The Yorktown

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The Yorktown aircraft carrier is harbored in Charleston, South Carolina. It is one of the ships that can be explore at Patriots Point Naval and Maritime Museum (40 Patriots Point Rd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464). One thing that is difficult to convey in just one sketch is just how huge this ship is. The upper deck must have been several football fields in length.

Patriots Point Development Authority was established in the 1970s to
develop the naval and maritime museum on Charleston Harbor with the
World War II aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown as its centerpiece. It’s
also home to a fleet of National Historic
Landmark ships, the Cold War Memorial and the only Vietnam Experience
Exhibit in the U.S., the Congressional Medal of Honor Society, and the
agency’s official Medal of Honor Museum. Patriots Point strives to preserve the living history of our nation’s
bravest men and women while telling their stories in honorable,
educational and engaging ways.

We explored the inner bowls of the ship winding up metal staircases and narrow passageways.  It felt liberating to get out on the huge open each, so I  took some time to settle in and sketch.

Every section of the ship has been converted into a museum to showcase the history of the Yorktown and ships like her. Initially to have been named Bonhomme Richard, it was renamed Yorktown while under construction to commemorate USS Yorktown (CV-5), lost at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. Yorktown (CV-10) was commissioned in April 1943, and participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning 11 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation.

Decommissioned shortly after the end of the war, it was modernized and
recommissioned in February 1953 as an attack carrier, and served
with distinction during the Korean War. It was later modernized with a
canted deck and eventually became an antisubmarine carrier and
served for many years in the Pacific, including duty in the Vietnam War, in which it earned five battle stars. Late in its career, it served as a recovery ship for the Apollo 8 space mission, and was used in the movie Tora! Tora! Tora! which recreated the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

Solar Eclipse

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Getting to witness a complete solar eclipse is rare. When I found out a solar eclipse was coming, I researched where the path of totality was as it passed across the country. The narrow band crossed over Charleston, South Carolina. I have a sister who lives in Charleston so I gave her a call. Then I researched the best places to witness the eclipse and I found out about Joe Riley Stadium the home of the River Dogs. The stadium opened early before the game so that fans could watch the eclipse.

Pam and I found solar glasses well over a month before. We drove up to South Carolina with John Naughton and his nephew. The road trip itself was fun with a few short stops along the way, including an amazing restaurant in Savannah Georgia. My sister agreed to join us on game day to watch the eclipse. It felt good to share such a rare event with family.

I expected huge crowds approaching the stadium but parking and getting in proved effortless. Once seated, we got a few hot dogs and waited. Announcers kept track of the eclipse progress sharing video on the jumbo-tron screen. A drone hovered over the field watching the crowd and the players lounged on top of their dugout to watch as well. Hundreds of people watched the sky with their solar glasses. Some kids had built their own solar pinhole devices which projected the eclipse on a white card for viewing. The last time I witnessed a solar eclipse I was maybe 10 years old and made a similar pinhole viewer. A group of students also launched a weather balloon high above the field. Rumors circulated that Actor Bill Murray was in the crowd. A face painter was busy painting solar eclipse themes faces.

It took quite some time for the sun to completely block out the sun. When it did the stadium grew quiet. Even the birds stopped chirping. It was a reflective moment. This crowd seemed small compared to the grand scale of the universe. Gaps between leaves in the trees acted as pin hole viewers projecting crescent shaped images all over the pavement. Just as the day had grown pitch black, it slowly illuminated again. Once the sun was out, the game got under way and went on right until sunset. The sunset was glorious and golden behind the bleachers.

Bok Tower Gardens

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Bok Tower Gardens is one of Florida’s gems. With 126 different species of birds, 50 acres of gardens to explore and fascinating architecture, the Gardens are an outdoors
enthusiast’s dream. I wish Bok Tower Gardens was closer to Orlando. It is an hour and a half drive west from Downtown. Douing this sketch was a major challenge since mosquitoes were out in force. I spent more time swatting them that putting makes on the pace. If there is a noticeable frenetic energy to this sketch, that is the reason.

Edward W. Bok
immigrated to America from Den Helder, Netherlands at age six, not understanding the language, customs or culture. Through determination
and hard work, he became a highly successful publisher, Pulitzer
Prize-winning author, respected humanitarian and an advocate of world
peace and the environment.  in 1921, the idea came to him to preserve this hilltop and create a bird sanctuary – a place of beauty, serenity and peace.

Integral to his idea was the availability of a famous landscape architect, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. who also designed Central park in NYC. Having
made arrangements to buy land on the hilltop, Bok commissioned Olmsted
to change this arid sand hill into “a spot of beauty second to none in
the country.” The first year was spent digging trenches and laying water
pipes for irrigation, after which thousands of truck loads of rich black soil were brought in.

With the proper conditions for a subtropical garden in place, the
planting of bushes and trees began to provide food for migrating birds.
Today, these plantings provide shade to visitors as well as refuge for
squirrels and 126 bird species. I quickly sketched the giant floating water lilies.

The Singing Tower was designed by famed architect Milton B. Medary and ornately crafted by noted stone sculptor Lee Lawrie,
the Tower houses one of the world’s finest carillons. Concerts from the
60-bell carillon fill the garden every day at 1p.m. and 3 p.m.

Nightmare Before Christmas Cabaret

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I went to the Falcon Bar and Gallery (819 E Washington St, Orlando, FL 32801) to sketch the Nightmare Before Christmas Cabaret staring Marisa Ashley Risque. In the window of the bar, was a sing from the Pulse Foundation that said, “We Will Not Let Hate Win.”

This was a fun edgy and funny show for those who wanted to celebrate Christmas in July. There was live acoustic guitar and plenty of cross dressing. The drag performer was proud with a full beard, push up bra, and full white fur coat. Some shows like this might fall back on lip sinc to carry the tunes, but Ashley Risque has a fabulous  voice that can belt out any Skellington themed tune. Ashley was dressed as Sally, Jack Skellington’s love interest. She sang Sally’s song with deep baleful and tragic sincerity. The arts though stitched and sometimes missing an arm are still thriving in threadbare Orlando.

Art and Poetry at the Polasek

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The Albin Polasek Museum and the Jack Kerouac Project,  joined forces to present this night of live art. Local poets and winners of the Winter Park Paint Out’s live poetry contest on Allpoetry.com read their work while I did this sketch which was projected live on a screen as I created it. It was the golden hour as the sun set illuminated the Polasek gardens a gorgeous golden tone. In the distance a painter was capturing Lake Osceola on canvas. I will be doing a similar sketch again this year at the Winter Park Paint Out which runs from April 22 to April 28, 2019.

I worked quickly to try to capture the fading light as the Kerouac House resident author Laura Lee Bahr read her work. She is the author of two novels, Haunt and Long-Form Religious Porn. Haunt was translated into Spanish under the title Fantasma. Laura has been a screenwriter for various award-winning films, including Jesus Freak and the little death. Her debut feature as writer/director, Boned,
won “Best Micro-Budget Feature” at the Toronto Independent Film
Festival and is currently distributed through Gravitas Ventures. Her latest book, Angel Meat, a
collection of her short stories, is available through Fungasm Press. To
promote it, she created the “Bahr Crawl,” a string of readings across
the U.S. and overseas where local authors join her in a celebration of
the spoken word. She lives with her sweetheart and two lovely felines in Los Angeles,
CA, where she teaches at a school for twice-exceptional students.

The Kerouac House is in cozy College Park. Jack Kerouac lived in the area for a short time in
1957–58 when his classic work On The Road was published to much acclaim. It was also the place he typed the original manuscript of his sequel, Dharma Bums. Four authors each year take up residence to focus on their writing without having to worry about paying rent.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for March 9 and 10, 2019

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Saturday March 9, 2019

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.

10:30pm to 12:30am Free. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL.  Hot blooded flamenco dancing to acoustic guitar.

Sunday March 10, 2019

10 am to Noon Free. Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation Class. University, 5200 Vineland Rd, Orlando, FL 32811. The Method of Heartfulness A simple and practical way to experience the heart’s unlimited resources.

1:30pm to 5pm Free but get food and drink. Florida Gospel Jam. Fish on Fire 7937 Daetwyler Drive Belle Island FL. Non Denominational Gospel open mic Every 2nd and 4th Sunday.

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.

Black Cow Jumps – Immersive Theater of the Heart

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I went to The District Market At Mills 50, (1221 North Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803) to sketch Black Cow Jumps. In association with KC Malhan, Banks Helfrich brought immersive theater of the heart to this eclectic fashion event. Black Cow Jumps is an immersive, reality-based theater which explores relationships, philosophy and absurdity through short vignettes.

The District Market at Mills 50 is a Local Artisan Market and Co-Op
Marketplace featuring a Vegan Bodega Gourmet Grocery, Coffee, Handmade Cards, Gifts and Artwork, Vintage / Soaps and Pop-Up
Dining. I was fascinated by the cat bag hanging on the wall, and the various African animals scattered around the room. It was a quaint place and I am glad I got to discover it with Pam.

 The show started off with a cello solo. Black Cow Jumps featured intimate on on one performances which often had the theme of connection. An upcoming show at the Winter Park Library on March 9, 2019 is sold out, so it is clear that this direct and intimate form of theater has a place in our fast paced digital lives. Theater that is accessible in the back rooms of community markets and libraries can attract a whole new audience of people who might not otherwise go to theater. This is theater that is simple real and raw. There are no sets and no scripts. The performances are about simple direct interactions and feelings.

The Yearling Restaurant

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Pam Schwartz and I went to the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings State Park (18700 S. Cr 325 Cross Creek, Hawthorne, FL 32640) which is the former homestead of Pulitzer Prize-winning Florida author. Marjorie, a native of Washington, DC,
and her husband Charles purchased a 75-acre (30 ha) orange grove in
1929, including the old dogtrot house. They set about enlarging and
adapting the house to their use, and both developed their careers as
writers. Marjorie first achieved significant notice with stories
published in Scribner’s Magazine, and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1939 for The Yearling. Her writing was infused with details from the central Florida region where she made her home. Upon her death in 1953, the property was bequeathed to a foundation of the University of Florida. It has been managed by the state ever since, the house opening to the public in 1970.

After a tour of the home, we went to the Yearling Restaurant down the road 14531 East County Road 325 Hawthorne, Florida 32640)for some local dishes, and live music.Willie Green who Hails from Alabama, delivers authentic down home blues at The Yearling daily. He has been called “The Real Deal” by slide guitar legend John Hammond, and has played with many of the greats.

Willie told me that another artist had done a painting of him that was sold for plenty of cash. Willie didn’t see a dime from that sale. Should anyone like to purchase this sketch, I would be glad to send a percentage down Willies way so that he can feel good about sharing his music with people down near the Rawlings home. Otherwise it will get filed away along with thousands of others like it in my library of sketchbooks documenting Central Florida arts and culture. Should you stop in to the Yearling Restaurant, be sure to let Willie know I sent you.

Knives Out

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A critic can cut like a knife. That is the premise behind performance artist Brian Feldman‘s Knives Out at The Glass Knife, (276 Orlando Avenue, Winter Park, Florida 32789)which featured five current and former critics from Central Florida, each taking a stab at reading 3 reviews they’ve previously written about past Brian Feldman Projects; 15 reviews for the 15th anniversary of Brian Feldman’s performance art career.

Featuring the arts criticism of Mark Baratelli (The Daily City), Carl F Gauze (Ink 19), Seth Kubersky (Orlando Weekly), Elizabeth Maupin (Orlando Sentinel), and Thomas Thorspecken (Analog Artist Digital World). (Due to a schedule conflict with Bach Festival Society of Winter Park, Brian’s Mom, Marilyn Wattman-Feldman, read for Betsey Maupin.) As an added bonus, I  decided Pam Schwartz would read for me since I was busy sketching the event.

Originally envisioned to take place inside of the Randall Made Knives Museum in Orlando, after Brian’s proposal was rejected he was conflicted as to whether this project was still worth pursuing. While the final realization may not have been nearly as visually interesting as critics in a room filled with 1,000 knives, there was at least be cake available.

A disadvantage of The Glass Knife’s outdoor patio is that the sound of traffic meant that I could only hear bits and pieces of each review. I showed up to the event completely unprepared. I didn’t realize that Brian had wanted each critic to choose the columns they wanted to read. I knew that time to sketch was limited, so I got right to work. Brian seemed to have assigned seating, but he relinquished the seat at the far end of the table that I felt I needed to sketch from. I managed to sketch every critic but Carl F Gauze since he was hidden behind others at the table. I usually try to get the back of his head in any sketch that I do.

Pam did a great job reading my columns. I particularly liked the article about the end of Analog TV. I really liked Seth’s article about Wawa Shabawa. Carl read his review of #txtshow which had not been published yet. The gist of the review was that not many went to the show, but the few that did had a great time. Orlando is a transient town so anyone that was familiar with his Orlando Performances starting 15 years ago have likely left town. Then why am I still here?



Knives Out was one of 5 of Brian’s performances (part of #BFP15) that he brought back to Orlando to Celebrate his 15 years as a performance artist. The last shows still to come include:

Fiddler on the Phone will have 2 performances.

• Wednesday, March 6, 2019 at Sunset (6:28 PM EST)

• Thursday, March 7, 2019 at Sunset (6:29 PM EST)

Depending on your musical number order, Brian Feldman will call you between 6:28 PM – approximately 9:30 PM EST.

The performance will come direct to your Phone (Brian Feldman will call you from a pay phone).

Free (only 16 calls available)

Register for your phone call at brianfeldman.com.

Note: All calls to area codes outside of the U.S. will be made collect.

Taking
place entirely over a pay phone, this performance features Brian
Feldman singing Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein’s classic
Tony Award®-winning 1964 musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” a capella, one
song at a time, one phone call at a time.

Specific songs from the
show may be requested, and will be fulfilled in the order received.
Otherwise, all songs will be allocated randomly. Phone calls will range
from approximately 1 to 8 minutes.  

The Feldman Dynamic on March 8, 2019 at 7:30 PM at:

Stardust Video and Coffee

1842 E. Winter Park Rd.

Orlando, FL 32803

Cost: $15 advance, $20 at the door

Free
if your last name is “Feldman” (at the door, with valid photo ID).
Offer not valid if tickets are sold out prior to the performance.

The
original Brian Feldman Project returns to Central Florida for the first
time in over five years, and to Orlando for the first time in over 10
years.

An unprecedented reality theater event featuring a family –
Brian Feldman’s actual family (Mom, Dad, and sister) – having dinner
together live on stage. There’s no script, no rehearsal, and every
performance is completely different. It’s not improv. It’s the reality
show that will never be on TV.

The Feldman Dynamic is Brian Feldman, Edward Alan Feldman, Adrienne McIntosh, and Marilyn Wattman-Feldman.  

Fusion Fridays

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Fusion Fridays at a Magi Temple Belly Dance School, (3589 S Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32806) is hosted by Serafina Schiano. I have seen Serafina perform many times with Phantasmagoria and other productions in town.

A Magi is teaming up to promote all sorts of workshops and cultural affairs
in the Central Florida area, so there is always something fun and
different to inspire your creative side! In an effort to
make the arts accessible to everyone, this class session was donation-based.

The session began with a review of Zil Rhythms and musicality. Everyone sat on the floor in a circle and Serafina explained the Zil Rhythms. They each pt on finer cymbals on each hand and then started with 3 triple gallops Which had the simple pattern of 123, 123, 123. The 3, 3, 7 combination went, 123, 123, 1234567. There was also a 3,5,5 combination and a 3,1,3,1,3 combination. Some of these are more difficult to maintain and some got lost in the midst of their pattern. Rhythm is something that is felt intuitively not necessarily learned.

I was amazed that the students picked up a routine in just 15 minutes in the second half of class. Serafina picked a piece of music by Fifth Harmony called Work from Home (Ty Dolla $ign.) Moves taught included head circles, chest circles, and hip circles and rib combos. Written on sheet of paper, the choreography looked incredibly complex. Yet by the end of class everyone had mastered the entire routine. I have a deep respect for everyone who mastered this lesson which resulted in a hip and contemporary Belly dance routine. There was a well deserved shot of pleasure when they completed their run through.


Should you want to explore Belly Dancing you can study with Serafina every Fusion Friday at Magi Temple Belly Dance School. Class runs from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. It is an opportunity to train your body, Cultivate your unique style, and  ignite your passion.