who I had sketched during the year kept arriving and introducing themselves. Once the music started it became impossible to talk, so at that point I got the sketchpad out to document my own opening. An artist/author from the last Sketch Crawl also stood in a corner of the room furiously working in his pad. The little child at the table playing with the crayons is the performer’s child. He had a large headset on to protect his fragile eardrums. The rest of us experienced the music full blast. I asked the performers to place one of my framed sketchbooks on the amplifier behind them. It frames Pierce’s head in the sketch as he plays banjo. Maggi is playing a cigar box with a broomstick attached. The instrument actually has a really good sound.
When I finished this sketch, someone showed me a sketch on their digital camera and he said it would be a blast from my past. He said the sketch was mine, and for the longest time I didn’t believe him. My eyes started to tear up from the strain of staring at the musicians and drawing. Julie Norris, co-owner of Dandelion, asked if I was Okay, as I kept rubbing my eyes with my sleeve. Perhaps there was an emotional reason for the tears as well, rediscovering a sketch from a vibrant and exciting time in my life. The lines on the sketch he was showing me digitally, were vibrant and flowing, dark and confident. I really liked the sketch, yet couldn’t believe I had done it. It showed a New York City street scene with a crowd of people. He finally explained that it was from a sketchbook which had been passed around the Florida Disney Animation Studio. I had done that drawing on the backlot of MGM (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) more than fifteen years ago. Darn, I was a good draftsman back then!
All night, people offered new ideas on places I could sketch in 2010. By the end of the night my head was spinning. I only had one white wine. With all the conversations and activity, I never had time to take a sip. Eventually, a large crowd of us had to be asked to leave so the place could be cleaned up and closed down for the night. What an exciting night! The show will hang at Dandelion Communitea Cafe at 618 North Thornton Avenue Orlando through January 30th. Go by, grab a tea, and enjoy the events, places and people that defined Orlando culture in 2009.
Grandma Party
Stardust Video and Coffee was the host to the annual Grandma Party. The streets around Stardust were crammed full of parked cars. I had never seen such a crowd at the venue. The Grandma Party started several years ago as a place for local fashion designers, bookbinders, painters, knitters, silversmiths, vintage dealers, bakers and print makers to showcase and sell their work. Everything found here was hand crafted and original. There was a stage set up for local musicians to perform as well but they were not playing when I arrived. I wandered around and bumped into a few friends as I searched for my sketch of the day. Anna McCambridge’s mom, Vicki was celebrating her birthday and she blew out a candle on a cupcake to celebrate.
I ultimately became infatuated with Alchemy, an outdoor hair cutting booth. The seats were always full as women and men rotated in to have their hair cut. It was a challenge to capture the hair stylists who were in constant motion but it was worth the effort.
When I finished this sketch I went to the stage to listen to the music. At the end of the final number a girl dresses in a red and white overalls stood next to the stage and threw confetti when the song ended. Although titled the Grandma Party, most of the crowd was hip and young. These were Orlando’s true bohemians and they knew how to party.
Jai-Alai Fronton is Saved from Closing
I had heard a report that the Jai – AlaiFronton in Casselberry was going to close and it’s last day was to be December 27th, several days after Christmas. The facility has 75 full time employees. I decided to go and sketch on this final day of betting. When I arrived I bought the one dollar ticket and went through the turnstile. I was told I would have to have security check my bag of sketch supplies. The security guy was located on the far side of a fast food stand almost hidden from sight. I held the bag open and he lazily nodded his approval. I took the escalator to the second floor and I heard the sound of the Jai–Alai ball being tossed around. Three men were on the court and there wasn’t a soul in the stadium seating. I watched for a while but I don’t know the rules and they looked like they were just practicing. No lights were on but I noticed a men’s room so I decided to use it before I got to the third floor off track betting area. Then when I was leaving I discovered the bathroom door had locked behind me!
I tried turning the door knob in different ways figuring it might have a trick to it. I couldn’t believe it. I was locked in and the floor was deserted. I started trying other doors in the men’s room figuring there might be another way out. I opened the far back door and it looked like a broom closet for the janitors. The closet itself had a door and I tried it. That door lead out to a tight metal spiral staircase. I decided this was my only option so I stepped out onto it. Old candy wrappers and potato ship bags crunched under my feet. I had to wonder why there was so much garbage in a stairwell. I wound my way up to the third floor. At the top of the steps I found myself in the employees area behind the betting cages where they take money. A guard stood with his back to me at the swinging door which lead out to the betting floor. I said “Excuse me.” and squeezed past him.
Out on the betting floor I let out a sigh and immediately started sketching. When I was about half finished a security officer approached me and said “Can I help you”. My stomach tensed. He had no intention of helping me. He pointed out that I had been behind the betting counters and that I would have to leave. I explained the situation with the bathroom but his mind was stuck on only the one detail of my story, I had been behind the counter and that is State property. He seemed to feel that being back there is punishable by imprisonment or leaving the facility. He felt I had been acting strangely since I arrived in the Fronton. As he said this the men standing behind him were shouting “Common 4, common, go, go 4 go. You can do it! Ooooh mother f*#&^%$!” I thought it funny that he found my sketching to be strange behavior. I continued to reason with him but he returned again and again to the fact that I had been behind the counter.
Actually my talk with him turned into a bit of an interview in the form of an argument. I found out that the Fronton was NOT going to close since an unnamed buyer had come in and bought the facility. The new buyer is possibly going to bring card rooms to the now rundown facility. The security guard eventually decided I wasn’t worth the trouble and he left, or rather stood a short distance away watching my every move. A food vendor named Valerie walked over to see what I was up to. She was glad the place was going to stay open. She had worked here for years. The sale of the Fronton isn’t final yet, and if it falls through another date will be announced for its final day.
Speakeasy at Will’s Pub
Tod Cavinass hosts a poets open mic every Tuesday night after 9PM at Will’s Pub located at 1040 North Mills Avenue. When I entered the bar I noticed one lone poet writing from his bar stool perch. Tod warned me that the event never starts on time. This evening there was some sort of community swap meet or market filling the room so I wandered around and looked at the old LPs, crafts and art. They started to break down their tables and by 10PM the market was gone. Tod worked diligently to fill the room with chairs and tables and soon the room was full of poets.
On the walls of the room were dark sinister paintings featuring skulls and nudity. Tod took to the stage and introduced the first poets. Two of the poets in this sketch, the one with the blue cap and the one with the orange shirt were a poet team.The poet with the ball cap took to the stage and periodically the fellow in the orange shirt would shout out “Rewind”from the back of the audience, and the poet on stage would back up his poem then continue forward again. Their energetic delivery was inspiring.
The young girl on the far left in the sketch had the amazing ability to bend herself up like a pretzel. She is disjointed and can fold her arms in inhuman ways. I was still sketching and didn’t notice her as she showed friends the first time and I was pleased when she was willing to demonstrate for me a second time.I will have to get a sketch of her some day if she is able to hold one of those uncomfortable looking poses.
A writer from the Orlando weekly read a poem about how he infected his work computer when he was researching a story about how some people surf porn sites while at work. So in the name of research he looked up some of these sites. One of them gave his computer a virus . The tech had to inform his boss that a malicious porn site was to blame.
Driving Miss Daisy Auditions
Beth Marshall Presents will bring “Driving Miss Daisy” to the Winter Garden Theater February 12th to the 28th. I sat in on the auditions for this show. Seated at the table are Aradhana Tiwari, the Director, and Beth Marshall the Producer. This auditions process stood in stark contrast to the auditions for Crimes of the Heart. Crimes took 2 agonizing days for the cast to be solidified but this auditions process was fast and painless taking only about 3 hours with about a dozen actors and actresses auditioning.
One actress with a bit of a haughty attitude who reminded me of Sheila in Chorus Line, entered the room and when she greeted the director she wouldn’t let go of her hand. The actresses head shot was from about 20 years ago. After doing the reading she demanded to read another section of the play. Beth said that would be fine and she could come back in after the next set of actors had finished their audition. The actress said emphatically “I should say so”. After a long pause, Beth said, “You know what, lets not waist your time or mine, you can leave.” Beth felt bad for the actor who had auditioned with this actress. She could see that he was embarrassed by the exchange.
Another actress who auditioned for the roll of Daisy was about 30 or 40 years to young for the part. She walked in wearing a black dress with a white lace collar and a gray haired wig. She reminded me of Norman Bates Mother in “Psycho”. Beth glanced over at me and smiled. I was smiling as well. There is something charming about an actress going for a role which is so out of reach.
When I sketched the auditions I tried to pick the actors that I felt were best for the rolls to go in my sketch. At this audition I hit a home run and sketched Elizabeth Murff who will play Daisy and Michael Mormon who will play Hoke. I had met Elizabeth once before at Beth Marshall’s Halloween Party. Elizabeth had won for the best costume as a Cougar. Michael who is 60 had played the roll of Hoke 20 years ago. He has a natural ease and seems very comfortable in the role. Elizabeth brings a humor and honesty to the part of Daisy that is endearing. When she said “Hoke, you are my best friend” the sincerity of this unlikely friendship warmed me, even in this early reading.
As they were packing up to leave, Beth remarked to Aradhana, “Now I had experienced the most difficult and the easiest auditions ever with you.”
2009 Sketchbooks on Display!
The Analog Artist Digital World blog was started January 1st of 2009 by artist Thomas Thorspecken with the commitment to post a sketch a day documenting Orlando culture. Assembled for the first time are all the sketchbooks from that year long journey. As the blog rolls into another year, we look back at the events, people and places that defined Orlando in 2009. People start to wander in around 8PM often after attending First Thursday at the Orlando Museum of Art. Dandelion offers a fun after party.
At the opening there is going to be a band and there are two other shows going on in the back rooms. One show features records painted with musicians portraits by Rebecca Rose. The other room features photography. Come on down. It will be a great way to kick off the New Year!