Krampusnacht needs to become a holiday tradition.

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Krampus is a horned, anthropomorphic folklore figure described as “half-goat, half-demon”, who, during the Christmas season, punishes children who have misbehaved, in contrast with Saint Nicholas, who rewards the well-behaved with gifts. Krampus is one of the Companions of Saint Nicholas in regions including Austria, Bavaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia and Northern Italy. The origin of the figure is unclear; some folklorists and anthropologists have postulated a pre-Christian origin for the figure.

Presented by Pink Hair Productions and Thomas M. Bunting Projects, Krampusnacht was brought to Orlando at the Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804). My monthly ODD event (Orlando Drink and Draw) so I figured it could be a fun night of sketching demons. I was right. The best demon come out very late at night. By that time, I was spent having finished four sketches. 

My primary sketch was of the main stage. The goal was to sketch Santa and the angry elves. They did a sound check and then disappeared for several hour to get changed. I never did see them perform.

Brendan O’Connor was dressed as a Kampus, and he agreed to pose for a brief five minute sketch for the group. Brendan and Denna also walked the room applying temporary Kranpus tattoos to any patrons who wanted them. They affixed a demonic Krampus tattoo on my bald head as I sketched. It looked pretty good. They also applied a tattoo to the inner cleavage of a buxom woman’s breasts. 

The most demonic Krampus’ seem to arrive just after I left. I heed to work on my stamina so that I c continue sketching until very late at night. I’m still a bit of a early bird, and lightweight

Cory James Connell, one man can change the world.

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At the six month anniversary of the Pulse nightclub shooting, Tara and James Connell invited me to sketch a ceremony honoring their son at Greenwood Cemetery. Tara’s directions were a bit confusing but James gave me a ballpark approximation of where to find their son’s resting place. The ceremony was to start at 5:30pm but I got there early around 4:30pm. I drove through the cemetery in search of one headstone among thousands. I knew that the site was near the 408 and in a corner of the cemetery under a tree. I circled around the winding lanes multiple times hoping to spot James Connell’s name. A black headstone read Papadakis and gorgeous white sculpture of an angel kept catching my eye as I circled.

Finally I parked and just started walking among the headstones. I was lost. Finding an individual stone would be like finding a needle in a haystack. I was searching for rainbows as a hint that I might be near. There were random sparks of color. New grass outlined some grave sites. Instinctively I walked towards a dark live oak tree that was right next to the road. Amazingly, I walked right up to Cory James Connell‘s head stone.

A football jersey read, Cory Strong. A signed football was at the site. There were Christmas candy canes decorating the site along with red solar powered Christmas lights. Two lanterns with penguins on them flanked the headstone. I was the only person around. I sat down and started to sketch. Behind the head stones, the sky lit up with a stunning vibrant sunset. I was blinded at times staring right into the blazing sun. To the right of Cory’s head stone were the head stones of a couple who had died together at Pulse. Anthony Luis Laurean Dilsa was buried right behind his partner, Leroy Valentin Fernandez. To the left of Cory’s stone was the headstone of Alejandro Barrios Martinez, another victim of the senseless violence. There were engraved photos on each stone. Gorgeous live flowers decorated each site in the granite vases. A burly man with golden shades walked up to Leroy’s stone and placed a bouquet of flowers at the site. He stood in silent thought for the longest time and then left.

After sunset, the family started to arrive. A little girl laughed as she raced her brother. She grew silent when she arrived. Well over 40 people gathered around the stone and lit candles. 49 balloons of every color of the rainbow were brought over. A couple held each other for strength. Headlights glared as cars raced down the 408 access road just beyond the fence. Orlando city skyscrapers were visible in the distance. Everyone was instructed to find a video online that was a tribute to Cory. After a countdown, everyone pressed play and watched. Heaven was needing a Hero, cut the silence. I struggled for some emotional distance and strength.

The balloons strings were untangled from each other and handed out to each person. Markers squeaked messages of love and remembrance. Everyone moved out from under the live oak canopy, away from the grave site for a group photo. With one more countdown, everyone released the balloons which slowly floated up to the stars. Cell phone videos caught the ascent. With the sketch complete, I drifted away among the headstones into the dark to head down to Pulse where prayers and song  continued to honor all who were lost six months ago. I felt sad for love lost but needed to keep moving. It is all that I can do to try and understand.

“Love is stronger than death, even though it can’t stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can’t separate people from love. It can’t take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death.” – unknown

2:02am at Pulse.

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December 12, 2016 at 2:02am, Barbara Poma, the owner of the Pulse nightclub opened the gate to the fence that surrounds the club. It was exactly six months since the horrific mass shooting that killed 49 Orlando citizens. Friends and family of victims were invited inside for a private memorial candlelight service. A Pulse employee handed out rainbow ribbons to everyone in line. There was a small Christmas Tree outside the had ornaments for each of the 49 victims. As family and friends entered the gate, they had to empty their pockets and then go through a metal detector search. I sat on a stone bench right next to the entry door. In this exact spot I once comforted a friend who had too much to drink about nine years ago.

Cut out stars and candles were arranged on the pavement inside the perimeter in a pulse shaped pattern. Couples hugged each other and everyone stood facing the building. A woman I didn’t know hugged me and said she couldn’t wait to see the sketch. She returned to her girlfriend in the crowd. A purple neon circle illuminated the spot above the entry. We were told not to go near the door since it was alarmed. I returned outside to join the line of TV news cameras. Cory James Connell‘s parents Tara and James Connell gave me a hug and a handshake. Tara said she was doing fine until they got to the club. She looked across the street with trepidation and then they walked across and entered the gate. As I sketched I could hear crying from behind the art decorated fence. Someone was wailing, bereft. My heart broke.

Afterward Tara told me that the six month memorial had been done right. Some memorial items were left inside and a bright rainbow sign was left for Cory. It was all so sad. I gave Tara a hug. She invited me to Woodlawn Cemetery that evening where her son was buried. Three other victims of the Pulse shooting were buried right beside him. A couple was buried to his right and the third to his left. At dusk they were having a service and would release Japanese floating lanterns in his honor. Tara gave directions to the grave site but there were so many twists and turns in the directions that I knew I was going to be lost. She confessed that she gets turned around when she goes. They went to their SUV, but James returned and gave me abbreviated directions. They both waved as they drove away. I wasn’t alone. I love that family.

“When a wave of love
takes over a human being… such an exaltation takes him that he knows
he has put his finger on the pulse of the great secret and the great
answer.”

~Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Deviant Dolls dominated at Krampusnacht.

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Orlando Krampusnacht was presented by Pink Hair Productions and Thomas M. Bunting Projects.

He’s half-goat, half-demon and all holiday cheer. He has horns and a long tongue he is covered in fur. He caries a switch which he uses to spank children who have been bad. This demonic holiday demon keeps children in line much more effectively than Santa. It was night of not-so-traditional holiday fun honoring Krampus! I decided to host ODD (Orlando Drink and Draw) at the Hammered Lamb (1235 N Orange Ave, Orlando, Florida 32804) on the same evening as Krampusnacht. About six artists stopped out to sketch the festivities.

I wandered inside to enjoy the air conditioning, and discovered this incredible collection of Deviant Dollz. These adorable, bloody, bruised and scared dolls all had personality. Many dolls had horns just like Krampus himself. The exotic sales mistress had on a billowing black skirt with a tight corset.  Prices ranged from $20 and up. These bloody creations are sure to grab
attention as the~f hang in Christmas stockings, or from a rope. Several dolls were sold while I did the sketch.  I felt I had to work fast, before they were all gone. Krampus himself inspected the dolls with a knowing approval.

Kids invade the Orange Grove.

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With construction complete on the New Kids Town in the Orlando Science Center, (777 East Princeton St, Orlando, FL 32803) I returned on a Saturday to the Orange Grove to see how kids like the new play area.To say the liked it is a understatement. Kids love this play area. Parents waited by sitting on d bench that separated a much smaller toddler’s play area from the orange grove. A bicycle that looks like a tractor is used to power a conveyor belt lift that brings the orange balls up to an elevated ramp. A hand peddle powers a second lift. All of these balls roll it a large water tower with the Dr. Phillips logo on it. Some balls then roll down other ramps to fall behind the bulbous plastic trees where holes allow the “fruit” to be picked. When the water tower is full of balls, an alarm goes off and warning light flash. Kids learn like Pavlovian pets to run to the tower where all the balls fall all at once out of the tower. Kids hold up collecting trays and their bare hands in hopes of catch in as much as they can.

There are conveyor belts that transport the balls through machines this must act as cleaners. A truck can be loaded up to transport the “fruit” to market. It is amazing how competitive Kids become to gather up as much “fruit” as they can. The final stop is y fresh fruit market. A girl rushing towards the market with a box full o oranges knocked the sketch boo out of my lap without missing a beat. Besides the oranges, there over other pillory fruits like watermelons. Several parents returned to there waiting be n and the wife signaled over to me to let me know they were in the same spot to be sketched.

Wynwood at Art Basel.

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Plans to go to Art Basel on Saturday were Shanghaied when I went to a gallery in New Smyrna Beach. I couldn’t sketch at this opening, so there isn’t much to report. I kept my hands in my pockets except when sipping a Coke or eating pretzels. Occasionally shrimp circulated around the room on a tray. The show consisted of small paintings competitively priced for the holidays.

I made the three-and-a-half hour drive down to Miami on Sunday instead. After parking in the Wynwood District I only had to walk one block before I saw a graffiti artist at work. This NYC artist was named Cortez. I couldn’t make out what the letters were in the tag, but now after the fact, I’m thinking it might be his name. I got lost sketching the tag, so don’t expect to read it in my sketch. It became an abstraction of bright colors, valves and shapes. The artist’s girlfriend videotaped me as I sketched, and I asked the artist to sign my sketch when I was done. Art tourists kept taking photos of the wall in progress. For some people, the only way to experience art is to photograph it.

I explored the Wynwood Walls and several galleries before heading over to the convention center, which is at the heart of Art Basel. Tickets to get in are like $45. I got there at the end of the day so paying for a few hours of browsing seemed like a waste. Instead I went to Ink, which consisted of galleries specializing in limited edition artists prints. Flying Horse Editions from UCF here in Orlando was on site. Each gallery had a quaint motel room surrounding a courtyard with a long central fountain. Since I am searching for a rental apartment, I desperately wanted to convert one of these small units into a studio.

I went to a public park near the convention center where sculptures we scattered in the grass. Long- legged camels walked above a shimmering mirage reflection. Jesus had open avocados on his head, shoulders and forearms. Perhaps he as actually the patron saint of avocados. A black hula hoop was plopped on top of a pile of road tar, and the crowning glory was a pile of six-foot-high brightly colored pebbles that looked like the cheery painted rocks you might find in a fish tank.

I stopped at Maxine’s on Collins Avenue for a bite to eat. It isn’t as good as the Maxine’s in Orlando, but I went in h honor. Afterwards I followed the long line of red taillights that inched towards I-95 to drive north into the night.

Weekend Top 6 Picks for December 10th and 11th.

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Saturday December 10, 2016<10am 4pm="" b="" free.="" to=""> 

<10am 4pm="" b="" free.="" to="">Elite Animation Academy Open House. 8933 Conroy Windermere Rd, Orlando, FL 32835. Learn what Elite Animation Academy has to offer at this free open house.

Elite Animation Academy is an art and Animation program designed for
students interested in the Art of Animation. Elite Animation is proud to
be a “Partners in Education” with Dr. Phillips High School, Olympia
High School, Chain of Lakes Middle School, Foundation Academy, Trinity
Preparatory School, Windermere Preparatory, Windy Ridge Elementary,
Providence Foundation, Holy Family Catholic School, Saint Margaret Mary
Catholic School and The Orlando Science Center. We have also partnered
with Orange County Library System and the Autism Society of Greater
Orlando (ASGO).

We offer classes for children as well as Adults. Our
classes are during the week and on Saturdays, with convenient afternoon
and evening hours. We focus on basic to intermediate levels with an
emphasis on history, theory, and sketch along with Animation exercises
each week after the topic. Our classes are small to provide you with a
more personal connection with the teachers and get the most out of the
lessons.

Combined, our
instructors have over 50 years experience in the industry working for
Walt Disney Feature Animation, Marvel and other major movie studios’ Developing young minds through the art of animation.

7pm Free. The Annual “Violectric Holiday Show”. Walt Disney Amphitheatre at Lake Eola Park, 99 N Rosalind Avenue, Orlando, Florida 32801. Rock Into The Holiday Season With Strings Sensation Violectric At The Annual “Violectric Holiday Show” Saturday, December 10 At Lake Eola Park In Downtown Orlando.

Central Florida’s Top Strings Rock Group Return to the Walt Disney Amphitheatre and Offer a Fun and Free Concert Featuring All the Classic Holiday Tunes with a Twist and More

Festivities Include VIP Pre-Party with Concert Behind-the-Scenes Presented by Old Forester and End of Prohibition After-Party With 1920’s Theme Costume Contest.

Bring a Non-Perishable Food Item to Benefit Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

Sunday December 5, 2016 

11am to 4pm Free. A Florida Highwaymen. See a Florida Highwayman painter at work. Orange County Regional History Center, East Central Boulevard, Orlando, FL.

Noon to 3pm Free. Music at the Casa. Casa Feliz Historic Home Museum, 656 N Park Ave, Winter Park, FL 32789. Chris Belt, classical and contemporary guitar recital.

1pm to 5:30pm Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

The Stories of Christmas

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After a radio interview, Joshua Vickery invited me to a dress rehearsal for The Stories of Christmas, at Central Florida Community Arts
(250 SW Ivanhoe Blvd, Orlando, Florida 32804).  

This holiday season, the 300 voice
CFCArts Community Choir and members of the CFCArts Symphony Orchestra will perform their rendition of The Stories of Christmas. This year, the show
will share family traditions, childhood memories, personal stories and
much more through their favorite Christmas songs, as well as the
incorporation of “Noel: The Carols of Christmas”, the retelling of the
Christmas story through traditional Christmas hymns. Don’t miss this
fantastic holiday production as only CFCArts can present.

The
Stories of Christmas will be held on Thursday, December 8th and Friday,
December 9th at 7:30pm at Northland Church, (530 Dog Track Rd, Longwood
FL, 32750). They are offering the convenience
of assigned seating for this event! That’s right, you will be able to
CHOOSE YOUR SEATS when you order your tickets. All seats in the
auditorium will be assigned and will not be first come, first served. So
buy your tickets now! Tickets are $10 each for advance sale ($15 at the
door), Priority Seating tickets are $25 each, and tickets for Premium
seating (which also includes a CFCArts Cookbook and Autographed Poster)
are $50 each.

Please note that tickets will NOT be available
for walk up purchase at Northland at any time prior to the night of the
show. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the CFCArts Box
Office at 407-937-1800 x 710.

Balcony seating is not
handicapped accessible. For handicapped accessible seating, please call
the CFCArts Box Office at 407-937-1800 x 710. Children ages 3 and under
will be admitted for free. For those parents wishing for their 3 and
under child to have his/her own seat, a free ticket will be available
for reservation. Doors will open at approximately 7 p.m. Nature’s Table
Cafe will be open at 5:30pm both evenings – come early and join us for
dinner!

Ticketing problems or questions? Contact the CFCArts Box Office: (407) 937-1800 ext. 710 or boxoffice@cfcommunityarts.com

Heartfulness Meditation

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I went to the Maitland Public Library (501 S. Maitland Ave., Maitland, FL) to “learn simple techniques that improve wellness of being.” This Heartfulness Meditation happens every second and fourth Monday of every month, 6-8 p.m.  I have attended group meditations before which consisted of 45 minutes of silent meditation, followed by a group discussion. I focused on the blankets on the floor thinking people would be sitting there as they meditated. I was wrong: they sat classroom-style in rows of tables and chairs outside the sketch’s composition.

Only one person was in the room when I first entered. She had bright blue hair and confided that this was her first time meditating here. She had tried YouTube meditation videos and was afraid that the PC hooked up to the TV meant more of the same. The mediator for the session was a young Indian fellow whose name I never caught.

For most of November I had to spar with a friend who I feared would be a delinquent client. My head was spinning, wondering what I could have done differently to preserve the friendship. The damage was done. My instructor seemed to sense this and he began by talking about someone who is obsessed with a fight. He had a nervous laugh that reminded me of a nephew of mine. With thoughts of the fight in mind, a person is already on guard, prepared for another fight. He offered us a guided cleaning. He used the metaphor of a dirty home. Sometimes cleaning just moves the dirt around. He equated a meditated cleaning to be like opening all the windows and doors to air out the space. The weather is finally cool enough to allow for that. My mind definitely needs to be aired out.

The goal of his meditation session was to clear the heart space. He wanted us to imagine a source of light within which has no luminosity or radiance. Light is the most subtle thing to meditate on. When we imagine a light without illumination, it puts the mind on the edge of an inner dimension where we don’t deal with thoughts but build heartfulness based on silence. He dimmed the lights to the room and everyone closed their eyes. I, of course, sketched, searching for the light in the dark room. Halfway into the sketch I realized everyone had taken their shoes off. Darn it, I couldn’t even get that unspoken cue right. The brush sounded insanely loud on the page, so I slowed down my painting to try and stay silent. I doubt I succeeded.

After the cleaning, we proceeded to a silent meditation which lasted perhaps half an hour. The goal was to stop chasing impressions and thoughts. To live life calmly. Our thoughts derive their power from our attention. Thoughts are like a river or clouds in the sky: when we feel them coming, then we have to let them go. Will power must be used to remove impressions. The will needs to be precise and firm. There were four others seated on folding chairs in the room. One left early and the woman with the blue hair left during silent meditation. Heather confided afterwards that meditation cultivated negative feelings in her mind. Her results were the opposite of what was hoped for. He let her know that this session had been short, and with regular daily practice she could achieve the heartfulness that would allow a life of being balanced and poised.

With the sketch complete I lowered my head and relaxed. A minute later the session was over. I’m hoping that sketching gives the heartfulness he was talking about. My thoughts were limited to lighter, darker, larger, smaller. My inner dialogue about conflict had no room to grow. My heart stopped pounding in my ears. A truce meant a hope for peace.

Orange Grove Construction.

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Each day I sketched at the Orlando Science Center‘s new Kids Zone construction site, I was issued a hard hat at the front admissions desk. The day I stopped in to sketch the Orange Grove, it looked close to being complete. The construction foreman let me know that the hard hat wasn’t needed since there was no overhead work being done. Large plastic sheets still isolated the construction site so museum goers couldn’t see the progress.

Only one young construction worker was doing minor work in the grove. He stood in a window of light, and inspected the elevated rails that would late transport oranges around the room. The oranges were orange balls and there were a few green balls as well. The bulbous plastic trees were ripe with fruit. Balls would automatically feed into openings in the trees waiting to be picked. A ladder was needed to get up high and check that the ramps were secure.

I went back to the grove several days ago when it was filled with children. This quiet scene suddenly became a scene of chaos. Kids were running everywhere, picking fruit and getting it to market. One little girl ran right into me, knocking my sketchbook to the floor. She was in a rush to get a box of balls to the market. If you have children, trust me, the will love the new Kids Zone.