Downtown Paper Launch Party

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Volume 1, Edition 1 of the Downtown Community Paper arrived in my mailbox in September. This monthly paper is devoted to keeping downtown residents like myself informed about what is new and trending. A simple article titled “Why would anyone want to live in the heart of Orlando?” reaffirmed all the reasons why I have been living and working downtown for this past year. I contacted the editor Michelle Rocheleau about contributing to the paper since I am documenting the arts scene and lifestyle downtown everyday already.

The paper held a launch party at the Orange County Regional History Center and I decided to sketch. The publisher Debbie Goetz and Michelle were pulled in all directions. Debbie already publishes a College Park Community Paper and when she met Michelle the idea of the Downtown Community Paper took form. The paper is founded on the principles that include bringing the community together and highlighting inspiring individuals who live in the area. The paper doesn’t plan to compete against the Sentinel or The Bunglaower to cover hard-hitting news. They instead  are committed to only positive uplifting news.

At the launch party, singer, songwriter, Justin Kangrga, entertained the crowd performing covers on his acoustic guitar. Tom Petty died this week, and Justin performed one of his songs. It was a lively launch party where advertisers got to meet staff and enjoy a drink and hors d’oeuvres. The paper’s demographic isn’t the 20 somethings hitting the downtown bars each night, instead they focus on the older more established demographic that calls downtown home.

The paper will be delivered monthly to 8,000 homes in the area and is also available at Newsstands downtown. There is a digital version posted on the paper’s website.

Walk for the Trees at Lake Baldwin.

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Harbor Park at Lake Baldwin (4990 New Broad St, Orlando, Florida 32814). In the Fall of 2015, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer launched an ambitious goal to strengthen Orlando by building our urban forest and expanding the tree canopy.

To achieve this goal, the City of Orlando launched the ‘One Person, One Tree’ program, an effort to engage private residents in creating a cooler and greener future for The City Beautiful, and help grow our urban tree canopy to 40% by 2040.

At Walk For Trees, every registrant received one free tree from a selection of tree saplings. They were asked to
plant this tree in their favorite location so that the tree can make
Orlando a better place. Orlando is proud to be listed as a Tree City USA since 1976, named a Sterling Tree City USA in 2011 and received a Tree Growth Award every year since 1990.

April 10th, IDEAS For Us and the City of Orlando launched the inaugural “Walk For Trees event” around Lake Baldwin to support Orlando’s tree programs, with a goal of raising enough funds to plant 1,000 trees in Orlando.

The event had local celebrities, elected officials, nonprofits, food trucks, and more.

It was a beautiful day. I soaked in the sun as I sketched the Orlando Philharmonic musicians who performed that morning. $30 Tickets were available for a 5K walk around the lake with proceeds going to IDEAS for Us. IDEAS works to solve environmental problems on campuses and in communities around the World. Since 2008, they have been supporting people and developing their ideas into solutions that solve the environmental crisis. Their approach to sustainability focuses on five key areas to catalyze local action.Those are: Energy, Water, Food, Waste and Ecology.

Blue Box 12, Sasha Kendrick Violinist.

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I established the Blue Box Initiative, so I could sketch talented performers in each of the 27 blue boxes which are painted on the sidewalks downtown Orlando. These boxes
are for panhandlers and buskers. Busking was possible only during day
light hours, but a recent amendment allows the boxes to be used at night. Although set up for panhandlers, police often insist street
performers must use the blue boxes. Performing outside the boxes can
result in 60 days in jail and a $500 fine.

I sketched Sasha Kendrick at Blue Box 12 which is located across the street from the Disney Band shell at Lake Eola. There was no shade on this stretch of sidewalk and the heat was unbearable. Sasha was worried that her violin would warp in the intense heat, but she performed anyway. Not a single person walked past as she performed. No one walks that stretch of sidewalk in the noon day sun.

When the sketch was done she wanted to perform at Lake Eola which she does regularly. Police in the park do not ask her to leave. They turn a blind eye to the city ordinance that bans busking because she is pleasant and respectful. It was much nicer sketching in the shade with a lake side breeze. One man stopped to listen and sat on the bench next to Sacha. He decided to go to the Relax Grill and Bar and he bought Sasha and I a drink. This was the first time I had ever been given anything while I sketched. He was legitimately grateful for Sasha’s performance.

She told me about a charity she was establishing which raises money for musical instruments for the homeless. She figures that by performing music, a person can raise some cash just as she has done for years. She gave an instrument to a man in town who also raises money selling palm frond woven flowers. The instrument disappeared and she thinks he sold it for money for crack. Unfortunately this musical charitable experiment became a failed experiment.

$1 Sketch Sale.

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When I moved out of North Bay, near the Bay Hill Golf Club, I needed some extra cash to help pay for the moving expenses. I have mountains of figure drawings and decoded to have a sketch sale with each sketch available for $1. I held the sale all day on a Sunday. People arrived all day long to riffle through the sketches piled up on the dining room table.

There were some major deals to be found. Besides the figure studies, there were sketches done for paintings and even a few drawings that had turned into paintings. A pink robot build by Evan and Christie Miga overlooked the scene. Zorro, a white umbrella cockatoo greeted people and screeched for attention.

I raised several hundred dollars which helped a bit as I settled into a new place. Some people just waked in off the streets because I had a sign in the front year. Friends and strangers didn’t know that this was close to the last day that I would be living in this neighborhood. All my sketchbooks had already been moved. When I die, this is my legacy, a mountain of sketches that hopefully will find a home. The sketches are culled down each time I move.

One Orlando Alliance organized an Orlando Vigil for Las Vegas

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The lawn in front of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts was packed with thousands of people 16 months ago after the Pulse Nightclub shooting. Tears were shed and strangers hugged one another in a truly moving vigil to honor the victims of the nightclub shooting. Days after the mass shooting in Las Vegas, the same stage was erected in the Dr. Phillips lawn to show solidarity and support for that city which is now the site of the largest mass shooting in American history with 58 victims to date. 515 others are injured, so that number may well rise as people fight for their lives.

Pam Schwartz and I arrived a bit early expecting to find the lawn crowded with Orlando citizens who who would show their support for such a tragic event. The lawn was strangely empty. One third of the lawn was a construction zone for the new Dr. Phillips theater being built.  The entire area was surrounded by temporary concert barricades. There was no crowd to contain. A single wreath stood on a tripod in front of the stage. The press huddled together on the walkway opposite me. Desperate for some sort of story, a young reporter asked to interview me, but I explained that I had a limited amount of time to finish my sketch so I couldn’t stop to talk.

The green lawn remained empty the entire time I sketched. I had looked at some of the video footage from Las Vegas earlier that day and recall seeing people running for their lives or lying on the grass hoping not to get hit by the bullets raining down from 32 stories above. The Dr. Phillips lawn, surrounded by humble Orlando high rises, wasn’t much different than the Las Vegas field where concert goers were massacred. One Orlando high rise had several windows blown out from hurricane Irma, just as the Las Vegas gunman had blown out his hotel room window to massacre the crowd below.

Dozens of people showed up to the vigil held in Orlando. Any photos of the vigil show a few people together in closely cropped shots.  Perhaps it was just to soon. The staff at the History Center said that they just weren’t ready to accept or digest that such a horrific incident had happened so soon after the incident at Pulse. Days after the Las Vegas shooting, rainbow flags appeared on all the Orlando downtown street lights. I thought this was in solidarity for the Las Vegas shooting but it might just have been in preparation for the Gay Pride Parade coming up next week.

Someone removed the metal steps that lead up to the stage. A source at The Center said that a permit had not been applied for and thus
no one was allowed to go up on the stage. How amazing that such red tape should
come from a city who had just experienced mass murder 16 months earlier. One Orlando Alliance organizers stated that a radio station set up the stage just for the amplification and they didn’t want any speakers.

Five or six of the 49 angels in action arrived and stood silent in
front of the stage, their fabric wings flapping in the breeze.

 one PULSE Foundation president, Barbara Poma, spoke to the small group gathered from behind the stage. Her online statement read, “Finding words to convey the depth of horror we are all witnessing in
Las Vegas is just impossible. It is unimaginable that another mass
shooting of even greater scope than that of Pulse Nightclub could occur
again in this country, but indeed, it has. We must work harder to stop
these crimes that destroy human life. We pray for those whose lives were
taken, as well as for the wounded and the hundreds who will forever be affected by this monumental tragedy.”

The Orange County Property Appraiser arrived to get his picture taken in a tuxedo in front of a banner which people signed in support of Las Vegas. Mayor Buddy Dyer made a cameo and disappeared quickly. I recognized some of the Pulse family and activists like the Eskamani sisters who truly made a difference in our city following the Pulse shooting. A GoFundMe set up by Ida Eskamani for Equality Florida raised more that 2.4 million dollars for Pulse victims families. With Hurricane Maria causing so much damage in Puerto Rico, many Hispanic activists are perhaps occupied with that cause.

The Vigil held at the Dr. Phillips for Las Vegas was a small gathering by a few of Orlando’s core activists but the impression it left with me was apparent indifference by the community as a whole. The Methodist Church bells rang for each victim of the
Las Vegas shooting. I left disheartened.  The faces of the beautiful people lost in Las Vegas are just now
appearing online. All of those lost have not yet been identified. Perhaps people stayed home because mass murder is now the norm. A mass murder is defined as 4 people dying in a single gun related incident. Close to one mass shooting happens every day in America.

Pam was going to the Savoy to be a Celebrity Bartender. That event would raise funds to help The Center which is a refuge and family for the LGBT community as well as playing an important role in testing and treating sexually transmitted diseases. Sketching that event felt more supportive to an organization that makes a positive change in the Orlando community. Life goes on as social services struggle to stay afloat. I needed a stiff drink. How we memorialize is becoming increasingly important as these shootings are becoming more common.

P.S. Justine Thompson Cowan, one of the events organizers reported that
City representatives were willing to do whatever it took, helped with
permitting, and opened up garages for free parking, spending staff
resources to pull it together. He stayed
until the end and joined with what he estimated to be about 250 people as
they heard the bells toll, the Orlando Gay Chorus sing and spread out
into the audience with their voices that touched their hearts. She felt
solace. She felt companionship. And maybe even a bit of hope.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for October 7th and 8th.

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Saturday October 7, 2017

5 PM to 10 PM – Free. 10th Annual Zombietoberfest. Audubon Park Garden District Orlando, Florida 32803. Orlando’s original zombie festival returns, with all the dread, undead and revelry that entails. Food trucks, open air market, zombie crawl, costume contest, food and drink specials and more.

7 PM to 10 PM – $35. 10 x 10 Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop. The workshop will be held at Zombietoberfest. Urban Sketchers is celebrating 10 years by inviting sketchers from
around the world to attend ten on location workshops with an Urban
Sketching official instructor in your city! You may choose to
participate in one or more of the workshops at the following prospective
locations in Orlando.

Goals

1. Show stories from your city, one drawing at a time

2. Improve your drawing skills

3. Learn how to select, frame and design visual stories on a page

4. Learn how writing and drawing can work together to communicate more to your audience

5. Experience the advantages of group learning and seeing the many paths to success

10:30 PM to 12:30 AM Get a bite or drink. Son Flamenco. Ceviche Tapas Orlando, 125 W Church St, Orlando, FL. Hot blooded Flamenco dancers perform to live acoustic guitar.



Sunday October 8, 2017

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.

 2 PM to 3 PM, Free. Celebrate with Dance. Orlando Public Library 101 East Central Avenue Orlando Fl. Enjoy a lively performance of Spanish folk dances by Alborea Dances in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month.

2 PM to 6 PM Get a drink. Halloween Hair of the Dog Day Charity Event. The Thirsty Topher

(601 Virginia Drive Orlando FL). A canine costume contest tops off a day of raffles, complimentary homemade dog treats and mingling with furry companions.
Donations will be made to the Humane Society’s disaster fund.

Espolon Cocktail Fights 2017 at Will’s Pub.

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The Espolon Cocktail Fights took place at Will’s Pub (1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803). Six of Orlando’s best bartenders went head to head with six of Tampa best bartenders  in a no holds bared showdown  for the title of the most creative cocktail. The winner of this evenings competition would go on to compete in New York City in the semi- finals and then possibly move on tho the finals in Mexico.

Competing bartenders each took on the persona of a Mexican wrestler. Million Dollar Dan (Daniel Messina) from Orlando entered the competition as a braggart who threw play money at the howling audience. Perhaps the most flamboyant competitor was El Serpiente (Jacob Ceciro) from Tampa, who claimed he could tame any serpent, but is drink was rather lack luster. Other competitors from Orlando were, Red Feather (Robyn Conen), Quetzal the Great (Felix Fernandez), Finger Guns (Sean Sheenan), and El Lobo Gris (Jeremy Hazmier).

Tampa competitors were bused to the event and I imagine they were already a bit tipsy before they got to Orlando. There was just one female competitor in the line up and she was Foxxy Lady (Linaris Santiago-Wright) who had long red eye lashes, and a feather boa. She won every round to become the champion of Orlando and Tampa.

The hosts did a good job of keeping the energy up in the room. Samples of each drink were available for tasting. Some were spicy hot and the serpents was like poison. Judges sat in front of the stage to sample each concoction. One round had all the competitors each prepare margaritas while one hand is behind their back in a boxing glove. It might have been fun to see the bartenders compete with both hands in boxing gloves. The final rounds had a giant table of ingredients and the competitors had to select their ingredients and prepare a drink while working against the clock.

Orlando Urban Sketching Workshop 5 at House of Blues.

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Hurricane Irma blew the wind out of the sails of the 5th Orlando Urban Sketch Workshop that was held at the Ultimate Art Party in Tavares Florida. I decided to reschedule that class since so few artists attended. The next week we met at House of Blues in Disney Springs. When I arrived artists were already gathered at the iconic rusty water tower. We looked for a location where I could talk without the canned in Disney music. I thought we would hang out in a grassy area, but the lawn had loud speakers. We ultimately walked across the courtyard to a bunch of benches a short distance from House of Blues.

I had everyone work small on thumbnail drawings. This allowed us all to do a series of sketches rather than one long sketch. I executed this sketch quickly as everyone worked. I encouraged everyone to limit their color palettes so this sketch was just in sepia tones and then I added color later. The large cement courtyard between us and the water tower gave a good ground plane for me to explain how to populate a sketch.

We did 5 minute studies of each artist in turn as they looked at their cell phone or sketched. With all those quick sketched done I asked the artists to create a ground plane using two point perspective and then copy several of the quick 5 minute figure studies onto the grid. The figure studies were like chess pieces on a chess board. Pieces in the foreground were larger, and pieces in the background grew smaller.

Live music could be heard coming from the House of Blues, so the last exercise was to approach the music and draw the crowd gathered to listen as well  as the musicians. I executed a second tiny sketch while everyone found a spot and got to work. We then returned to the benches to see each others work and take some photos.  It was a fun night and I think the attendees age getting a feel for the excitement of working on location.

In the East Village of NYC.

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I was asked to teach an Urban Sketching Workshop in NYC. The hotel was located in the East Village which has changed quite a bit since I lived in NYC close to 25 years ago. Hip new bars and eateries proliferate the neighborhood. When I got to this street corner of Clinton and Houston the age old feeling of the city returned. I took the time to sit on a bench in the middle of the intersection and sketch the neighborhood. I  imagined myself living in that cylinder shaped corner tower on the corner on the top floor. From there I could see the bustling city life as I painted in the studio.

I went to college in the city and wish I had the patience and perseverance to sketch the scene as I can today. A homeless man on the far corner to my left was begging the entire time I sketches. His mantra for a dime became the soundtrack for the scene as I worked. It was a rather crisp day which I am not used to, so I had to put on my gloves to keep sketching. Direct sunlight helped when it struck  my hands.

The sketch workshop went well. We did quick studies while e were gathered in a dance studio which had mirrors on the walls. Mirrored walls are perfect for showing where a vanishing point is in a scene. For the second part of the workshop, we went to Grand Central Station. I wanted my crew of artists to see the main floor from the second level. We walked up the steps and overlooked the expanse. The amazing this is that the second floor of Grand Central Station is now exclusively an Apple Store. Phones and iPads were everywhere. The store staff didn’t seem to mind us leaning against the marble railings and sketching. After sketching at Grand Central, we all went to a German pub for drinks and to share sketches. The New York City Urban Sketching community is vibrant and exciting. I kind of miss being in the city that never sleeps.

Leaving Vietnam: Building a New Life in Central Florida

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Coinciding with WUCF TV’s September presentation of The Vietnam War, the new 17 hour documentary series by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, this retrospective exhibition at the Orange County Regional History Center (65 East Central Boulevard Orlando FL 32801) uses oral histories to explore the war’s impact on Central Florida. Learn about the parts local veterans played on the front lines and how the experience shaped them. Discover the roots of Central Florida’s Vietnamese community and its impact on leadership, local commerce, and Orlando’s food scene.

I attended and sketched the opening reception for the exhibit. Veterans and members of Orlando’s Vietnamese community came out to see the exhibit in which their words and artifacts were assembled. As I sketched, a Vietnamese woman took a keen interest in my work. She wanted to know all about the ink I was using and my brush with the water in the handle. She said she needed a sketch done, so I gave her a card. A veteran in a wheel chair also stopped to chat. He was shooting video on his iPad. He is a documentary film maker and told me about the footage he shot on a parachuting mission.

I have become a binge watcher of the Ken Burns Vietnam series. Though I don’t have a TV, the series can be viewed online. There ar some amazing audio tapes that point out the reservations, fears and frustrations of several presidents who couldn’t see a way out of the war. Some of the footage brings back childhood memories of burning hutches and graphic violence that aired on TV at the time. On display in the exhibit were hand-made incendiary devices made from soda cans designed to blow off a soldiers hand. The text panels in the entire exhibit are bilingual, in English and Vietnamese. A letter home from Vietnam that had likely been unread for over 50 years, had one viewer in tears when she read it in the exhibit.

Active-duty and retired U.S. military personnel (including National Guard members) will receive a $2 discount from History Center general admission prices ($8) during this exhibit. Disabled veterans will be admitted at no charge. The exhibition runs through November 5.