Christine’s White Elephant Party.

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On Christmas Day Christine and her family host a White Elephant Party for Christmas orphans.I’m a bit of an orphan this year since I’m separated and not even sure where I will be living in 2017. Christine hosts a potluck dinner with more food than you can imagine and crystal clear Greek 99 proof drinks that will make your toes curl.

Everyone brings a funny or practical white elephant gift and then people picked their gift when a number is pulled from a hat. There is an advantage to having your number pulled later in the proceedings. When you open your gift in front of everyone, you have a choice. You can keep your gift, or exchange your gift with some on who has a be the gift than yours.

I was called up rather late in the process, and picked a large flat package. I ripped the paper, ribbons and bow off. It turned out to be one of those tacky paintings with celebrities sitting around a table playing poker. The only way it could have been worse is if it had been dogs playing poker. I figured I was stuck with it. However, a young college aged boy must have figured it would look good in his man cave dorm room and he stole it from me. I don’t even remember what I got in exchange. with all the downsizing I have been doing moving place to place lately, I doubt I still have it.

This party is a great way to catch up with old friends an make new ones. The large Greek family makes us all feel at home.

2nd Annual Boat Parade

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I went to Without A Paddle Cafe, (1000 Miami Springs Dr, Longwood, FL 32779) for the second annual Boat Parade on the Wekiva River. Parking on site was packed, so I drove a block away to Publix and parked there. There was snow being blown from the rooftop of the cafe. It melted on my sleeve just like real snow but then we re no flakes. They were more like lumps and I suspect they were soap suds. I made sure my computer brief case was closed up so the suds couldn’t damage my digital sketchpad.  All the wooden dock side chairs were taken so I found an empty spot between camping chairs and picnic blankets.

The first board spread down the river with Christmas lights ablaze, and the driver held up an air horn and blasted the crowd. Every one stood up, so I finished the sketch while standing. Small boats followed in succession up the river. One had a large round nose on the bow and antlers. It was clearly Rudolph. An other board had Christmas light lined butterfly wings which animated when a pulley and rope was pulled. The winner for the evening was a small boat decorated to look like a steam train engine. The most popular decorating ate rice was tree branches, which when wrapped in lights look like a deer antlers. On the opposite shore lights outlined Christmas Tree shapes. Spotlights illuminated the dark woods. At the corner of the cafe stood a totem that looked to me like a tall sea creature with large black eyes. On closer inspection,  I discovered that it was actually lashed together canoes. The black eyes were spot lights. I preferred to imagine it being an exotic squid shaped creature.

Inside the cafe, I noticed Beth Black performing on violin. There was a large area covered in snow, or more likely crushed ice. And kids were having a snowball fight with the slushy mess. I picked some up just to feel the cold. Stilt walking angels had white Christmas lights to outline their wings. Mr. and Mrs. Claus were on a boat with lame Christmas lights that blinked of mire often than they were on. That didn’t dampen the crowds enthusiasm as they shouted and waved to him.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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Saturday December 24, 2016 (Christmas Eve)

9:30am to 4 pm Christmas Eve Open House. The Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art, 445 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789.

6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm Snow Falling Nightly in Celebration. Celebration Town Center.

6pm and continues hourly until closing. Holiday Light Show at Light Up UCF.  CFE Arena.

Sunday December 25, 2016. ( Christmas Day) 

5:30 pm to 7:30pm Chanukah on the Park. Central Park, Winter Park FL.

5:36 pm Sunset St. Augustine Nights of Lights. Take a day trip (about 90 minutes to 2 hours from Orlando) to St. Augustine to enjoy their Nights of Lights display.

St. Augustine’s
popular holiday season city-wide event – the famed Nights of Lights
celebration – will glow with more than three million brilliant white
lights again this year attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to
the oldest city in the Nation.

Nights of Lights runs November 22, 2014, through January 31, 2015, in
St. Augustine, Fla. The festival starts with a countdown November 22,
6:30 p.m. in the Plaza de la Constitucion when the lights are officially
lit.  Holiday music and the lighting of the city’s Christmas tree add
to the splendor of the lighting of one of the world’s greatest holiday
light displays.

Many historic landmarks and locations are beautifully illuminated
during Nights of Lights. The waters of Matanzas bay glow from the
nightly reflections of lights strewn along the bay walk and displayed on
the Bridge of Lions. The Plaza de la Constitucion shines from the top
of trees and throughout the famous center of St. Augustine’s historic
district. The 125-year-old Hotel Ponce de Leon, now the campus of
Flagler College, is outlined in lights. And the Lightner Museum, once a
resort hotel also built by Flagler, is lit so brilliantly it is a
favorite among visitors.

Nights of Lights is inspired by the tradition of marking the holiday
season with a single white candle burning in a window at each home
during the nearly 250 years when St. Augustine served as the capital of
Spanish La Florida. Today, Nights of Lights continues that tradition in a
grand style reflecting the city’s 449 years of history.

Nights of Lights continues to garner accolades. In 2014, Rachel Ray
magazine named St. Augustine one of the Nation’s “Twinkliest Towns.” 
National Geographic declared St. Augustine one of the Top 10 Places in
the World to view holiday lights in 2012 and 2013. The American Bus
Association named Nights of Lights a Top 100 Event in North America..

 6pm to 9pm The Ice Factory. 2221 Partin Settlement Rd, Kissimmee, FL 34744, 407-933-4259

The Ice Factory
is an NHL-size skating and hockey rink located in the heart of Florida.
Staffed by experienced, professional skating instructors and certified
coaches, the Ice Factory features a 750 Seat Stadium and two Ice
Surfaces.

Main Rink $10 admission (includes basic skate rental)

Small Rink $5 admission (includes UPGRADED skate rental)

Small Rink $7 admission (includes basic skate)

A Russian Christmas.

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On December 11th, the Maitland, Presbyterian Church (341 N Orlando Ave, Maitland, FL 32751) presented A Russian Christmas. Russia is well known for producing talented composers like Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev. This concert presented sounds of the holiday season with a Russian flair. June Flowers, who organizes music a presentations around Central Florida, asked me to come and sketch the performance. June introduced me to Elizabeth St. Hilaire who is a visual artist and also a violin player. I made sure to get Elizabeth’s pinch hair in the sketch. 

The Artistic Director and Conductor was Eric W. Mendez. Most arrangements were purely instrumental, but Cantique de Noel featured soprano Laura Bertshinger. Her performance elicited a standing oration. The Emcees for the night were Sent in a columnist Scott Maxwell, and Margaret Patten. Scott mentioned an article he had just written about 101 of the things that make Central Florida unique. I had just read that article and pulled it out of the paper because it contained so many sketch opportunities.  That article listen the Maitland Symphony Orchestra as one of the unique 101 gems. 

The concert was free, but of course donations were encouraged. This concert was certainly a way to warm up to the Christmas season. I slipped away during A Christmas Festival by Leroy Anderson. I wanted to avoid the crush of the crowd when the concert ended.

Santa and the Angry Elves.

Posted on by Thor

The Feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in parts of Europe on December 6th. On the preceding evening of December 5th, Krampus Night or Krampusnacht,
the wicked hairy devil appears on the streets. Sometimes accompanying
St. Nicholas and sometimes on his own, Krampus visits homes and
businesses. The Saint usually appears in the Eastern Rite vestments
of a bishop, and he carries a golden ceremonial staff. Unlike North
American versions of Santa Claus, in these celebrations Saint Nicholas
concerns himself only with the good children, while Krampus is
responsible for the bad. Nicholas dispenses gifts, while Krampus
supplies coal and bundles of sticks used as a whip.

 On Krampusnacht, I hosted ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) at the Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, FL 32804). Santa and the Angry Elves were setting up on the main stage doing a sound check. My impression was that they would set up and then head home for a quick costume change. They disappeared and I didn’t see them again, so I finished the sketch without their festive costumes. A train rumbled by just inches behind the stage and then a bar maid came around with a tray full of shots. The 44 North Train shots are passed out free every time a free rumbled by. I must have had four shots during the course of making this sketch.

By the time Santa and the Angry Elves returned, I had done sketches of several Krampuses and a sketch of the Deviant Dolls sales booth. I was sketched out for the night. As Santa and the Angry Elves took to the stage, I was packing up my art supplies to go. Just as I was leaving several more Krampuses showed up. One was covered in white fur like a Yeti, and had extremely long horns. The Krampus costume contest was still to come,  and it would be a toss up between the white Yeti, Krampus, and the gorgeous long clawed Kampus in a wheel chair. I really should have stayed to sketch the both, but I was tired.

The Kessler Corporate Christmas Party.

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I was commissioned to sketch at the Kessler Corporate Christmas Party held in the Devos room in the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts (445 S Magnolia Ave, Orlando, FL 32801). C’Nergy was the local band offering cover tunes for the evening. I arrived early entering the venue through the loading docks. My art supplies made it through security with no problem. The Devos room is on the third floor above the Center’s entry area. Glass walls surround the room on three sides offering an incredible view of the new plaza outside the Center. In June thousands gathered in that plaza to morn the loss of 49 of our own to gun violence. Candles flicked above the crowd. One glass wall slid open and I had to walk over to look. The green expanse of a lawn was now empty and silent. The sky was a deep ultramarine blue with flickering stars. A woman next to me said, “Don’t jump.” I laughed and joked that with my luck, I’d probably only break a leg. With that theater reference under my belt, I returned to my sketch.

Several Kessler Collection employees stopped to ask questions as I worked, it turns out I was on the program… “Experience the works of illustrator and journalist Thomas Thorspecken. He’s a talented local artist who sketches stories of Central Florida’s community daily in his popular blog.” I was surprised that the MC announced me as well and I waved as people turned to look at me. After the cocktail reception, everyone was invited to find a table so the party could get started. Mr Kessler was at the front table, but his table wasn’t full. Most of the other tables were full. The MC insisted that people move in closer to the stage. “We are going to have to do a training exercise if people don’t move closer, Mr. Kessler doesn’t bite.” Finally several couples moved to the front table.

 An executive in bright red shoes introduced a party game he devised. He wanted each table to come up with a fun reason why it is a unique experience to work for the Kessler Collection. Two of the tables on stage left got their submissions in right away. He got back up to the mic later in the evening to scold the other tables who hadn’t yet participated. After endless raffle prizes, he pointed out that there were only five raffle tickets unpicked and so he advised that “If your ticket wasn’t picked, you shouldn’t play the Lotto.”

 

Mr. Kessler got on stage. The big announcement was that the Plant Riverside development was underway in Savannah Georgia. The one time I visited Savannah, I stayed in a Kessler historic home right on one of the many public parks in a city. With gorgeous art, and gorgeous historic architecture, it was a wonderful place to stay. The Plant River side construction will take 24 months at a cost of 217 million dollars. Apparently there were many hurdles along the way. One Kessler employee said that he attributed his grey hair to the endless negotiating.  Patience and perseverance eventually made the dream a reality.

The 1912 Georgia power plant located on the west end of River Street
in the National Historic Landmark District is being revitalized into an
ultra-chic hotel delivering an electrifying Hostess City experience.

• 422 beautifully appointed, luxury guestrooms and suites

• Over 26,000 square feet of stylish meeting and event space

• More than 11 upscale food and beverage offerings

• Live music and entertainment venue

• Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park

• Rooftop bar overlooking the Savannah River

• Curated wine tasting and interactive blending experience

• Grand Bohemian Gallery and diverse retail outlets

There was an awards ceremony for staff that went above and beyond the call of duty. The one person I met at the event, Leile Ahlstrand, won the highest honor. She welcomed me warmly and instantly made me feel at home when I entered the Devos room, so I understand why she was honored that night. My sketch was complete. As the band started playing again, I made my way to the front table to show Mr Kessler the final product. My timing was a bit off since I had to shout over the music. He seemed to like the sketch and I explained the I would be writing an article. Then I found Leile and let her know that I was finished. We chatted for a bit. She was glowing as if she had just won an Oscar. None of the recipients had taken time at the mic to thank everyone who made the award possible.  There was probably time for a second sketch, but my legs were tired from standing. I also wanted to get home to have a bite to eat. On the walk back home I passed artists set up on the sidewalks of Thornton Park selling their art. Christmas lights illuminated white tents. It was quite festive, another sketch opportunity, but it was getting late and they were starting I break down. Besides I was over dressed. 

Climb Time Construction

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I returned to the Orlando Science Center, (777 East Princeton Street Orlando Fl 32803) to sketch the continuing construction on the Climb Time area of the New Kids Town. I was amazed at how much the structure had progressed in just one week. I was committed to doing one sketch a week, but felt that a sketch a day would have been needed to get a full time lapse effect of the constructions evolution.

The hard hat was still needed since there was overhead wall work and construction still going on. The construction foreman kept an eye on me to be sure I was safe and not in the way. Mostly the structure was complete with just a few tweaks needed to be sure it was study and ready for the endless stress of children at play.

Each green pillar was very heavy and required three workman to maneuver it into place. All that remained now was a few protective screens that needed to be secured.

This series of sketches was commissioned as possible gifts for people who donated money for this 5 million dollar expansion to the museum. For me it was fun to see how the construction. Site changed week to week. Workers got used to my presence and they liked to glance over my shoulder to see if they had been captured. When they recognized a coworker they would rib him, saying that the reason he made it into the sketch was because he was standing around and doing nothing. Every worker however was constantly in motion. Progress was insanely fast.

Finger on the Pulse exhibit at City Arts Factory.

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This solo City Arts Factory Downtown Arts District (29 S Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32801)

exhibition is up from December 15, 2016 to January 13, 2017
Artist Opening Reception: Third Thursday December 15, 2015 6-9pm

Thomas Thorspecken (Thor) presents “Finger on the Pulse“, Orlando’s Artistic Expression. After the Pulse tragedy, Thor went to every vigil and fundraiser possible to documents Orlando’s attempts to heal. This project continues as he sketches family and friends of victims along with survivors, employees and first responders. For some the healing will take a lifetime.

Thor has been documenting arts and culture in Orlando for the past 10 years by doing a sketch a day and writing articles that share the city’s history. The project began as a New Years resolution, and has become a lifestyle.

The show features 19 prints of the sketches done in the weeks and months following the Pulse tragedy. I transported all the framed pieces to City Arts Factory in  granny cart. All the pieces were protected using a bed sheet and some towels. It was such a luxury to be able to walk from my Thornton Park apartment downtown. Ive gotten spoiled since I moved from the dingy Winter Park apartment I was renovating these past 6 months.

Anyway, each print has a QR code on the label that leads to a full write up about each event sketched. Orlando is still healing. For some the healing will take a lifetime. A News 13 TV reporter, John Davis, shot footage as I hung the show, and then He interviewed me about all the Pulse themed sketches I have been doing. The story went live that night, but since I don’t have a TV, I didn’t see it. I contacted a Pulse survivor about an interview at the History Center, and she said that at the moment she read my request, my name was mentioned on Channel 13 News. That coverage helped me land the interview and sketch.

I’m heading over for the opening soon. Be sure to stop out to City Arts Factory before January 13th to see the show and possibly pick up some of my art for your art collection.

The Russian Ballet presents Nutcracker.

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On Saturday December 17th from 7pm to 9pm, the Russian Ballet School is presenting a free performance of The Nutcracker at the Walt Disney Amphitheater (99 N/ Rosalind Avenue Orlando Fl 328801). This will be the 17th Annual presentation. There will be food trucks parks on Rosalind, if you would like to grab a bit before the dancing begins. This sketch done in 2015 was never published, but the scene is very much the same. Holiday traditions and decorations get reused year to year. I made no effort to get close to the stage for the sketch. Instead my focus was on the picnickers who set up their spreads in the grass. With so many people in attendance, I never actually saw even a hint of a dancer. The music is memorable however.

In 2015 it was actually quite chilly requiring jackets and hats. I’m thinking this year will be quite a bit warmer. It must have been in the s as I walked around downtown today.

A blimp circled overhead and the larger metal hooped Christmas tree was all ablaze. I’ve seem Nutcracker so often that I knew what must be happening on stage although I couldn’t see over the crowd. Occasionally cell phone would illuminate faces in the crowd. This is a wonderful annual Christmas tradition and it can be appreciated from a distance or right up close. It is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. It can be a magical night.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 17th and 18th.

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Saturday December 17, 2016

1pm to 2pm Free. 21 Annual Merry Tuba Christmas. Central Park, W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789. Tubas, Christmas, enough said.  

5pm to 10pm Free. 2nd Annual Boat Parade. Without A Paddle Cafe, 1000 Miami Springs Dr, Longwood, FL 32779. Come visit Wekiva’s Winter Wonderland and join us for our 2nd annual boat parade on the Wekiva River. All interested participants must register by December 16th at 7p. Details Below.

Arrive early to enjoy food from our Without a Paddle Cafe, grab a drink and get a great seat on the dock for the parade. Please bring your own chairs or blankets.

Carpooling and UBER are strongly encouraged as parking will be limited. Show proof of your UBER receipt and get $3 off your bar tab.
Also happening on December 17th

– Free Gift Wrapping Noon-5pm
– Santa Visits 2-7pm
– Evening Snow Flurries at 6PM
– Lighted Stilt walkers- 7pm-9pm
– Live Remote with 103.1 The Wolf – 7pm – 9pm

7pm to 10pm Free. Art and Education Winter Gala. Henao Contemporary Center 5601 Edgewater Dr, Orlando, Florida 32810. The PreJax Foundation presents an evening at the Henao Contemporary Center to promote local art and; the education of exceptional students affected by multiple sclerosis.

Special appearance by Sylvia Longmire – Ms. Wheelchair USA 2016 

Semi-formal attire encouraged.

The PreJax Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) organization (which means donations are tax deductible). This non-profit exists solely to provide college tuition assistance in the form of $1,000 scholarships. These go to exceptional students who either have a parent with MS or have themselves been diagnosed.

Sunday December 18, 2016

Noon to 3pm Free. Peter and the Wolf. Central Park, W Morse Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32789. 

3pm to 1:30 am $12 to $15. The 13th Annual John Lennon Tribute & Christmas Party Fundraiser. Will’s Pub 1042 N Mills Ave, Orlando, Florida 32803. Southern Fried Sunday presents: The 13th Annual John Lennon Tribute Christmas Party & Fundraiser brought to you by Heartstrings Music Foundation and Real Radio 104.1’s Sunday Morning Coming Down Show
Sunday, December 18th at Will’s Pub on Mills Ave. in Orlando, from 3pm till late, an indoor/outdoor All Ages charity event with Bands (performance schedule TBA soon), art auction and raffle benefiting The Mustard Seed of Central Florida and Music & Memory http://mustardseedfla.org/ https://musicandmemory.org/
In addition to some of our best local Orlando talent playing Lennon’s music from The Beatles to solo, we will feature Orlando artists, vendors and food trucks all coming together to celebrate John Lennon’s music, film, art and message.
This year’s event will be a first of it’s kind as we are broadcasting a live audio video simulcast with coordinated Lennon Tributes in Nashville, Los Angeles and Anchorage.

3pm to 5pm Free.  EXHIBITION TOUR with Guest Curator Arthur Blumenthal, Ph.D. Cornell Fine Arts Museum 1000 Holt Ave, Winter Park, Florida 32789. “In the Light of Naples: The Art of Francesco de Mura” is the first-ever exhibition of the art of Francesco de Mura (1696–1782), arguably the greatest painter of the Golden Age of Naples. The leader in his day of the Neapolitan School and the favorite of the reigning Bourbon King Charles VII, De Mura was the chief painter of decorative cycles to emerge from the studio of Francesco Solimena (1657-1747), the celebrated Baroque artist. De Mura’s refined and elegant compositions, with their exquisite light and airy colors, heralded the rococo in Naples, and his later style led to Neo-Classicism.

The exhibition—which will travel to the Chazen Museum at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the Loeb Art Center at Vassar College—features more than 40 works by De Mura from museums and private collections in the United States, as well as Italy and the United Kingdom.

The Cornell Fine Arts Museum’s painting by De Mura “The Visitation,” ca. 1752 was the impetus for this show, which was curated by Dr. Arthur Blumenthal, Director Emeritus of the Cornell. The exhibition is accompanied by a catalogue published by the museum and D. Giles Ltd., available in the museum’s gift shop.