Porsche Road Rats Rally

Posted on by Thor

Stella Arbelaez suggested we go to sketch a Porsche Road Rats Rally going at Bountiful Farms (27314 County Road 33, Okahumpka, FL). The event was almost over, so we had to rush to get there. I reasoned that men would still be talking about their fancy engines, and chrome with hoods open long after the closing time for the event.

In part, I was right. There is a small outdoor cafe called Bountiful’s Bestro, under a giant 300 year old live oak on the property. The outdoor seating was crowded, presumably full of Porsche owners bragging about their cars speed and many modifications. My ex wife used to drive a Porsche so I know that speed is everything. Stella set up near her car to sketch the cafe and huge tree, and I wandered over to sketch the Porches parked on the grass parking lot.

As I sketched, car owner after car owner walked to their car and drove off. A distant Porsche had the car owner come out and open the hood. He showed his engine to a friend. I had to stop sketching when it started to rain. At that point every car owner rushed over and drove off. I went back to find Stella and she was still sketching. We decided to head over to a small fresh market where we brought some produce. I wanted to get some cucumbers since I had recently picked some in a field nearby. The woman behind the counter explained that cucumbers were out of season, which I suppose was true since the crop was now in supermarkets rather than in the fields. There is a weekend farmers market that happens on Bountiful Farms and Stella discussed the possibility of having art for sale at the market. I will have to return to sketch that farmers market some weekend.

By the time we left the fresh market it had stopped raining. We then had a fantastic soup and grilled cheese sandwich lunch under the gorgeous live oak. We had the place to ourselves. The waitress kept offering us free Cokes since we were creating art, but in the end we paid. Despite the brief rain, it was a great outing. We both wished we had spent more time sketching, but it is the experience that counts not how polished the sketch looks. Stella’s sketch of the Bistro and live oak is really good and could easily be finished some weekend. My sketch, as usual is a panicked mess.

Waiting for a Cystoscopy

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I drove down to Orlando Health for a Cystoscopy which is an outpatient procedure where a camera is inserted up the penis to look at the prostate.

The drive down was quite pleasant with open country and many country cabins with metal roofs much like I have been searching for. I allowed for extra time since it was rush hour, but there was no rush hour on the roads I drove on.

In the waiting room there were a few other patients. I recognized their faces from the last time I had been to the office. The guy in the back row was always on the phone talking business. I was sitting on the opposites side of the room which was empty since the TV was above my head. A program was on about a young couple buying a home in Maui. They had to keep the budget under a million dollars. I felt bad for them having to settle for a place where the bedroom had a view of whales swimming buy. Maybe I should move to Maui, I bet no one has a swollen prostate there. No I don’t think it is in my budget, unless I find some wreck of a place on the rim of an active volcano. But think of the views before being burnt to a cinder. I did go to Maui during the making of Lilo and Stitch, and there are lovely homes with metal roofs and chickens in the yard.

A nurse came in and let us all know that there was a delay since a patient before us had complications. Dear god, what kind of complications? Was I about to experience similar complications? Should I sneak my way towards the door? The couple in front of me was called in first. They never returned. Then I was called in. It took me a while to pack up my art supplies. When I am in a nervous rush the supplies have a habit of refusing to go back in the bag. I eventually had to stand up with a paint rag dangling out of the mouth of the bag like a colorful tongue. I walked towards the nurse. I am sure everyone was thinking the same thing, “dead man walking.”

The Lynx

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I had a delightful adventure driving up to Gainsville, Florida for the first time and went to The Lynx Bookstore. On the drive north, I drove past The Villages, which is a cream and white vast sea of look alike buildings for Florida retirees. The place seemed to take up an entire county. I was told about the “Loofah Code” where different colored loofahs are hung from antennas of cars to represent sexual kinks. A white loofah is for novices and beginners, while yellow is for a mid level swap, someone looking for fun but still nervous. Another theory is that the loofahs just help them find their car in crowded parking lots. There is a vast variety of cars, so I prefer the first theory. I was zooming past on the highway so I didn’t stop to investigate.

In the Lynx, I met local author Tricia Booker who had her dog Bayou. Bayou was in training as a service dog. She is still a 1 year old pup and everything caught her nervous attention.  In her excitement she snoot booped over a small book stand, but from that point on she reined in any bull in the china shop tendencies. Bayou listened intently to Tricia’s every word.

Tricia Booker is an award winning journalist and writer of creative non-fiction. She wrote a memoir titled, The Place Of Peace and Crickets, which I ordered and plan to read soon. She has a substack called My Left Hook where she writes about life as a warrior mom. I have been following the substack and find myself inspired with each reading. I got to ask her about how her sub-stack was started and it is a direction I need to move in myself.

The Lynx bookstore was founded by Florida author Lauren Groff. Tricia loves Lauren’s writing. The beautifully crafted language draws her in. She told me about Lauren Groff’s book Vaster Wilds which is about a young girl who was brought to America on a slave ship. She manages to escape captivity and has to learn how to live off the land. I like history and tales of survival, so once again I am hooked.

I picked up a tiny sketchbook which had the title of The Creative Ramblings of a Restless Mind. It looks worn and tattered before even being used. I love that. I loved the vibes of this independent bookstore that also had a coffee shop. The Latte I had was delicious, though my fat fingers had difficulty figuring out the plastic lid. There were little hand written notes under many of the books. These were thoughts by staff who had read the book. If you weren’t sure what to buy, the musings might help.

Most important, is that many of the books at The Lynx are currently challenged or banned in Florida, as well as books by BIPOC authors, LGBTQ+ authors, and Florida authors. Here the marginalized have a voice. The Lynx stands as a beacon of inclusivity as we enter a time of national chaos.

Fire Pit

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On the evening before a planned hike in Gainesville, Florida, I sat outside in the back yard of the Yalaha studio at the fire pit and burned some of the refuge from two large pine trees that had been cut down after Hurricane Milton damage. Larger branches were left for edging areas of the yard, but some the needles and small twigs were set ablaze. I love sitting by the fire and watching the flames flicker. I set several other blazes on previous nights because it got arctic cold out all week.

Sitting there I wondered if I could capture the dark silhouette of the building and the warm lighting from inside where I sit at the Disney Animation Desk and work. The scene reminds me of a quote from Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother Theo, “A great fire burns within me, but no one stops to warm themselves at it, and passers-by only see a wisp of smoke.”

Since my virtual classes let out at 8pm, I am starting to think that I may need to start doing nocturnal paintings each night. I had some Masonite cut for a bookcase that was just reassembled and I am now planning to do paintings in oil 15 inches by 23 inches which would fit snugly in the shelves. I may need to make a custom carrying box for the paintings so they can be transported without spearing oil paint everywhere. I’ll need to get more Masonite, plexiglass, a few wood strips to keep the painting from touching the inside face f the box and some sort of hinge. I will have to draw up some schematics. I thought I had a Tupperware oil painting pallet that seals up but for the life of me I can’t find it. I will have to order a new one.

Oddly on this night after completing the sketch and going to bed, I was restless and could not sleep. So much has changed in my life the past month, and thoughts and plans keep racing in my head. I am finally settled with every box unpacked. Now I am searching for a new direction as I acclimate to life in the country. A month’s worth of design and illustration work is about to begin, which will keep me focused and distracted.

Howie in the Hills Mission Style Studio

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I am search for my next studio and or forever home. On Zillow, I saw this home in Howie in the Hills and decided for the first time that I had to go and take a tour in person.

The place was built in 1925. Caved up above the entry is “Anno Domini 1926” which means, “In the year of our lord 1926.” The original home owners had their busts carved in triangular motives around the entry. What appealed to me the most was a sun room off to the right which is where I would put my Disney Desk. Each ground floor room has built in bookcases which is awesome. The living room with a working fireplace could also act as the studio space. The dining room had a doorway to a back yard lanai. The back yard was small but had the original iron work fence. Unfortunately the iron is starting to rust out and would need work. There was also a quirky fountain in the yard. Upstairs were two bedrooms and a tiny bathroom with a tiny tub that had doors to both bedrooms. In the back was a shed with a window AC that could be plumbed with a toilet if I wanted. The home was formerly owned by a police officer and the front door had more dead bolts in it than a bank safe.

I fell in love with the place immediately. The kitchen was gorgeous having been converted into a gourmet chef’s dream. Since I am not a gourmet chef it might be wasted on me. There had been termites in the kitchen but I was assured that they had been taken care of. The septic was out to the west of the shed.The place could be made into a perfect working studio. Since I now work digitally I wouldn’t need tons of space. The home is on a corner lot at the intersection of West Myrtle and highway 19.

After the tour, I sat a cross the street to sketch. Over the course of two hours, I noticed the road noise from 19 more and more. 18 wheeler s roared down the road constantly and every car seemed to be in a mad rush. There was one mass of bamboo planted between the road noise and the home. I started to reason that expanding the bamboo patch might cut the noise down. With cars and trucks rushing by at night, I would probably loose sleep.

The home is 1 block from Little Lake Harris which is a part of a chain of lakes. I had to run across 19 to avoid getting run over. The lake is gorgeous and there is a dock at the end of the block. I could easily set out on a kayak any time I wanted. If I could just move the home away from the highway noise and closer to the lake it wold be perfect. Having lived for the past 6 months on the flight path for planes landing at Orlando International Airport, I know how grating such constant noise can be.

As much as I am madly in love with the place, I will probably have to pass, though I change my mind every few hours.

My Baby Does the Hanky Panky

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This sketch dates back to 2008, one year before I started doing one sketch a day and posting those sketches online.  With this sketch I was just getting used to sketching live performances. The band was singing, “My Baby does the Hanky Panky.” I like how loose my line work was. Structure gave way to wild flowing lines. Clearly the music influenced how the lines went down on the page. I am certain I felt some annoyance that I wasn’t closer to the performers. Over time however I learned to accept and embrace being part of the distant audience.

This sketch was done at the Fiddler’s Green (544 Fairbanks Avenue, Winter Park Florida). It was here that I discovered that Guinness Ail goes absolutely perfectly with a slice of chocolate cake. Just thinking about it makes me want to experience that flavor sensation again.

I kind of miss these impromptu sketch sessions. I used to go out any night of the week and discover some new musical talent. Now I work until 8pm 6 nights a week and tend to miss such performances. I need to focus my attention on finding really late night music jam sessions. They must exist and I need to dial myself into that scene. For now I am focusing on discovering Old Yalaha Florida architecture. It has been bloody cold out, but it si worth it when I get a good sketch of old forgotten Florida.

I just realized that this will publish on the first full day of the Trump return to office. Things about to go south very fast and I suppose an artist should be in the wings to document the downfall.

Yalaha Florida General Store

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I have started exploring Yalaha Florida. I had to mail some art to a client, so I made a trip to the Yalaya Post Office. The flag was at half mast for former president Jimmy Carter.

I had the art packed in a Priority mail tube and the woman behind the desk told me it would cost $36 to ship. She advised I use another form of shipping that cost $9. I was thankful for the advice. I need to keep researching what shipping method is most affordable while keeping the art safe.

Right next to the post office is the abandoned Yalaha General Store. Now this place had character. If it was for sale I would want to convert this into a working art studio. I am sure it would involve so much renovation work that I would never have time to paint. The other disadvantage is that it is right on 48 which is a highly traveled and very loud roadway. Leaning against a stop sign, I had to deal with the constant roar of traffic as I sketched. One obnoxious UPS truck let off a huge plume of exhaust right in front of me. An X Infinity truck parked in front of the General Store for the longest time. I think they are setting up internet connectivity in the neighborhood behind the store. I debated about including the truck in the sketch but realized they guy was probably just taking an unauthorized break. He left as I was applying watercolor washes to the sketch.

The Yalaha General Store was B.C. Genaral Store and BBQ up until about 2018. It closed after 32 years in business. It was a quirky place that boasted the “best darn BBQ in Lake County. It used to have a screened in front porch with a cut out pic and chicken dancing on the facade. I thought the yellow cement blocks up front must have been for gas pumps but it seems they were at the corners of the screened in porch area. I tried looking up the place on Zillow, but it has no history, it is as if it never existed. An old Florida gem quietly faded into the past, while corporate sprawl expands.

That neighborhood has true old cracker style homes. My plan is to hike back once a day and get a sketch. I may need to bring a hiking stick, just in case people let their dogs run loose. I hike each morning around the block in my neighborhood to the mail box. 3 huge white Great Pyrenees dogs bark at me each morning from behind their fenced in yard. I simply say good morning to them and they seem to be getting used to seeing me each morning. They bark less vociferously.

Crealde Large Scale Sketching

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As the pandemic progressed, class sizes dwindled at Crealde School of Art. I worked hard to maintain social distancing in the classroom and masks were required. I haven’t seen pre-pandemic class sizes yet, though my online classes have me booked solid 6 days a week.

These two students were friends and both were talented artists. I gave them the challenge of drawing the classroom on very large sheets of paper that completely covered their tables. The sketch above was also done on that massive scale. When starting a sketch the artist is often confronted with a feeling that they could not possibly fit all that they see on the sketch page. This assignment flips that feeling on it’s head. Students can no longer sketch dainty small objects but instead they must draw on a massive scale, to fill the sheet.

The fun thing about working this large is that you can dig in and sketch the smallest details. The sketch still needed to be done in about 3 hours so lines needed to be put down quickly and the entire body is used to put lines down rather than twitching fingertips and wrists the movement of the pencils were influenced by how the student stood and leaned into the sketch. The entire arm, and shoulder and hips would pivot making sketching a much more active sport.

Compass Fusion at Timucua

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Terry Olson offered some free tickets to the Timucua Arts Foundation, Compass Fusion Concert. He said the first people to e-mail him could have the tickets. I emailed, but wasn’t fast enough. Knowing I wanted to sketch, Terry pulled some strings anyway. Leah Love, the Executive Director at Timicua, let me know she would love too have me sketch. She and Michael Rizzo had been married since the last time I saw them. At the entrance Leah actually didn’t recognize me since I now have a grizzly mountain man beard.

Thick red velvet curtains separated the entry, social area from the performance space. On stage, visual artists Edson Campos and Kathleen Brodeaur were working on a large portrait of a young girl. Edson and Kathleen worked on the portrait together. It was fascinating to watch them work before the start of the show. By the time Benoit Glazer made his announcements and introduced the performers the face of the portrait was complete.

The Compass Trio are from Brooklyn New York. They performed Indian Flamenco-Groove Fusion with guitar, Tabla (drums), and sitar. The music was absolutely mesmerizing and fantastic to sketch to. One piece called Murmerations which was inspired by large flocks of birds flying in absolute unison. The music wove its way into the soul. I swayed as I sketched feeling every undulating improvisation that inspired the lines to dance on the page with little second guessing.

A string broke on the sitar, so there was a brief question and answer session as the repair was made. I took the time to keep sketching feverishly. That break was a good time to break out the watercolors. The final piece they performed kept building in layers to a magnificent crescendo that they maintained indefinitely. When it ended the audience burst into a standing ovation. I had to put my art supplies away before I could stand.

I had driven 32 miles from the back woods of Yalaha, Florida to witness this performance, and it was well worth it. The room vibrated with creative inspiration. Benoit got on the stage and mentioned that the painting that Edson and Kathleen had done live on stage was available for $700. Someone in the back of the audience purchased the painting. I do believe that they were painting a woman’s portrait on the very first evening I sketched at the Timucua White House. That painting has hung in the room ever since it’s creation.

Urban Sketchers Orlando at The Salty Donut

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On October 17, the Orlando Urban Sketchers held a Coffee and Draw event at the The Salty Donut (3025 Corrine Dr, Orlando, FL).

I ordered an iced coffee and a donut with a sweet caramel glaze. All the urban sketchers were seated outside and every seat was full, so I sat inside looking out through the plate glass windows. Being inside I kept my kn-95 mask and that meant my donut and coffee would not be eaten until the sketch was done and I went outside.

Staff were decorating the venue for Halloween and a skull was plopped down in front of me, while strands of witches were hung from bookshelves. This sketch was done in a very old sketchbook started back in college days and I am working to fill it up, despite the thin paper quality.

One of the sketchers was a former student of mine and it was rewarding to see him and his wife still sketching. Most all of my evenings are booked solid with virtual classes so I always make sure to get out to any morning sketch opportunities I can find. With all the sketches complete, we had a “Throwdown” to see all the sketches together. Then we posed as a group in front of the Salty Donut.