Flight back to Orlando from Nantucket

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After a relaxing week in Nantucket it was time to head back to Orlando to continue sketching vigils, memorials and fundraisers for the victims of the mass shooting at Pulse that took 49 lives. Airports are always a place to get a sketch done while waiting for a plane to board. My battery was recharged, but a vacation always seems lie it is over just as you are beginning to relax.



Glen Weimer, a college buddy was a consummate host, letting me sleep in his own bedroom as he slept downstairs. We watched several movies in the evenings. One was about Lincoln getting the votes needed to stop slavery. I fell asleep. Another however was about Woodstock, a small town in upstate New York that got more than it planned on when it hosted a concert in the 60s. A young man had decided to host the concert because he felt the sleepy little town needed a boost. Called Taking Woodstock, the movie did an awesome job of following the families story as they adjusted to the sudden changes that a single concert bought to the town. That is a concert I wish I could have sketched.

View from the Nantucket Hostel

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I was waiting for someone at the Star of the Sea Youth Hostel, so I took the time to sketch the view across the street towards the ocean. There is a home between the hostel and the beach and a couple of dunes as well. One of the hostel guests had his sippy drink and a cell phone and was chatting before he drove off on his Vespa. Since I got this much done on the sketch, I must have been waiting for an hour or so. I am attracted to the wind blown shapes of the tree trunks next to the beach. They reminded me of the wispy trees found at Big Sur in California.

Grey is a color that isn’t usually used by me in watercolors, but in Nantucket every building is grey, so I actually had to find an art store to get a tube of black and white paint so I  could mix grey each day. Luckily the art store was just a block away from Glen Weimer‘s home. Sometimes things do line up perfectly. This was my last day on the island. I  miss it.

Bathing Suit Optional Beach on Nantucket.

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This beach with strong surf and high dunes is a perfect place to relax and soak up  the sun on Nantucket. I sketched someone sun worshiping and his towel was lying in the center of a track from a jeep that had driven down the beach. Visually this looked to me like someone lying in the middle of the road.

At the time it was possible to drive right up to the beach but now apparently access for cars has been blocked meaning it is a much longer hike to get to this slice of paradise.

This was my first time on a bathing suit optional  beach and I definitely liked the sketching opportunity it provided. I got in trouble once with a friend for doing a similar painting of a nude foreshortened figure. I was shocked by the response since this person was an artist. To calm the friendship, I put bathing trunks on the figure and that still was too risque. If you are upset by seeing the human form, just don’t bother me with your concerns. I am busy celebrating life rather than being shocked by it.

After this sketch was done, I created a rare abstract painting on the beach which surprisingly sold. I am not chasing that market however. I love getting out and sketching from life too much.

Music of the Night: Masquerade

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Orlando Light Opera, Opera De Sol, and the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra presented Music of the Night: Masquerade at the Orlando Repertory Theater ((1001 E Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) from August 2 to 4, 2018. I went on the opening night to sketch.

The show starred Michelle Knight, of Broadway’s Disenchanted, and local stars, Stephanie McCranie, mezzo soprano Sarah Purser Bojorquez,
Stephanie Newman, Bryan Hayes, tenor Kit Cleto, baritone Michael John Foster and
Andrew LeJeune.

This evening
will embody the glamour, magic and mystery of beloved musical theater
and opera repertory. Space Coast Symphony performed on stage under conductor, Aaron Collins. Opera del Sol offered an interactive performances upon
arrival and throughout the evening.The visual artistry of Ashley Willsey, designer of
CFC Arts Hunchback of Notre Dame, had her original projected
sets inspired by the larger works from which the music was
excerpted.

I was offered a seat up front and center but decided I wanted to sketch from further up, so I could take in more of the audience and so no one would be around me to see the faint glow from my tablet screen as I sketched in the dark.  The evening included many selections from musical Theater of Lloyd Webber, Sondheim, Rogers and Weill. I was excited to see Michelle Knight perform again. I had seen her perform Disenchanted in NYC and her sassy bravado had me laughing out loud that night. Sarah Purser Bojorquez performed as Evita, her voice echoing through the hall from behind the audience. Unfortunately there were more than a few mic issues that evening and it seemed like Michelle’s mic cut out more that any other. Pam Schwartz really liked the timber of Bryan Hayes, voice.

Pam Schwartz and I sat behind a millennial couple in masks and I decided to include them in the sketch. Half way through the evening the guy started ripping up his program. They were slow deliberate rips that lasted an excruciatingly long time to execute. How can someone be so dense, clueless and inconsiderate about the people trying to enjoy the music around them? He was trying to make some feeble origami with his program but it was no better engineered that a primitive paper airplane. Such a person should not be allowed out for an evening on the town. They might be fine in a crowed bar where they can be lost in the crowd on their digital devices but keep them out of theaters.

I wanted to take my cell phone flashlight and shine it in this mindless beasts face. Even his date and the people to his right kept looking over at him with annoyance. I heard of an audience member that was following a soccer game from the front row seat while she was supposed to be watching a play. She even shouted out whenever there was a goal. Will live theater have to die because of such mindless dolts? Perhaps an app can be developed that sweeps a theater and uses face recognition to find these strange mindless zombies. Their credit cards should be charged 10 times the ticket price as reparations for the disturbance or they should be escorted from the theater. Though angry, I resisted confrontation because I was busy finishing my sketch. I had work to do. I just laughed to myself about how clueless some folks in Orlando can be.

I thoroughly enjoyed the show. It will be performed  on August 11, 2018 at the Scott center for the Performing Arts at 7PM, and then The Community Church of Vero Beach on August 12, 2018 at 3PM.

Nantucket Bathing Suit Optional Beach

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A short walk west from Surfside Beach towards Miacomet Beach on Nantucket is a bathing suit optional beach. I couldn’t resist walking there to sketch. I have done figure drawings for decades, so this was a treat. If you know me at all, you know I am a vampire. I got skin caner on my nose removed years ago which was a barbaric operation in which I watched a staple remove a large chunk of flesh inches from my eyes. Just the idea of the C word keeps me from worshiping the sun anymore. While I sketched others soaking up the sun with every inch of their being on this Nantucket beach, I was under a beach umbrella, wrapped in several beach towels with not an inch of skin exposed to the sun.

I liked that there were rainbow colored beach umbrellas scattered along the beach. I made me feel like the Nantucket natives were in solidarity with Orlando after the Pulse Nightclub massacre the previous month. The surf at this beach was particularly strong. I was on the top of a small cliff of sand that the surf had eroded. As the tide came in, it got closer to the bottom of the sand cliff I was resting on to of. As I sketched, the base of the sand was eroded and without warning, the cliff gave way and I tumbled down into the water below. Other than falling in, I didn’t swim very far out. I heard that the rip tides are rather strong and the waves were honestly intimidating. I preferred the pleasure of watching and sketching sun bathers to the surf.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for August 4 and 5, 2018

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Saturday August 4, 2018

Thursday August 2 at 3pm to Sunday August 5, 2018 at 3pm. $197.00 Widow Empowerment Event 2018.  Ritz Carlton Grand Lakes 4012 Central Florida Parkway Orlando, Florida 32837.

Experience an epic 3-day full immersion event
that is focused on personal transformation for women in widowhood, their
mentors, leaders, friends, family and community partners who strive to
empower widows to thrive.

Within this supportive, positive community you’ll
learn everything you need to know about rebuilding and living an
empowered, resilient life which will transform your own widowhood
journey. Bring a special supporter friend or family member
(female) for this uplifting, inspirational, informative, fun and life
nurturing weekend. Say yes.

7pm to 9pm. Ybor City Art Walk. 7th Ave Ybor Tampa, Florida 33605. Featuring a number of arts organizations and artsy businesses. Here are the participating locations:

The Bricks of Ybor,
Bloodline Tattoo,
Ybor Arts Colony,
Hot Wax,
Wandering Eye Art Gallery,
Dysfunctional Grace,
Moon Over Havana Arts Gallery,
Live Arts Labs.

8pm to 10pm Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. On the 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun!

Sunday August 5,, 2018

10am 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.

Noon to 1pm. Free. Yoga. Bring your own mat. Lake Eola Park near the red gazebo.

10pm to Midnight Free. 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.

Surfside Beach in Nantucket

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Another glorious relaxing day alone at the beach in Nantucket. I don’t wear sunglasses so the beach was shockingly white and bright. Others read and relaxed under their umbrellas while I sketched. Whenever I got too hot I would go out in the surf for a dip in the ocean. Then once I dried off enough, I continued to sketch. The one airport on the island is right at the end of the beach, so periodically a large airplane would land or take off, connecting the island to the mainland.

I was content to feel like a castaway with a sketchbook. Glen Weimer had to work during the day, so I spent my time exploring the beach or island with my sketchbook. There is something very rewarding getting to see an old art school friend after so many years. In the evening he took me out to Millie’s Restaurant near Madakett Beach. Millie was a colorful native of the island and the restaurant is a local favorite among the islanders. I had a delicious Po Boy sandwich which hit the spot at the end of a long day baking at the beach.

Ethan Philbrick performed at the Nantucket Community Music Center

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After the presentation of the Red Violin at the Nantucket Community Music Center (56 Centre St, Nantucket, MA 02554), Ethen Philbrick performed on Cello. I like most people in the room of course had hoped to hear the Red Violin which was supposed to be a masterpiece of a perfect acoustical instrument. The violin however was spared the stress of performing and was just discussed and held gingerly by it’s owner, Elizabeth Pitcairn. Since Elizabeth refused to even pluck a string, of the 1720 instrument that was purchased by her family whose fortune was built on paint for 1.7 million dollars. I satisfied myself by sketching Ethan’s performance. I  have a vast respect for him to have followed up such an instrument as the Red Violin. I thoroughly enjoyed his performance. I had to wonder what his instrument would be worth at auction. It was a fine end cap to the champagne reception.

The Red Violin at the Nantucket Community Music Center

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Glen Weimer was kind enough to get me in to sketch the presentation of the Red Violin at the Nantucket Community Music Center. “The Red Violin” and the “Red Mendelssohn” are the two nicknames given
to the violin built in 1720 by Antonio Stradivari and painted by
Stradivari with a distinct red varnish that remains intact on the violin
to this day. The Red Violin Movie shows Antonio using his wife’s blood to add color to the varnish after her sudden death during child birth.

For more than 200 years, the whereabouts of the violin were unknown,
until it reappeared in the possession of an heir of the composer Felix
Mendelssohn in 1930. In 1990 the Pitcairn family purchased the violin at
a Christie’s auction for $1.7 million, setting a new record at the time
for Stradivarius violins.

Elizabeth Pitcairn was 16 years old and had been playing violin for 13 years when her family bought her the Red Mendelssohn. For the past 26 years Pitcairn has honed her technique on the violin
and, in doing so, has developed a complex relationship with the
instrument “I’m not sure where I stop and the violin begins,” Pitcairn said.

I of course hoped to sketch the Elizabeth playing the violin but she only talked while holding the instrument delicately. She would be performing on on July 17th at the Nantucket Hotel but unfortunately I would be flying back to Orlando that same day and would miss the opportunity to hear the instrument in action. Instead I heard chatter as I sketched furiously. The goal of Red Violin Weekend was to raise money to provide more scholarships for island music students.

Old Spouter Gallery in Nantucket

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I went with Glen Weimer to an opening at the Old Spouter Gallery, (118 Orange Street

Nantucket Massachusetts). The gallery name of course refers to a whales, spout. Nantucket Island has long been a magnet for artists, revered for its scintillating ocean light and uniquely beautiful landscape, as well as for its vibrant Artist’s community.

In 2018 the gallery will celebrate its 20th year as one of the most interesting and eclectic Art Galleries on the island of Nantucket – a very special showcase for exciting new, mid-career, and established artists.  The building itself dates back to 1756.

I wandered the galleries and then decided to sketch from the front porch as people arrived.  I set myself for more of a challenge that expected since the wine was being served at a table to my left and the line for drinks usually blocked my view inside. Patience and perseverance were needed to complete the sketch.

Artist Katie Tringle Legge painted inviting still life’s with succulent peaches. Joan Albaugh painted Edward Hopper inspired homes. Sunlight filled the scenes and there was a strange absence of windows on the buildings. I have to say these paintings seemed to be flying off the walls. It felt good to sit in an witness the ongoing industry of art on the island.