Blog Con 2019

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I stopped by Full Sail University to see the opening of this year’s Blog Con. Ford sponsored the event and several vehicles were parked outside the entrance. In the parking lot a woman had her arm stretched out in front of her holding her phone which she was  talking to. She was clearly recording a video of herself reporting about Blog Con. I have tried to sketch at Blog Con every year since 2009. It is a chance to see what is happening in this relatively new field of digital communication. This year’s theme was “Tell Your Story.” The Full Sail Live auditorium was packed. Blog Con had sold out.



Rachelle Lucas a Freelance Spokesperson, Writer, and Videographer was giving the key note talk. I sketched her as she waited to go on stage. She spoke about getting a trip to Dubai and being nervous about going to the Middle East. With world tensions so high she feared that she and the people with her might be dragged out into that desert to be shot. The trip however was lovely. She showed an Instagram photo of herself in a bathrobe sipping a cup of champagne. It looked like the ideal relaxing vacation. However the reality behind that image was something else. She had welts all over her arms and legs from mosquito bites. That was why she was in the bathrobe. 

Rachelle talked about walking through the lobby of the hotel with several gentleman carrying the campaign. Two older gentlemen seated in the lobby, I imagine them looking like the two guys in the balcony of the Muppets show, winked and nodded their heads. Had they seen the cameras set up in the hotel suite their imaginations would have gone wild.


Rachelle’s primary point was that social media like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are platforms to help drive traffic to the place where the WHOLE story can be  told which is her blog. It was rewarding to hear that for once I might be doing something right since I use those media in the same way. 

She pointed out that telling stories is as important in society as the basics of survival. Stories have been passed down through the generations, filling history books, offering insights into our culture. They are central to humans communicate. We engage
with others through stories, and storytelling is a lot more than just a
recitation of facts and events. As human beings, we are automatically drawn to stories because we see ourselves reflected in them. We inevitably interpret the meaning in stories and understand ourselves better. It was helpful to be reminded that the simple act of sharing ideas every day has meaning and value.


After her Key Note, the  crowd was divided up into different groups. Someone would hold up a sign saying something like, Foodies and all the foodies would gather around the sign. I always feel like the odd duck out since what I do does not fit neatly into any of those categories. I’m not a mommy blogger, a foodie or a lifestyle blogger. Though I am starting to use digital sketch tablets, I’m not a tech blogger. I feel too old school to fit into the modern digital categories. I have so much to learn and Blog Con was a fire hose of information. Someday I hope to master the business of telling stories.

6 of VIII at Casa Feliz

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As I approached Casa Feliz there was plenty of activity. A photographer as shooting photos of a wedding couple on the back  patio so I walked around the front of the building. Several ladders and a trampoline were set up in front of the entrance. I still don’t know what the trampoline is for, but I suspect it might play a part in a production of a pre-show presentation of On the Balcony, a mash-up of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and West Side Story.  Gabriel Preisser the Orlando opera executive and artistic director welcomed me.

In the living room of Casa Feliz, Opera Orlando will remount the 2019 Critics Choice for Best Musical 6 OF VIII this weekend at the beautiful Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum. There will be  food, wine, and an evening of stellar theater featuring The Helena Collective. it would make for a  perfect date night.

 There were 5 minutes before a full run through of the show, so I started sketching the set quickly in pencil waiting for the actresses to take to the stage. The room grew dark and the women in long white robes came down the aisle ringing bells and carrying candles. As they glided down the aisle, a large bang echoed through the empty historic home. There was nervous laughter from the cast. It was a foreboding start to he show.

This original work about the 6 wives of Henry VIII expands the song cycle Try Me, Good King by Libby Larsen,
with original monologues, madrigals, and other music to give voice to
Henry’s dead wives. The result is an atmospheric snapshot into the
unique lives of history’s most famous wives.

One opera singer, Sarah Purser Bojorquez, I have met before. She sang about how women risk their own lives willingly to bring new life into the world. Sarah has just given birth to a baby in her own life so the song seemed quite prescient. Each woman was a former bride of Henry the VIII who is best known for beheading his brides when they displeased him. Each woman’s story was unique. Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. 

I was particularly take by the story of a young 16 year old girl who was in love with another man but was used like a pawn by her father to wed a man much much older than herself. She regretted not marrying the boy she loved and died a the tender age of 17, beheaded by the king.

The room in Casa Feliz where this show is being staged is quite small so the audience is right on top of the action. Seated in the front row I feared I might trip up an actress, but they adjusted to the tight stage. The show is mysterious and somber. There are few happy endings for the women who knew King Henry VIII.

 6 OF VIII

Tickets are $77.25

The show is sung in English so you will not have to read subtitles.

Adaptation created by Sara Catherine Barnes

Special pre-show presentation “On the Balcony” featuring selections from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and Bernstein’s West Side Story along with pop-up performances by the ConVivo Madrigal Singers.

ESTIMATED RUN TIME: 1 Hours

SHOW TIMES:

Friday September 13 at 7:30pm

Saturday September 14 at 7:30 p.m.
Sunday September 15 at 2:00 p.m.*

*This performance is currently sold out, to be placed on the wait list please email office@operaorlando.org or call 407-512-1900

Wekend Top 6 Picks for September 14 and 15, 2019

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Saturday September 14, 2019

10pm to 5pm Free. 331Sullivan Street Fair, Punta Gorda. Punta Gorda Craft Festival. Punta Gorda Sullivan Street Craft Festival will highlight the talents of
many unique crafters, providing the area with one of its most enjoyable
winter traditions. Come meet and visit with some of the nation’s best
crafters while enjoying the charming streets of Punta Gorda. It features
a display of products like ceramic, jewelry, digital, photo, fiber,
metalwork, sculptures, glass, mixed media, wood, graphics, painting and
much more.

4pm to 6pm Free.  Young Voices. JB Callaman Center 102 North Parramore Ave Orlando FL. Teen Open Mic Every second Saturday of the Month. 

8pm to 10pm $5 Second Saturdays in Sanford. 202 S Sanford Ave, Sanford, FL. Live music event featuring 2 stages, drink specials and more.

Sunday September 15, 2019

9:30am to 12:30pm  $275 for 6 classes. Urban Sketching Tips and Techniques. Taught by Thor. Crealde School of Art. Learn to sketch from subject to the environment. Classroom sessions will
focus on sketching clothed models and progress towards sketching the
model and classroom environment. Learn how to incorporate storytelling
into your sketches in our location sessions. These trips to local venues
will challenge you to use your sketchbook the way a photojournalist
uses a camera. The six-week goal is to produce finished sketches using
pencil, pen, and watercolor within two hours. Skill level: Intermediate

2pm to 3pm  $77.25 6 of VIII Casa Feliz 656 N Park Avenue Winter Park, FL 32789.

Divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Revel in the bliss and misery of marriage as the six ill-fated queens of the second Tudor king share their experiences of matrimony and acrimony. 

This original work about the 6 wives of Henry VIII expands the song cycle Try Me, Good King by Libby Larsen, with original monologues, madrigals, and other music to give voice to Henry’s dead wives. The result is an atmospheric snapshot into the unique lives of history’s most famous wives. The Critic’s Choice winner for Best Musical at the 2019 Orlando International Fringe Festival, 6 of VIII features The Helena Collective. Presented at the Historic Casa Feliz Mansion in Winter Park, these special encore performances include appetizers, desserts, and wine.

Sung in English.

Adaptation created by Sara Catherine Barnes

Special pre-show presentation “On the Balcony” featuring selections from Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette and Bernstein’s West Side Story along with pop-up performances by the ConVivo Madrigal Singers.

10pm to Midnight. Free but get a coffee. Comedy Open Mic. Austin’s Coffee, 929 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL. Free comedy show! Come out and laugh, or give it a try yourself.

Before Pixels

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Third Thursdays, now marketed as, Art, Tech Biz is an opportunity for visitors to converge downtown and celebrate art, food, technology, and business. Along the way,
people partake in an evening of sights, sounds, food, shopping, and cosmopolitan living. At the time of this sketch, I had two sketches on display at City Arts Factory, but in order to get a sketch done, I walked two blocks over to The Gallery at Avalon Island (now City Arts) to sketch the musicians performing for the evening.

The monthly Third Thursdays event includes, the Gallery Hop, hosted by the Downtown Arts District featuring numerous
galleries and non-traditional art venues that spotlight the best of
established and emerging Orlando-based artists, in tandem with nationally
and internationally acclaimed artists.

The 3rd Thu Biz
Networking events are hosted by the Downtown Orlando Partnership and
allow attendees to experience some of downtown’s fine establishments
while making great local business connections.

The Orlando Tech
Meetup offers tech enthusiasts and entrepreneurs the chance to
socialize and hear five different technology groups present live product
demos.

This sketch done at The Gallery at Avalon Island was of the musicians for the night, Before Pixels.  Much has happened since this sketch was done, the historic Rogers Kiene Building (39 Magnolia Avenue, Orlando, FL) that was home to the Gallery at Avalon Island was donated to the city. Thus Avalon Island Art Gallery was shuttered. City Arts Factory moved from its location on Orange Avenue two blocks away to the Rogers Kiene Building and is now called CityArts Orlando. The end result is of course much less exhibition space as the visual arts scene shrinks in Orlando.

Annual Harvest Grape Stomp

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The harvest season has arrived and it’s time for grape stomping
competitions at Lakeridge Winery and Vineyards, (19239 US-27, Clermont, FL 34715). This event is perfect for a family outing. Listen to
continuous live music the entire weekend by superb local musicians.
Lakeridge wine, beer, soft drinks, and a variety of food is available for
purchase, along with complimentary winery tours and tasting.

The long line for stomping wound back and forth under the shade of the event tent. Anticipation built as we made our way to the front of the line. Grapes were loaded into each of the barrels and a spigot would empty the resulting juices into a plastic cup. Pam Schwartz is very competitive, but I have bigger feet. The stomping began with all the excitement of a Kentucky Derby horse race. Though stomping vigorously, I wasn’t getting much juice run off. Of the 8 or 9 competitors, Pam had the largest run off collected by far. The latter explained that the most important thing to do is to sweep away all the solid grape guts from the siphon inside the barrel. Every few stomps she would sweep the siphon clean allowing the juices to flow. My take was pitiful in comparison. The judge took a photo of us holding our juices in mugs. At home the next week I photo shopped a much bigger mug in my hand overflowing with juice. Pam wasn’t impressed with my handy work.

We took a wine tasting tour and relaxed for the afternoon listening to music on the main stage. The couple next to us gave travel advice. Food available was comparable to fairground vendors.

Catch this year’s stomp on:

August 15, 2018 10:00 am – 05:00 pm

August 16, 2018 11:00 am – 05:00 pm

Admission Fee:

Adult Admission –  $10

Children 12 and under – FREE

Grape Stomping all ages – Included with entry fee.

A portion of the proceeds go to support the Alzheimer’s Family Organization

Kings Landing

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Pam Schwartz and I took a trip up to Kings Landing (5722 Baptist Camp Rd, Apopka, FL 32712) to kayak and explore the Emerald Cut. There was a huge line of cars to get into Kelly Park, a swimming hole and springs right before the kayak launch site. Pam cut into the dirt side roads and avoided 3/4 of the line. Rick Kilby had loaned us his kayak which I used for the day.

Once at Kings Landing it was easy enough to drop off the kayaks and them Pam parked the truck on the roadside. She went inside to make arrangements and get a wrist band while I guarded the kayaks. I then went in and quickly got my wrist band. There were lots of folks renting kayaks and the launch was crowded. A narrow cut led to the river and since there were so many inexperienced people getting started we had to bide our time until we could navigate around them.

At the end of the entry to the river was a rope swing hanging from a tree with a crowd gathered to swing into the water. The first half of the day’s trip was all up stream working our muscles, but once we reached the turn around point it was all down stream on the way back. We saw lots of turtles sunning themselves on logs with their hind legs spread out, webbed toes spread to catch the sun. There were also some sizable alligators patrolling the shores.

We stopped once in a shady spot so I could get a quick sketch as another couple passed us on the river. There were a few humble homes on the shores, but for the most part it felt like old Florida as it was over 100 years ago. There were spots where trees had been cut because they blocked the river, probably after falling during a hurricane. Hurricane Dorian swept past Orlando without making landfall. We were spared what could have been a devastating storm.

The four hour kayak trip ended at Wekiva Island where a huge crowd was swimming and sunning themselves. A bus and trailer brought us back to the launch point. If you are an experienced kayaker this is a fantastic weekend day trip. Once you get away from the crowds at the launch you can experience as much time as you want on the river. I highly recommend this if you want to experience Florida as it was long before theme parks.

Kayak/Canoe rentals are $30 for the
day. Using your own kayak is $20, if you choose to have them pick you up
at Wekiva Island and shuttle you back. During summer months, get there
early (before 11), as they typically sell out. We considered driving up with two cars to avoid the shuttle but decided against it, paying a bit more for convenience. The shuttle bus isn’t air conditioned so if you want luxury, think twice. Also bring or wear swimming trunks. I was scolded for only wearing shorts and my butt got quite wet.

Evita at the Shakes

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Evita is a musical based on the book and lyrics by Tim Rice and music by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It charts the young and ambitious Eva Duarte’s meteoric rise to sainthood. The play opened with an audience trying to watch a film, which is interrupted by the news flash that Eva Perón had died.The blood curdling screams made it clear that a great and beloved soul had been lost.

The set by scenic designer Jim Hunter made the rise to the iconic balcony scene accessible via a spiral staircase. Pam had a good laugh because I was blocking in the set in my sketch, when all of the pieces of staging on casters were rolled to new locations up stage.

Evita (Yael Reich) had a passion for life and she went through a revolving door of lovers, each of which brought her rising fame. She was a humble actress who wanted to rise above her middle class upbringing.

Juan Perón (Rodrigo
Ignacio Cruz) was also rising in power through the ranks of the military. Generals played a game of musical rocking chairs to see who lasted on the way to the top. When he and Eva met they were the perfect fit. Eva marched into his home and kicked out his young mistress.

Since she was from the streets, the people loved her but the elite snubbed her. Despite not being accepted into the ruling class, she initiated reforms that would help the people of Argentina.

Che (Dan Domenech) was a true revolutionary who saw her reforms as ways to win the love of the public instead of truly offering the people the power of democracy.  Evita’s passionate life was lived as a candle burning from both ends. Under her bold impassioned pleas there was a delicate frame. For one song she stood beside me in the aisle and belted out her song. I was amazed at the purity and strength of her voice in such a small frame.

Evita runs through October 6, 2019 

TICKET INFORMATION

PRICING

Wednesdays – Saturdays
at 7:30 p.m. and every Sunday and select Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. – starting at
$35

Preview Performances and
Senior Matinees – starting at $25

DISCOUNTS (May not be combined
with any other offers)

Group Sales: 20% off
groups of 10+

Student Rush: $25 – 30
minutes prior to show w/ valid student ID

Student and
Active/Retired Military: $10 off single ticket prices w/ valid ID (Only available
in Price Levels A and B)

$25 Under 35: Patrons
under 35 years old can purchase $25 tickets for evening and weekend matinee
performances during September 18-22. Call the Box Office at (407) 447-1700 ext.
1 or purchase online with code word: 25UNDER35 (Only available in Price Levels
B and C.)

Senior Matinees: September 18, &
25 and October 2 at 2:00 p.m.

Talk Back Performance: September 29 at 2:00
p.m.

Baldwin Bark

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As I write this, Hurricane Dorian has become a category 5 storm, causing devastation in the Bahamas as it heads west towards Florida. Earlier in the week, Orlando was right in the line of the storm’s path, but newer computer forecasts show the storm turning north and heading up the coast of Florida without making land fall. Orlando is still in the cone of uncertainty. This is all happening on Labor Day weekend, which was already a long weekend because of the holiday, and now the city of Orlando, as well as Orange County, have shut down through Wednesday. The result is cabin fever, since most events that I would want to sketch are also cancelled.

For three days in a row Pam and I have taken the dogs to the dog park to let them run and expend some energy. The result is calmer, sleepier puppies. Although Donkey is a bit of a hurricane in her own right. That dog had already eaten a coffee table and several TV remotes. Couches are shredded and toys are just tiny shredded bits that get clogged Debbie the Deebot in any clean up attempt. The threat of a possible storm outside pales to the ongoing devastation from Hurricane Donkey inside.

At the dog park Donkey runs everywhere at full speed with her long tongue hanging out of her mouth. She has a high pitched bark that is created without her ever moving her jaws. Sprout, on the other hand, tracks dogs in order to hump them, from the front or back, it doesn’t matter. He was fixed but that doesn’t stop that primal urge to shake those hips. The final trip to a dog park ended with an outer rain band soaking everyone. I was the only person with an umbrella but it wasn’t much help with the rain coming in horizontally in high winds. Now we are hunkered down and just waiting to see if the storm will turn to the north before hitting us. The forecasters might have fancy computer models, but the storm will do what it wants. Right now Orlando is under a tropical storm warning and I can see the hurricane on my iPhone radar. For the first time I can watch the storms progress any time I want. I’m hoping the winds that hit Orlando will just be around 39 miles per hour. We will just have to wait and see.

Weeki Wachee Mermaids

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Pam Schwartz and I spent a weekend out by Weeki Wachee. We found a motel with a dock right on one of the streams that flow from the spring. We brought along two kayaks and explored the waterways the first day. It was plenty busy at the start of the trip with people swinging off of ropes and splashing into the crystal clear water. As we paddled further on the crowds thinned and the old native Florida habitat took over.

The next day we made our way into the Weeki Wachee Srings State Park (6131 Commercial Way, Spring Hill, FL 34606). “Weeki Wachee” was named by the Seminole Indians. It means “little
spring” or “winding river.” The spring is so deep that the bottom has
never been found. Each day, more than 117 million gallons of clear,
fresh, 74-degree water bubbles up out of the subterranean caverns.

In
1946, Newton Perry, a former U.S. Navy man who trained Navy Frogmen
to swim underwater in World War II, scouted out Weeki Wachee as a good
site for a new business. In 1947, the first show at the Weeki Wachee
Springs underwater theater opened. In the 1950s, Weeki Wachee was one of
the nation’s most popular tourist
stops. The attraction received worldwide acclaim. Movies were filmed at
the spring, like Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid.

Of course we had to see the Mermaid Show. Women with air hoses acted as the mermaids and performed such astonishing stunts like drinking a bottle of Coke under water. I do have to admire their calm demeanor as they dove further down than I have ever tried. They were always smiling while waiting for their next breath of air from a hose. The best mermaids made the hose seem unnecessary. The shows climax came with a stirring tribute to the American flag which rose up behind the mermaids in the water.

The rest of our day was spent in Buccaneer Bay which had some steep water slides. The line up the wooden staircase was excruciatingly long. And the slide was terrifying, but over in a split second. The bay itself was relaxing, but we did see a woman slip on the cement ledge and fall – first hitting the cement and then falling in the water. Someone helped get her out of the water and life guards revived her. I then lost sight of her and don’t know if she left or was taken for further treatment. The lazy river tubes were my favorite way to stay cool and relax.

Now that school has started for most kids, the lazy river and water slides are closed Monday through Friday.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for September 7 and 8, 2019

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This month’s concert held at the Timucua White HouseSaturday September 7, 2019

9am to 5pm. $50-$68  Florida Blog Con. Full Sail University, 3300 University Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792. The
Florida Blogger and Social Media Conference (aka #FLBlogCon) is a
one-day gathering of the state’s biggest bloggers, social media pros,
content creators, marketing and PR pros, and online influencers. Now in
our 9th year, the FLBlogcon planning team is excited to present once
again a day packed with break-out sessions, hands-on classes, and
informative keynotes.

4pm to 7pm Free. Found Spaces: New Paintings by Robert Ross. Arts on Douglas Gallery, 123 Douglas St., New Smyrna Beach, FL 32168. Sept.
7-28, 2019. The show, Found Spaces: New Paintings by Robert Ross, will
feature 38 brand-new art works I created over the past year exploring
interiors and landscape spaces. The exhibit includes a series of
10×10-inch paintings called “DOMUS” that riff on the classic geometry of
domestic spaces.

10:30pm to 12:30am Free but get food and drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL 32801. 

Sunday September 8, 2019 

9:30am to 12:30pm $275 Crealde Urban Sketching Class. Crealde School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792. I am instructing this 6 week course in Sunday mornings.  Learn to sketch from subject to the environment. Classroom sessions will
focus on sketching clothed models and progress towards sketching the
model and classroom environment. Learn how to incorporate storytelling
into your sketches in our location sessions. These trips to local venues
will challenge you to use your sketchbook the way a photojournalist
uses a camera. The six-week goal is to produce finished sketches using
pencil, pen, and watercolor within two hours. Skill level: Intermediate.

Noon to 2pm Free. 10th International Urban Sketchers Symposium Travelogue by USk Orlando.  Sam Flax Orlando 1800 East Colonial Drive 2nd Floor Orlando, FL 32803. Join USk Orlando as we show and tell what we gained from the Urban Sketchers Symposium in Amsterdam! We’ll meet at Sam Flax on Sunday, 9/08 at 12pm.

trav·e·logue

/ˈtravəˌlôɡ/

noun

a movie, book, or illustrated lecture about the places visited and experiences encountered by a traveler.

Join us as we present a travelogue of our personal experiences at the 10th International Urban Sketchers Symposium held in 2019 in the beautiful city of Amsterdam. We will have a Q&A session, show & tell of our sketches done on location during the symposium, and demonstrations of workshops. Stay after and shop at the artist’s mecca, Sam Flax, then join us for a traditional Drink & Draw at Dandelion Communitea Café.

“The Dutch capital city has a history that dates back to the 13th century, and nowadays is a world city with historic as well as modern architecture. It has inspired artists for centuries with its idyllic bridges, canal houses and cobblestones.Amsterdam hosts 180 nationalities so everyone will feel right at home. It has everything you need for spending the perfect day in the City. Hosting world-class museums, it’s not just decked with old canals, charming gabled facades, drawbridges, and windmills but also with cutting edge modern design like the EYE Film museum. Truly an urban sketchers paradise.” http://www.urbansketchers.org/p/usk-amsterdam-2019_99.html

2pm to 4pm $5 Film Slam. Enzian Theater, South Orlando Avenue, Maitland, FL. Originally
a project of University of Central Florida’s Downtown Media Arts
Center, Enzian became the home of FilmSlam when DMAC closed in 2006. FilmSlam will usually be held on the second Sunday of each month at 1PM at Enzian.