Alexander Hall in Princeton New Jersey

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I spent a day exploringPrinceton
University. I settled on sketching
Alexander Hall which is a 900 seat assembly hall. It is home to the Princeton University Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony
Orchestra. The building was completed in 1894.  The name honors the Alexander family who were trustees
and donated money for the building’s construction. The architect William Appleton
Pother landed his first commission on the campus as a teenager. At the time, most architects
learned their trade as apprentices, but Potter learned his trade in college.

The entire campus is gorgeous.
I was schooled on the gritty streets of New
York City. Seeing such a beautiful campus made me
wish I had experiences such a privileged form of education. Most students who walked
through this public square had wet hair. They had just risen, had a shower, and
were now strolling off to class.

White Christmas.

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Pam Schwartz and I are in Iowa for Christmas. On Christmas Eve
it started to snow and it snowed all day long. I set some time aside to paint
the view out of some bay windows that overlooked the property. The house is on
top of a hill that overlooks all the land around it. There is a pond down at
the bottom of the ravine in the direction that I was painting. There was a fine
dusting of snow all day. I was pleased to find out that there was a brush on
the tablet that easily paints snow. 

The Christmas tree had been set up with care and the next morning
the presents under and next to the tree would be unwrapped. All the open fields
became white encrusted in the snow as we rode to grocery stores for holiday
supplies. On Christmas Eve evening we had a 15 pound NY strip loin roast that was amazingly
tender along with cheesy potatoes and green beans with bacon. I gave Pam’s brother
credit for a pan full of roasted water chestnuts wrapped in bacon that were delicious, that had really been made by Pam. 

Relatives come and go in waves and the family chats in the
living room, warm from the snow outside. We often gather at the table to play
board games. The sun has just set and online sites track Santa’s progress
around the world. His sleigh seems to always be in flight. He never seems to
and drop off presents. There is only an electric fireplace here in Maquoketa, so he must
have to be good at breaking into homes to drop off his presents.

The Grandma Party Bazzar at Stardust Video and Coffee.

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The 15th annual Grandma Party Bazaar is an Orlando holiday tradition held at Stardust Video and Coffee

(1842 E. Winter Park Road, Orlando, FL.) There you could find handmade gifts, food, raffles, live music and more.  It is a great opportunity to grab something
unique for that hard to buy for person on your holiday gift list.

Music on the main stage included DJ Nigel, DJ Oled, Dad, Von Nacht, Tiger Fawn, TV Dinner and more.  I spotted Tiger Fawn with her Vulcan ears among the booths but I didn’t see her perform.  Pam and I brought Sprout to the event and there were plenty of butts to be sniffed.

Tents were crowed into the Stardust Video and Coffee parking lot.  Across the street more tents were set up outside Park Avenue CDs and Redlight Redlight.  One vendor had vintage board games but they were priced at $40 and $50 a pop.  It was a gorgeous sunny day and several friends stopped to say hello. Perhaps someday I should rent a space and offer quirky crafts at affordable prices.  Market value art would not sell.  Of course, I shouldn’t be selling any art right now since it is considered a joint asset.  My art is only half mine, it would seem. 

Christmas Light Display.

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I pass this place just about every day on my drive downtown. Every time I go by it seems like there is something new in the yard.  The house is located on Peel Street, just north of East Michigan Street.  I started this sketch before the sun set, and then started painting when the home owner drove into the driveway and turned on the lights.  She wandered the yard setting things up that had fallen over during the day.  A snowman’s head was put back on his shoulders and a small Christmas tree was righted.

A gentleman on a bike asked about the sketch and explained that he was an artist himself.  He said that the home had recently been featured on TV News as one of Orlando’s best Christmas light displays.  This neighborhood is ripe with outlandish Christmas displays.  With the advent of inflatables, many lawns are covered with giant Santas and snowmen. This lawn had an inflatable Yoda and Santa.  The igloo was made of sheer fabric stretched over a dome-shaped frame.  There were other items just out of frame like a fireplace with stockings hung with care.

After the sun set, the temperature dropped and I painted faster so I could drive home for some warmth.  A hot cocoa and soup thawed me out. The next night I drove by, the lighting display was off, the yard dark.  Perhaps they saw the power bill and decided to ration the Christmas joy. 

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 23rd and 24th.

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Saturday December 23, 2017

7:30 AM to 8:30 AM – $32 to run. Run Run Santa One-Mile. 

Calvary Chapel Viera
(map)

(2852 Fellowship Place, Orlando, Fl.) A fast, festive one-mile course that’s perfect for everyone from elite
runners to families looking to celebrate the holidays together. All
participants receive a full Santa Claus suit to wear during the race
with registration. http://runrunsanta.com

2PM and 7:30 PM – $18-$22. Phantasmagoria’s A Christmas Carol. Wayne Densch Performing Arts Center (201 S. Magnolia Ave., Sanford, Fl.) This critically acclaimed Victorian Performance Troupe weaves movement,
dance, puppetry, projections, music and storytelling in this classic
ghost tale. 


8 PM to Midnight – Free. A Wasteland Christmas Party. Gods and Monsters
(5421 International Drive, Orlando, FL.) Christmas party with classic Christmas movies playing on the big
screens, cosplay mutant cage dancers, and special holiday drinks and
treats for everyone.

Sunday December 24, 2017.

4 PM to 10 PM – Free. Pagan Pajama Party. VAULT 5421 (5421 International Dr, Orlando, Florida 32819.) Show up in your pajamas, and get 20% off
your bar tab and purchases in the store! Enjoy Holiday drinks and
cookies with the Krampus! We’ll be playing Krampus movies on the big
screens and have a naughty elf dancing in the cage too!
We realize that most Pagans’ idea of pajamas is going skyclad, but
please do wear SOME sort of legal apparel to this party.

 6 PM to 8 PM – $7. Bad Santa and His Ten Pints of Truth (Eugene Snowden). Will’s Pub (1042 N. Mills Ave., Orlando, FL.) Christmas Eve show with free gumbo.

5 PM –  Free. Blues Jam hosted by Doc Williamson. 

The Alley (114 S. Park Ave., Winter Park, FL.) Bring an instrument and join in the fun.

An Evening with Anna Deavere Smith.

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Anna Deavere Smith is a Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize nominated American actress best known to television audiences as Nancy McNally on The West Wing and Gloria Akalitus on Nurse Jackie. Anna Deavere Smith’s theater work has become an inspirational source for civil discourse. She began the evening by playing the part of the man who video taped the police brutality which resulted in death of Eric Garner by compression of neck, due to a choke hold, compression of chest and prone positioning during physical restraint by police.  Anna interviews people and then recreates that interview through a theatrical performance.  The result was an infuriated outburst by someone who is shocked and horrified by the continued police brutality that is rampant today.  Sometimes witnessing improper use of force is all that can be done. 

Through a short performance and interview, audiences heard about the process of combining a passion for social causes with documentary style theatre making. Ms. Smith seeks to “discern the American character and to capture its politics.” The discussion focused on how she finds the authentic voice of the people she interviews and then creates on stage.

Her brief performance was followed by a question and answer session with the audience. Not having a TV, I haven’t seen any of the shows that Anna starred in. I admire the premise of her one woman shows which are a combination of documentary and theater.  Her discussion on how she conducts her interviews was insightful.  I clearly see the need of hearing peoples’ stories, because every voice has its place in history. 

The Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia.

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Pam Schwartz and I have been binge watching American Horror Story: Freak Show.  Side show freaks were murdered in that show and then their deformed bodies were put on display in formaldehyde glass cases.  The museum curator was depicted as a woman of questionable morals who only wanted to find the most unique deformities to put on display.  Both the side show and museum were desperate for patrons as the public turned to TV instead of live entertainment.  The museum in that series must be based on the very real Mutter Museum of the College of Physicians in Philadelphia (19 S 22nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19103.)

On display in the Mutter Museum is every conceivable deformity know to man.  On a recent trip to the Ringling Museum, I saw circus posters depicting Chang and Eng Bunker who are arguably the most famous conjoined Siamese twins. They were born in what is now Thailand in 1811. They
came to the United States in 1829 to tour and speak. Eventually tiring
of life as touring performers, they married sisters and bought adjacent
farms in North Carolina in the early 1840s. Between them, they raised 21 children and managed two farms. 

When the brothers died in 1874, Fellows of The College of Physicians
conducted the autopsy and arranged for the specimens to be transferred
to the museum. On display in the main gallery are their conjoined
livers and the plaster death cast of their torsos. Fetus’ with various abnormalities were on display in glass jars on the shelves around the twins. No photography is allowed, but sketching is encouraged.  I could get lost in this place for weeks sketching all the unique forms.  

On the ground floor of the museum was an amazing art display by Lisa Nilsson.  In her Tissue Series, she created ornate quilled paper constructions that explore
the complex geography of the human anatomy.  She used
images of transverse, coronal and sagittal cross sections from medical
sources as reference. Her work finds a delicate balance between art and anatomic accuracy,
beauty and the grotesque.

The forms, made from Japanese mulberry paper
and the gilt edges of antique books, are rendered in a technique of rolled
and shaped paper called quilling or paper filigree. The technique, first
practiced by Renaissance nuns and monks and later by aristocratic women
in the 16th-18th centuries, finds a contemporary relevance in Nilsson’s
work.

The Festival of Trees.

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The Festival of Trees, now in its thirty-first year, transforms the Orlando Museum of Art (2416 N Mills Ave, Orlando, FL 32803), into a glittering wonderland filled with sparkling trees, vignettes and stunning décor for visitors of all ages. This year’s event was designed with the theme The Gift of The Holidays and took place the week of November 11-19, 2017. The Orlando Museum of Art showcased designer Christmas trees of all sizes, holiday vignettes, custom hand-designed wreaths and table décor, a gingerbread village, tabletop displays and more. Each piece was designed by Orlando’s finest designers and was available for purchase.

The museum was jam packed the day I decided to go to get a sketch.  This was the one room where  the crowd thinned out enough for me to find a spot to sit.  The tree with the helmet and banners was designed by Medieval Times.  To my right, but outside the field of view of my sketch was a Marvel Comic themed tree.  It garnered the most comments with kids shouting to identify the comic characters made even more popular by summer blockbuster movies.

I find it odd that the festival was held the week before Thanksgiving.  The holiday seems to be promoted earlier and earlier each year. 

The Santaland Diaries at Breakthrough Theater.

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You can find The Santaland Diaries starring BeeJay Aubertin Clinton at Breakthrough Theater (421 W Fairbanks Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789.) As the audience filed in, the actor on stage was decorating the Christmas Tree.  He turned to Pam and said, “Oh, so that is what you decided to wear?” She was in her sweatshirt and jeans, granted not an elegant outfit, but comfortable. I was also in a sweatshirt and my hiking boots.  BeeJay had a snarky comment for everyone in the audience to get us warmed up for the show.  

With dreams of someday landing a roll in his favorite soap opera, this actor has to resort to auditioning as an elf for the Christmas Holidays.  To make matters worse, he gets the part.  His dark view of the world is only reaffirmed as he sees the way parents force this holiday madness on their children.  

BeeJay removed his jeans and shirt to unveil red snowflake tights and an elf jacket.  His elf hat was under a pillow, and he extricated his sneakers from under a couch.  Clearly this actor wasn’t prepared for the saccharine sweet training that followed.  Some sights can’t be unseen, like the mom who was encouraging her young son to pee in the fake snow.  The high stakes horror of waiting to meet Santa brings out the worst in any parent.  

This was a fun night of pessimism with a dash of sass.  

Remaining Show Dates and Times:
Monday, December 18, 10 p.m.

What’s Up Downtown for the Holidays.

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The Downtown Development Board invited people to attend the annual What’s Up Downtown  free holiday event held at the Walt Disney Amphitheater at Lake Eola.   Held at lunch time, downtown workers were encouraged to pack up a lunch and experience song and dance performances by the Russian Ballet, Mad Cow Theatre,
Docs and Dellas, Dr. Phillips Center Premier Performance Ensemble,
Howard Middle School Jazz Band and Howard Middle School Show Choir. I decided to sketch the choir whose choreography involved lots of exuberant hand motions. 

Artist German Lemus had an easel set up and was doing a painting of the event. It is encouraging that I wasn’t the only artist documenting the occasion.  His painting involved bold acrylic brush strokes.  An office worker in front of me was having a cup of soup.  Some of the young singers were flat and a few wrong notes were blatted out, but seeing so many kids exited to be on stage was heart warming enough.  It was overcast and downright cold, but my tablet manages to help warm my hands.