Fringe: Four Dinners

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Four Dinners at the Orlando International Fringe Festival was a passionate play about two sisters, a roommate and an ex who lustfully explored their sexuality as queer women. The show was written and directed by Emmy Frederickson and Kelsey Grace Kidd.

The sexual relationships blossomed and unfolded so fast that I started to lose track of who was sleeping with who. When one relationship flickered out the ex-girlfriend of Penny (Liv Rawls) got pulled into the vortex of passion in the small apartment.

All of the passionate feelings had to be sorted out over the course of four dinners. Had this play been about men it would have been titled four dinners and a fist fight, but the woman managed to keep their impassioned conversations in check by passing around a small stuffed animal which was a sign that only the woman holding the plush could talk.

The action in the play pealed off as quickly as the clothing. When the sister of Penny, one of the roommates came over, she is seduced with surprising ease by Ynez (Marissa Rodriguez) the other roommate. I imagine the point of the play is that couples should be able to calmly discuss their feelings even when they are cheating or swapping partners. Throughout the chaos of the love triangle or quadrangle, Penny seemed to be the one person who kept a level head.

At heart all the characters were vulnerable and the quick leaps into sexual relationships may have been a hope to find some sense of belonging. Despite hurt feelings, the woman remained close. The small apartment was a tinderbox of emotions, but they managed to remain friends although rather dysfunctionaly.

Fringe, Sting of Revenge: A Prequel of Sorts

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Squishing the Patriarchy of Orlando Florida presented The Sting of Revenge: A Prequel of Sorts at this year’s Orlando International Fringe Festival. I had sketched the Bugged Lady at a previous Fringe where she told a tale of revenge against a professor who abused her trust. That show was in a teaching lab at Leu Gardens which was perfect to present her creepy crawly arachnids.

Sandi Lynn wrote and starred in the play which was directed by her son Clark Levi. She played the part of the Bugged Lady and Robin Olson played the peppy high-school acquaintance.

The Bugged Lady ran into her old high school acquaintance, and they sat down for a coffee and a chance to catch up. The friend loved her high school days as a cheer leader, but the bugged lady only found her passion when she started studying bugs as an undergraduate. She excelled at understanding the power of venom.

Conversation turned to a boy in high school who got a girl pregnant and she had to drop out of school to have the child alone. The cheer leader wasn’t aware of this story and it turns out she ended up marrying the boy, who over time grew resentful and abusive. When the bugged lady learned of the abuse she began to convince her high school acquaintance that she had a deadly solution.

The bugged lady had a clear box in her bag that had a scorpion. She took the box out and gently shook the container which resulted in the scorpion raising its poisonous tail. AS she discussed her proposition, she walked the scorpion around the room so the people in the front row seats could get a very clear look and feel rather uneasy.

I was disappointed to learn that this would be the final showing of the bugged lady. There is a visceral pleasure in having a middle-aged woman get away with murder, but it would be nice if an intelligent female detective could get close to discovering the venomous secret.

Robin Olson won a Critics’ Choice Award for Individual Performance in Drama for her portrayal of the emotionally distraught woman in the play. From where I was seated, I mostly saw the back of her head, but her performance as she weighed right and wrong was very convincing.

As I worked on this sketch, I ran out of water for my watercolors. I had to spit on my palette to add the final washes. This resulted in some rather sickly and rough washes. Maybe this messiness was meant to be for this show about planning a perfect murder.

3 Little Pigs First Pass

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The first pass at The 3 Little Pigs poster for the Orlando Shakes kept with my usual approach of depicting the characters with realism. I only put one pig in the courtroom at the time. So what happened to the two other pigs? Chances are that they had already been devoured. The one pig remaining would be the one with the brick house.I like little baby pig ears, they are large and look like they belong on bats.

The wolf looked like your average wolf in a green pinstriped suit. Notes I received helped immensely to push the poster in a fun direction. I was advised to look at The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and look a the Grinch’s sneer. He had an amazing sneer that would curl infinitely. Chuck Jones is the director of that film and he has an amazing knack to draw characters with appeal and tons of emotion. In the shorts he directed he would personally draw many of the key poses of the characters to get the animators started. He knew exactly what he wanted.

I would of course need two more pigs and they should also not be as realistic. They needed to be angry or scared depending on their character. In the Disney animated short each of the pigs had a definite personality. That film came before Snow white and the 7 Dwarfs and I believe the level of thought that went into giving each pig a personality late translated into the clear personalities given to each dwarf.

The type face I had picked for the title was also rather plain and not very playful. That would also require some major rethinking. There was a whole lot of type that needed to go on this poster with all the credits and the tag line, so the vertical image would be more like a square image after the type was in place. I figured I should embrace that and add bars of color to isolate the text from the courtroom scene.

I incorporated a red jury box and red witness stand. They have subtly different wood treatments. I don’t know if any one seeing the poster would notice that. I would keep many elements like the pointing fingers, the green suit and jury box but everything else needed a facelift to make it more playful. The wolf had literally no expression other than hunger I suppose. He needed a dose of anthropomorphism.

I still didn’t want a flat 2d animation look. I needed a mix of playful expressiveness and realism. This pass had far to much of the latter. Back to the drawing board, or in this case, iPad.

Boulevard of Bold Dreams Final Poster

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The first pass at the poser for Boulevard of Bold Dreams had issues where the portrait of Actress Hattie McDaniel didn’t quite look like the actress. I have a tendency to paint bold and spontaneously but this assignment required a more photographic look. I tightened up to get the details right in the face and then let my self loosen up a bit with the background and light effects.

I did one version of the title treatment where the Oscar was in the space inside the O in Bold. I abandoned that concept preferring to keep with the light flare effects throughout.

The challenges faced with this poster have been faced for centuries as artists try to get the details of a face correct and also add some warmth and life to the painting. I decided to spare you the early versions of the painting since the details that are are off are so subtle that It might seem Like I was sharing the same image over and over.I had recently done a painting with gem like highlights on the skin and I went for that effect in this poster.

In the end the painting worked out with delicate yellows and violets throughout. I spent much of my time wrestling with the skin tones making sure the darks were dark enough and the lights light enough. The color of the skin doesn’t matter as much as the value of the skin,

Once again I didn’t have enough time to get to the show to sketch an actual production. I had read the script and therefor know it would have been a great show to sketch.

COVID Dystopia is now live on YouTube

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COVID Dystopia has finished it’s film festival circuit and is now live on YouTube. This animated short has screened at dozens of film festivals around the world and has won multiple awards including…

Winner of Best Micro Short… Berlin Short Film Festival

Winner of Best Animated Short… Chicago International REEL Shorts Film Festival

Winner of Best Animated Short… Orlando Film Festival

Winner of Best Animated Short… Wild Rivers Film Festival

It has been an adventure traveling the world going to the festivals which were brave enough to screen the film. Though masked for the whole flight back to Orlando Florida, I managed to catch COVID-19 returning from the Pittsburgh Film Festival. It is ironic that COVID caught up with me as I was promoting COVID Dystopia.

We might be done with COVID but COVID is not done with us.

The film is now free to view online. Take a look at this link.

Hill Street Apartment Orlando

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I have been staying in an AirBnB in Thornton Park Orlando. I like the place because I have been able to walk to event sketching opportunities every evening. There is one big problem however is that the place does not have working Wi Fi. I need Wi Fi to write these articles every day and I need it twice a week to teach virtual online classes. I walked to the Downtown Orlando Public Library to use it as my office yesterday. I have been thinking that I would like to keep staying in Orlando through the Orlando International Fringe Festival which runs from May 19 to 27. After that my plan is to drive north to New York State where I hope to rent and then possibly buy a place to settle down.

Having no Wi Fi, I am considering starting that road trip early.Yesterday I looked at rental properties in Orlando to see if I could find something for two months. Many rentals want an 8 month lease commitment. Around the corner from where I am sating is this property on Hill Street in Thornton Park. It is just a block from the Falcon Art Gallery and Bar. Photos on Zillow showed an attic space with a skylight. The artist in me was attracted to the possibility of using that as a painting studio space.

Booking an appointment to see the place was a long drawn out process, with photos of IDs and an online form. There was no personal showing of the space, but rather a lockbox. I filled out all the forms but never heard back about the appointment. Online I was told that a code would be sent by text. That code was never sent, so I had to call the realtor. I was told to just go to the house and a text would arrive at exactly the time of the appointment. I walked the few blocks over and waited in front of the house. The text never came, so I called the realtor again and he lead me on a hunt for the lock box. He said it might be attached to a water pipe which I found odd. The front door of the home opened and I explained to the fellow sho came out that I was looking for the lockbox for the rental. He pointed to a side door. His eyes were bloodshot, and I was just happy that he didn’t have a gun.

When I got to the side door there sure enough was a lockbox bolted to the doorknob. The realtor finally gave me the code over the phone. The apartment was on the second floor. I climbed the narrow staircase. I knew that I would not be able to get my artist desk up those stairs. There was a grey room that was maybe 10 b y 12 feet with windows that overlooked the back yard. A door lead to a tiny bathroom and another door was the closet. I tried to turn on the ceiling fan but it refused to spin. The kitchen was set up with windows on three sides. The refrigerator blocked the view out of one of the windows. I tried faucets and electric to be sure everything worked.

One more door lead up to the attic which is where the skylight was. This was my hope for a grwt studio space. As I climbed the steps I realized it must get hot u0 there. At the top pf the steps I realized that I could not stand up. My head hit the ceiling. If I were to use the space as a studio I would always have to sit and then walk hunched over like Quasimodo.

I am only thinking about renting the place for a couple of months, so I thought, maybe I could survive in the cramped space. I need to be thinking about more than surviving. I want to thrive. I am already finding myself sketching at an accelerated pace now that I can walk to arts events. If I can find a decent studio home base then I can continue to thrive.

Rather than leave right away, I stayed to sketch the place. While sketching, I get to weigh the pros and cons of a place. This apartment is in a fantastic location, but it is just too small. The upstairs space with the skylight would only be used for storage since I am unable to stand up. What I am left with would be a 10 by 12 foot room that would have to work as the studio and bedroom. The place without WiFi seems like a palace in comparison but it is furnished and far more expensive.

April 7, 1945: Castrop-Rauxel Germany

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The 291st Infantry Division attack on Castrop-Rauxel Germany resumed on April 7, 1945. Two squads of the 1st Platoon of G-Company rode into Castrop on two lead tanks, followed by a tank destroyer. The two other tanks found positions on the outskirts of town and supported the attack with fire. Machine guns were set up in the upper stories of two houses to support the attack.

At 7AM C-Company moved into the city on the left on foot. Three tanks drove at full speed down Highway 2 with the soldiers hanging on for dear life. As they cleared a road block, they were hit with a hail of German small arms fire. American troops jumped down and sought cover in houses on either side of the street. A moment later the tank destroyer took a direct hit and burst into flames. Three men who had jumped off the lead tank ran to the back of a house, and surprised a German crew of six who were about to fire a 120-mm mortar. The Germans were killed and a thermite grenade was dropped into the barrel of the mortar.

C-Company continued to move into town from the left killing Germans who were trying to escape. About 15 Germans ran towards the woods on the opposite side of town and they were in the sights of one of the machine gunners. He didn’t fire because he wasn’t sure if they were Americans or Germans.

The 1st and 2nd Platoons found one another in town. A captured German soldier told the interrogator that the town was swarming with parachutists. Because it was getting dark, and the 3rd Platoon could not be located, it was decided to hold off further attacks until morning.

C-Company of the 1st Platoon had received orders to push through Castrop-Rauxel and continue mopping up operations to the south. Mopping up operations continued through April 8 and 9th 1945.

When to run up the white flag and surrender to the Americans became a crucial question for German civilians. Doing so too early meant falling afoul of the Nazi authorities who were demanding a fight to the finish; doing so too late could mean a violent introduction to the American way of war. All too often, the local Nazi bigwig called upon his townsmen to fight to the death, then fled just before the Americans attacked.

April 5, 1945: Brambauer Germany

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From April 5 to April 15, 1945, Bambauer Germany was a command post for the 75th Infantry Division. The troops got some much needed rest and relaxation. After the 75th Infantry Division crossed the Dortmund-Ems Canal they held a line from the Zweg Canal just south of Ickern to Brambauer Germany.

In Brambauer, I decided to sketch the Martin Luther Church. I was seated right next to a World War II memorial that was a stone courtyard where the walls had plaques covered with the names of soldiers who had died in that war. Since it was World War 1 related, I decided to pass on sketching it. It was a bitter cold day and a tram car would pass the church every half hour or so.

Brambauer contributed to the German war effort thanks to its coal mines which provided fuel for factories and German tanks. Brambauer’s location near the industrial heartland meant it experienced the war’s impact through industrial demands, bombings, coal extraction, and the final battles of the war as Allied forces advanced.

The original Martin Luther Church was was a neo-Renaissance style church built between 1904 and 1906. It was largely destroyed during World War II. Only the tower stood at the end of the war. During the Nazi period, the broader German Protestant church was divided between the “German Christians” movement, which aligned with Nazi ideology and antisemitism, and the “Confessing Church”, which resisted state control. Pastor Karl Friedrich Stellbrink, a member of the Confessing Church preached in Lübeck until his arrest and murder by the Nazi regime.

At first Karl Friedrich embraced the Nazi ideals, but he soon felt that the Nazi’s had a hatred for Christ. On a Palm Sunday sermon in 1942, after the devastating bombing of Lübeck, Karl Frederick exclamation: “God has spoken in mighty language – the people of Lübeck will learn to pray again.” This sermon led to his arrest by the SS Police, followed by the arrest of the three Catholic chaplains. Along with them, 17 members of the Catholic community and one Protestant Christian in Lübeck were charged. Karl Frederick was murdered for his anti – Nazi sermon.

The present-day Martin Luther Church in Brambauer was erected as a simple brick building between 1962 and 1964. The original, surviving tower still bears the scars of the war.

After the war the town was used as a site for German war graves, including fallen soldiers and Soviet prisoners.

Ickern Germany: Rhine-Herne Canal

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The Rhine-Herne Canal was also known as the Zweg Canal on 1945. It runs north-west running into the Dortmund-Ems Canal. It is about half way between the Lippe Canal to the north and the Ruhr River to the south.I suspect that the 75th Infantry was already to the west of this canal and would not hav had to cross it. This canal likely marked the advancing troops right or western flank.

XVICorps which included the 75th Infantry Division in which my father. 1st Lieutenant Arthur Thorspecken was serving attacked from it’s position north of the Rhein-Herne Canal. Resistance came from the German 116th Panzer Division, composed of  the 16th Panzer Grenadier Regiment and the 116th Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion and other miscellaneous units.

The 75th Infantry Division Commander, Major General Ray E. Porter didn’t believe that soldiers had to be cold, hunger dirty and unshaven to be a good soldier. He devoted a good bit of time to see the men lived otherwise. He was committed to seeing that officers and enlisted men would live as comfortably as the situation might allow.

Resistance was light at first. From German prisoners of war, it was learned that their orders were to continue delaying actions and to withdraw on first contact with the American forces. Resistance gradually stiffened and units began to receive heavy small arms fire, self propelled mortar and machine gin fire. About 20 bridges had been blown up by the Germans in the area. Civilians were called upon by the American regimental commander to work on the reconstruction of bridges. Rifles were found in many homes along with German uniforms. It was impossible to estimate the number of soldiers who became  civilians overnight.

The 290th Infantry passed through the Combat Command R of the 8th Armored Division continuing to attack south towards the Rhein-Herne Canal. The 290th Infantry was held ip and unable to advance. The 75th Division commander Ray E. Porter sent orders that the unit must stop “dilly – dallying” and move the regiment up. Considering the slight resistance and the fact that the 290th had 3 tank companies, the division commander had no reason why he couldn’t keep up with the rest of the advancing units.

An autobahn highway bridge across the Rhein-Herne Canal was left standing by the Germans so that their troops could retreat. From there the Germans hoped t0 organize and make an attempt to break out of their encirclement. This autobahn crossing and the city of Ickern was stubbornly defended. With Germans on the east bank and the Americans on the west back, fire fight continued up and down the canal and casualties were heavy.

About 50 German soldiers were shouting across the canal and offering to surrender. The surrender did not take place. An officer had stopped their plan. Instead the Germans fired on American positions. At 1am on April 4, 1945 the crossing of the canal began. The plan was to build Bailey bridges but there was heavy fir from the area around the autobahn bridge site, and thr engineers had failde to provide ladders and bridging materials. The only way across the river was a single plank bridge which was partly submerged, and men had to leap from board to board in the pitch dark night. Three ladders were used to climb the steep embankment on the opposite shore. The climb was particularly hazardous for men carrying heavy weapons. Several fell backwards into the canal.

By 4am the 1st Battalion had taken 40 German prisoners and they had entered Ickern. By April 5th, 1945 Ickern had been captured after fierce house to house combat. Capturing this city allowed the 75th Infantry Division to continue it’s attack south towards the Ruhr River which would split the Ruhr pocket in two.

 

Brassert Town Square, Marl Germany

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Marl and the region around Marl, had resources and heavy industries that played a vital role in Germany’s preparations for World War II. Coal was the life blood of Hitler’s war machine. The city was bombed heavily during World War II. About 75 percent of the area was destroyed; more than one-third of the coal mines discontinued operations or suffered heavy damage.

As the allies, including the 75th Infantry Division, approached the city, the Volksrom or German peoples army were called into the Brassert town square. Consisting of old men and young boys, many were unemployed, miners. The German army was planning to blow up the mine as part of Hitler’s Nero Decree. Adolf Hitler’s Nero Decree, an order issued on March 19, 1945, which commanded the systematic destruction of all German infrastructure. The approaching enemy would thus find nothing but “scorched earth.” Hitler justified this step as a military necessity, but his intention was to destroy the German population as punishment for its defeat. There was to be no future for the nation after National Socialism.

The Decree…

Our nation’s struggle for existence forces us to utilize all means, even within Reich territory, to weaken the fighting power of our enemy and to prevent further advances. Any opportunity to inflict lasting damage on the striking power of the enemy must be taken advantage of. It is a mistake to believe that undestroyed or only temporarily paralyzed traffic, communications, industrial, and supply installations will be useful to us again after the recapture of lost territories. During his retreat, the enemy will leave behind only scorched earth and will abandon all concern for the population.

I therefore command –

1. All military traffic, communications, industrial and supply installations as well as objects within Reich territory that might be used by the enemy in the continuation of his fight, either now or later, are to be destroyed.

2. It is the responsibility of the military command posts to execute this order to destroy all military objects, including traffic and communications installations.

The Gauleiters and Commissioners for Reich Defense are responsible for destroying the industrial and supply installations, as well as of other objects of valuable; the troops must give the Gauleiters and Commissioners for Reich Defense the assistance they need to carry out this task.

3. This command is to be transmitted to all troop commanders as promptly as possible; orders to the contrary are null and void.

– Adolf Hitler

Like many large industrial and mining sites in Germany during this period, the Brassert mine likely utilized forced labor, a widespread practice in the Nazi economy. Nazi commission retreated in haste not guaranteeing that the mine was fully demolished. Mines were also used to store looted art the Nazi’s had stolen. Mines were ideal since they had a constant temperature deep under ground.

The Bassert coal mine was founded in 1905, with production beginning in 1910,it  employed 5,000 by the 1950s, and closed in 1972, with its land becoming commercial/recreational space.

As I sketched in the town square, people kept driving into the square to park and then walking over to a bank teller machine. It must have been pay day in town. The leaves were just starting to turn yellow. After I finished the sketch, I tried to find a restaurant to eat but I could only fond pizza shops.

On March 20, 1945 Marl was cleared.