Fluffing the Christmas Tree.

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For Thanksgiving, Pam Schwartz and I traveled to her
parent’s home in Iowa.
Thanksgiving in the Schwartz home involves 25 or more relatives playing games
and having a huge Thanksgiving meal. Kids of all sizes run about and everyone
talks at the same time. After the big meal, everyone plays board and card games
at the kitchen table. The card game Canasta can last until three in the
morning. As I am writing this, a board game of Malarky has just begun. Everyone
has to come up with answers to little known facts, including reeling a story about why an octopus is thrown on the ice
during a playoff hockey league game. Three answers were made up and one answer was
correct.

The day after Thanksgiving, the Christmas tree is set up.
The family used to cut their own live tree but that tradition ended when two
mice were smuggled into the house within it. The artificial tree was
tightly bound and wrapped in a green drop cloth. Pam untied the multiple knots
and then set up the compressed mess of branches. Each branch had to be spread
and then fluffed so that all the needles were spread out. When tree was first
set up the trunk which is wrapped in a garland didn’t look very convincing, but
by the time Pam had the whole tree fluffed out, it looked reasonably real. She
also set up all the lights and hung tinsel. She has a very specific technique
in her tinsel hanging. Individual strands were hung creating an airy cascading
effect.

There is a family tradition that the tree came with strands of
Christmas lights already pre-hung, but one year Pam couldn’t take down the tree
because of her scheduled flight out of state. Her dad took down the tree that year and instead of remembering that the top two pieces of the tree don’t come apart, he ended up cutting off the strings
of lights in annoyance. It should be noted that he actively denies this family accusation.

Every year Pam’s eyes swell the next morning from the dust and the make of the tree branches. That doesn’t stop her from taking care of this
traditional chore. The rest of the family sits on the couch and watches or wander throughout the house with other decorations. A new
angel went on top of the tree this year since Pam destroyed the previous one attempting to retrofit it to a different light bulb. The new one has translucent violet and green
illuminated wings that sparkle.

10 X 10 Urban Sketch Workshop at the Orange County Regional History Center.

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One of the Orlando
Urban Sketching Workshops was held at the Orange County Regional History
Center. The lesson of this workshop was to focus on value and color without
much use of line. It was the same evening as another large event in town, so
turnout was down, but we made the best of it. There was also a wedding on the
ground floor, so we stayed in the exhibits on the top floors.

The Citrus Industry exhibition was where we started. The first sketch
was of a lifecast on a ladder picking oranges from a tree. There is a clear
advantage sketching a mannequin as opposed to a live model since it never
moves. I gave pointers on composition and then we all got to work. The goal of
the class was to finish two sketches with an emphasis on color and value.

Pam Schwartz, the History Center’s Chief Curator joined
us. She has done plenty of art in her past, so she fit right in. As we sat working, she noticed one of the
text panels in the Citrus Exhibit was missing a letter, so she touched it up.
The entire museum is going to be renovated with new exhibits in the upcoming year or two, so the museum as it looks today is a bit of an antique. New interactive
exhibits are on the horizon.

After sketching the citrus trees, we moved over to the pioneer cabin where two lifecast children were on the porch pulling taffy. This porch set up
was a good exercise in one point perspective and bold blocks of color. I
explained that the open window created a pool of light in which the main action
took place. The mural on the wall next to the cabin had a painting of a chicken
that was larger that the cows in the field. It is a strange touch that most
visitors probably don’t notice. When you take the time to sketch, however, such
strange size relationships become obvious.

Stir Fry.

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Not every sketch I do is of a big event. I am always
encouraging my art students to carry a sketchbook everywhere they go. As a
friend prepared stir fry, I did a quick sketch. The smaller the sketch, the
faster it can be created. Every sketch good or bad, finds its way to this site. It is an ongoing visual journal of my life. Even the most mundane moments become important when
you take the time to sketch them.

I am in the process now of creating an inventory of every
sketch done since Analog Artist Digital World was founded in 2009. So far over
3,000 sketches have been added to the spread sheet. My work is being appraised
as a joint asset in my divorce case, so everything must be accounted for. I also have
been told I can not sell my work since it is a joint asset.

Pecha Kucha at the Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts.

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Pecha Kucha, which means chit chat in Japanese, is an evening of high speed series of presentations by local residents about a wide range of subjects. The talks are kept short because the Power Point Presentations can only consist of 20 slides. Presenters then only have 20 seconds to discuss each slide. In the past I had done one presentation myself and it is a challenge to edit back what can be presented. Rehearsals help in trimming the talks back. What remains is bare bones poetry.

The theme of the May 26th presentation was “We Need to Talk.” Billy Manes was a presenter on this evening. Billy was one of Orlando’s most dynamic and entertaining journalists. He says exactly what is on his mind. on this night he wore a grey suit, pink tie and a rainbow ribbon in memory of the Pulse Nightclub victims. His personal life story was instrumental in the fight for marriage equality for gay couples. Later this year, we were all shocked when he passed away.

One presentation involved picking people from the audience to give improvised presentations to 20 slides. The images were not related in any way and what people came up with to tie the slides together was hilarious.

Tisse Mallon and Jack Graham gave a joint presentation about living room theater. Jack performed on his guitar, which was a great way to tie up their presentation. One presenter talked about the Trump protests and the slide I liked the most had a protester holding a sign that said, “So bad even introverts are here.”

The next Pecha Kucha night, Volume 21, will be on December 1, 2017 at the Dr. Phillips Center of the Performing Arts (445 S. Magnolia Avenue Orlando FL 32801). The theme for the evening will be “Building a Better Man.” Performances will be at 6 PM and 9 PM. Tickets are available now. These community events tend to sell out. Trust me, it is a great way to discover what amazing things are happening in Orlando.

Third Thursday at Avalon Island.

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On every Third Thursday the downtown art galleries open for the beginning of new exhibitions. I often stop at The Gallery at Avalon Island (39 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801) since there is live music in the bar area. I started drawing the wrought ironwork surrounding the stage and then stopped half way through the process, realizing that the intricate pattern wasn’t adding anything to the sketch. I have
been doing that more and more lately, just leaving out what doesn’t interest me
and sometimes drawing what does interest me several times. This willingness to
change history has allowed me to complete sketches must faster.

Two children sat playing video games the entire time I
sketched. They were oblivious to the art around them, but the games employed
artists to help design the world in which they were playing. Headphones
further guaranteed that they were isolated in this virtual world. The music was
pleasant to sketch to. I had sketched these musicians before. The gallery
curator, Patrick Greene, is often at the bar serving drinks. The gallery doesn’t
get very crowded, so it is nice to sketch a set and then move on to see more
art downtown.

Art Opening at Maxine’s on Shine.

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Right before Valentine’s Day I went to Maxine’s on Shine (337 Shine Ave, Orlando, FL 32803) for an art opening. The art for the evening was all predictably heart shaped. All of the canvases had a heart or several hearts as the center of interest for the composition. This local eatery has always supported local artists. I had a solo show there several years ago and it was a great experience. All of the nails used to hang the art are in place so hanging a show can take less than an hour. There is no careful measuring or aligning works along a line.  The artist was Ronda Richley. She paints with a heartfelt passion. Pieces are priced up to $12,000.

Artists were gathered around a table top showing their support for the art on the walls. The wine flowed and conversations flourished. Other heart art was by RV (Robin Van Arsdol), a local urban artist who had a book which featured his wor, along with renowned artists like Keith Haring. I flipped through the book, excited to see the graffiti art work from the booming 1980s.

The Black Market at DRIP.

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I went to DRIP, (8747 International Dr Ste. 102, Orlando, FL 32819) to sketch a one night only art event called The Black Market, which included a dark art exhibit, fashion show, and a pop-up boutique inspired by
mystery, witchcraft, sorcery, necromancy, horror, black magic, and all
things dark.

I focused my attention  on this incredible display of designer high heel shoes. They are perfect for any gal or guy who wants to gain a solid foot in height. Some of the heels were elegant as if built at the turn of the century by Louis Eiffel himself. Other were ferocious as if for a Mad Max apocalyptic world.

The proprietor of this set up had his custom built beach buggy parked outside. He had several baby squirrels in a fur hat that he was keeping warm. If one shivered he would pick it up in his cupped hands and blow on it to raise its temperature. He let me hold one and it was incredibly delicate. The squirrels had been blown from their nest by the hurricane force winds of Irma.

His assistant wore black stocking full of holes, along with spiky shoulder pads and a jet black g-string. She could ring up sales on her iPhone using Square and kept busy with that. So many stopped to browse that it was difficult to see everything on the table at the same time. I pieced together the puzzle all night long. There were performances in the other room, but I stayed on task. The entire evening was a fun blend of dark goth, leather and steam punk inventiveness. If you wanted something truly different for the holidays this would have been your best bet.

Other Featured Exhibitors:

Art Exhibit curated by Carl Jordan

Retromended Vintage Fashion Shop

Carmine Oddities Boutique

Shibari Demo (Knot Tying) by Carmine Oddities Boutique

Tarot Card Readings

Coffee Shop of Horrors

Live Make-Up Demonstrations

Dead Snow Cocktail and Rogue Dead Guy Ale

TnT Paranormal Investigators will be running an EVP listening station.

Hand Crafted Costume Pieces for the spooky season!

These themed DRIP art events come up fairly often each year and they are always fun and unexpected.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for Novemvber 25th and 26th.

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Saturday November 25, 2017

9AM to 5 PM – Free. Cocoa Beach Art Show 2017 (Minutemen Causeway, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931) The Cocoa Beach Art Show is back! Returning to Downtown Cocoa Beach
Saturday, November 25th, and Sunday, November 26th.

7 PM to 9 PM Saturday and Sunday. Opera Wars. (The Abbey 100 S. Eola Drive Orlando, FL 32801.) Opera del Sol and Space Coast Symphony Orchestra present Opera Wars and invites audiences to venture where no opera has gone before. Set
in outer space, Opera Wars is an intergalactic adventure of love and war
set to some of opera’s most treasured compositions. Step aboard the
I.S.S. del Sol, as their Space Cruise Director welcomes one and all to their
Pre-Launch Experience, where audiences will have the opportunity to interact with the Space Crew. In partnership with ‘Farm and Haus’, they invite you to eat, drink, and as they blast off, enjoy some of opera’s most exciting selections
presented with their musical partners The Space Coast Symphony Orchestra,
including Figaro’s Aria, Summertime, Ride of the Valkyries, Habanera,
Nessum Dorma, and many more. The future of opera is bright!!

9 PM to 11 PM. 3rd Annual Amateur Contest and Holiday Kickoff! (The Venue 511 Virginia Dr, Orlando, Florida 32803.) Cheer on your favorite amateur contestants in the 3rd annual competition and kick off the season in style with the Cuties!
Sponsored by Premier Couples Superstore who always have a bit of naughty with their nice!

Sunday November 26, 2017

Noon to 6 PM – $15 to play. D and D: The Pit Of Amnesia. (Gods and Monsters, 5421 International Dr, Orlando, Florida 32819)  Introducing a brand new D and D campaign created by game master Jess!
You awaken, in complete darkness, not remembering who or what you are,
surrounded by others in the same predicament! Armed with the weapons you
found scattered around you, it’s now your mission to get out of this
cave and find civilization! And hopefully find any memories you might
have lost in the dark. In this D and D campaign, you get to experience a different format of
game play, where players have to start with mostly vacant character
sheets and fill them out as they play the game!

Recommended for those who’ve experienced a D and D
campaign at least once or twice before. The fee to play
will cover a completed character sheet and a print of the character
art at the end of the game, as well as pizza and a soda. All participants are encouraged to bring their own dice, but
dice can be supplied to any players who do not have them. If you wish to
purchase your own set, there will also be a 15% discount off all gaming
products and off snacks for all participants.  Please be sure to send them a message or stop in store to get your name on
the list for this adventure and get instructions on
how to pay through Pay Pal. This adventure will be limited to six players
at a time.

Noon to 1 PM – Free. Yoga. Lake Eola Park near the Red Gazebo. Bring your own mat.

Noon to 3 PM – Donation. Music at the Casa. (Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789) Harpist Catherine Way. Members of the public are invited to visit the historic home museum on a
Sunday afternoon from 12 to 3 pm, listen to live music and take a tour
of the museum and the James Gamble Rogers II Studio by
trained docents.

Debbie Does Dallas at the Parliament House.

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Debbie Does Dallas, directed by Adam McCabe, choreographed by Michelle Alagna, and with

musical direction by Tim Evanicki, takes a cult classic porn film and turns it into a tongue-in-cheek musical. For some light-hearted sassy fun, this is a show perfectly suited to play at the Footlight Theatre at the Parliament House (410 N Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, Florida 32805).

The show is the coming-of-age story of an all-American
small-town sweetheart named Debbie Benton (Takara Lee Anderson). She
is the captain of her high-school cheerleading team, but she dreams of
making it to the big time by becoming a Texas Cowgirl Cheerleader. When
Debbie receives a letter telling her she has qualified for the
professional squad, the only thing that stands between her and the
realization of her dream is bus fare to the big city of Dallas.

Debbie
enlists her teammates, Lisa (Ale Martinez), Roberta (Sarah O), Donna
(Jasha Vaughn) and Tammy (Katie Ford), to get jobs after
school and on weekends to help pay for her trip to Dallas. The girls
form a company called Teen Services and get jobs, but they quickly
realize minimum-wage jobs just don’t pay enough. Luckily, Debbie’s boss,
Mr. Greenfelt, has an idea how the girls can raise enough money in
time. Debbie tells the girls about Mr. Greenfelt’s idea, and they all
agree to try their hands at “little favors” performed with enthusiasm by
“good girls.”

If the girls “work hard for the money” through
sex, sweat and tears, could they manage to raise enough money for Debbie
to realize her dream and make it to Dallas? Also starring Tripp Karhh
and Jonathan Speagle playing multiple roles in frantic quick-change
madness, Debbie Does Dallas is a wild time at the theater.

Having never seen the cult classic film, we decided to watch the film the same evening after seeing the show. The intricate plot is followed to the letter, but the endless sex scenes are replaced by many black out scene changes and some fun musical numbers. The romp in the locker room shower was well choreographed with towels hiding the sweet bits as the actors and actresses exposed themselves to each other. All the cheer leaders did have an orgy scene that played out behind a back lit sheet that allowed the audience to imagine what the shadows implied. The funniest moment came when Debbie relents and accepts $10 cash to expose herself to her boss. He offers a bit more, and each time she goes off into her Disney style “I have a Dream” song. It was truly laugh out loud funny.

By the time you read this, Debbie will have sadly retired her pom poms. Upcoming shows at the Footlight Theater are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 10 pm and 12 am.  Additionally, A T-Dance Revue Show is in the Disco on
Sundays at 7 pm.

Mark Your Calendar. On December 1st – December 30th,  The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told  by Paul Rutnick and directed by Tommy Wooten will hit the Footlight stage. A stage manager, (Beth Marshall), headset and prompt book at hand, brings the house
lights to half, then dark, and cues the creation of the world.
Throughout the play, she’s in control of everything. In other words,
she’s either God, or she thinks she is. Act One recounts the major
episodes of the Old Testament, only with a twist: Instead of Adam and
Eve, our lead characters are Adam (Brett McMahon)  and Steve (Jerry Jobe), and Jane (Shanel Sparr) and Mabel (Camilla Camillo), a
lesbian couple with whom they decide to start civilization (procreation
proves to be a provocative challenge). Act One covers the Garden of
Eden, an ark, a visit with a highly rambunctious Pharaoh and finally
even the Nativity. Along the way, Mabel and Adam invent God, but Jane
and Steve are skeptical. This brings about the flood, during which Steve
has a brief affair with a rhinoceros and invents infidelity. No longer
blissful, Adam and Steve break up only to be reunited as two of the wise
men at the Nativity.

Act Two jumps to modern day Manhattan. Adam and Steve are together
again, and Steve is HIV positive. It’s Christmas Eve, and Jane is nine
months pregnant even though she always thought of herself as the butch
one. The two women want to marry and want Adam and Steve to join them in
the ceremony. A wheelchair-bound, Jewish lesbian Rabbi from cable
access TV arrives to officiate. The ceremony is interrupted as Jane
gives birth, and Steve confides to Adam that his medication isn’t
working and that he’ll probably not survive much longer. Bound by their
long life together, and the miracle of birth they’ve just witnessed, the
two men comfort each other even though they know their remaining time
together will be short. It sounds like some existential fun for the holidays.

Sunshine State of Mind with Adam Ware.

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Dr. Adam Ware, the Orange County Regional History Center historian and research librarian gave a talk titled “Sunshine State of Mind” as the final installment of the Joseph L. Brechner series of lectures at the Orlando Public Library (100 E. Central Blvd., Orlando, Florida 32801). “The media” often refers to the news or entertainment media. But even an idea can be a medium – an idea, for instance, of a sunny paradise where any plant will grow, any idea will succeed, or any dream can be realized. Through real estate ads, citrus-crate labels, souvenirs, and shuttle launches, the idea of Florida has moved people to travel, to invest, to relax, and to persevere. In this program, Ware discussed the varied ways the Sunshine State operates in American feeling and memory, from “the Italy of America” to “Florida Man.” He discussed the materials that evoke and invent our image of Florida and the pioneers and entrepreneurs who mobilized the concept of Florida to change the course of the state’s history.

This was an insightful and entertaining talk that spanned several hundred years of our perceptions of what Florida is and could be. His talk began with a long dissertation about how media affect our perceptions of a place. As Marshall McLuhan stated, “The medium is the message.” When Adam began digging into Florida’s early history things really got interesting. Early explorers hoped for gold or slaves. For hundreds of years Spanish settlers attempted to set up colonies in Florida. Most of these colonies failed. The few who survived and returned to Europe described Florida as a desolate wasteland, a hell on earth that they never wanted to see again.

The first name for Orange County was Mosquito County. There probably isn’t a worse name ever imagined for a place. Who would ever move to Mosquito County? It took railroad tycoons and developers to finally tame the land. But convincing people to move here was always a word game. Find the right word and you can change peoples’ perceptions.  It wasn’t until the 1970s that Florida became “The Sunshine State.” Dr. Phillips changed the perception of orange juice, making it a staple of any breakfast, and making Florida Orange Juice more desirable than any other juice in the American mind.

There is a Twitter account called Florida Man that just posts news stories that begin with, “Florida man…” My favorite being, “Florida man tosses an alligator through a Wendy’s drive through window.” The man was arrested and charged with assault with a deadly weapon, illegal possession of an alligator and petty theft. He is also banned from all Wendy’s and not allowed to come in contact with animals except for the family dog. Another that I just ran across is, “Florida man pissed that AT and T trucks are parked outside his house, shoots out their tires.” I dropped AT and T because of their piss poor costumer service, so this news item didn’t surprise me. Or, “Florida man claims dog shot girlfriend as she slept.” Such strange stories are a daily occurrence, leading to Adam’s favorite tag line and former state slogan, “Florida, you don’t know the half of it.”